Tremaine Visiting Speaker Series for Women in Science
Women Leaders in Science the Focus of Lecture Series
Meet our 2026 Tremaine Speaker
Natasha G. Holmes is the Ann S. Bowers Associate Professor at Cornell University and an alumna of the University of Guelph, where she completed her undergraduate degree in physics. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia and postdoctoral work at Stanford University. She is a leader in physics education research, where her work focuses on transforming undergraduate laboratory courses to better support scientific reasoning, experimentation, and model‑based thinking. Drawing on both disciplinary training and education research, Dr. Holmes studies how students learn through lab work and how course design and assessment can improve learning outcomes and student experiences, with equity and inclusion treated as foundational elements of effective learning environments.
2026 Event Schedule:
Presentation #1 - "What Does It Mean for STEM Labs to Be Authentic?"
November 26, 2026 | 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. (ET)
Peter Clark Hall, South Wing, University Centre, University of Guelph
Educational innovation is pushing towards providing students with authentic learning experiences. But what counts as authentic? In this talk, Dr. Holmes will discuss the various ways we’ve been conceptualizing authenticity in introductory physics labs, from simulating authentic practice to embedding the lab exercises in more advanced physics topics, such as particle physics and active matter. We’ll discuss preliminary data about student learning and perceptions, and explore future research questions.
Keynote Address - "Ditch the Recipe, Keep the Science: Open-Ended Laboratory Learning for Discovery"
November 26, 2026 | 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. (ET)
OAC Centennial Arboretum Centre, 250 Arboretum Rd, University of Guelph
How do you take a traditional, verification lab and it make it open-ended and skills-based? In this session, Dr. Holmes will present big ideas from her discipline-based educational research exploring the restructuring of labs to focus on experimental skills, concepts, and understandings, rather than on verifying known principles.
Physics Colloquium - "Student Reasoning About Measurement and Uncertainty Across Classical and Quantum Mechanics"
November 27, 2026 | 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (ET)
Peter Clark Hall, North Wing, University Centre, University of Guelph
Measurement and uncertainty are foundational concepts throughout physics education, from introductory laboratory instruction to quantum mechanics. Dr. Holmes will explore how students reason about measurement and uncertainty across different contexts and levels of study, including their understanding of uncertainty sources, measurement predictions and the concept of “true values.” Her presentation highlights the variability in student reasoning across classical and quantum mechanics, and introductory and upper-division courses.
Round Table Discussion - "What GenAI Means for Physics Education and Research"
November 27, 2026 | 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (ET)
University Centre, Room 441, University of Guelph
Dr. Holmes will present what she thinks it means to conduct research on physics teaching and learning in the age of genAI. We will consider both opportunities and challenges: integrating genAI into classroom practice and responsibly analyzing student work at scale. Instead of trying to fight it, we'll consider how to work with it—harnessing genAI to advance science education research in ways that are both innovative and responsible.
About the Tremaine Speaker Series
The Tremaine Visiting Speaker for Women in Science was created by a generous donation from the Tremaine family. The purpose is to bring the world’s brightest scientific women scholars and policy makers, such as:
- Female scientists pursuing innovative research.
- A researcher or professor who has pushed the boundaries for women in science.
- An individual with experience in setting public policy which serves to remove barriers for women pursuing higher education and careers in STEM.
The series launched in October of 2023 and will continue annually with a new department from the College of Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences (CCMPS) hosting.
Past Speakers
- Dr. Charmaine Dean, 2025 speaker.
- Dr. Joanna McGrenere, 2024 speaker.
- Dr. Jennifer Heemstra, 2023 speaker.
Tremaine Speaker Series annual rotation:
- Department of Chemistry 2023
- School of Computer Science 2024
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics 2025
- Department of Physics 2026
- Department of Chemistry 2027
- School of Computer Science 2028
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics 2029
- Department of Physics 2030
