Astrid Beckmann ( Rautenberg, born 20 December 1957) is a German physicist, a professor of
mathematics and
mathematics education
In contemporary education, mathematics education, known in Europe as the didactics or pedagogy of mathematics – is the practice of teaching, learning and carrying out scholarly research into the transfer of mathematical knowledge.
Although ...
, and was a long-serving university president.
Beckmann served as president of the
Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch Gmünd
Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch Gmünd (also known as ''PH Schwäbisch Gmünd, PHSG'' or ''University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd'') is a Public Research University, public research university located in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württem ...
from 2010 to 2018.
She also taught at the
University of Ulm
Ulm University (german: Universität Ulm) is a public university in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1967 and focuses on natural sciences, medicine, engineering sciences, mathematics, economics and computer sci ...
.
Life and career
Beckmann was born in
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
. While at school, she recorded one first-place finish and one second-place finish in the national German math competition Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik. Upon finishing her school studies in 1976, she read mathematics and physics at the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in poli ...
. Beckmann then wrote her physics thesis, which dealt with resistance measurements on metallic compounds, at the
Helmholtz Center for Materials and Energy (HZB). Having successfully completed her teacher training in
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
, she took up a position as a physicist in the Institute of Physics at
Goethe University Frankfurt
Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...
. During her time in Frankfurt’s "crystal lab". Beckmann tackled issues relating to materials research with a focus on rare earth compounds.
In 1989, Beckmann obtained a doctorate in mathematics at the
University of Giessen
University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von ...
with a thesis on teaching geometry proofs to 12- to 15-year-old students (supervised by Heinz Schwartze and Günter Pickert). She then continued her work in the field of mathematics education, initially with the help of a scholarship from the Hessen State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts. From 1994 to 2003, she taught mathematics and physics in Lemgo and at Leibniz University Hanover. She completed her postdoctorate at this latter institution in 2003 in mathematics education. Beckmann’s thesis addressed the development of a model concept for interdisciplinary teaching, with a focus on mathematics in connection to physics, language and computer science.
Following a brief period as an
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...
at Leibniz University Hannover, Beckmann was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education at the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd in 2003.
Department of Mathematics and Informatics
of University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd She headed the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science from 2003 to 2005 and was vice-president for Research, Development, and International Relations between 2005 and 2008.
Beckmann was unanimously elected president of the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd in 2009 and occupied this post from 2010 to 2018. Beckmann was deputy chair of the State Rectors’ Conference for Universities of Education (LRK) from 2011 to 2015, subsequently taking over as chair between April 2015 and 2017. As a member of the LRK board, she also represented the Universities of Education in the Senate of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckmann, Astrid
21st-century German physicists
Living people
Scientists from Berlin
Free University of Berlin alumni
University of Giessen alumni
Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt
Academic staff of the University of Ulm
German women physicists
20th-century German mathematicians
German women mathematicians
Mathematics educators
21st-century German mathematicians
1957 births
20th-century German women scientists
21st-century German women scientists
20th-century German physicists