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Brean Prefontaine
Drexel University
AIP History Intern: Women and African-Americans in the Physical Sciences
American Institute of Physics
Position details
The History of Women and African-Americans in the Physical Sciences
The American Institute of Physics' Center for History of Physics works to preserve and make known the historical record of modern physics and allied sciences. Through documentation, archival collections and educational initiatives, the Center ensures that the heritage of modern physics is safeguarded and its story is accurately told. The resource for 2014 is a "Teachers Guide to the History of African-Americans in Physics and Astronomy."
Brean and fellow SPS intern Connor are working on a teacher's guide to the history of women and African-Americans in the physical sciences. They are working with the director of the Center for History of Physics, graduate research assistants, and library specialists to weave collections of materials in the Niels Bohr Library & Archives at AIP into a historical narrative, design the web resource, and provide outreach to young science students.
Final presentation
I am a sophomore physics major at Drexel University which is located in Philadelphia. In addition to my physics degree, I am pursuing a single subject teaching credential so that I have the option of teaching high school physics once I graduate. I ultimately want to attend graduate school and have been interested in various physics education programs for my graduate studies. On campus, I am involved in the SPS chapter at Drexel as well as looking forward to being president of the Women in Physics Society at Drexel University next year (this year I was treasurer). These two clubs keep me busy but also provide many fun outreach opportunities that allow me to expand on my teaching skills and to play with some fun physics demonstrations.
While I have made a place to call home in Philadelphia, I am originally from Riverside, California and do miss my family and the beach terribly. While I cannot get to the beach quite as much these days, I am happy to pursue some of my other hobbies. I have been a competitive figure skater for about 12 years and now I am coaching figure skating at various rinks in the Philadelphia area in addition to still competing. When I am not in the classroom or at the rink, I enjoy running, hiking, rock climbing, and reading the latest novels. I cannot wait for a great summer internship and am very excited to explore our nation's capitol.