Rate My Professor Sara Cormier

Sara Cormier is an Instructional Assistant in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University, a position she has held since 2016. In this role, she manages the introductory physics course PHYS 1A03, which serves approximately 2,000 students annually and requires coordination of 20 teaching assistants. She also serves as Course Coordinator and Sessional Instructor for PHYS 1A03, 1AA3, and 1V03. Cormier earned a B.Sc. in Honours Physics and an M.Sc. in Experimental Polymer Physics, focusing on soft-matter physics, both from McMaster University. Her academic training underpins her dedication to physics education and outreach, where she acts as Outreach Coordinator for the department, promoting physics to students at all levels from high school to university.

Cormier's contributions extend across teaching innovation, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she spearheaded the shift to online delivery for PHYS 1A03, training faculty, teaching assistants, and students on tools such as Zoom and iClickers, and developing home-lab kits that enabled hands-on experiments at home, earning media attention in Physics World. As a core team member, she contributed to the complete redesign of PHYS 1A03 and implemented enhanced training programs for teaching assistants emphasizing pedagogy, EDI, Hippo-on-Campus training, and Mental First Aid. She mentors undergraduate students, preparing them for presentations at the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference, where McMaster teams won more awards than any other university. In outreach, Cormier organizes Elevate: A Day for Inclusion in Science, an annual event for Grade 10 students from equity-seeking groups featuring workshops and talks to foster belonging; she developed the Girls in Science program for high schoolers and an online physics contest for teams. Through the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers, she presents on pedagogy and EDI, and co-created a database of underrepresented physicists for classroom use. Recognized as a Science Champion and recipient of McMaster University's President's Award for Outstanding Service in 2020, Cormier's efforts significantly enhance accessibility and inclusivity in physics education and the broader scientific community.