Vonk receives Dykstra Faculty Excellence Award 

August 29, 2019 – Physics Professor Matt Vonk has been named the recipient of the 2019 Paul B. and Robert Dykstra Faculty Excellence Award at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

The Dykstra Award is designed to support faculty research, creative and scholarly activity and is awarded to a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who is either currently involved in a project or has proposed a research, creative or scholarly project.

Nominations for the award are made by faculty members.

“Dr. Matthew Vonk is passionate about improving science education,” said Physics Professor Earl Blodgett. “It is this passion that has guided his distinguished and far-ranging scholarly activity.”

“Matt’s sustained work with the development, implementation, testing, and dissemination of interactive Direct Measurement Videos (DMVs) is having an impact on STEM education across the country,” added Physics Professor Lowell McCann.

In announcing the 2019 Dykstra Award, UW-River Falls Provost David Travis shared that peers hold Vonk in high regard as a teacher, scholar and professional.

“Matt is an outstanding colleague, a caring and beloved teacher and a pioneer in the field of physics education with his development of interactive video tools for class-based activities,” Travis said.

Vonk holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota with specialization in chemical physics. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Hope College, Holland, Mich.

For more information about the Dykstra Award, email wes.chapin@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-0629.