Citation for the Presentation of the ICPE Medal

Citation for the Presentation of the ICPE Medal
to Professor Jon Michael Ogborn of the Institute of Education, University of London
Tokyo 2006

Jon Michael Ogborn, Professor Emeritus of the Institute of Education, University of London, is awarded the ICPE Medal in recognition of his many contributions to physics education, which have been outstanding in their nature and international in their scope and influence.

After studying Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, Jon Ogborn obtained a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from the Institute of Education in the University of London, and became a physics teacher at the William Ellis School. Within a few years he was Head of Science at the Roan School, and a few years after that he joined the academic staff of the Worcester College of Education. While there, he was appointed, along with Paul Black, to lead the Nuffield Advanced Physics Project, which produced a radically new physics course for 16 to 18 year-old students.

In 1971 Jon moved to Chelsea College in the University of London, initially as a Senior Research Fellow, then as Reader in Physics Education. He was appointed Professor of Science Education at the Institute for Education in 1984; a position he held until 1997. From 1997 to 2001 he was Professor of Science Education at the University of Sussex, and since 2001 he has been Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of London Institute of Science Education.

In a long and distinguished career, Jon Ogborn has been a participant, often a leader, in many educational research projects, and has guided many students to the successful completion of their doctoral studies. He has worked on students’ conceptions, computer modelling, data analysis and images in science education. The teaching of energy and thermodynamics have been particular interests of his. Such is the extent to which he has gained the respect and trust of those who have worked with him, that he was the natural choice to lead the Advancing Physics project funded by the UK Institute of Physics in 1997. This very large and complex project involved another radically new approach to the teaching of Advanced Level Physics, and resulted in a course that is now followed by about 25% of all the students who progress to that level. Jon’s ability to inspire confidence and generate enthusiasm amongst classroom teachers was vital to the success of that project.

At the international level, Jon Ogborn is well known for his involvement with GIREP and ESERA, and for his for his work with George Marx on the Danube Seminars on Physics Education. He has lectured in more than 25 countries, encouraging the educators of many nations with his helpful and supportive attitude and broad cultural view. He has been involved in EU research projects, and has advised the EU on research grants. He also spent six years as a member of ICPE, during which time his many activities included editing the second edition of their publication Physics Now.

Jon Ogborn already holds the Bragg Medal of the UK Institute of Physics, and is both a Medallist and an Honorary Member of the Roland Eötvös Physical Society, Budapest. It is wholly appropriate that to those honours should now be added the 2006 ICPE Medal. (Photograph: IOP: http://journals.iop.org/sixty/44 )