 eNNOUNCER March, 2009  WM2009 Chicago HighlightsAAPT joined AAAS in Chicago this year for the Winter Meeting. David Cook, Program Chair, and Gordon Ramsey, Local Host Chair, provided an outstanding learning opportunity. The sharing of sessions, plenaries, hotels, and exhibit space provided extraordinary opportunities to attendees from both organizations. Approximately 1,000 registered AAPT participants benefited from an outstanding and diverse program that included invited and contributed paper sessions, poster presentations, workshops, and plenary sessions. Enjoy some of the meeting highlights at http://www.aapt.org/Events/wm09highlights.cfm AAPT Executive Board Develops and Approves Diversity StatementDuring their meetings in Chicago the AAPT Executive Board approved the following official policy statement on diversity: The American Association of Physics Teachers is committed to making physics more accessible to everyone. We support efforts to encourage greater participation from members of all under-represented groups in every part of the physics community. We strive to provide open access and employment opportunities to all without discrimination. In this commitment we join other organizations engaged in physics and physics education: government agencies; K-12 institutions; colleges and universities; national laboratories and industry. High School Photo ContestEvery year, AAPT holds a contest for the best physics-based photos. The contest is open to high school students in grades 9-12 (or equivalent international grade level). Photos may be entered in one of two categories: Natural and Contrived. Submit your entries online now! http://www.aapt.org/Contests/photocontest.cfm U.S. Physics Team 2009Congratulations to the top 400 students chosen to advance to the Quarter-Final round of U.S. Physics Team selection. Nearly 4,000 students participated in the Fnet=ma Exam in January. The top 400 students have been posted by AAPT at www.aapt.org/physicsteam/quarterfinalists.cfm. It is easy to support the U.S. Physics Team. Visit the Team home page at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/index.cfmand click on donate to make your contribution. PHYSICSBOWL 2009Attention: High School Physics Teachers! Save 50%on AAPT Physics Bowl (CD-PBER) practice exams from years 2001-2006. Exams are available on CD in .pdf and .doc formats. Member price: Was $19.95, now $10.00. Non-Member Price: Was $29.95, now $15. FREE shipping. Order online at http://www.aapt.org/Store/ Visit AAPT in New Orleans!March 19-22, 2009 AAPT will participate in the exhibit show at the NSTA National Conference in New Orleans, LA. Please visit booth #1515 and explore our exciting selection of resources and publications designed to strengthen and support your physics instruction. Don’t forget to pick up some exciting giveaways and enter to win the AAPT gift basket. Team America Rocketry Challenge: Do You Have a Winning Lesson Plan?AAPT invites you to participate in the 2009 TARC lesson plan Contest. Submit your lesson plans or similar documents describing your team’s activities, planning, and experiments undertaken while preparing for the 2009 TARC competition and you could win a prize! http://www.aapt.org/Contests/rocket.cfm Physics Day at Six Flags AmericaJoin us at Six Flags America for hands-on learning, thrills and fun on April 24, 2009! http://www.sixflags.com/america/events/physicsday.aspx Save the Date! AAPT Summer Meeting 2009 in Ann ArborThe AAPT 2009 Summer Meeting will take place at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, July 25-29. The theme is “Discovering the Universe: Democritus and Galileo to FundamentalParticles and Cosmology.” Committee meetings, sessions, and workshops will occur across the grounds at UM. Detailed information will soon be available on the AAPT website at http://www.aapt.org/Events/sm2009/index.cfm. We are currently accepting abstract submissions for the 2009 Summer Meeting. For more information, please go to http://aapt.org/Events/abstractForm.cfm. The deadline is March 6. Check the events calendar for future meetings. http://www.aapt.org/Events/calendar.cfm 2009 Topical Conference on Advanced LabsThe Topical Conference on Advanced Labs will take place before AAPT’s Summer Meeting on July 23-25, 2009 at the University of Michigan. This two and a half day meeting will cover techniques, experiments, and curricular ideas for post-introductory undergraduate labs, whether they are independent or tied to a lecture course. The conference will include invited speakers on a variety of topics, presentations by commercial vendors, and lots of opportunities for hands-on experiences with experimental equipment. For more information, please go to http://www.aapt.org/Events/topical_conference.cfm Research Experiences for TeachersPTEC, a project led by AAPT, the American Physical Society, and the American Institute of Physics, maintains a list of Research Experiences for Teachers, or RETs. These programs give in-service teachers an opportunity to spend part of their summer participating in cutting-edge physics research. http://www.ptec.org/rets/map.cfm The Physics SourceThe Physics Source is a collection of websites where you can learn physics on your own, through games, webcasts, and online exhibits and activities. Also included are physics-on-the-road programs, which bring demonstration shows, and in some cases hands-on activities, to you, the audience. To find the resources you want, you can browse the collection and search our database by content topic, resource type, and grade level. New Member and Journal Subscriber BenefitDid you know that AAPT has implemented a new Table of Contents Alert (TOC) system for The Physics Teacher(TPT) and American Journal of Physics(AJP)? http://scitation.aip.org/journals/doc/AJPIAS-home/alerts/ AAPT Section NewsAAPT Council Approves New Local SectionsWe are pleased to announce the approval of (4) new local sections: AAPT Members in the NewsNew Executive Board Members Take OfficeNew AAPT Board members include President Alexander K. Dickison, Vice President David R. Sokoloff, Member-at-Large Marie Plumb, Secretary Steve Iona and Vice Chair of Section Representatives Marina Milner-Bolotin. Member receives 2009 QCESC AwardAAPT member John D. Johnson received the 2009 QCESC (Quad City Engineering and Science Council) Senior Scientist of the Year Award in February. Besides having responsibilities for global computer network security, John Johnson, a Senior Security Program Manager for John Deere, is an adjunct professor at St. Ambrose University and Scott Community College, where he has taught physics, astronomy, ethics and computer security courses. John works to raise public awareness of science through his professional affiliations, peer groups, writing and speaking engagements. AAPT in the NewsGeorge Gu Quarterfinalist in 2009 U.S. Physics TeamGeorge Gu, an exchange student from China currently attending LaGrange Academy, is one of 400 students in the nation to finish as a quarter-finalist for the 2009 U.S. Physics Team. Each year, the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) sponsor a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad Competition. Currently, the quarter-finalists have been selected to compete in the next round to ultimately select a team of 24 students. Chautauqua Short CoursesUsing Research-Based Curricula and Tools to Promote Active Learning in Introductory Courses June 29-July 1, 2009 at University of Oregon in Eugene, OR, instructors Pricilla Laws, David Sokoloff, and Ronald Thornton will lead a hands-on course designed for those interested in making learning in their introductory course more active either within the traditional course structure of lectures, labs, and recitation hours, or by re-structuring their course (e.g., into a workshop or studio course). http://uoregon.edu/~sokoloff/chaut1.htm AIP Announces Winners of 2008 Science Writing AwardsThe American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced the winners of its 2008 Science Writing Awards today. The winners—two scientists, a journalist, a children’s book author, and a public television producer—will receive four prizes of $3,000, engraved Windsor chairs, and certificates of recognition. http://www.aip.org/press_release/09writingawards.html AIP Announces Deadline for Meggers Project AwardThe William F. and Edith R. Meggers Project Award of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a biennial award designed to fund projects for the improvement of highschool physics teaching in the United States. The Award consists of $25,000 to be awarded biennially for two to five outstanding projects in the competition. Deadline: April 15, 2009. http://www.meggersaward.org/ IYA2009 Announces Galileoscope.orgAt Galileoscope.org you can now order your very own Galileoscope. IYA2009 is still actively seeking contributions from corporations and individuals to help deliver Galileoscopes to under-served populations worldwide. Every $1,000 raised allows 50 telescope kits and additional teaching materials to be delivered to classrooms around the world. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO. https://www.galileoscope.org/gs/ The 3rd Annual Meeks Memorial Acoustics WorkshopThis workshop will be offered in late June or early July 2009 at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN. The main workshop emphasis is on acoustics experiments that are simple to do and easy to interpret. For more details and registration information, visit: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~moloney Astronomy Education Review OnlineAstronomy Education Review (AER), the web-based journal/magazine about astronomy education and outreach, announces the on-line publication of its 14th issue, now complete on the web at http://aer.noao.edu/. There is no charge for reading or downloading the full articles in the journal. About eNNOUNCERAAPT eNNOUNCER is a service to members of the American Association of Physics Teachers and is produced by the AAPT Central Office. All issues are archived here. Other stories of significance appear in our Announcements Archive and our archive of Press Releases. E-mail news items, comments, and suggestions to: news@aapt.org |
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