Research - Scott Miller

Dr. Scott Miller has been a member of the Physics Department since 2008. Earning his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Maryland based on his study of diffuse ionized gas in the halos of edge-on spiral galaxies, Dr. Miller has since transitioned into the field of astronomy education research.  His main areas of interest focus on the use of technology in the classroom to improve student understanding, the incorporation of team-based learning skills to enhance student involvement within the class, and methods for increasing social presence within introductory online courses.

In addition to his research in these areas, Dr. Miller is also involved in a number of projects geared towards improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning in high school and undergraduate college students. Dr. Miller, in collaboration with Dr. C. Renee James (Physics Department) and Dr. Andrea Foster in the College of Education, was recently awarded a NASA grant to develop a summer workshop for pre-service and in-service teachers to instruct them in methods to incorporate NASA data in the classroom as a means to improve science education and the understanding of the nature of science in East Texas high schools.  He is also a member of the Science Faculty Collaborative, a network of Texas faculty focused on instructing pre-service teachers scientific reasoning skills such that they can then foster the next generation of science learners. Dr. Miller also works on a number of other projects geared towards establishing connections with regional STEM education teachers.