Personal Website (including CV)

Meagan's research focuses on comparing the implementations and impacts of different active learning methods used to teach introductory physics. During her PhD at Cornell University, Meagan used social network analysis to investigate students’ perceptions of and interactions with one another across different instructional physics contexts. She has also applied qualitative methodologies to video data to understand how students engage with inquiry-based physics labs. Outside of work, Meagan enjoys playing lacrosse, traveling, and board games.

CV

Ibukun Bukola is a second year PhD student. Her research interest is in the use of active learning methodologies in physics, particularly the effective use of these learning methodologies. She is also interested in improving and reforming physics curriculum for introductory physics courses. Outside of physics, Ibukun enjoys spending time with friends, being with the church and reading fiction.

Ian Olivant is a second year Master's student.

CV

Kelley Commeford received her Ph.D. in Physics from Drexel University in 2021. Her research aims to characterize active learning environments in physics using network analysis. In addition to research on active learning environments in physics, Kelley has been involved in science communication efforts through Nerd Nite Philadelphia, Starfest, and YouTube. Kelley also serves as the Vice President of Finance for the Drexel Graduate Student Association, and will be the social media coordinator for the Physics Graduate Student Association next year.

CV

Max Franklin is a fifth year PhD student. In the past, he has done research on physics for life science majors, gender differences in self-efficacy, and analyzing PER papers to understand the view of researchers on non-PER faculty. At Drexel, he is studying shared attributes of women who persist in undergraduate physics and how to use that as a predictive tool to identify people at risk of leaving the field. This work has also included motivation of women in physics. Outside of physics, he enjoys ultimate frisbee, working out, and reading. He is from upstate New York and attended Swarthmore College for his undergraduate degree. 

CV

Justin Gambrell is a fifth year physics education research graduate student. He has researched students thinking interdisciplinarily. He has done quantitative analysis on physics departments and whether or not they incorporate computation in their classes. He has also briefly quantitatively analyzed data on transfer students into physics. Currently his research is on the devlopment and validation of an assessment of computational thinking in introductory physics.  He enjoys video games of the nintendo variety, board games, and random active adventures.  He is from Michigan and attended Michigan State University for his undergraduate degree (Go Green!) The three biggest changes he noticed about living in Philadelphia is that everything is more expensive, free parking spots are not everywhere, and that people watching is amazing. 

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Colin Green is a fifth year PhD student. His project focuses using machine learning to categorize the motivation of women in physics. He is also interested in developing curricula for quantum mechanics. 

Emily Harkness graduated Drexel University in 2020.  She spent 3 years working in Biophysics but switched to Dr. Brewe's research group for her senior research project. Her interests are primarily in physics education, neuroscience, and medicine, with her senior research being in network analysis of fMRI data of students. This project is part of a collaboration with Florida International University.

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Chase Hatcher is a second year MS student. His thesis focuses on a social network analysis of a physics faculty online learning community. He has worked with a STEM education research group in Chapel Hill, NC, taught high school physics for two years in Concord, NC, and completed a research project on an innovative instructional technique for teaching interferometry to astro 101 students as an undergrad. He is from Raleigh, NC, graduated from UNC-CH with a BS in astrophysics and a BA in religious studies, and likes to hike, bike, read, and listen to/play music. 

Resumé 

Adam Ikehara is in his senior year of studying physics at Drexel University, and is interested in a wide variety of fields but has a particular interest in physics education. He has been apart of the research group since fall 2018 and completed two co-op's jointly with DPER-N and the School of Education.  Adam will also be conducting senior research with DPER-N. 

CV

Bio

CV 

Virginia Price is a Ph.D. candidate at Drexel University. Her research interests focus on interpreting the motivations of undergraduate women physics majors through both qualitative and quantitative methods. She has a passion for informal physics education and has contributed to several outreach projects in the Philadelphia area. She has developed curricula for “Eureka!” Girls Inc., co-organized an IceCube Neutrino Summer School, and is the three-year organizer of the Physics Graduate Student Association’s yearly booth at the Philadelphia Science Festival.