Mark B. Schneider

Mark has taught nearly every course in the physics major curriculum, and developed complete curricular materials for four of them (General Physics I & II, Mechanics, and Computational Physics).  He has published  articles on much of this curricular development work.  His scholarly interests are wide ranging, from experimental tests of exotic terms in the weak interactions to foundations of quantum mechanics to policy issues in higher education.  Much of his career as an educator has been devoted to issues of access and equity; he was a founding director for the first decade of the Grinnell Science Project, an innovative and comprehensive program that has led to dramatic increases in diversity among students of science at Grinnell, and has been recognized by the White House for excellence in science mentoring.  In the fine arts, he has serious interests in photography, theatre, and folk music.  This breadth of expertise served him well in a range of administrative capacities, both elected (e.g. Chair of the Faculty) and appointed (e.g. Associate Dean of the College). Most recently, he has been studying both quantum optics and social network effects in the success of early career faculty. In July 2017, Mark will assume the role of Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Ursinus College.