eNNOUNCER July 2012
Summer Meeting 2012
Physics: The Experimental Core
Philadelphia was home to the first great American experimental physicist, Ben Franklin. On July 28 - August 1, conference attendees will explore "Physics: The Experimental Core" with networking opportunities, workshops, and presentations by leaders in physics education. Make your plans now to attend the 2012 AAPT Summer Meeting!
Join us on Monday, July 30 for High School Physics Teacher’s Day, with a special rate available for first time High School Teachers. Registration is now open.
Pre and post-conference events include:
Post-deadline abstracts are being accepted until June 15.
Registration is now open for early bird discount until June 4.
Save the Date:
Winter Meeting 2013, January 5-9 (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Summer Meeting 2013, July 13-17 (Portland, Oregon)
New PTRA Initiative
At the opening plenary session of the 2012 Summer Meeting, AAPT will announce a new PTRA initiative in response to the proposed Next Generation Science Standards. The AAPT Executive Board has asked Karen Jo Matsler to serve as Director for the first three years of the program. Please join us and the leadership of previous PTRA initiatives so that we can celebrate the long and proud heritage of AAPT/PTRA and usher in the new program as it continues to support physics teaching. Also take advantage of special PTRA workshops featured at the summer meeting.
Summer School for Physics and Astronomy Faculty
Top science programs start with outstanding teachers. To improve the quality of physics teaching on a national scale, AAPT, in partnership with AAS and APS hosted the first of two Workshops for New Physics and Astronomy Faculty. On June 25-28, attendees participated in a number of sessions presenting effective teaching techniques. These tactics can be implemented with minimal time and effort, thus allowing new faculty to devote more of their attention to research and scholarship.
More than 60 new physics and astronomy faculty and 22 workshop leaders gave up a week of their summer to participate in this extraordinary program funded by the National Science Foundation. We express our gratitude to everyone who helped make this workshop so successful!
The next workshop takes place November 1-4, 2012. Find out more.
Header image: Richard Berg of the University of Maryland administers "The Physics IQ Test" to workshop attendees.
Next Generation Science Standards
A small group of physical sciences and engineering educators met at AAPT's headquarters in College Park, MD, on May 29 to discuss the first draft of the Next Generation Science Standards. Feedback was provided to Achieve in response to the first draft. Read the summary. Thank you to everyone involved in the discussion.
2012 INTEL International Science & Engineering Fair
AAPT/APS Special Awards in Physics and Astronomy at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) were announced during the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the fair. The competition, held in Pittsburgh, PA this year, is the only international science project competition for students in grades 9 through 12.
This year's SAO Awinners were:
First Award - Henry Wanjune Lin
Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA
Second Award - Taylor Ramon Wilson
Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno, NV
Third Award - Ananya Mukundan
International Academy East, Troy, MI
Read more online.
See the photos.
AAPT Members Honored by President Obama as Outstanding Science Teachers
On June 11 President Obama named 97 mathematics and science teachers as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The 2011 award winners include AAPT members, Dean Baird (Sacramento, CA); Stacy McCormack (Mishawaka, IN) who is also recipient of the 2011 Paul W. Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in Pre-College Teaching; Joshua Underwood (Mount Olivet, KY); Barry Hopkins (Severna Park, MD); Donald Pata (Grosse Point Woods, MI); Holly Sullivan (Lugoff, SC); and Paul Kuhlman (Avon, SD). Read more.
Call for AAPT Awards Nominations
Recognize excellence in physics education! The Awards Committee is seeking nominations for all of our awards, citations, and medals. AAPT members are urged to review the descriptions on the AAPT website and then, following instructions, to nominate individuals who should be considered for any of these awards. Nominations remain active for five years.
May Physics Challenge Solution
The solution to the May Physics Challenge for Teachers and Students, "Amicable separation," is available online. See the PDF.
2012 Transit of Venus
For most living humans June 5, 2012 was their last chance to see Venus cross in front of the Sun, to share the fascination felt by astronomers in past centuries, and to appreciate their observations and measurements. AAPT members donned their eclipse glasses, headed for observatories, and participated in eclipse parties. Read more.
Missing Out? Opt Back In
Are you missing out? Arbor Scientific will be mailing their catalog soon. However, if you have checked 'no third party mailings' you won't be on the list of recipients. The Association only shares the member mail list with select companies with strong ties to physics education. To update your profile, go to www.aapt.org and log in with your ID and password.
Learning About Teaching Physics
Nuggets that you can use in class tomorrow
We're getting the physics education research out of those stuffy journals and into your hands (or, rather, ears) with this little audio podcast. Co-hosted by veteran high school physics teacher Michael Fuchs and physicist and education researcher Stephanie Chasteen, each episode investigates a piece of the research literature and how it can relate to your classroom. Listen to the Podcasts.
Get Connected!
Did you know? AAPT doesn't only have a Facebook and Twitter presence, but we're also on LinkedIn, Google Plus, and Flickr. Whichever social media outlet you prefer, we are there! Make sure you Like Us, Friend Us, Follow Us, Connect with Us, Add Us, etc.!
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Twitter
LinkedIn
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The Physics Educator
Earlier this year AAPT introduced an online, members-only site called The Physics Educator (TPE). TPE's mission is to promote interest in and the advancement of physics education at all levels. At members' request, new features have been added including a rating system, a forum, and more. Further suggestions are welcome. Login and try it out.
June marked the public release of the IPAL (In-class Polling for All Learners) Moodle module and website. The free, open-source Moodle module goes beyond clickers as it enables students to respond to in-class multiple-choice and free-response questions using any web-enabled device (smart phone, iPad, laptop, etc.). Additionally, ready-to-use introductory-level Peer Instruction ConcepTest questions (courtesy of Eric Mazur of Harvard University) are available through the IPAL module. The research aspect of the IPAL project is to determine if student response patterns during polling sessions may provide early identification of students at risk of dropping a course or dropping out of school, thus providing a tool for increasing student retention.
Visit http://compadre.org/ipal/ to access the module, a User's Guide, and installation instructions.
Section News
Section Reps, be sure to send us your section report for publication in the July 2012 Section News. To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mgardner@aapt.org. See the December 2011 Section News.
SLATE: How To Stop Science Alienation Syndrome
Professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin and author, Deborah Blum, talks about splitting K-12 science education into two tracks, for majors and nonmajors. Read the article.
A New Breed of Planet Hunters
Amateur scientists find niche in locating new planets.
By Brian Jacobsmeyer, ISNS Contributor
Inside Science News Service
(ISNS) -- Over the past decade, scientists have found evidence of hundreds of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system. A group of volunteers has also joined the search, and they have found several additional planets that initially fell through the cracks...
(continue to full article text)
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© 2012, American Association of Physics Teachers
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