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  • 2026 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT to be Awarded to Krista E. Wood

2026 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT to be Awarded to Krista E. Wood

Krista Wood to be Honored with the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT

Krista Wood

AAPT has announced that Krista E. Wood will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT during their 2026 Winter Meeting.

"Dr. Krista Wood is recognized with the Homer L. Dodge Citation for her sustained service, mentorship, and vision to the AAPT community. Dr. Wood has provided exemplary leadership at both the regional and national levels of AAPT. As president of the Southern Ohio Section, she revitalized governance, strengthened community bonds, and welcomed new members with generosity and care. Nationally, she served with distinction as Member-at-Large for Two-Year Colleges on the AAPT Board of Directors, as a mentor for new and mid-career faculty, and as a leader in OPTYCs and the New Faculty Development Series."

Regarding her selection to receive this citation, Wood said, “I’m deeply honored and humbled to receive this award. From my earliest days teaching physics, mentors like Dwain Desbien and Tom O’Kuma welcomed me into the AAPT community. Through their encouragement, I found not just professional growth, but a true sense of belonging. AAPT has been my home, filled with passionate people who care deeply about learning and teaching physics. I’m grateful to have grown with and served this incredible community as we work to make physics education better for all.”

Wood is Professor of Physics, University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, Cincinnati, OH. She graduated with her B. S. in Electrical Engineering from Kettering University. Her M. Ed. in Secondary Education is from Xavier University, and her Ph. D. in Physics Education is from the University of Cincinnati. Wood has been both a thoroughly capable administrator and an insightful leader of the Southern Ohio Section of AAPT. She has focused on strengthening the physics teaching network in our region. In her most recent term on their board, she led a thorough rethinking of their board structure and constitution, brought new members into the community and into the leadership, and instituted new practices for strengthening the bonds within the community. Krista accomplished this work effectively, and in doing so has created for the board an enduring new pattern of keeping on track and in communication. She stands out for her subtle but transformative work in her roles on our board.

A member of AAPT since 1995 Wood has served on numerous committees, including the Committee on Physics at Two-Year Colleges. She was elected to the National AAPT Board of Directors, serving from 2021-2024, as the Member-At-Large Representing Two-Year Colleges (TYCs). Being a member of the National Board of Directors required a tremendous commitment of time and energy. She wrote quarterly reports to the Board on the activities and concerns of TYCs. She solicited information from the community via multiple platforms, including monitoring the TYC Physics Slack Channel and the TYC Physics Google Group, and also getting feedback from the Committee for Teaching Physics at Two Year Colleges and OPTYCs.

Wood has been serving as a mentor to other faculty for many years. She has been an eAlliance Peer Mentor for mid-career physics faculty from two-year colleges across the U.S. since 2018. She also helped the eAlliance leadership in recruiting TYC women in physics and astronomy and used the eAlliance model to initiate a peer group of faculty at the University of Cincinnati who were applying for promotion.

Wood was also an alumna mentor to the 2016 cohort of the AAPT Two-Year College New Faculty Experience (NFE), co-facilitating and mentoring new physics faculty. In 2017, she hosted the NFE Commencement Conference for the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) from July 21–23 at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College.

While simultaneously engaged in this service, Wood has also been engaged in OPTYCs since its inception. In 2021 she chaired a working group to research and compile ideas for the successful NSF grant, and she is now a part of the OPTYCs leadership team. As the coordinator for both the New Faculty Development Series and the Leadership Institute, she plans activities, schedules program logistics, recruits participants, and disseminates results to the community. She also provides mentorship to new faculty participants and alumni leaders in these programs.

About the Award

Established in 1953 and renamed in recognition of AAPT founder Homer L. Dodge in 2012, the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT is presented to members in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the association at the national, sectional, or local level.

About AAPT

AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.