Renee Michelle Goertzen
Physics Education Research Group
Physics Department
University of Maryland
College Park, 20742
Office: (301) 405-6187
Home: (240) 821-0456
goertzen@gmail.com
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Physics Education, expected April 2010, University of
Maryland, College Park, Maryland.
Bachelors of Science, Physics, 2003, with a minor in Mathematics, Cleveland State
University, Cleveland, Ohio, graduated Summa cum laude.
Bachelors of Arts, German Literature, 1997, George Washington University,
Washington, D.C., graduated Magna cum laude.
Research
Research Assistant (9/06 - Present) for NSF project: Developing Conceptual and
Teaching Expertise in Physics Graduate Students: An Integrated Approach (NSF REC
0529482)
 Constructed case studies of physics teaching assistants with a focus on the
expectations that guide their actions and attention while they interact with
students
 Created a coding scheme and analyzed data from 44 interviews to assess teaching
assistant buy-in to reform instruction
 Investigated effects of social and environmental context with respect to teaching
assistant buy-in
 Established video taping setup at secondary site
Research Assistant (5/07-8/07) for NSF project: Toward a New Conceptualization of
What Constitutes Progress in Learning Physics, K-16: Resources, Framing, and
Networks (NSF REC 0440113)
 Developed and piloted a survey to study consequences of priming on physics
reasoning
 Conducted think-aloud interviews
Research Assistant (1/06-5/06)
Conducted interviews with graduate students on conceptual physics topics to
explore ontological categorizations of physics experts
Student Editorial Assistant (1/04 - 5/05), for Jearl Walker on the textbook, Fundamentals
of Physics, 6th extended edition
 Assessed comprehensibility and difficulty of proposed problems
 Copy edited text and diagrams
Renee Michelle Goertzen
Undergraduate Research Fellow (REU), (Summer 2002), University of Washington
Physics Department, Lillian McDermott (advisor), Physics by Inquiry: Teaching Physics
More Effectively.
Undergraduate Research Fellow (REU), State University of New York, Stony Brook,
2001, Michael Rijssenbeek (advisor), Corona Discharge Tests in High Voltage Wires.
Teaching
Instructor (Fall 2007), Physics Department, University of Maryland, PHYS 115, Inquiry
Into Physics
 Taught introductory physics to elementary education majors
 Created a curriculum that fostered collaborative group learning about buoyancy,
circuits, and heat
Teaching Assistant (Spring 2007), Department of Physics, University of Maryland, PHYS
122, Fundamentals of Physics II
Teaching Assistant (Fall 2006), Department of Physics, University of Maryland, PHYS 121,
Fundamentals of Physics I
Teaching Assistant (Spring 2006), Department of Physics, University of Maryland, PHYS
117, Introduction to Physics
Teaching Assistant (Fall 2005), Department of Physics, University of Maryland, PHYS 115,
Inquiry Into Physics
Fellowships and awards
Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellow, Physics Department,
University of Maryland, College Park, 2003-2006
First Place Winner in Education Presentations, Graduate Research Interactions Day,
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, April 2009
Publications
R. M. Goertzen, R. E. Scherr, and A. Elby, "Tutorial TAs in the classroom: Framing
teaching as a focus on indicators," in preparation to be submitted to Phys. Rev. – Special
Topics: Phys. Educ. Res. (2009)
R.M. Goertzen. “Collecting classroom video on a budget.” Submitted to Physical Review
Special Topics: Physics Education Research. (2009)
R. M. Goertzen, R. E. Scherr, and A. Elby, “Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’
buy-in to reform instruction.” In preparation. Intend to submit to: Physical Review
Special Topics: Physics Education Research. (2009)
Renee Michelle Goertzen
R. M. Goertzen, R. E. Scherr, and A. Elby, “Indicators of understanding: What TAs listen
for in student responses,” in C. Henderson, M. Sabella, and L. Hsu (Eds.), AIP Conf.
Proc. 1064, 119-122 (2008 Physics Education Research Conference).
Contributed Talks (presenter underlined)
Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
Graduate Research Interactions Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, April 2009
Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Winter Meeting, Chicago, IL, February 2009
How physics graduate student TAs frame tutorial teaching
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Summer Meeting, Edmonton, Alberta, July 2008
Understanding TAs teaching physics: Framing, video, and tutorials
Renee Michelle Goertzen
Research group meeting, Physics Education Research Group, University of Colorado, Boulder, April 2008
Learning about physics graduate student TAs using case studies
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Summer Meeting, Greensboro, NC, July 2007
Priming epistemological framing: "Answermaking" and "Sensemaking" in introductory physics
courses
Paul Hutchison, Renee Michelle Goertzen
AAPT Summer Meeting, Greensboro, NC, July 2007
Understanding graduate teaching assistants as tutorial instructors: A case study
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Winter Meeting, Seattle, WA, January 2007
Ontological classification of physics concepts
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Edward F. Redish
AAPT Summer Meeting, Syracuse, NY, July 2006
Posters
(Invited) Novice teachers of university classes: physics graduate students teaching assistants
Rachel E. Scherr, Renee Michelle Goertzen, David Hammer, Andrew Elby
AERA Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, April 2009
Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Winter Meeting, Chicago, IL, February 2009
How physics graduate student TAs frame tutorial teaching
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
Physics Education Research Conference 2008, Edmonton, Alberta, July 2008
AAPT Summer Meeting, Edmonton, Alberta, July 2008
Renee Michelle Goertzen
Learning about physics graduate student TAs using case studies
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
Foundations and Frontiers in Physics Education, Bangor, Maine, August 2007
Priming epistemological framing in introductory physics students
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Paul Hutchison, and David Hammer
Physics Education Research Conference, Greensboro, NC July 2007
Learning about physics graduate student TAs using case studies
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Summer Meeting, Greensboro, NC, July 2007
Understanding graduate teaching assistants as tutorial instructors: A case study
Renee Michelle Goertzen, Rachel E. Scherr, Andrew Elby
AAPT Winter Meeting in Seattle, WA, January 2007
Service
Judge for Spotlight on Graduate Research Competition. November 2008
Social Event Coordinator for Women in Physics, a UM student group that provides
professional and social support for undergraduate and graduate women in physics at the
university, (9/08 -present)
Assisted with UM Prospective Graduate Student Open House, 2004-2007, 2009
Professional Affiliations
American Association of Physics Teachers