Alan Van Heuvelen

1938-2024

Alan Van Heuvelen, born on December 15, 1938, passed away peacefully at his home in Manila, Philippines, on August 11, 2024, leaving behind a legacy of love, strength, and unyielding spirit.

An AAPT member since 1995, and member of the New Jersey Section of AAPT, he spent many decades doing work he loved; being a Physics Professor, first at New Mexico State University, then at The Ohio State University, and finally at his alma mater Rutgers University.

In 1999 he was recognized with the Robert A. Milikan Medal for his outstanding contributions in developing research in physics education and his dedication to the teaching and learning of physics. At that time, he was Professor of Physics at Ohio State University.

Van Heuvelen received a B.S. degree in physics from Rutgers University in 1960 and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado in 1964. He immediately took a faculty position at New Mexico State University (NMSU) where he remained until December 1992. During the first half of his stay at NMSU, he used physical methods to study enzyme reaction mechanisms and electron transport processes in proteins. He also developed several commercial products, including moon work on a double magnetic resonance spectrometer, a medical warning device and an implantable blood glucose sensor for an insulin pump.

In the 1980s, Van Heuvelen's growing interest in physics education changed the thrust of his work. This physics education interest was encouraged by a 1988 FIPSE grant that supported the development of an Overview Case Study method of instruction and the production of the Active Learning Problem Sheets ~the ALPS Kits!. He later added a second volume of ALPS Kits on Electricity and Magnetism. He also authored an introductory algebra based physics text and was twice awarded the Burlington Northern Award for Achievement in Education.

In January 1993 he moved to the physics department at Ohio State University to join its newly formed Physics Education Research Group. He co-authored ActivPhysics, a two part, comprehensive interactive multimedia product which has both a CD and printed manual. He also authored a variety of curriculum materials, including Experiment Problems for Mechanics, Experiment Problems for Electricity and Magnetism, jeopardy problems, and qualitative reasoning problems.

Van Heuvelen was a principal supporter of active learning methods, representing the physical world in multiple ways, and helping students build complex problem solving skills on a strong conceptual foundation. He led or co-led about 100 workshops for physics teachers and professors on five continents. He conducted 3-day workshops for two-year college faculty members on conceptual exercises and his overview-case study approach to teaching introductory physics. He wrote and gave dozens of papers, talks, colloquia, and lectures on what physics education research is telling us about how students learn or do not learn physics. To recognize his outstanding contributions in developing research in physics education and his dedication to the teaching and learning of physics.

His legacy is not solely found in his work, but in how he made people around him feel; encouraged and special. His was a life lived with purpose, a spirit that never faltered, and a heart that was always open. His memory will forever remain in our hearts, a testament to a life well-lived and a soul that inspired us all.

Contact

David Wolfe

Director of Communications