About Us
The people of Falling Apple
David Harriman Director David@fallingapple.org
David Harriman guides the development of the science curriculum and serves on the Board of Directors of Falling Apple Science. He has taught laboratory courses on electricity and magnetism at the University of Maryland (where he earned an M.S. degree in physics), and has taught philosophy courses at California State University at San Bernadino (he earned his M.A. degree in philosophy at the Claremont Graduate School). He also developed and taught a two-year physical science course to middle-school students at VanDamme Academy in Laguna Hills, California.
Mr. Harriman has published articles dealing with the work of Galileo and Newton, with science during the 18th century Enlightenment, with the nature of experimental method, and with the development of the atomic theory of matter. His book, The Logical Leap: Induction in Physics, offers profound new insights into the nature of the scientific discovery process and provides the foundation for our inductive science curriculum.
Tom VanDamme Executive Director Tom@fallingapple.org
Tom VanDamme is the executive director of Falling Apple Science and has a lead role in developing the curriculum. He earned his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and his MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.
He taught physics and all levels of math courses at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Michigan. In 2001, he co-founded VanDamme Academy and served there as COO, principal and science teacher. As the academy’s science curriculum director, he developed courses for the elementary grades and supported Mr. Harriman’s physical science course with laboratory classes.
John Allison Board Member
John Allison served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BB&T, a financial holdings company with more than $100 billion in managed assets, until December 2008. He earned his degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina, and his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Leonard Peikoff Board Member
Leonard Peikoff has taught philosophy at Hunter College, Long Island University and New York University. He has lectured on philosophy of education and on the inductive method in physical science. He is the author of The Ominous Parallels and of Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, the definitive presentation of Ayn Rand’s philosophy.