WM24 Dodge Citation Goes to Juan Burciaga

Juan Burciaga Recognized with 2024 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT

Juan BurciagaCollege Park, MD, November 22, 2023—AAPT has announced that Juan Burciaga will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during their 2024 Winter Meeting. Burciaga is honored for his tireless efforts to promote the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the physics community and profound work to build the expertise of the AAPT community in the teaching of physics for the life sciences.

Regarding his selection to receive this citation, Burciaga said, “Choosing AAPT as my professional home was an easy decision. The fiercely dedicated community pursing the study and teaching of physics for both students and professionals struck a resonance within me from the beginning. Receiving the Homer L. Dodge Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is both an honor and a humbling reminder. Looking at those who have received the DSA in the past is a catalog of the people whose achievement and impact I have respected and now, being thought as being part of that group is a rare mark of distinction. But I am also aware that my work was only possible with the collaboration and cooperation of many others in AAPT who have worked as hard and as dedicated as I have, or more so, but have yet to be recognized.”

A member of AAPT since 1992, Burciaga has served on the Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education, the Publications Committee as Book Editor, and the Books Committee.

Burciaga is currently an adjunct at The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. He has made significant contributions to the AAPT mission through his active engagement in moving forward the AAPT commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with special attention to Hispanic Serving Institutions, as an active member of the National Society for Hispanic Physicists. Burciaga has also devoted much of his work in AAPT to working to build the Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) area with his strong interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Nominators noted “It is hard to capture all Juan has done for physics education. His efforts have had a major impact and have connected different organizations – most notably the National Society of Hispanic Physicists and AAPT.”; “Juan truly embodied inclusive actions throughout this process [creation of inclusive curriculum in physics classes]. Students and significantly junior people were involved in the planning; throughout the workshop organizing, Juan worked to make sure these individuals were truly included in organizing the workshop without overburdening them.”

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.