Call for AJP Associate Editor

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) is searching for a new Resource Letters Editor to begin duties following the Winter 2015 AAPT meeting in San Diego.  Applications and nominations should be sent to Jan Tobochnik at jant@kzoo.edu.  Applications should include a cover letter, a cv, and the names and email addresses of three references.  Applications will receive full consideration if received by October 15, 2014.

Position Description
The Resource Letters Editor is responsible for all aspects of the regular publication of Resource Letters in the American Journal of Physics.  These include their management, the determination of their topics and authors, their commissioning and reviewing, their submission for publication, and the semiannual reporting of their status to the AAPT Publications Committee.

Traditionally, a Resource Letter consists of an annotated bibliography, along with critical commentary, on a particular topic accessible to undergraduate physics or astronomy students.  Their primary purpose is to provide a survey of this topic, if appropriate, including references to historical and physics education articles, and to indicate how it should be presented to undergraduate students.  Resource letters also can serve as a bridge for someone who is moving into a new area of teaching or research. The bibliography therefore should include references not only to specialized articles and books, but also to the best review articles and general works on the subject.  Attention also should be paid to good websites, available software, media resources, and the like.  No Resource Letter is meant to be exhaustive or complete.  In general, it should be as short and selective as possible so as to be a true guide to the literature for the non-specialist.

Given the rapidly-changing landscape of print (and non-print) publications, the Resource Letters Editor has the freedom to move in new directions and is encouraged to re-envision the concept of Resource Letters as appropriate.  This could include electronic (ePub) ventures or the bundling of themed articles into article packs.  Currently, the Resource Letters Editorial board consists of six people who serve staggered three-year terms, and who represent a reasonable distribution in regard to discipline, geography, and gender.  Each year, at the AAPT Summer Meeting of the Publications Committtee, the Resource Letters Editor recommends the appointment of two new Editorial Board members for approval by the AAPT Executive Board, with their terms beginning after the AAPT Winter Meeting.  The Resource Letters Editor meets with the Editorial Board each year to review the status of the Resource Letters, to recommend possible improvements, and to determine the topics and authors of the Resource Letters to be commissioned during the current year.

The Resource Letters Editor is initially appointed to a three-year (renewable) term and is a member of and reports to the AAPT Publications Committee.  AAPT publications are reviewed every five years.  The Resource Letters Editor receives an annual honorarium plus travel expenses to attend the two AAPT national meetings.  The honorarium amount is reviewed periodically to determine if adjustments are needed.