Susan McKay
Professor Emerita of Physics                                                                                      Director Emerita, Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center)
Education
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987
M.S., University of Maine, 1979
A.B., Princeton University, 1975
Research
Dr. McKay is PI on multiple education research and education improvement grants, including the Maine Physical Sciences Curriculum Partnership (), a Model NSF Teaching Fellowship Program (), and the Maine Elementary Sciences Partnership (Maine Department of Education). Her recent research investigates implementation of place-based education in high school science classrooms and accountable talk in middle and high school classrooms.
Dr. McKay’s physics research revolves around theoretical condensed matter physics; phase transitions and critical phenomena; spin glasses, amorphous magnetism, quenched disorder; nonlinear systems and chaos; pattern formation; phase transitions in non-equilibrium systems; models of lateral organization in biological membranes; science education; student learning in science.
Some of her main research foci have been:
- Renormalization-group mappings of systems with competing interactions;
- Non-linear systems and transitions to chaos;
- Improving science education by providing research internships for pre- and in-service teachers;
- Development of realistic models for biological membranes (in collaboration with Professor Sam Hess);
- Developer and graduate coordinator of the Master of Science in Teaching Program; and
- Founding director of the University’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research.
Advising
Dr. McKay has recently advised the following MST thesis projects:
, Rachel Martin, Summer 2016
, Marina Van der Eb, Summer 2016
