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As director of the A&M-Commerce Planetarium and Observatory, my job is out of this world!

Cheri Davis, Ed.D.
Professional Track Faculty and Planetarium Director

  • Alum
  • Staff
Physics and Astronomy | Planetarium

As director of the A&M-Commerce Planetarium and Observatory, Cheri Davis, Ed.D., has a job that is out of this world! Davis also enjoys teaching pre-service science classes, astronomy classes and signature courses.

A Conversation with Dr. Davis

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending A&M-Commerce?

A&M-Commerce is a great university! We have a wide variety of faculty from all over the United States and the world.

Tell us about a project you are currently working on or recently completed.

While the campus was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we took advantage of the time to make much-needed upgrades to the Planetarium. The facility has recently undergone a full system upgrade; now running a Digistar7 system by Evans & Sutherland. This allows the viewer to enjoy amazing sights and sounds while visiting the facility. We were also able to install new carpet and seats; the first change since the building opened in 2006. We now have a seating capacity of 81.

Educational Background

  • Ed.D., Educational Leadership, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2013
  • M.S., Broadfield Science, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2005
  • B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2004

Grants

  • $570,782, NSF Grant PASS: Physics and Astronomy Scholarships for Success, May 1, 2016-April 30, 2016
  • $518,000, TAMU-C Planetarium Renovation/upgrade planetarium system to Evans & Sutherland's Digistar 5, DLP projector, 2013
  • $28,888, National Space Grant Foundation, Aerospace Educational Services Project-AESP Grant-Explorations of the Solar System, 2010

Awards and Honors

  • Chancellor's Academy of Teacher Education, The Texas A&M University System
  • President's Meritorious Service Award, Texas A&M University-Commerce
  • NASA Texas Space Grant Fellowship

Professional Organizations

  • NASA Texas Space Grant Consortium Representative
  • Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA)
  • American Astronomical Society (AAS)
  • American Physical Society (APS)
  • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
  • Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
  • Digistar Users Group (DUG)
  • International Planetarium Society (IPS)
  • National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
  • Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT)
  • Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC)

Selected Publications

  • Davis, Margaret Cheri. Mathematics and Science Education Attrition, Retention, and Migration: A Study of Three Urban School Districts in the State of Texas, Order No. 3595285 Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2013 Ann Arbor ProQuest. 15 Oct. 2014.
  • Montgomery, K.A., Davis, C., Renshaw, T., & Rolen, J., Photometric Study of 5 Asteroids at A&M-Commerce Observatory, Minor Planet Bulletin, 2013.

Important Links

Around Texas with Chancellor John Sharp

  • Watch season 2, episode 8 featuring the Planetarium at A&M-Commerce. Be sure to like and subscribe!

Lunar Explorations

Exploration of the Solar System

AESP

TSGC

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