Adams is the Get the Facts Out PI. In this role she manages the project and directs all research and development activities. She is also the Director of Teach@Mines at the Colorado School of Mines, an APS Fellow, and co-recipient of the 2018 American Physical Society Excellence in Physics Education Award. A Physics Education Researcher by training, she earned her PhD. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2007 under the guidance of Dr. Carl Wieman. Adams’ research focuses on formative assessment, curriculum design, and perceptions of the teaching profession. She is the author of the CLASS, which measures students’ perceptions of physics and how to learn physics; has done extensive work on problem solving evaluation; developed the interface design guidelines for the PhET Interactive Simulations; designed and developed several curricula including the Explore Sound project – K-14 materials for acoustics; and has most recently developed the suite of Get the Facts Out resources including the PTaP and PTaP.HE instruments (Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession) for students and for faculty in Higher Education, respectively.

Beth is the Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Arts degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Kent State University. After receiving her doctorate, Beth was a post-doctoral fellow at the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota. She taught for one year in the physics department at Gettysburg College immediately following her post-­doctoral fellowship. In 1989 she joined the physics department at Bucknell University as an assistant professor, attaining full professor in 2002. She was named associate dean of the faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2000. As a faculty member she involved students actively in her research and ran a Research Experiences for Undergraduate site. In 2006, she was appointed as Provost, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Physics at Illinois Wesleyan University. As provost, Beth initiated a strategic curricular review and revitalized departmental reviews to enhance academic programs. At AAPT since 2011, Beth provides leadership on a number of physics education initiatives including providing professional development opportunities for high school teachers of physics, supporting physics educators in higher education through workshops for new faculty and topical conferences, and the PhysTEC project to increase the number and quality of high school physics teachers. As a long time member of AAPT, she enjoys working closely with many members to improve physics teaching and learning at all levels. She has assisted AAC&U Project Kaleidoscope in developing STEM faculty leaders and CUR to incorporate undergraduate research into the curriculum. Beth’s current interests include the structure and function of phospholipid membranes, physics education research, and increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in physics.

Isola is a retired high school physics and math teacher from SW Michigan. He has been with the GFO Project since 2018 as a member of the Project Management Team. He also previously served as a TIR in the PhysTEC Project for Western Michigan University and, on the national level, as a TIR coordinator as well as on the National Task Force for Physics Teacher Preparation.

David May is GFO’s project manager and is a Research Associate at the Colorado School of Mines. Previously, he worked at the American Physical Society (APS), where he managed the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) and APS’s part of GFO.

David received his Ph.D. in Physics from The Ohio State University, specializing in physics education research, a Master’s degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Rochester, and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Earlham College. He did a post-doc in Physics Education Research at the University of Maryland.

Monica Plisch is Director of Education and Diversity at the American Physical Society (APS), where she has worked for over a decade to build a portfolio of national programs that have been recognized for their positive impact in the physics community. Among other programs, the Bridge Program and the National Mentoring Community are aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented ethnic and racial minorities in graduate and undergraduate education. Dr. Plisch also serves as staff liaison to the APS Committee on Minorities. She completed her doctoral studies in physics at Cornell University. Monica is a Fellow of the APS.

Shari Stockero is a co-PI on the GFO project as part of her role as the Executive Director of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE). In this role, she oversees AMTE’s work on the project—work that is largely carried out by the AMTE GFO Task Force. She received her PhD in mathematics education from Western Michigan University. She is a Professor of mathematics education and Assistant Provost for Faculty Development at Michigan Technological University. Her primary research, supported by NSF, is improving the teaching of secondary school mathematics by conceptualizing high-potential instances of student thinking (MOSTs) that would support student learning of important mathematics, as well as conceptualizing the teaching practice of building on such high-potential instances. She is also co-PI on a NSF Noyce Master Teacher project focused on improving science instruction in Michigan and co-PI on a NSF Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) project focused on technology acceptance by engineering faculty.

In June 2021, I started working as Head of Education at the American Physical Society and am on leave from UMaine.

I was honored to be named Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2015.

I’m a professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. From 2014 to 2016, I was chair of the department.

I’m a founding member of the UMaine Center for Research in STEM Education. My major work since 2010 has been in the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership, which has since morphed into the Maine STEM Partnership.

I’m a member of the UMaine Physics Education Research Laboratory (PERL). We call our research room the Oyster, because that’s where pearls grow. Bad humor, it’s what physicists do.

Over in the College of Education and Human Development, I’m involved in the School of Learning and Teaching through my work on the STEM Education Ph.D. 

Besnik Abrashi joined the GFO research project as a research assistant in 2021. He is from Flower Mound, TX and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Texas. Besnik is currently attending the University of Southern California to pursue a Master’s Degree in Clarinet Performance.

Adams is the Get the Facts Out PI. In this role she manages the project and directs all research and development activities. She is also the Director of Teach@Mines at the Colorado School of Mines, an APS Fellow, and co-recipient of the 2018 American Physical Society Excellence in Physics Education Award. A Physics Education Researcher by training, she earned her PhD. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2007 under the guidance of Dr. Carl Wieman. Adams’ research focuses on formative assessment, curriculum design, and perceptions of the teaching profession. She is the author of the CLASS, which measures students’ perceptions of physics and how to learn physics; has done extensive work on problem solving evaluation; developed the interface design guidelines for the PhET Interactive Simulations; designed and developed several curricula including the Explore Sound project – K-14 materials for acoustics; and has most recently developed the suite of Get the Facts Out resources including the PTaP and PTaP.HE instruments (Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession) for students and for faculty in Higher Education, respectively.

Allie is a Research Associate and Program Coordinator for the GFO team. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014 and joined the GFO team at the start of the project in 2018. She is also the Program Coordinator for Teach@Mines at the Colorado School of Mines. Allie spends her work time planning GFO/T@M meetings and events, supporting the GFO champions, tracking budgets, and much more. She spends her free time going to concerts, fishing or snowboarding in the mountains, and soaking up family time with her husband and little boy Ryder.

Jared Breakall earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry education from Brigham Young University- Idaho. Following this, he taught middle school chemistry for a year before entering graduate school at Purdue University where he earned his Ph.D. in chemical education research. His research during graduate school focused on characterizing and improving multiple-choice assessment practices in general chemistry courses.

Currently, Jared Breakall is an Assistant Professor of Chemstry at Snow College and a research associate at the Colorado School of Mines where he researches STEM teacher recruitment efforts in the United States with the Get the Facts Out research project. He has taught middle school science in Idaho and has a Ph.D. in chemical education research from Purdue University.

David May is GFO’s project manager and is a Research Associate at the Colorado School of Mines. Previously, he worked at the American Physical Society (APS), where he managed the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) and APS’s part of GFO.
David has spent his career developing, managing, directing, and evaluating STEM education projects. His longest position was Director for P-20 Partnerships and STEM Initiatives at the University System of Maryland, where he directed NSF-funded projects involving faculty, teachers,and administrators from higher education and K-12 institutions. He also helped develop and manage programs with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium.

David received his Ph.D. in Physics from The Ohio State University, specializing in physics education research, a Master’s degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Rochester, and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Earlham College.He did a post-doc in Physics Education Research at the University of Maryland. 

Kaitlin Miller is a Colorado native, music fanatic, and education enthusiast. She joined the Get the Facts Out research project as a research assistant in 2021. Kaitlin received a Bachelor of Music Degree in harp performance and music theory from the University of North Texas and is now attending the University of Southern California for a Master of Music Degree.

Faith Ann Santucci is a bookworm, baking enthusiast, and lover of hiking. She joined the Get the Facts Out project as a research assistant in 2021. A graduate of the University of North Texas, Faith Ann holds a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance, and she is currently attending Florida State University pursuing a Master of Music degree. 

Caleb Litster is a preservice mathematics educator from Ames, Iowa. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Math Education from Brigham Young University, with a minor in Statistics. In his free time, you can find him building with Legos, composing piano music, or using probability to win family games.