Physics, Astronomy Teacher / Deputy Director, K-12 Coordinator, Research Associate
Payson High School and Fairborn Institute
Tonto Basin, Arizona, United States
Michael James L. "Michael" Ellis graduated from Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, New Hampshire in 1998 but has made Arizona his home for over 25 years. He has a Certificate in Photography and an Associate of Applied Science in General Technology from Mohave Community College. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and Physics from the College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences at Northern Arizona University. Currently, he is pursuing his Master's degree.
Michael has been teaching high school science in the Payson Unified School District since 2010. He has taught various classes, including AP Physics, Astronomy, Conceptual Quantum Mechanics, Earth and Space, Engineering, Life Science, Physics, and Physical Science. He also mentored and coached the district's FIRST robotics team from 2013 to 2020. In 2017, he was awarded the FIRST Robotics Arizona Regional Teacher of the Year award. Michael has also developed an Earth and Space Scientific Research class for Payson High School. This course aims to provide students with a genuine scientific research experience and to publish their research in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Michael is also a staff scientist and educator for the Fairborn Institute and is a member of both the Society for Astronomical Sciences and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. He has contributed to binary star research at the Mt. Wilson Observatory using both the 100-inch and 60-inch telescopes. Michael has authored and co-authored eight papers on binary stars and astronomy in education published in the Society for Astronomical Sciences' annual publication and the Journal of Double Star Observations.
Disclosure information not submitted.
10D-3 - Introducing Published Astronomy Research in Rural Public Secondary Schools
Friday, August 23, 2024
4:05 PM – 4:55 PM US PDT
