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Catherine Herne to Receive 2023 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT

Catherine Herne to Receive 2023 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT

Catherine Herne

College Park, MD, April 3, 2023—AAPT has announced that Catherine Herne will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during their 2023 Summer Meeting. Herne is honored for:

“For tireless service to bringing attention to the importance of equitable learning spaces, and for exceptional contributions and consistent leadership that have helped develop foundational principles and structure to serve as a guide for realizing AAPT diversity,

Regarding her selection to receive this citation, Herne said, “I am honored to receive this award as a part of AAPT’s movement towards a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable association and physics community. I continue to be amazed by the efforts of AAPT members and staff and their commitment to this ongoing work.”

Herne is an Associate Professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy at the State University of New York at New Paltz, in New Paltz, New York. She earned her A.B. in Physics and Mathematics at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA and her Ph.D. in Applied Physics at the University of Michigan, Ann arbor, MI.

Herne has been a key leader of AAPT's Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. The efforts of the Task Force will reshape the Association's understanding of how to best serve its diverse membership, and will support both teachers and students of physics in the 21st century. Her leadership was central, and her work enabled the Task Force to complete its initial goals.

Additionally, Herne serves in other roles in AAPT, such as being part of the chair chain in the Committee on Laboratories, she was one of the authors of the recent AAPT White Paper on the Increase Investment in Accessible Physics Labs: A Call to Action for the Physics Education Community. This major whitepaper was recently endorsed by the AAPT Board of Directors.

Herne has been appointed to represent AAPT on AIP’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (DEIBA) strategic Framework Work Group. The purpose of the group is to offer all AIP Member Societies the opportunity to assist with the development of the DEIBA Strategic Plan. Member Societies will inform the process by providing input on the intended strategies for implementation and feedback on various components of the plan.

Herne serves on the SEA Change Professional Association Assessment Team, as Regional Director, NY State region for the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association, and has given many contributed and invited talks at our meetings.

About the Award


Established in 1953 and renamed in recognition of AAPT founder Homer L. Dodge in 2012, the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT is presented to members in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the association at the national, sectional, or local level.

About AAPT


AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.