"Flying Circus of Physics"

Dr. Miron Kaufman is Professor and chair of the Physics Department. He is the author of more than 50 refereed publications on statistical physics and its applications to engineering and biology. Dr. Kaufman is developing pedagogical enrichment materials using the state of the art engineering software Math CAD for several physics courses: University Physics I and II, Environmental Physics, Conceptual Physics for Middle School Teachers, Thermal Physics, Statistical Physics. He is displaying some of these materials on his web site. They are featured on the web collections of the American Association of Physics Teachers (Physical Sciences Resource Center), COMpadre.org and NSDL.org (National Science Digital Library). Dr. Kaufman has presented his pedagogical contributions at the 11th Global Warming International Conference and at the Gordon Conference on Physics Research and Education. Dr. Kaufman (with Dr. Streletzky) developed and taught the Flying Circus of Physics portion of CSU’s successful 2007 and 2008 Summer Honors Institutes.

Dr. Kiril A Streletzky has been one of the two physics instructors and course developers in the 2007 and 2008 CSU Summer Honors Institutes. He has taught physics courses (both at introductory and advanced levels) at CSU since 2004. In his teaching, he emphasizes the real-life context of physics and engaged learning through interactive “exploratory hands-on” physics labs. These ideas are incorporated into three new physics courses that he has developed and currently teaches at CSU. Dr. Streletzky is a recipient of two teaching awards from CSU: the Teaching Enhancement Award, 2005 and the Engaged Learning Award, 2006. He is actively involved in advising students both in his own lab and throughout the CSU Honors program. He serves as a faculty advisor to the Society of Physics Students and is a member of the University Honors Council. He also participates in the CSU community outreach activities by advising Horizon Academy students in their science projects. In fact, one of his student’s (Cristina Okafor, Horizon Academy) physics project won a first prize at the North Eastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair in 2005 (John Carroll U, March 28, 05).

Dr. Jearl Walker, professor of physics at Cleveland State University, received his BS in physics from MIT in 1967 and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland in 1973. His book The Flying Circus of Physics was published 30 years ago, has been translated into at least ten languages, and is still being sold world wide. During his 13 years with Scientific American magazine, he wrote 152 articles for “The Amateur Scientist” section, which were translated into at least nine languages world-wide. In 1990, he took over the textbook Fundamentals of Physics from David Halliday and Robert Resnick and he has now published his fourth edition of the book. He has lost count of the number of times he has been on television and radio and interviewed for newspapers and magazines, but clearly remembers the 20 minutes he spent performing on the Johnny Carson show! Dr. Walker assisted with the development of the successful 2007 and 2008 Summer Honors Institutes for which he also served as evaluator for students’ final presentations.

Dr. Theodore Wood, associate professor of physics at Cleveland State University, received a Ph.D. from Washington University in Saint Louis. He currently teaches courses on electronics and computational physics, and supervises all the teaching laboratories in the physics department. He regularly presents physics demonstrations for high-school students as part of the Physics Day at CSU.

Ms. Tara Panagopoulos undergraduate degrees in biology and physics. As laboratory manager for the physics department, she trains and supervises teaching assistants, and ensures compliance with all applicable human health and safety guidelines.

"Mathematical Kaleidoscope"

Ivan Soprunov and Jenya Soprunova received their Ph.D.'s. in mathematics from the University of Toronto in 2002. They currently teach mathematics at Cleveland State University and Kent State University respectively. Ivan's research is in computational and combinatorial algebraic geometry, and Jenya works in real algebraic geometry. From 1992 to 1997 Ivan and Jenya taught advanced mathematics courses for gifted high-school students in Moscow, Russia. During their years in Toronto they took part in organizing the Toronto gathering of the Tournament of Towns, an international math competition for high-school students. In the summer of 2001 together with Kiumars Kaveh they ran a geometry summer camp for gifted high-school students at the University of Toronto. They developed and taught the Mathematical Kaleidoscope portion of CSU's successful 2007 and 2008 Summer Honors Institute. In summer 2008 Jenya directed the Summer STEM Academy at Kent State University.  

"Exploring the World of Print and Environmentally Friendly Art"

Ms. Amelia Joynes is presently teaching for the Art Department and Education Department at Cleveland State University where she also supervises the Art student teachers. She has also lectured and supervised the Art Education students at Case Western Reserve University. She is a Certified Praxis III Assessor for the Ohio Department of Education evaluating entry-level teachers. She is licensed in multiage Visual Art, with Gifted Validation and she has a Certification in Supervision of Curriculum. Ms. Joynes was involved in the early writing teams for the Ohio Arts Standards and Arts’ Assessment as part of the Department of Education, Educational Advisory Committee, and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. She is presently one of the authors of a book published in 2006 titled Reaching and Teaching Students with Special Needs Through Art (ed. Guay, Gerber). Professionally, she has mentored school districts on arts assessment and was an examiner for the National Professional Board of Teacher Standards Certification in Visual Art. Recently, she presented a video series for the Cleveland Museum of Art docents on Early Childhood Museum Experiences. She taught visual art in public school for over 25 years and has made numerous presentations at the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and regional programs focused on arts and special needs, arts assessment, and arts across the curriculum.

"Imagination for High School Writers"

Mr. Jonathan Fairman is the retired Chairman of the English and Reading Department at the Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA). He taught Creative Writing and English for over 36 years. For the past eight years he has co-directed the CSA New Play, Film, and Poetry Festival (an annual showcase for student work at the Cleveland Play House). In 2002 and 2004, he was a workshop leader for the Imagination/2 Teen Writing Workshops hosted by Cleveland State University. In 2001, he was recognized as an Outstanding Arts and Writing Educator by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. He was chosen CAVS-Sportsnet Teacher of the Year (2001) and was named the Greater Cleveland Rotary Club’s Outstanding Educator (2003). In 2005, he received the President’s Award from the Greater Cleveland Rotary Club. Mr. Fairman has served on the State Board for the Power of the Pen, the Performing Arts Committee of the Cleveland Music School Settlement, Ohio Department of Education’s Reading Standards Committee for the Ohio Graduation Test, and Proficiency and Achievement Test Rangefinder Committees for writing and reading. He is an in-service presenter on numerous topics including Writing and Standards, Creative Writing Techniques, Technology Infusion in the Classroom, and Internet Resources for Teachers. Jonathan G. Fairman has a B.A. and an M.Ed. from Cleveland State University.

Susan Rzepka Orion, Ph.D. The only Amherst Writers and Artists Affiliated Workshop leader in Ohio, Susan won the Larry & Marcia McCartt Scholarship Prize to attend the 2008 Writers in Paradise Writers' Conference, where she won the Best of Non-Fiction award. Susan's peace poem, "A Toast," was selected by the Poets' and Writers' League of Greater Cleveland for Moving Minds, the 2006 RTA Bus Card Project currently in motion aboard over 750 buses and trains in the greater Cleveland area. As a journalist, she received the Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Editorial Writing and The Ohio Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has recognized her feature work story as the Best in Ohio. She is a columnist for Women Riders Now, a motorcycle lifestyle magazine. Susan also compiled and edited Out of Appalachia, a posthumous collection of poetry by Pat Hoornstra. A dedicated and experienced writer and rider, Susan likes to help others pursue their dreams. An out-of-the-box thinker who creates an environment of encouragement and support, Susan established Writing Ways (writing workshops modeled after the work of Pat Schroeder) to support the practice of writing craft, promote creativity and nurture the growth of confident writers with authentic voices. Susan Rzepka Orion brings her enthusiasm and eclectic skill set to every Writing Ways Workshop session. She writes short fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and personal essays.

"Political Science"

Dr. Rodger M. Govea has been teaching political science at Cleveland State University since 1978. He is an expert on the use of simulation in teaching, and has authored articles on the teaching of political science. He has also been a negotiator for the Cleveland State University teacher’s union on several occasions. For over ten years, he participated in the Cleveland Council on World Affairs’ programs for high school students, including visits to high schools throughout Northeast Ohio, and the “University for Young Americans”, which brought high-school students from all over the country to the Cleveland area for issue-oriented sessions on international politics. He facilitated this course at the CSU Summer Honors Institute in 2008.

"Making Connections"

Dr. Susan Rakow will direct this portion of the program. Her biographical information appears in the Gifted Education Expert section below.

Ms. Gloria Komar is a graduate student in Cleveland State's Gifted Education Master's program (M.Ed. May 2009) where she is also a graduate assistant for Dr. Susan Rakow. She has been a teacher for almost thirty years. She and her husband of 32 years have raised two gifted children, ages 23 and 19. She currently works for the Parma City Schools in the Gifted Program where she assists with AP and gifted assessment and as a substitute teacher.

Dr. Mary Motley is Coordinator of CSU’s Undergraduate Programs in Health, Physical Education, Sports Management and Exercise Science. She co-designed and taught the Honors Sport Appreciation course. Dr. Motley has been at Cleveland State for more than 30 years and was part of the Summer Honors Institute in 2007 and 2008.

Ms. Lynn Deering Associate Professor, Cleveland State University, is Director of the CSU Dance Program and Artistic Director of the CSU Dance Company. She teaches modern technique, choreography and dance pedagogy coursework. A 2004 recipient of the Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Award, Lynn is an active performer/choreographer with The Dance/Theater Collective, a cooperative group of Northeast Ohio dancers. She enjoys combining gesture and full-bodied contemporary movement vocabulary to explore the many aspects of human interactions. Her works have been commissioned by dance companies/programs including: The Repertory Project, Groundworks Dance Theater, BGSU, Oberlin College, LEC, Canton Ballet, H.B. Moving Company and recently had the work UnWound selected for the Cleveland Museum of Art Northeast Ohio Exhibit. She is the recipient of the Northern Ohio Live Achievement Award in Dance and CSU Distinguished Faculty Award. Lynn is an avid supporter of dance in the public school curriculum and serves as an artist/educator for area schools, Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland, and the Saturday in the Studio program, creative dance for local public school children and their adult sponsors.

Administrative: Gifted Education Expert/Institute Director

Dr. Susan Rakow: After a career of over 30 years as a teacher in several school districts and as gifted teacher and coordinator in Beachwood City Schools, Dr. Susan Rakow is now a Clinical Assistant Professor of Curriculum, Instruction and Gifted Education at Cleveland State University. She designed and developed Beachwood’s middle and high school gifted programs and her doctorate focuses on secondary gifted education. She is the author of Educating Gifted Students in Middle School: A Practical Guide (Prufrock Press, 2005), Teaching to the Top (NMSA, 2007), and numerous articles. She is a consultant in gifted education for many school districts and a frequent presenter at state and national conferences in both middle school and gifted education. She served as director and gifted education expert for Cleveland State’s 2007 and 2008 Summer Honors Institutes and provides a valuable bridge between the P-12 gifted community and the university.

A Co-Director will assist Dr. Rakow as needed in administrative duties related to running the Institute this summer.

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