Skip to main content

Primary Navigation

  • About
    • President's Page
    • Board of Trustees
    • Administration
    • Strategic Plans
    • History & Facts
    • Accreditation
    • Accolades
    • The Clarkson Brand
    • Maps & Directions
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
    • Continuing & Professional Education
    • School of Arts & Sciences
    • Lewis School of Health Sciences
    • Reh School of Business
    • Coulter School of Engineering
    • Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries
    • Institute for a Sustainable Environment
    • Institute for STEM Education
    • Academic Affairs
    • Student Achievement Services
    • Academic Calendar
  • Admissions
    • First-Year Admissions, Undergraduate
    • Transfer Admissions, Undergraduate
    • International Admissions, Undergraduate
    • Early College Program: The Clarkson School
    • Graduate School Admissions
    • Financial Aid
    • Apply Now
  • Life
    • Office of Student Life
    • Student Clubs & Activities
    • Living on Campus
    • Campus Dining
    • Clarkson Ignite
    • Career & International Experiences
    • Explore the Region
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Student Health & Counseling
    • ROTC
  • Research
  • Athletics
  • News

Information for

  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Give
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Intranet

Michael W. Ramsdell

Michael Ramsdell

Michael Ramsdell

Professor of Physics & the Institute for STEM Education / Director of First Year Physics
Physics

Email: mramsdel@clarkson.edu
Phone: 315/268-2347
Office: 271 Science Center
Mailbox: CU Box 5820

Department(s): Department of Physics
School(s): School of Arts and Sciences, Institute for STEM Education
  • Research Interests
  • Publications
Education
Ph.D. - 2004
Clarkson University
M.S. - 1998
Clarkson University
B.S. - 1997
Clarkson University
Courses Taught
PH131
PH132
Physics Team Design Lab
Research Interests

Research Interests

Professor Ramsdell's research interests are in the area of Physics Education Research, Laboratory Curriculum Development and Design. Our research has focused on the implementation and assessment of the Physics Team Design Program for the calculus-based introductory Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism courses. This Program utilizes an inquiry-based approach to team problem solving and developing mathematical modeling skills. FCI and CSEM assessment reveals that participating students out perform a comparison group of nonparticipating students by a factor of 1.5 – 1.6 using a traditional percent gain calculation.

Publications

Recent Publications

Wick, D.P., and Ramsdell, M.W., University Outreach in Stem Education through Roller Coaster Science and Engineering Camp; Proceedings of the annual FIE (Frontiers in Education) (2011)

Wick, D.P., and Ramsdell, M.W., Predictive Assessment of Student Performance for Early Strategic Guidance; Proceedings of the annual FIE (Frontiers in Education) (2011)

Wick, D.P., and Ramsdell, M.W., Experimenting with Electric Trains, The Physics Teacher (Accepted, January 2006).

Ramsdell, M. W. and Wick, D.P., Predicting Turning Points for Toy Cars, The Physics Teacher, Vol. 43, October 2005, pp.442 – 444.

Wick, D. P. and Ramsdell, M. W., Modeling the motion of a toy train powered with a time-dependent applied voltage: Educational implementation and analysis, American Journal of Physics, July 2004, 72(7), pp. 863 – 874.

Wick, D. P. and Ramsdell, M. W., Modeling the motion of a toy car traveling on an arbitrarily shaped track, American Journal of Physics July 2002, 70(7), pp. 670 – 679.2003.

Schools at Clarkson

  • Graduate School
  • School of Arts & Sciences
  • David D. Reh School of Business
  • Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering
  • Earl R. and Barbara D. Lewis School of Health Sciences
  • Institute for a Sustainable Environment
  • Early College Program: The Clarkson School
  • Institute for STEM Education
  • Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries

Highlights of Excellence

  • Career Center
  • Honors Program
  • ROTC
  • SPEED
  • Student Success Center
  • Writing Center

Research & Innovation

  • Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science (C3S2)
  • The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP)
  • Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering & Science (CAARES)
  • Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR)
  • The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science & Technology (CREST)
  • NYS Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions
  • The Shipley Center for Innovation
  • Clarkson Ignite
  • University Libraries

Clarkson University

8 Clarkson Ave., Potsdam, New York 13699 315-268-6400
80 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY 12308 518-631-9831
199 Dennings Ave., Beacon, New York 12508 845-838-1600
Take a Virtual Tour

Organizational Chart
© 2022 by Clarkson University | Contact the Webmaster

  • Human Resources • Giving • Bookstore
  • CARES Act Reports & Consumer Information Disclosures (HEOA)
  • Act on Legal & Moral Concerns