About the Authors

Timothy F. Slater is the University of Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair of Science Education and holds faculty appointments in the College of Education and the College of Science. Internationally known for his seminal work in astronomy education research, he is a Senior Fellow at the CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research, where his research focuses on uncovering learners’ conceptual models when engaging in science. Before becoming a chaired professor at the University of Wyoming, Dr. Slater was a tenured professor in the Astronomy Department at the University of Arizona, where he constructed the first Ph.D. program focusing on astronomy education research. Winner of numerous teaching awards, Dr. Slater has been elected to the Council and Boards of Directors for the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the Society of College Science Teachers, and the National Science Teachers Association. He has served on, and chaired, education committees for the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Physical Society, and the American Geophysical Union. Dr. Slater and his wife, Stephanie, also a noted discipline-based education researcher, spend their evenings in search of the perfect location to watch the Sun set and count the stars as they appear.

Roger A. Freedman is on the faculty of the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He grew up in San Diego, California, and was an undergraduate at the University of California campuses in San Diego and Los Angeles. He did his doctoral research in nuclear theory and its astrophysical applications at Stanford University under the direction of Professor J. Dirk Walecka. Dr. Freedman came to UCSB in 1981 after three years of teaching and doing research at the University of Washington. Dr. Freedman holds a commercial pilot’s license, and when not teaching or writing he can frequently be found flying with his wife, Caroline. He has piloted aircraft across the United States and Canada.