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Science And Teaching Of Science Are His Interests

Francis Day Curtis
The Michigan Alumnus 93


College professors seldom meet
 young people in the classroom 
before they have reached the Fresh
man level, and few teachers in high
 schools have the opportunity to con
tinue instruction of their charges 
after the high school years have been
 completed. To those in both cate
gories who feel a desire to know 
their young charges at both levels, 
 the work of FRANCIS DAY CUR
TIS, Professor of Education, pre
sents the perfect arrangement. He is
 not only a Professor in the School
 of Education, conducting classes for 
college students, but Head of the 
Department of Science in the University High School as well. Thus, 
 he knows and works with young
 people of most ages above the gram
mar school level, and in addition is 
a force whereby many are encour
aged to pursue the truths of science 
as lifetime vocations.

The Michigan
 Faculty man was born at Portland, 
 Oregon, August 6, 1888, and in the 
course of time enrolled at the University of Oregon. With A.B. and
 A.M. degrees from Oregon, received 
in 1911 and 1922, he went to Col
umbia on a fellowship, and didn't
 leave Morningside Heights until he 
had acquired a Ph.D. degree in
 1924.

That was his college training, 
 but not the extent of his teaching 
experience, for he started as a high
 school teacher in Eugene, Oregon, in 
1911, and continued in this capacity
 
in Portland, 1914-1918. From 1918 
to 1920, he was Head of the Depart
ment of General Science and Phys
ics at Franklin High School, Port
land, and head of the Department 
of Science, 1920-1923. Since 1924, 
 Dr. Curtis has been on the Faculty 
of the School of Education, as Assistant Professor of the Teaching
 of Science, 1924-1927; as Associate
 Professor of Secondary Education 
and the Teaching of Science, 1927-
1933, and as Professor since 1933. 


He has headed the University High
 School Department of Science since 
coming to Ann Arbor. In the sum
mer of 1931, he taught at the University of California, and at the 
University of Hawaii in the summer 
of 1936. Professor Curtis is a Fel
low of the American Academy of
 Arts and Sciences, a member of the
 National Education Association and
 President of its Science Section, 
 1929; a member of the National
 Society of College Teachers of Education, the National Association
 for Research in Science Teaching 
(President, 1932); and a member
 of the Society for Curriculum Study, 
 the Science Association of Great 
Britain, the Michigan Education
 Association, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi 
Delta Kappa, Delta Tau Delta, and 
Acacia. He is the author of several 
books and a contributor of articles 
to numerous journals, as well as
 Vice-Chairman of the Year Book 
Committee, the National Society for
 Study of Education, 1932.