Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 5, 1991 TAG: 9104060407
SECTION: FOUNDERS DAY PAGE: VT-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"To have to find ways to present physics to students without being able to depend on the usual math required my thinking through things very carefully", Long said. "It demanded getting a much better handle on the principles in order to make them clear to non-science students." His textbook, "The Physics Around You," and its instructor's manual are used in a number of colleges and universities, including Virginia Tech.
Long tries to take students on their own levels and use analogies from everyday life to illustrate principles of physics, such as the analogy of traffic patterns to illustrate the path of electrons in electrical wires. He also developed many classroom demonstrations to illustrate the principles and create interest in understanding physics.
Many students believe they do not have an aptitude for physics, and Long says he enjoys helping them see that they do. Although he has taught most of the undergraduate courses, he has concentrated, in recent years, on introductory courses for engineering students.
Long also is known for his summer program for high school physics teachers. In 1989, Long and two other professors received a $281,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand a program to enhance the teaching of physics in secondary schools.
Nineteen new physics teachers were endorsed and qualified to teach in Virginia in the first two-year program. Long expects a comparable number to be endorsed in the current program.
One of his teacher-students in the program wrote, "I don't think anyone in my life has affected me as Dr. Dale Long. Because of his limitless enthusiasm, I became enthusiastic. Because of his knowledge, I became knowledgeable. Because of his desire to push his students to the limit, I now challenge my students."
by CNB