Rate My Professor Andy Gavrin

Andrew Gavrin, known professionally as Andy Gavrin, is Professor of Physics at Indiana University Indianapolis School of Science, formerly Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He received his B.S. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983, M.A. in Physics from The Johns Hopkins University in 1986, and Ph.D. in Physics from The Johns Hopkins University in 1992. After completing a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associateship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology from 1992 to 1995, he joined IUPUI as Assistant Professor in 1995, advancing to Associate Professor and Full Professor. He served as Chair of the Physics Department from 2009 to 2021, Associate Dean of Science for Undergraduate Programs from 2005 to 2009, Director of the PA Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning from 2016 to 2023, and Co-director of the IUPUI STEM Education Research Institute from 2012 to 2016.

Gavrin's main academic interests lie in physics education research and magnetic materials research. He is a co-developer of the Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) instructional method and maintains WebPhysics, a network of resources for introductory physics teaching. His research in magnetic materials involves magnetic domain imaging and magnetometry on nanostructured ferromagnets, including granular Co-Ag, granular Ni-Al₂O₃, and Nd-Fe-B. He has supervised three M.S. graduate students to completion, one postdoctoral fellow, and five senior undergraduate projects.

Gavrin has earned major awards including the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching (2016), AAPT Fellow (2016), Homer L. Dodge Distinguished Service Citation (2015), John A. Curtis Lecture Award from ASEE (2003), IU Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2001), and IU Trustee’s Teaching Award (2001). Key publications include Just-In-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology (1999, co-author), “Respecting our Students” in The Physics Teacher (2015), “Engaging Students in a Large Enrollment Physics Class Using an Academically Focused Social Media Platform” in The Physics Teacher (2017), and “Use of Internet-based Warm Up Exercises to Determine Students’ Prior Knowledge and Misconceptions in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics” in Journal of College Science Teaching (2003). He serves on the Editorial Board of the American Journal for Undergraduate Research since 2003 and has held numerous leadership roles in AAPT, such as chair of the Educational Technologies Committee.