Stephen Trembath-Reichert: ‘My Time as a Teacher Showed Me That There Is Both a Serious Need and Ample Opportunity for Adaptation in Science and Math Teaching Practices’

This is part of a “Meet Our Incoming Students” series in which the College of Education will introduce some of its first-year, transfer and graduate students who will join us this fall.

While earning his master’s degree, Stephen Trembath-Reichert traveled to Geneva to conduct high-energy physics research and work on one of the detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). 

Then, he returned to North Carolina and became a high school physics and chemistry teacher. His next step is to earn his doctoral degree at the NC State College of Education, where he wants to research and design curricula and learning materials that draw on his experiences in the field of STEM education.

Hometown: Durham, North Carolina

Ph.D. in Learning and Teaching in STEM: Science Education concentration 

Hobbies and Interests: 

Making, electronics, 3D printing and video games.

What is your educational background?

Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Michigan, Master of Science in physics from the University of Wisconsin, Master of Arts in Teaching from Duke University.

What is your professional background?

Out of undergrad, I worked as a high-energy physics graduate researcher with the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Then, during and after COVID, I returned to the United States and taught high school physics and chemistry until I started this program.

Why did you choose the NC State College of Education?

The STEM education program specifically aligned well with my career goals. 

Why did you choose your concentration?

I want to be able to design and research curricula and learning materials that build upon my experiences in STEM education as a teacher.

What are your research interests? 

I am specifically interested in researching and designing materials focused on project-based learning and making for teaching science and math.

How will this program help you accomplish your goals?

I hope to acquire a good background in education-specific research methodology that is necessary to design, test and improve novel education materials.

Why did you choose education?

My time as a teacher showed me that there is both a serious need and ample opportunity for adaptation in science and math teaching practices.