Paul’s Citation for the Faraday Club Award:

Paul Doherty is an outstanding demonstrator and teacher who has inspired many around the world to be creative in sharing their delight and inspiration through physics.

Paul is a physicist, teacher, author, and rock climber. He is also an outstanding demonstrator, who has taught many around the world the art of demonstration and science show presentation.

After graduating summa cum laude from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology he earned a Ph.D. in solid-state physics from MIT in 1974. At Oakland University from 1974 to 1986 he taught a wide range of science courses. In 1986, he joined the Exploratorium Teacher Institute and began exhibit-based explorations in science. In 1990 Paul became the co-director of the Teacher Institute and, in 1992, the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Paul holds many honorary visiting positions around the world and has received many awards. Notably in 2003 he was given the NSTA’s Faraday Award for excellence as a science communicator.

Paul is a prolific author of science books. For musical entertainment, he plays the whirly – a corrugated plastic tube. In pursuit of whirly excellence, he has won several competitions, including an award as “Best Science Demonstrator” at the World Congress of Museums in Helsinki in 1996.

For more on Paul, including his publications, see his website http://www.exo.net/~pauld/index.html

Professor Paul Doherty (image by Modesto Tamez)