About Our Authors

The authors of Introductory Physical Science (IPS) and Force, Motion, and Energy (FM&E) are an experienced team, each of whose members brings important contributions from physics, chemistry, and science education to the development and implementation process.

Uri Haber-Schaim (IPS-9, IPS-8, IPS-7, FM&E) is the senior author of both Introductory Physical Science and Force, Motion, and Energy. Additionally, he is also a co-author of PSSC Physics and Physical Science II (Energy: A sequel to IPS), among other titles. Dr. Haber-Schaim is a recipient of the Oersted Medal (1970), the highest award of the American Association of Physics Teachers, for notable contributions to the teaching of physics . He served on the faculties of the University of Illinois, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Boston University. His research work was in theoretical particle physics. Dr. Haber-Schaim received an M.Sc. from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago, under the supervision of Enrico Fermi.

Reed Cutting (IPS-7, FM&E) is a retired secondary-school science teacher. He taught in the Nantucket (MA) and Marblehead (MA) public school systems for 38 years. He was an early pilot teacher for IPS and continued teaching the course and its sequel, Energy, for 30 years in Marblehead. He was active in IPS teacher-training for more than 35 years, including eight summers as an instructor at SCI's national workshops at the Colorado School of Mines. He became a member of the writing team in 1993. For two summers, Mr. Cutting was responsible for bringing IPS to teachers in Caracas, Venezuela (under the auspices of USAID.) He was a Fulbright exchange teacher at Lord Williams’s School in Thame, Oxfordshire, England. Mr. Cutting holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.A. from Colgate University.

Peter Gendel (IPS-9, IPS-8) has taught science for 21 years and currently teaches IPS at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans (LA). He was a pilot teacher for FM&E and has served as an instructor at SCI’s national workshops at the Colorado School of Mines and at regional workshops in Massachusetts. He was a Fulbright post-doctoral research scholar to Belgium and Luxembourg. Dr. Gendel holds a B.A. from Tulane University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

H. Graden Kirksey (IPS-9, IPS-8, IPS-7, FM&E) is a professor emeritus of chemistry, former department chairman, and recipient of the University of Memphis’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Kirksey’s other publications include manuals for undergraduate instruction and articles in refereed journals. He has been involved with IPS since 1970 and continues to teach SCI’s national in-service workshops. Dr. Kirksey received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Auburn University.

Harold Pratt (IPS-9, IPS-8, IPS-7, FM&E) led the science education efforts for the Jefferson County Public Schools — the largest school district in Colorado, with an enrollment of more than 80,000 — for over 28 years and was part of the original IPS development team. Mr. Pratt directed one of the first IPS pilot centers and has supported the implementation of the course since that time. In addition to his role with IPS and FM&E, Mr. Pratt was the project advisor for the text Middle School Life Science and co-author of Local Leadership for Science Education Reform. From 1992 to 1995, he was a member of the National Science Education Standards development team, and from 1995 to 1999, he was a director in the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education at the National Research Council. Mr. Pratt holds a B.A. from Phillips University and an M.A.T. from Brown University. He was the 2001-2002 President of the National Science Teachers Association.

Robert Stair (IPS-9, FM&E) taught science in Colorado’s Jefferson County Public Schools for 30 years. He is a Physics Teaching Resource Agent (PTRA) for the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and is a recipient (1995) of the Tandy Prize for innovative use of technology in the classroom. Mr. Stair is a past vice president of the Colorado/Wyoming Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He holds a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and an M.S.S.T. from American University.