Dr. Tretter's curriculum vitae [PDF]
Educational Background
- Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004. Focus on secondary science education.
- Teaching Certification (1993) in physics and secondary mathematics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
- Masters of Science (1987) in Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. Concentration on control systems.
- Bachelors of Science (1986) in Electrical Engineering and German Translator’s Certificate, summa cum laude, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana.
Teaching Areas
- Middle and High School Science Education
- Graduate Topics in Science Education
- Doctoral Research and Scholarly Development courses
Research Interests
- Science Teacher Education
- Undergraduate STEM education
- Conceptions of scale and scaling in science
- Learning with Data Visualizations
- Applications of Quantitative Methodologies
Professional Activities
- Editorial Boards: (2009-present) Journal of Science Teacher Education, (2007-2010) Journal of Research in Science Teaching, (2007-present) Journal of NanoEducation
- Publications Committee (2012-2015), Association for Science Teacher Education
- Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Principal Grant Review Panel member for Mathematics and Science Education funding program (2011-2014)
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Reviewer (2008-present)
Honors and Awards
- 2010 National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Early Career Research Award
- 2008, 2007, 2006 Kentuckiana Metroversity Award for Instructional Development
- Outstanding Dissertation Award 2004, National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST)
- Teacher of the Year, Southern High School, Durham, NC (2000-2001)
- Tau Beta Pi Fellow (nationally competitive engineering honor society fellowship) (1986-1987)
Professional Memberships
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST)
- Association for Science Teacher Educators (ASTE)
- National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
- Kentucky Science Teachers Association (KSTA)
Publications
- Tretter, T. R., Jones, M. G. & Falvo, M. (2010). Impact of introductory nanoscience course on college freshmen’s conceptions of spatial scale. Journal of Nano Education, 2(1/2), 53-66.
- Saderholm, J., & Tretter, T. R. (2008). Identification of the most critical content knowledge base for middle school science teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 19(3), 269-283.
- Tretter, T. R. (2008). Nanoscience and conceptions of size and scale in pre-college education. In A. E. Sweeney and S. Seal (Eds.), Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education. Stevenson Ranch, CA: American Scientific Publishers.
- Tretter, T. R. (2006). Conceptualizing nanoscale. The Science Teacher, 73(9), 28-31.
- Tretter, T. R., Jones, M. G., & Minogue, J. (2006). Accuracy of scale conceptions in science: Mental maneuverings across many orders of spatial magnitude. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(10), 1061-1085.
- Tretter, T. R., Jones, M. G., Andre, T., Negishi, A., & Minogue, J. (2006). Conceptual boundaries and distances: Students' and experts' concepts of the scale of scientific phenomena. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(3), 282-319.
- Tretter, T. R. (2005). Godzilla versus scaling laws of physics. The Physics Teacher, 43(8), 530-532.
