Physics Teacher to Receive MIT Award For Inspiring Students

West Orange High School physics teacher Dr. Michael Lawrence after almost 40 years of teaching, will be honored with the MIT Inspirations Teacher Award for inspiring excellence in his students.

Lawrence, or 'Doc' as the students call him, will be presented with award on Thursday at 10 a.m. in the High School Media Center. The physic teacher was nominated by MIT freshman Tobi Rudoltz, who graduated from West Orange High in 2012 is 

“Doc prepares both his honors and AP students extremely well for success on exams and beyond by urging them to learn how to solve problems rather than memorize formulas,” Rudoltz said.

Lawrence is one of 29 teachers across the country being honored with the award this year for inspiring hundreds of students during his tenure many who have gone on to contribute in extraordinary ways to our society and the world. 

“Doc encouraged me to apply to MIT and was probably more excited than I was upon my admission,” Rudoltz said.

Some of the teacher's other students went on to be an astronaut at NASA and MIT professor.

“Dr. Lawrence was a great physics teacher.  He took a difficult subject and made it relevant, and interesting,” Mark Edward Kelly said, who is now a retired American astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain as well as an author.

He added, “Dr. Lawrence kept me interested in math and science at a critical moment in my life."