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 Enriching the Health of Physics Education
By Alex Dickison, Vice President and Program Chair
December 18, 2007
With just over a month remaining before we all meet in the Charm City of Baltimore, MD, I’m pleased to tell you the final arrangements are falling nicely into place. I’m also thrilled that the quality of presentation content at this meeting is among our highest. No matter your topical interest or area of teaching, you will find this meeting extremely worthwhile.
An Overview
Workshops and Tutorials lead off the meeting on Saturday and Sunday. These sessions have long been popular and useful to physics educators in improving their classrooms and laboratories. We are fortunate to have had the help and support of John Hopkins University (where most of the workshops take place). There are more than 30 partial- and full-day workshops. Among the titles: Teaching Assistant Training, Environment Physics, Tutorials in Intro Physics, Building Physics Teachers’ Knowledge, The Physics of Toys, and Haunted Physics Lab.
The regular meeting begins with the opening reception on Sunday evening in the exhibit area. I encourage you to stop by: This is a great time to enjoy refreshments, meet colleagues and AAPT Board and staff members, and, of course, visit with our more than 40 prestigious exhibitors.
The paper and poster sessions run from Monday through Wednesday. Monday, in particular, is a special day: High School Recognition Day (and kicks off “Physics Education Week” as proclaimed by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon). It is highlighted by a plenary talk by Paul Hewitt followed by a luncheon honoring high school teachers. I thank John Layman and the Committee on Physics in High Schools for putting this together.
Across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday there is a tremendous blend of sessions containing physics content and those focusing on educational pedagogy. Some directly address the theme of our meeting: Physicists in the Medical Profession, Medical/Health Physics Research and Education, and Medical Physics-Education and Careers. There are also sessions on Astronomy, Teacher Preparation, ComPadre, History, WIKIS, and CERN. I recommend you visit the Program Scheduler and Itinerary Builder and plan out your week.
Featured Sessions and Events
Among the highlights of all AAPT meetings are the plenary and award sessions. In addition to Paul Hewitt on Monday, there is a special APS Division of Particles and Fields plenary discussing CERN. On Wednesday morning Mario Livio from the Space Telescope Science Institute will give a talk. The award speakers will be Mildred Dresselhaus, Vera Rubin, and Judy Franz. To me, the plenary and award speakers alone make attendance worthwhile. You can read more on the Featured Speakers page.
Most especially I encourage you to participate in the second annual Symposium of Physics Education: “The Many-Body Challenge: The Full-Community Solution for Strengthening Teacher Preparation in Physics.” It will be held Tuesday afternoon. The first symposium was excellent and this one promises to be even better.
I hope you are as excited about the quality of the Winter Meeting as I am! The added bonus is that the meeting will be held at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel at Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor. Be sure to find some time to visit the nearby Science Center, National Aquarium, and of course the abundant restaurants and shops—all within close walking distance. If you have not registered yet, visit the Registration page and take advantage of the lowest rates.
See you in Baltimore!
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