eNNOUNCER July 2010

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eNNOUNCER July, 2010

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Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon

Join your colleagues in the physics community from July 17-21, 2010 at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, OR. This meeting promises to help you find ideas and inspiration to take back to your classroom.
Take advantage of the Summer Picnic, the AAPT 5K Walk/Run, and you won't want to miss the 2010 "Professional Vaudeville Demo Show" sponsored by Vernier. 

View the program to learn more about the Summer Meeting.
Register Now at: http://www.aapt.org/Conferences/sm2010/registration.cfm.

Save the date: Winter Meeting 2011, January, 8-12 (Jacksonville, FL)

Past Successes and Future Directions: A National Two-Year College Physics Meeting will take place Saturday, July 17, 2010 in tandem with the AAPT Summer Meeting. This national gathering of TYC physics instructors will include sessions on creating a virtual TYC community, the role of TYCs in teacher training, innovations in laboratory and distance education, adopting and adapting PER-based curriculum, and more. For more information, please see Past Successes and Future Directions.

Workshop on Active Learning with Video Analysis
July 12-16 in Portland

The LivePhoto Physics project is offering an NSF-funded 5-day workshop for university and college faculty interested in using digital video analysis in student research, lectures, tutorials, homework assignments, and laboratories. The workshop will cover capture and analysis techniques for a range of topic areas such as mechanics, thermal physics, wave propagation, electricity, magnetism, and optics.
For more information visit: livephoto.rit.edu/workshops/ or contact Robert.Teese@rit.edu.

Physics Education Research Conference 2010
PER Topical Group, AAPT Event
July 21, 2010 - July 22, 2010 in Portland, OR

Uncovering the hidden curriculum: Research on scientific, critical, and reflective thinking in the physics classroom
An outsider surveying the physics education research literature might understandably conclude that PER studies and PER-based instructional materials are dominated by concerns about conceptual understanding. However, a close look at research-based curricula reveals that helping students develop the ability to "think like a physicist" is in many cases at least as important as helping them develop an understanding of specific concepts and principles. Physics education researchers are examining a broad spectrum of abilities that can be categorized as scientific thinking (i.e., reasoning skills and argumentation practices that feature significantly in physics); critical thinking (i.e., general logical reasoning as applied to, or necessary for, doing physics); and reflective thinking (i.e., thinking about one's own thinking and learning processes). By focusing on research related to instructional goals that transcend specific subject matter, PERC 2010 will provide the field an opportunity to highlight progress in this area and to identify important avenues for continued work.
http://www.compadre.org/per/conferences/2010/

Visit ComPADRE in Portland!

comPADRE 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 #304 and see what ComPADRE has to offer.
There will also be a drawing for 5 2GB "green" ComPADRE USB drives. To enter the drawing, stop by, mention the eNNOUNCER and either show you have an existing ComPADRE account or create a new one. Creating an account is free and easy.

Sometimes, it takes a member…

…to get a member. And that’s exactly what Greg Mulder and Pat Keefe have accomplished—on a fairly large scale. Greg, an instructor at Linn-Benton Community College and Pat, of Clatsop Community College, led efforts within the Oregon section, as well as the state level, to secure funding for over 40 educators to become members and attend the Portland meeting next month. Their commitment and dedication means that these individuals will have the opportunity to experience first-hand how vital AAPT is to creating both professional success and excellence in physics education. What about you? Have you thought about the ways you can be an “Ambassador?” Contact Member Services at 301-209-3333 or by e-mail at membership@aapt.org. You can also visit our web site and download valuable information on member recruitment to use at your next meeting, event or gathering.

In Memoriam

Lawrence Ruby, May 13, 2010

We share with Oregon AAPT the sad news that Lawrence (Larry) Ruby has passed away. Larry served as ORAAPT treasurer and historian for many years.
Most recently Larry was the person who put together all the paperwork to make ORAAPT a 501(c)3 organization several years ago which, in turn, made the ORAAPT Summer Cohort this summer possible.
Lawrence Ruby was born July 25, 1925, in Detroit, Mich. He married Judith Friedberg in 1951. Larry earned his Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and his doctorate in physics from University of California at Los Angeles in 1945, 1947 and 1951 respectively. He was a professor of nuclear engineering at University of California at Berkeley from 1960 to 1987. Larry and Judith then moved to Lake Oswego where Larry continued to teach at Portland-area colleges. He was also active in his community and served on the Lake Oswego Planning Commission. He will be missed by his family, colleagues, and friends.

Section News

Section News Online

Wisconsin Association of Physics Teachers and Minnesota Area Association of Physics Teachers
Call for Workshops!! Please consider presenting a hands-on workshop at fall joint meeting of the WAPT and the MAAPT Minnesota Area Association of Physics Teachers). The meeting will be held Oct. 29-30, 2010, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin River Falls.

To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mgardner@aapt.org.

New Statistics on the Availability of High School Physics

The Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics (AIP) has recently posted a report that details the availability of physics in US high schools. The data come from the 2008-2009 Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers which is sponsored jointly by AAPT and AIP. The survey includes teachers from a nationally representative sample of both public and private high schools across the US. Many thanks to those of you who participated.
There are state-level comparisons that consider factors that affect physics availability. The report is available as a PDF. Future reports will examine physics taking, teacher demographics, course variety, minorities in high school physics, and females in high school physics.
For more information and to access the report, please visit http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/hstrends.html

Teaching Medical Physics: Innovations in Learning

July 22-25, 2010
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
http://www.aapm.org/meetings/2010SS/
This program includes four nationally-recognized master physics teachers, one expert in problem-based learning, and one nationally-recognized speaker on making effective presentations. Several other speakers and topics will be covered in the summer school, which will also include the opportunity to develop a Self-Directed Educational Project on becoming a more effective teacher.

2010 Central Jersey Modeling Institute

July 6-22, 2010
Montgomery Township School District is excited to host the Central Jersey Modeling Physics & Chemistry Institutes in the Princeton area in summer 2010.
Montgomery High School is committed to a unified approach to science using Physics First and Modeling Instruction. The two 2010 workshops are on mechanics and chemistry. High school instructors of physics, chemistry, physical science, biology and earth science are welcome to attend. We urge pre‑service teachers to attend, too. Modeling Workshops qualify for school district NCLB Title II‑A funds. Graduate credit is available through Rider University.
Questions? contact Jason Sullivan jsullivan@mtsd.us or call (609) 466‑7602 x 6569 (office).
Download the registration form at http://modeling.asu.edu/MW_nation.html

Greater New Orleans STEM Initiative Modeling Workshops

July 12-28, 2010
Peer leaders in chemistry: Carmela Minaya, Hanalani School in Hawaii. Carmela won the NSTA Shell prize, given to only ONE teacher annually. She helped develop the 1st semester chemistry Modeling Workshop. Phil Root, Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona. Phil took several Modeling Workshops in chemistry and physics at ASU.
Peer leaders in physics (mechanics): Kathy Malone, Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, PA. Kathy has a deep understanding of Modeling Instruction. She wrote a Ph.D. thesis on metacognition in Modeling Instruction. She led her science department to implement a very successful inverted sequence four years ago. Their extensive data show marked student improvement. David Ferris, Ben Franklin HS in New Orleans (the workshop site). David was in the original cohort of Teach for America. He stayed!
FREE for Public High School Teachers in New Orleans parishes. Teachers nationwide can attend for $400. Download the registration form at http://modeling.asu.edu/MW_nation.html

Vernier 2-day, Hands-on Workshop

Vernier will offer one college subject-specific institute in a 2-day, hands-on workshop on August 9 - August 10, 2010 in Washington, DC. The 2-day College Physics Institute will survey all data-collection and video tools offered by Vernier. Participants will learn both basic and advanced skills in Logger Pro, including configuring graphs, performing custom curve fits, setting up calculated columns and customized data-collection modes. Video capture and analysis will be emphasized. Data collection will use LabQuest, LabQuest Mini, and wireless force sensors. All common physics sensors will be available, including rotary motion kits and optics devices. Included in the workshop fee of $199 is breakfast/lunch and a free copy of Physics with Video Analysis.
Visit http://www.vernier.com/workshop/college.html?subject=physics for more information.

ALPhA to Offer "Laboratory Immersions"

During the summer of 2010, the Advanced Lab Physics Association (ALPhA) will be inaugurating their "Laboratory Immersions". Last year's AAPT/APS-sponsored Topical Conference on Advanced Laboratories highlighted the need for training opportunities which would broaden the expertise of advanced laboratory instructors. ALPhA's Laboratory Immersions offer an opportunity to spend three full days, with expert colleagues on hand, learning the details of a single experiment well enough to teach it with confidence.
The remaining 2010 Immersions are:
July 17, 2010 at Reed College in Portland, OR. This is a special one day Immersion that will focus on LabVIEW Instruction for the Advanced Laboratory.
Aug. 2-4, 2010 at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY. Experiments offered: Pulsed NMR, Optical Pumping, Modern Interferometry, Mossbauer Spectroscopy, High Temperature Superconductivity.
Aug. 11-13, 2010 at Caltech, Pasadena, CA. Experiments offered: Vacuum Techniques/Thin Film Deposition, Low Noise Signal Detection with Lock-Ins,Saturated Absorption Spectroscopy, Resonant Absorption and Refraction.
For more information and to register, please visit www.advlab.org

Football Picks From IOPscience

IOPscience has put together a collection of papers on the physics of football (Soccer). All papers are free to read throughout the World Cup season. http://herald.iop.org/PhysicsofFootballSM/m54/avh/link/3588

"Tell Us Why Science Is Cool" K–12 Science Video Contest

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is scheduled to be held in Washington, DC, in October 2010 and will screen the contestant’s winning video on the National Mall in Washington, DC. With possible prize money, electronics, and a trip to the Expo in Washington for the winners, this is an opportunity to get your students involved and share your passion for science. Sponsored by The Kavli Foundation and conducted in partnership with SciVee, the contest closes on July 15, 2010.

For more information, visit the USA Science & Engineering Festival website.

Be sure to drop by the booth we will be sharing with SPS and Laserfest.

Laserfest 2010Laserfest

SpectraSound—ONLY $15!
As part of the 50th anniversary of the laser, LaserFest created a kit called SpectraSound that allows you to transmit sound from your music player through a laser pointer to speakers across the room or further. With mirrors, you will be able to send your music anywhere! Find out how to get your hands and ears on your own SpectraSound kit.

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Copyright © 2010, American Association of Physics Teachers

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