Howard Glenn Voss, emeritus professor of physics at Arizona State University (ASU) and an exemplary leader in the national physics education community, passed away on 29 March 2010 after a brief illness.
Howard’s story is one of persistence, insight, and leadership. He was born in Holland, Michigan, on 11 October 1935. In 1957 he received his AB degree from nearby Hope College, where he majored in physics, mathematics, and secondary education. He began graduate work in physics at Michigan State University, while simultaneously teaching physics 40 miles away at Byron High School. His wife, Helen, was afflicted soon afterward with a severe respiratory illness, so they moved to Arizona, where Howard continued his teaching career at Scottsdale High School.
In 1962 Howard accepted an opportunity to pursue graduate studies at ASU with support from an NSF-sponsored Academic Year Institute. Two years later he received a master of natural science degree from ASU and an MS in physics from Purdue University through an NSF-supported three-year summer program for high-school science teachers. Recognizing his teaching abilities, ASU hired him as an instructor without expectation of tenure or promotion.
That restriction was soon lifted as his colleagues realized the breadth of Howard’s influence in the department and of his contributions to the university at large. In 1969 he was promoted to a tenure-track assistant professor position and simultaneously was made assistant chair of the department. Among other duties, he helped found and was assigned full responsibility for the Physics Service Course Facility, which provides additional help to students enrolled in introductory physics courses. In 1976 he was promoted to associate professor with tenure.
Howard’s ambition to pursue doctoral studies in physics was thwarted by university restrictions against granting a degree to a member of the faculty and by his wife’s ongoing medical issues, which prevented their leaving the Arizona climate. In 1984 the department, recognizing his wise and incisive judgment, his mastery of teaching physics, his work ethic, and his growing influence on the national level, promoted Howard to the rank of full professor. From 1994 to 2000 he served as chair of the department.
Early in his years at ASU, Howard joined the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and became active in both the Arizona section and the national organization. Through his section activities he mentored and provided inspiration to many high-school and college teachers in Arizona.
Howard was the AAPT section representative from Arizona starting in 1972, and in 1981 he was elected chair of the AAPT section representatives; that position made him a member of the AAPT Executive Board. Beginning in 1983 Howard served sequential terms as secretary of AAPT. He was elected to the presidential chain in 1992 and was AAPT president in 1994. His influence was felt within the broader physics community as he served on numerous AAPT and American Institute of Physics advisory committees and on local organizations such as the board of trustees of the Arizona Science Center.
One of Howard’s singular highlights was providing testimony in June 1999 before a joint session of the US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Committee on Education and the Workforce. He passionately discussed the need to produce high-quality preparation programs for K–12 math and science teachers. He expertly described two such successful AAPT programs: the Physics Teacher Resource Agents program, in which experienced physics teachers assist less-prepared teachers, and the Powerful Ideas in Physical Science program, which helps colleges enhance their introductory physical science courses for elementary school teachers. He emphasized that the best teachers are those “who have actually learned science by experience and inquiry.”
In recognition of his many contributions to physics education, Howard received the ASU Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1975, an AAPT Distinguished Service Citation in 1990, and AAPT’s most distinguished honor, the Melba Newell Phillips Award, for creative leadership, dedicated service, and exceptional contributions to the teaching of physics.
Howard will be remembered by his many friends, his family, and the physics community for his thoughtful and calming demeanor; his ability to mentor students, colleagues, leaders, and aspiring leaders; and his example as an advocate for the highest standards of education at all levels.
