Michael Allen

Professional interests

• STEM pedagogy related to backwards design, peer instruction, and assessment-driven learning

Teaching

• core coursework in the Physics & Astronomy major
• history & philosophy of science in the Honors College
• first-year level breadth requirements for non-majors
• senior-level science capstone

Service

• academic advising in Physics & Astronomy, and in General Studies: General Physical Sciences
• public outreach via the WSU planetarium and observatory, and with the Palouse Astronomical Society
• curriculum development & assessment committees at the departmental and college level
• Assistant Editor: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Education & Experience

• Faculty, Washington State University, 2002-present
• Staff scientist, Dunlap Observatory, 1999-2002
• PhD Astronomy, University of Toronto, 1999
• MS Astronomy, University of Toronto, 1993
• BS Physics, McMaster University, 1992

Selected presentations on physics education research (PER) and other topics

• PER1: How people learn
• PER2: Formulating learning goals and outcomes
• PER3: All about concept inventories
• PER5: First year seminars. What are they good for?

• Catching the Serpent by the tail (Palouse Divide Lodge Star Party 2018)
  • Serpens chart at constellation-guide.com
• Scootin’ through Scutum (Palouse Divide Lodge Star Party 2017)
  • Scutum chart at constellation-guide.com
• Star clusters (and other neat stuff) in Ophiuchus (Palouse Divide Lodge Star Party 2016)
  • Ophiuchus chart at constellation-guide.com
• M82: 200 years of study (Table Mountain Star Party 2015)
• Speaking with ETI: we’re all ears (WSU Honors College Distinguished Lecture 2013-04-22)

Selected publications

Allen, Michael L., “Moon formation,” National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, (2018): in press

Joyner, H., and Michael L. Allen, “Humans in space: developing a sustainable food supply on Mars,” National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, (2015): http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/detail.asp?case_id=800&id=800

Allen, Michael L., and Diane O. Kelly-Riley, “Promoting undergraduate critical thinking in astro 101 lab exercises,” Astronomy Education Review 4(2) (2005): 10-19. doi: 10.3847/AER2005017