Raising All Students And Building Inclusive Classrooms, Content Drives Distinguished Teacher
For Dr. Sarah McGregor, associate professor of physics, education is a relentless pursuit for students and teachers. And it is nothing if not inclusive in the same never-ending way.
Her philosophy was born from her experiences as a student, of being told she couldn’t do something, and that science was an out-of-reach field of study. There were too many doubters and not enough believers in her orbit.
“It killed me,” McGregor recalls. “It hurts my soul still, especially when my students relay those same things. I believe in all my students. I want to tell them and show them that they can do it.
“That’s what I try to do, break barriers, whether it’s gender identity, being a minority, or being a first-generation student like I was. There’s this internal idea that not ‘getting it’ in class or as a subject means I can’t do it, and then it becomes something people believe. Then students are left to doubt their skills and talents. That’s not acceptable.”
McGregor arrived at Keene State in 2014 as a contract lecturer in physics. She has a doctorate in astronomy from Boston University. This year, the tireless and inspirational educator is the recipient of the 2024 Keene State College Alumni Association Distinguished Teacher Award. McGregor was honored at the Faculty Excellence and Appreciation reception in May.
As part of the recognition, McGregor will address students at the College’s 2025 Commencement.
It’s worth noting that in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent rankings, Keene State garnered a No. 1 ranking for overall quality of undergraduate teaching among regional colleges in the North. Regional colleges in the North are in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Maryland.
The Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes excellence in teaching; encouragement of independent thinking; rapport with students in and out of the classroom; and student advising.
McGregor is the 54th recipient of the award. The previous five honorees are Katherine Tirabassi, English; Vince Ferlini, mathematics; Denise Junge, chemistry; Hank Knight, Cohen Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, and Christopher Parsons, English education.
Student-nominated candidates must be full-time, tenure-track faculty with at least three years of teaching time at Keene State.
That’s what I try to do, break barriers, whether it’s gender identity, being a minority, or being a first-generation student like I was. There’s this internal idea that not ‘getting it’ in class or as a subject means I can’t do it, and then it becomes something people believe. Then students are left to doubt their skills and talents. That’s not acceptable.”
– Dr. Sarah McGregor
Nominations for McGregor poured in from across academic departments, students, and alumni who praised her hands-on teaching methods; community-building skills; and ability not only to temper anxiety for students who, as one said, aren’t “science kids” but redirect it in positive ways. Also, for her natural adeptness at making the classroom an all-around “joyful place.”
Megan Blanchette ’24 said McGregor “makes Keene State feel more like a home and our little physics and astronomy department like a family.”
Without hesitation, Kieren Seavy ’22 described McGregor as one of the best professors she’s ever had. “She’s like a real-life Ms. Frizzle for the show Magic School Bus. She is very passionate, which sparks the same passion in her students.”
“Dr. McGregor contributes to the improvement of teaching and pedagogy by collaborating with colleagues who are concerned, as she is, with continually improving their teaching,” said Dr. Brian Anderson, professor of chemistry.
He noted as one example McGregor’s work as a co-lead for the Teaching Innovation Studio, an interdisciplinary group of faculty members that facilitates development opportunities centered around teaching.
Dr. McGregor mentors 16 to 20 students each semester to help guide them in their respective independent research projects based on open-source data. Many of the students chose to present their findings at the annual Academic Excellence Conference and semester showcase events. Her vitae touts more than 80 projects with students.
Remarked Alumni Cory Boule ’14: “The coolest thing” he’ll ever do was made possible because of Dr. McGregor’s mentorship. Boule completed a research assistantship at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, engaging in novel research for professional space scientists.
Colleague Dr. Mel Adams summed up McGregor this way: “She’s a master educator with a sky’s-the-limit positivity about student work. On an individual level, she has reassured students facing gender bias and imposter syndrome that they are plenty smart. We are fortunate to have her expertise, skill, and grace in the classroom.”
McGregor shares her love for astronomy with the entire campus and the greater community by hosting occasional public observation sessions so interested attendees can gaze at the sky and learn about the planets, stars, and constellations. She led several lead-up sessions and a day-of viewing in April for the solar eclipse in which parts of New Hampshire were in the eclipse’s path of totality.
“Getting this award certainly leaves me optimistic that I am making some of the differences I try to make,” McGregor said. “What I realize is that I need to be louder. I study education and teaching, and I hope to write about pedagogical and cultural changes in the classroom and maybe cause a ripple effect in thinking across wider audiences. The idea that I can do more to propagate STEM education excites me.”
