University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Richard McCray is one of six faculty members nationwide to receive a 2002 National Science Foundation Director's Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars.
McCray, who is the George Gamow Distinguished Professor in CU's astrophysical and planetary sciences department, was cited for his outstanding contributions to research and for using his knowledge to enhance undergraduate education.
The six winners will receive their awards June 19 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., and each will be awarded $300,000 over four years to expand on their work.
McCray has made numerous contributions to the field of theoretical astrophysics, with emphasis on the interaction of gases and radiation. He has been instrumental in helping the astronomy community better understand the behavior and astrophysical mechanisms of Supernova 1987A through telescope observations and theoretical work funded by NASA and NSF.
He also developed a planetarium show on supernovae for students and the public for CU-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium.
The NSF selection committee cited McCray for transforming the way introductory astronomy is taught to large classes. Supported by the Pew Charitable Trust and NSF, McCray has created Web-based learning tools that are rich in animation, images, interactive software and portals to explore other Web links that emphasize inquiry-based and collaborative learning.
McCray has visited numerous colleges around the nation during his tenure at CU-Boulder, lecturing on modern astronomical research and meeting with students and faculty as part of an American Astronomical Society program. A member of the Educational Advisory Board of the AAS, he recently became chairman of the Committee on Undergraduate Science Education of the National Research Council.
A member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences since 1989, McCray has worked with CU-Boulder faculty in applied mathematics and the School of Education to recruit and train prospective math and science teachers. Emphasizing the use of information technology, the program is a joint collaboration with Sun Educational Systems.
McCray plans to work with faculty in other CU-Boulder math and science departments to help them adopt his computer-based teaching tools. Another goal is to develop a unique undergraduate curriculum to recruit and train talented students for careers in K-12 science and math education.
The NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholars program began in 2001 with the selection of seven outstanding faculty members from around the country, including CU-Boulder physics department Distinguished Professor Carl Wieman. Wieman shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics with National Institute of Standards and Technology Senior Scientist Eric Cornell -- also an adjoint CU-Boulder professor -- and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Researcher Wolfgang Ketterle.
Digital images of McCray are available by calling Jim Scott in the CU-Boulder Office of News Services at (303) 492-3114.