Kelley Sullivan

Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy
School: School of Humanities and Sciences
Phone: 607-274-7065
Office: 260 Center for Natural Sciences
Specialty: Fluorescence Microscopy And Physics Education

Teaching

I enjoy teaching a variety of courses to both majors and non-majors. Of particular importance to me is cultivating an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment. I engage students using active learning techniques proven to support student learning best, promote inclusion, and make physics fun!

Last year, I began piloting alternative grading practices in my courses. Alternative grading encourages a growth mindset by allowing students to practice without penalty and retake assessments when extra time is needed to understand the material fully. Anecdotal evidence shows that students notice and appreciate the shift in focus to authentic learning.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

I am dedicated to improving the student experience and promoting an inclusive and welcoming department community through a focus on EDI work. Recent highlights of my EDI work include:

  • Local Organizing Committee Co-chair for January 2023 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (2022-2023)

    • The Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) are a consortium of regional conferences held at select colleges nationwide and are sponsored by the American Physical Society. CUWiPs are professional research conferences that also emphasize discussions of the experiences of women in physics and provide information about career and graduate school opportunities. Cornell and Ithaca College will co-host a CUWiP in January 2023 with events held on both campuses.

  • APS EDI Fellow (2022-2023)

    • As an APS EDI Fellow, I was trained to facilitate classroom EDI conversations. I also worked with the other fellows, a curriculum development team, and critical conversation specialists to develop a workshop to train physics educators interested in building their confidence and capacity to engage in EDI work.

  • National Science Foundation S-STEM Award (2019-2024)

    • The S-STEM Scholars Program at Ithaca College provides scholarships and programming support to the success of high-achieving, low-income students majoring in physics, computer science, and mathematics. 

  • Chair of department Anti-racism and Inclusion Action Team (2020-present)

    • The Department of Physics Anti-racism and Inclusion Action Team was convened in the fall of 2020 as a diverse team of students and faculty. Our first charge was to develop an anti-racism and inclusion action plan, which includes a list of over 40 unique action items our department can take to become anti-racist and fully inclusive of all members. The action team continues to meet and informs the implementation of the action plan.

Research

Mentoring students in the lab is a true delight. Students at any point in their physics journey are invited to work hands-on with me on projects in my specialties of fluorescence microscopy or physics curriculum and pedagogy. I also welcome student ideas for projects, especially related to new areas I am interested in -- computer automation and computational physics.

To learn more: Please visit my research page.

file-outline Kelley Sullivan CV - kdsullivan_cv.pdf (134.37 KB)