Physics professor honored for excellence

Manly

teven Manly, associate professor of physics and astronomy, has been named Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor in recognition of excellence in teaching and for encouraging the development of cross-disciplinary instructional programs. The professorship was established in 1979 in honor of the late Mercer Brugler, chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees.

With a novel approach to teaching physics, Manly has structured his courses to include weekly workshops that stress cooperative problem solving and to emphasize the relationship of physics concepts to everyday life. His techniques have proven effective in reaching a wide range of learning styles and engaging students who may otherwise lose interest in physics.

"Steve has made an enormous impact on the teaching mission of the College in a very short time," says Thomas LeBlanc, Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the College Faculty. "From his teaching of introductory physics to pre-med and life sciences students, to his introduction of peer-led workshops into the physics curriculum, Steve has been continuously engaged in improving undergraduate teaching using innovative methods."

After receiving his bachelor's degree in chemistry, mathematics, and physics in 1982 from Pfeiffer College in North Carolina, Manly earned his doctorate in experimental high energy physics from Columbia University in 1989 and joined the faculty at Yale. In 1998, he came to the University. His research seeks to simulate the first microsecond of the universe and test Einstein's general theory of relativity.

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