David Sturm to Receive the 2026 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, MD, October 29, 2025—AAPT has announced that David Sturm will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT during the 2026 Winter Meeting.

David is recognized for "his exceptional service, leadership, and mentorship of AAPT community members. David has encouraged and guided many new and early career members to become leaders in the Association. He has served AAPT with distinction at both the national and section levels, including leadership in the New England Section, on the Board of Directors, and in key roles with PIRA, ALPhA, and PTRA. He has played a vital role in strengthening ties between the national organization and its sections, and his dedicated work on the Nominating Committee has ensured strong leadership for AAPT’s future."

Regarding his selection to receive this citation, David said, “Our networking is the most important part of AAPT, because as allies advancing physics teaching, we all can do more.”

David is the instructional laboratory and lecture demonstration specialist for the University of Maine Department of Physics and Astronomy.

A member of AAPT and PIRA since the 1990’s, David has a history of distinguished service to AAPT locally and nationally.  David's service shows a long-term commitment to the Apparatus community, including past and current time as chair. He has been an active leader and officer for PIRA.  He has served in various roles in the New England Section In his role as Section Representative for New England he served in a variety of leadership positions between 2012 and 2023.  He has also served in the communities on Laboratories, and Science Education for the Public, and on the Meetings Location, and PTRA Oversight Committees.  From 2017-2021 Sturm served on the AAPT Board of Directors during the pandemic, which was a time when many crucial decisions were made.  Since leaving the Board, he stepped into the Nominations Chair role, at a time when declining membership and smaller conference attendance has raised challenges regarding how our committees are filled.  He has reached out to members, drawing them into roles that develop their leadership and bringing them solidly into AAPT.

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.

For more information: Contact David Wolfe, Director of Communications, dwolfe@aapt.org, (301) 209-3322, (301) 209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.