C14: Awards

History

In 1979 George Marx, a Hungarian researcher in the field of physics education, proposed to institute a medal to recognise “outstanding contributions to physics teaching of a kind that transcends national boundaries”. The Commission succeeded in establishing the award of an ICPE Medal with the following two criteria:

• The contributions to physics education should have extended over a considerable number of years;
• The contributions should be international in scope and influence.

The first award of the Medal was made in 1980 to Professor Eric M. Rogers during the Trieste Conference on Education for Physics Teaching. The list of recipients and citations can be found at IUPAP C14 ICPE Medal Awardees.

The medal

The Medal was designed by the Hungarian artist Miklós Borsos. The face shows a symbolic picture: the interaction of human beings with forces of nature in the form of the four elements of the ancient Greek philosophers – earth, water, air, and fire, the last symbolised by powerful rays of sunlight. Human beings capture the essence of physics education as we seek to understand and share our understanding of nature. The back of the Medal bears the text: ‘Awarded to N.N. by the International Commission on Physics Education of IUPAP for long and distinguished service to physics education’.