eNNOUNCER June 2010

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eNNOUNCER June, 2010

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High School Students Chosen for 2010 International Physics Olympiad

2010 Physics Team LogoMay 31, 2010, College Park, MD — Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2010 Traveling Team at the 41st International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held in Zagreb, Croatia, from July 17 to 25. The Traveling Team members are:
Jenny Lu, a senior at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, CT; Jenny's bio
Daniel Li, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA; Daniel's bio
David Field, of Andover, MA, a senior at the Phillips Andover Academy in Andover, MA; David's bio
Anand Oza, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD; Anand's bio
Eric Spieglan, a sophomore at Naperville North High School, Naperville, IL; Eric's bio
Meet the team members and their coaches at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2010, and learn how you can support this program.
Support the U.S. Physics Team! Your donation will further the academic excellence of U.S. Students through preparation for and participation in the International Physics Olympiad.

Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon

Summer Meeting logoJoin your colleagues in the physics community from July 17-21, 2010 at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, OR.
You won't want to miss the 2010 "Professional Vaudeville Demo Show" sponsored by Vernier.
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/

PERC 2010 Website

comPADREPER-Central is again providing the web hosting for the annual PERC Conference, The conference web site is now open with information about invited speakers, sessions, contributing to the proceedings, and online abstract submission. Abstract are due by June 21st, 2010.

PER-Central also has available conference information and proceedings from PER Conferences back to 1997 at http://www.compadre.org/per/conferences/. Articles, abstracts, and proceedings are available for free download or purchase, and links are provided to previous PERC websites. Articles hosted on PER-Central can be
searched using the library's search and browse tools.

New Faculty Training Experience for Two-Year Colleges

New Faculty Training Experience for two-year college physics faculty

AAPT President-Elect, David Sokoloff at LACCEI

David Sokoloff presented an Active Learning in Optics and Photonics workshop at the 2010 Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI). LACCEI is a non-profit organization of institutions (i.e. academic, government, industry, non-profits) from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and other parts of the world with an interest in collaborating. As part of AAPT's international outreach initiative, $300 were allocated from the Future Projects Fund to help LACCEI purchase needed equipment. Learn more about LACCEI at http://www.laccei.org/.

Give the Gift of Membership

Want to thank an educator, honor an outstanding student, or mentor a new teacher? Give a gift that has a lasting professional impact—an AAPT membership. Gift membership forms are available for download.
http://www.aapt.org/Membership/upload/GiftMembership_10.pdf
For fastest service, fax to (301) 209-0845.

In Memoriam

David Halliday, April 2, 2010

David Halliday died in Maple Falls, Washington at the age of 94. An Emeritus member of AAPT, David was best known to the physics community because of his undergraduate textbook, "Fundamentals of Physics." This textbook has been in continuous use since 1960 and is available in twenty languages. Halliday spent the bulk of his career at the University of Pittsburgh where he was both student and professor, not to mention researcher and administrator. At the time of his death Halliday was still associated with the University of Pittsburgh as a professor emeritus, although he was retired and living in Seattle. Learn more about David Halliday from the University of Pittsburgh profile at http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/people/fprofile.php?id=156.

Member in the News

Lars Johnson receives Huntsman Award honoring Utah's ingenious educators.

When award winner Lars Johnson, a physics and chemistry teacher at Gunnison Valley High, saw the students at his school changing around him, he responded to their needs. When Johnson started teaching at Gunnison 14 years ago, he said the school had only a few Latino students. Now, about 10 percent of Gunnison's students are Latino.
Johnson noticed that not many of the Latino students were engaged in school. So about eight years ago, he and his wife started a recreational soccer program at the school. Several years ago, the school sanctioned the team, meaning it's now a real, competitive team, and students must keep their grades up to participate, he said. Johnson said he has seen a change in the motivation of Latino students at the school since. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_15050760

Section News

Section News Online

Deadline for the July 2010 AAPT Section News is June 30!
Submit reports from your spring meeting to mgardner@aapt.org.
To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mgardner@aapt.org.

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.

Modeling Workshops Nationwide

Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry, and/or physical science will be held this summer in 25 locations: Arizona, Alabama, Miami FL, Georgia, Chicago IL, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New Orleans LA, Maine, Michigan, Minneapolis MN, Missouri, New Jersey, Albuquerque NM, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pittsburgh PA, northern Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Dallas TX, Spokane WA, and Wisconsin. (And possibly in San Diego.)
Modeling Workshops in 11th grade biology will be held in Pittsburgh, PA and Tennessee, for teachers in Physics First/Capstone Biology sequences.
Visit http://modeling.asu.edu for details. Click on "Modeling Workshops Nationwide in Summer 2010".
http://modeling.asu.edu/MW_nation.html

Summer Physics and Engineering Teaching Opportunities

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth seeks energetic instructors and TAs to work in summer programs, featuring:

  • 3-week academic programs
  • Highly-talented students, grades 2-12
  • 29 locations (U.S. and international)
  • Competitive salaries plus room and board (at residential locations)

2010 Programs dates:
Session 1: June 24 - July 17
Session 2: July 17 - August 7
http://www.cty.jhu.edu/summer/employment
For more information email ctysummer@jhu.edu, or call 410-735-6185.

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 2010 Immersions are:
June 17-18, 2010 at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. This is a special two day Immersion that will focus on single-photon quantum mechanics experiments.
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

We've Been Shmoop'd

The AIP Center for History of Physics' web exhibit on Albert Einstein was awarded a Best of the Web Award for Students and Teachers by Shmoop.com, a provider of learning guides and teacher resources. Congratulations to the History Center staff for designing this top-notch resource.

FREE Physicsworld WEBINAR

Plasma Modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics version 4.0a
Speaker: Daniel Smith, COMSOL, Inc.
Thursday 17 June 2010
10am BST (11am Central Europe, 5am East Coast US )
Modeling non-equilibrium discharges self-consistently has proven to be a significant challenge for the scientific community over the last three decades.
The COMSOL Multiphysics Plasma Module is designed to simplfy the process of setting up a self-consistent model of a low temperature plasma. The webinar will walk you through the process of setting up a model of an inductively coupled plasma as well as showing various other application specific examples.

2010 KAVLI Prize Recipients Announced

June 3, 2010 (Oslo, Norway) - Eight scientists whose discoveries have dramatically expanded human understanding in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience have been recognized with the award of the million-dollar Kavli Prizes.
The laureates were chosen for research that has transformed our knowledge of basic units of matter, laid the foundations for the field of nanotechnology, revealed the molecular basis for the transfer of brain signals and other physiological functions, and made possible the building of telescopes that can see deeper into space and further back in time. They will each receive a scroll, a gold medal and share of the $1,000,000 prize for each of the three fields.
KAVLI PRIZE IN ASTROPHYSICS: Jerry Nelson, of the University of California, Santa Cruz, US, Ray Wilson, formerly of Imperial College London and the European Southern Observatory, and Roger Angel, of the University of Arizona, Tucson, US, share the astrophysics prize for their respective innovations in the field of telescope design that have allowed us glimpses of ever more distant and ancient objects and events in the remote corners of the Universe.
KAVLI PRIZE IN NANOSCIENCE: Donald Eigler, of IBM's Almaden Research Centre, San Jose, California, and Nadrian Seeman, of New York University. Eigler reserved his place in the history of science in 1989 when he became the first person ever to pick up an individual atom and move it precisely to another location, and then went on to make a series of breakthroughs that have helped us to understand some of the most basic units of matter. A decade before Eigler's historic achievement, Seeman invented structural DNA nanotechnology when he realized the building blocks of the genetic blueprint of living organisms could be harnessed to create the raw materials for new, nanoscale circuits, sensors and medical devices.
KAVLI PRIZE IN NEUROSCIENCE: Thomas Südhof, of Stanford University School of Medicine; Richard Scheller, of the biotech company Genentech; and James Rothman, of Yale University—are the joint recipients of the neuroscience prize for their work to reveal the precise molecular basis of the transfer of signals between nerve cells in the brain.
Complete citations, biographies and other information is available at www.kavliprize.no and www.kavlifoundation.org.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Seeks Your Ideas

To further the Obama administration’s mission of creating a more open government, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)—along with 20 federal agencies-today launched an online public discussion forum to solicit public input with the goal of helping OSTP improve its effectiveness. You are invited to tell OSTP how it can be more transparent, participatory, and productive. To participate, please visit: openostp.ideascale.com.

World Science Festival

5 days. 40 events. One electrified city.
June 2-6, 2010 New York City. Tickets on sale now!
Icarus at the Edge of Time

Sunday, June 6, 2010, 6PM-7PM
What if Icarus traveled not to the sun but to a black hole? This 40-minute 62-piece orchestral work is a mesmerizing adaptation of Icarus at the Edge of Time, Brian Greene’s book for children. A re-imagining of the Greek myth, which brings Einstein’s concepts of relativity to visceral, emotional life, it features an original score by Philip Glass, script adapted by Greene and David Henry Hwang and film created and directed by Al and Al.
http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/icarus-time

"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.
Here are a few suggestions for the budding videographers who must show “Why Science is Cool”:

  • Explore a scientific concept
  • Show the wonders of nature
  • Give a glimpse into the future
  • Show what scientific discovery has done for us in the past or will do in for us in the future
  • Introduce us to a great scientist or engineer
  • Show us why we should care about science and/or engineering

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.

Activity Based Physics Chautauqua Short Course

Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, June 19 ‐ 21, 2010
This hands‐on course is designed for those interested in making learning in their introductory course more active. Participants will be introduced to research‐based strategies for each component of the course: lecture, lab, problem solving, analytic mathematical modeling and video analysis. Graduate credit is available. For more information and to register: http://uoregon.edu/~sokoloff/chaut1.htm

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.
LaserFest Video Contest—Win $1,000!
Do you love lasers? Ever wanted to unravel the mystery of the stimulated emission? Then the LaserFest video contest is for you. Take any laser you want and use it to somehow express a physics concept. Shine, lase, bounce, and wave your way into physics history. The winner will receive a trophy lovingly made by APS staff from some of our favorite laser toys as well as $1,000 cash. All entries must be received by May 16th at midnight. http://www.laserfest.org/events/involved/contest.cfm

Physics World Magazine: May 2010 Special Issue Marks 50th Anniversary of the Invention of the Laser

The May 2010 issue of Physics World marks the 50th anniversary of the invention of the laser. This issue celebrates what has been one of the outstanding success stories in physics. It takes a look at the laser's huge impact on popular culture (think Goldfinger and laser-art shows) and on everyday life (DVDs, laser pointers, bar-code scanners). It also relives the race to build the world's first working laser—a story still laced with controversy. Find out about the technological impact of lasers in fibre optics and at the quest for green-wavelength laser diodes that could let mobile phones project images onto any surface. Basic research gets a look-in, too – in terms of both ultrahigh power and ultrafast lasers. Don't miss the special timeline of laser history and see what you think of the six experts' predictions for where laser science will go next.
Download your FREE copy at http://herald.iop.org/PW/m42/jip//link/3464

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