University of Illinois Department of Physics Awards Two Resurrection Teachers for Prestigious Fellowship

Resurrection College Prep High School is proud to announce that two of our distinguished teachers, Ms. Mary Katherine Trausch and Dr. Sitara Peyyeti, have been selected to join the Illinois Physics and Secondary Schools (IPaSS) partnership program as Teaching Fellows. This prestigious honor places them among an elite group of just nine educators from across the state chosen for this year’s fellowship.

The IPaSS program, founded by the Physics Education Research team at the University of Illinois Department of Physics, is a four-year initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. Its mission is to transform secondary physics education across Illinois by providing high school students with a university-aligned, lab-based curriculum, fostering collaboration between university and high school educators, and building a sustainable network of teacher leaders and mentors.

As members of the fifth cohort, Ms. Trausch and Dr. Peyyeti will play a crucial role in adapting the University of Illinois’ introductory physics materials for high school settings. Their work will not only enhance the physics curriculum at Resurrection College Prep but also contribute to the broader goal of improving physics education statewide.

Participation in the IPaSS program offers significant benefits to Resurrection students. Those in Ms. Trausch and Dr. Peyyeti’s classes will have free access to the complete introductory physics course sequence used for engineering students at the University of Illinois, an award-winning curriculum recognized by the American Physical Society. Students will also be introduced to cutting-edge IOLab technology, which will bring a new level of interactivity and engagement to their physics labs.

The collaboration between Resurrection College Prep and the University of Illinois promises to make a lasting impact on our school community. By providing our students with early exposure to college-level physics in a context that is tailored to their needs, we aim to ease their transition to higher education. Moreover, the resources and insights gained through this partnership will likely benefit a wider range of students across different levels of physics courses at Resurrection.

As part of their commitment to the IPaSS program, Ms. Trausch and Dr. Peyyeti will eventually take on the roles of Teacher Mentors and Teacher Leaders, helping to guide future cohorts and facilitating professional development workshops. The University of Illinois will also conduct research to study how college-level curricula can be effectively implemented in high school settings, with data being collected from our participating classrooms over the next two years.

This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for Resurrection College Prep High School, its faculty, and most importantly, its students. We congratulate Ms. Trausch and Dr. Peyyeti on this remarkable achievement and look forward to seeing the positive impact of their involvement in the IPaSS program.