eNNOUNCER January 2011

AAPT Executive Officer Transition

On December 31, 2010 Dr. Warren Hein retired as AAPT’s Executive officer. He has had the opportunity to work with designated successor, Dr. Beth Cunningham, since she began working at the AAPT office in College Park on October 1, 2010. This overlap facilitated a period of orientation to AAPT and gave Dr. Cunningham an opportunity to become further acquainted with AAPT's members, staff, and activities before she officially assumed the position of Executive Officer on January 1, 2011.

When the Executive Board asked Dr. Hein to return to AAPT as Executive Officer in September 2008, he accepted the position with the intent that he would retire from AAPT at the end of December 2010. Warren and his spouse, Melanie, are building a new home in Michigan and he hopes to return to the classroom, at least on a part-time basis. In announcing his retirement he said, "I would like to put into practice the many great active engagement techniques that I have learned during my time at AAPT. I want to thank all of you for this great opportunity to work with you."

Dr. Beth Cunningham came to AAPT from Illinois Wesleyan University where she had been Provost, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Physics. A skilled teacher and researcher, she has taught both introductory and advanced lecture and laboratory courses in physics, the latter particularly in condensed matter, thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics. She has taught outreach courses for non-science majors and one-week continuing education courses for middle school and high school teachers. While at Bucknell University, she played a major role in stimulating the growth of opportunities for physics majors to engage in undergraduate research and was herself the faculty mentor for more than 20 undergraduate research students.
Her positions and experience have reinforced her desire to be instrumental in leading and providing strategic direction in an organization devoted to improving student learning and developing physics educators. She is eager to use those experiences to provide AAPT with leadership as it continues to focus on improving physics education.

2011 Winter Meeting in Jacksonville, FL

January 8-12, 2011
There is still time to register for the meeting and special events! This is your chance to come together with over 800 of your peers to discuss current physics teaching techniques and learn firsthand what teachers around the country are doing to improve physics education.

Program information is available online.

AAPT Symposium on Education Policy: Having an Impact, Improving the Landscape, featuring

• U.S. Congressman and Physicist, Vernon J. Ehlers
• Michael Lach - Special Assistant for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education, U.S. Department of Education
  
• Stephen Pruitt - Vice President, Content, Research and Development, Achieve, Inc
• Noah Finkelstein, University of Colorado, Boulder, Symposium Chair

Special Events

• UF Proton Therapy Institute Tour
• Marie Curie Theatrical Production
• Tour of St. Augustine
• Return of the AAPT 5K Walk/Run
• Jacksonville Walking Tour

See the Meeting Program for details.

Get 2011 Winter Meeting updates by following us on Twitter (@physicsteachers) and be sure to use the conference hashtag #aaptwm11 in your tweets! You can also find meeting updates and more on our Facebook page.

Save the Date:
Summer Meeting 2011, July 30-August 3 (Omaha, NE)
Winter Meeting 2012, February 4-8 (Ontario, CA)
Summer Meeting 2012, July 28-August 1 (Philadelphia, PA)

Seeking New Editor for the American Journal of Physics

The American Association of Physics Teachers is seeking a new Editor for the American Journal of Physics to transition into the post by January 2012. See the press release for more information.
http://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/pressreleases/new_ajp_editor.cfm

Two-Year College New Faculty Experience

AAPT presents a 18-month experience designed specifically for Two-Year College Physics Faculty in their first five years of teaching.

For more information and an application please visit our website at http://www.aapt.org/Conferences/newfaculty/tyc.cfm

Are You a New Physics Teacher? Could You Use a Little Help?

The AAPT ementoring program is designed to connect pre-college physics educators in need of additional guidance with experienced pre-college physics educators. Learn more at http://ementoring.aapt.org.

U.S. Physics Team Registration and Exam Dates

The U.S. Physics Team program is a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the annual International Physics Olympiad Competition. Preliminary exam dates are January 18-28, 2011. See www.aapt.org/physicsteam for registration information.

PhysicsBowl Registration

Each year, approximately 10,000 students take a 40-question, 45-minute timed, multiple-choice test under their school’s supervision. The 2011 exam will be given between March 30 and April 13, 2011. Exam questions are based on topics and concepts covered in a typical high school physics course.

• T-shirts awarded to the five top students in the top scoring school in each region
• Certificate of Participation provided as a printable PDF for all teachers and students competing
• Additional awards to be announced

Register Online.

Need a Great Science Intern?

The AAPT Career Center is now offering a FREE online-only posting to employers recruiting seasonal interns. Get the word out and reach the future of the science community—AAPT's membership, as well as the members and student members of APS, AVS, and the IEEE Computer Society (if a computer-related internship). Your intern posting will also appear on the Physics Today Jobs site. Login to or create your Employer account at http://careers.aapt.org/hr/index.cfm to get started. Free posting valid on 60-day internship postings ONLY. "Internship" Job Level must be selected when posting to access this offer.

Visit ComPADRE in Jacksonville!

We will have our many collection sites up and running for you to take a test drive and review. There will be materials for you to take away and share with colleagues, as well as editors and staff to answer any questions you may have. Please stop by Booth #114 and see what ComPADRE has to offer.
If you aren't familiar with ComPADRE, you can visit the main portal site, and any of our focused collections @ http://www.compadre.org.

4th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics

The U.S. team leaders are now accepting applications for the U.S. delegation to the 4th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Numerous opportunities are planned for networking, professional development, exploring international collaborations, and sharing research interests and results. More information about the conference may be found at: http://www.acitravel.co.za/event/index.php?eventID=20. The U.S. team leaders are seeking funding to help cover most, but not necessarily all, of the travel costs of selected delegation members. More information about the application guidelines and submission process is available at http://www.uswip.org. The deadline for submitting applications is midnight, EST, on January 7, 2011. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowships Deadline is January 12, 2011

The application process for 2011 Teaching Fellowships is now open. Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) Science and Mathematics Teaching Fellows are chosen from among young men and women who have earned or are in the process of earning a degree in science, mathematics or engineering from a recognized institution of higher education.

AIP Seeking Applicants for Congressional Fellowship Program

Members of the physics community who want to spend a unique year learning about the inner workings of Congress in Washington, D.C. should consider applying to the American Institute of Physics Congressional Science Fellowship Program. The application deadline is January 15. Read more at http://aip.org/gov/fellowships/cf.html

APS Announces Grants for New Outreach Activities

The American Physical Society is happy to announce that it will award several grants, up to $10,000, to encourage the development of new outreach activities. Programs to be funded may include not only the more traditional K-12 outreach but also engaging the general public with/in physics and informing them about the importance of physics in their daily lives. Innovative ideas and new approaches, particularly if they have the potential to lead to sustained activities beyond the duration of the grant, are particularly encouraged. To find out more information about the program including application procedures, please visit www.aps.org/programs/outreach.

InSight: Physics Slide Shows

APS Physics InSight is a series of slide shows designed to inform and excite undergraduates about physics. They are also appropriate for use in high school and two-year college student recruitment. Slide show topics include:

• Diverse physics careers
• Physicist salary information
• Current physics research
• Resources for undergraduate physics majors
• Opportunities for undergraduates

These slide shows are ideal for showing in venues frequented by potential physics majors, such as high school and two-year college -science department hallway videos and university science buildings. Download the slide shows at http://www.aps.org/careers/insight/

NSF Summer Institute in Physics and Physical Science for K-12 Inservice Teachers

This five-week Institute, supported by the National Science Foundation, is intended to help prepare teachers to teach physics and physical science as a process of inquiry. The laboratory-based curriculum used in the Institute, Physics by Inquiry (Wiley & Sons), was developed by the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington (UW). It emphasizes the development of fundamental scientific concepts and reasoning skills as well as the ability to relate the formalism of science to real-world phenomena.
Participants receive 10 upper-division credits at the UW and a stipend. Tuition is waived. Funds may be available to help defray lodging costs for out-of-area teachers.
For applications and additional information: www.phys.washington.edu/groups/peg/si2011 Note: The application deadline is February 25, 2011. Applications submitted after the deadline will only be considered if space is available. June 27–July 29, 2011 (dates tentative)

New Video on Physicsworld.com

ITER— A Fusion Facility Worth Building
Despite its huge price tag, Chris Llewellyn Smith—former head of the UK's fusion programme—insists that we must press on with the massive International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) fusion experiment being built in France. http://physicsworld.com/cws/m/1926/224395/article/multimedia/44247

Rensselaer Research Experience for Undergraduates

The Department of Physics, Applied Physics & Astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is pleased to announce its NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program for the summer of 2011. This will be the 20th year that the program has been in place at Rensselaer. We are especially interested in seeking students of under-represented groups to participate in this program. The following webpage contains the program details and a link to our online application form: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/phys/undergraduate/research/reu.html
Please forward this notice to your faculty and students and post the following flyer on your bulletin boards: http://rpi.edu/dept/phys/REU/RPI_REU.pdf

SSP Fellows Program

The Society for Science & the Public (SSP) Fellows Program, with generous support from Intel, provides funds and training to selected U.S. science and math teachers who serve under-resourced students, to enable interested and motivated students to perform high-quality independent scientific research. Fellows are competitively selected from across the U.S. and may serve for up to four years, with up to $8,500 a year. The Fellows also begin the program with the Fellows Institute, a one-week intensive training program in Washington, DC. More information and instructions on how to apply can be found here: http://www.societyforscience.org/outreach.

FREE Residential Summer Program for Science Teachers

The Physics of Atomic Nuclei (PAN) free residential summer program for science teachers and high school students is now accepting applications for summer 2011. PAN participants will learn about scientific research in nuclear astrophysics at National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and conduct their own experiments. Teachers can earn continuing education credit for this program. The teacher program will run from July 31 – August 5, and students will follow from August 7-12. Applications are due by April 30. To learn more and fill out an online application, visit http://meetings.nscl.msu.edu/pan/ or email pan@nscl.msu.edu.

Transformative Learning Opportunity for Teachers

Fund for Teachers is accepting applications for teachers’ self-designed summer odysseys that consequently inspire authentic student learning. Individuals may apply for up to $5,000; teams up to $10,000. The deadline for eligible preK-12 teachers to apply is January 28, 2011.
After navigating the globe on $14.5 million in Fund for Teachers fellowships over the past ten years, our 4,000 “Fellows” daily inspire school communities with experiences and insights only attainable by “being there.” Each fellowship is as unique as the teacher who designed it; and regardless of the destination or discipline, our Fellows have returned to more than 2,500 schools inspired by their pursuit of ideas, terrains, and cultures on all seven continents.

Classroom Earth: 2011 Professional Development Grants

Interested in enhancing your understanding of the living world and learning to teach about wildlife conservation in your subject area?
Classroom Earth is supporting middle and high school teachers around the country who are eager to make wildlife conservation part of their curriculum. Classroom Earth's 2011 Professional Development Grants will enable applicants to take one six-week online course offered by the Wildlife Conservation Society to create a strong foundation in wildlife conservation. Participating teachers will be better equipped to bring wildlife conservation into the classroom, facilitate scientific learning and to connect students with their natural surroundings. This Classroom Earth grant opportunity will also support teachers to earn graduate level credit.
The deadline is February 1, 2011.
Apply for a Classroom Earth Professional Development Grant today! Visit www.classroomearth.org/2011wcgrants

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