See a comprehensive document detailing my professional history below.
Colleen Countryman
Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy
School: School of Humanities and Sciences
Phone: 607-274-7779
Email: ccountryman@ithaca.edu
Office: Center for Natural Sciences (CNS) 264
Specialty: Physics Education Research, Development and Assessment of Educational Technologies, Active Learning Techniques
Curriculum Vitae
colleencountryman-cv.pdf -
colleencountryman-cv (pdf)
Teaching Experience
Since being welcomed into the Ithaca College community in 2017, I have taught courses in both our algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics series. I believe that collaboration and interdisciplinarity are critical to our understanding and appreciation of the world, so I have also co-taught courses within the School of Music, Theater, and Dance and the Integrated College Curriculum. Previously, I have taught courses and labs in introductory physics for engineers at North Carolina State University, and calculus courses at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Students conduct an experiment on the coefficient of restitution of a tennis ball.
Courses Taught at Ithaca College
- PHYS 101: Introduction to Physics I
- PHYS 10108: Foundations of Physics
- PHYS 102: Introduction to Physics II
- PHYS 123: Classical Fields: Gravitation, Electricity & Magnetism
- PHYS 142: Physics of Music
- PHYS 280: Physics Learning Assistant Program
- PHYS 320: Thermodynamics
- PHYS 322: Classical Mechanics
- PHYS 299/399/499: Independent Research
- ICIC 100: Integration: Connecting Disciplines
- ICSM 105: Science in the Media
- IISP 101: Songwriting and Singing
"Colleen Countryman (Ph.D., North Carolina State University) is widely recognized as a “joyous rockstar” in the classroom, who teaches physics at all levels with scrupulous attention to student need. ... Her philosophy is that 'students learn best when they are having fun,' and her instructional strategies are creative and interactive."
Tenure announcement
Students creating pan flutes in Physics of Music.
Read the entire tenure announcement here.
I teach all levels of physics with the guiding philosophy that "to learn physics, you must do physics!" I utilize Ithaca College's SCALE-UP Performance-Based Physics Lab and was a member of the team that redesigned another classroom in order to employ active learning techniques and seamlessly integrate laboratory and lecture in order to increase students' engagement, understanding and sense of belonging in physics.
In short, one of my driving goals is to make physics fun!
Research Experience
Research Background
My Physics Education Research background allows me to extend the reach of Ithaca College's long-standing excellence in teaching. I graduated with my Ph.D. in Physics from NC State in 2015 with co-advisement by Professors Robert Beichner and Michael A. Paesler, and my dissertation resulted in the publication of the NCSU MyTech mobile app, which has over 10,000 users worldwide.
Making Physics Meaningful
Current Research Projects at Ithaca College
I specialize in Physics Education Research (PER). PER focuses on how students learn physics and how teaching methods can be improved. It combines insights from physics, education, and cognitive science to identify effective strategies, develop learning tools, and assess student understanding. The goal is to make physics more accessible and meaningful for everyone!
I am currently working with Ithaca College students to develop and assess mobile apps, simulations, and supplementary instructional videos. Check out our electric field simulation and other projects in action!
Suryash Malviya '26 and Samuel Smith '25 developed 3D models of challenging physics concepts, including this one of a cyclotron. The interactive simulation lets students visualize how charged particles accelerate in circular paths using electric fields and magnetic confinement.
Ted Mburu '23 developed an interactive simulation to help introductory physics students develop an intuition for electric fields.
Colleen Countryman's students in action!
Whether it is creating instructional videos in the PER lab, presenting research on a national stage, or investigating how electric fields work in a hands-on setting, students are actively learning and doing.
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Suryash Malviya presenting 3D model research
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Mikolaj Konieczny and Ted Mburu meeting up as IC PER alums at APS March Meeting! Both are now studying physics in grad school!
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Dani Adler and Zach Ellner working on a Lagrangian problem in Classical Mechanics
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Students in Physics of Music studying waves on a string
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Investigating synthesizer sound waves through an oscilloscope
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Investigating mystery tubes in an ISCM class on Science in the Media
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Studying magnetic fields in E&M
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Introducing a Girl Scout group to electric fields!
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Ted Mburu developed a simulation involving electric fields
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Tyler Kaplan shows off his mechanics modeling project involving the physics of golf
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Ty Anderson and Ariel Odessky investigating electric fields with a Van Der Graaf Generator
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Noah Rosenzweig creating instructional videos using a light board in the PER lab
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Yash Mohod shows off his mechanics modeling project on the sensitivity of a astrophysical double pendulum system to initial conditions