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AAPT NEWS July 2007 From the Editors Contents
Action Items and Notable Dates
News for Members President's Commentary Guest Commentary U.S. Physics Team Blogs from Iran Summary of the America COMPETES Act Physics Teacher Receives Premier's Award for Teaching Excellence The Senate Appropriations Committee has sent bill S. 1745 forward with an increase in NSF funding for the FY 2008 budget, which includes continued support for NSF's mission of "promoting science and engineering education from pre-kindergarten through career development." AIP's report on the legislation is available here. Go here to follow the bill's progress and to AAPT's Legislative Action Center to voice your thanks and continued support. NSTA's New Position Statement: Principles of Professionalism for Science Educators NSTA has revised its position statement, Principles of Professionalism for Science Educators, to guide the professional and ethical conduct of all pre-K-16 teachers of science. For more information, go here. Publish Your News Here Have a news item you'd like to share with the AAPT membership in the August issue? Be sure to include a brief overview and a URL (website address) where readers can go for more information and send it by August 7 to news@aapt.org. News from the National Office Interactions: June/July Issue in the Mail The summer issue of Interactions has been mailed. Read more about Interactions and the transition of the Announcer here. NOVA scienceNOW Episode with Host Neil deGrasse Tyson In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, AAPT Klopsteg Awardee Neil deGrasse Tyson notes that the goal of NOVA's scienceNOW is "to show science as life, as a fundamental part of what it is to live in the 21st century." Check your local listings for broadcast times: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/schedule-local.html. Send Us Your Ideas and Feedback Have a suggestion or criticism that you'd like AAPT leadership to hear? Send an email to Future@aapt.org. Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, Symposiums, and Events Greensboro 2007 Important Meeting Updates Attendees, for all the latest information about the upcoming Greensboro meeting, visit the meeting homepage. Summer Meeting Onsite Program Guide The program guide for the upcoming AAPT national meeting in Greensboro, NC, is now available in PDF format. For the most up-to-date information and to build your meeting itinerary, go here. For additional information visit our meeting page. Executive Officer Crackerbarrels in Greensboro Executive Officer Toufic Hakim will preside over two crackerbarrel sessions on July 30 at the Summer Meeting. More information is available here. AAPT National Meetings: Save the Dates
Practicing classroom middle school teachers and future middle school teachers have the opportunity to participate in hands-on science workshops and perform and experiment in a parabolic or "zero-gravity" aircraft flight that creates temporary weightlessness comparable to what humans would experience during space travel to the Moon or Mars. For upcoming flight dates and application information, visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/community/weightless.html. National Engineering Design Challenge In the NEDC, high school students apply problem solving, math, science, research, writing, presentation and drafting/design skills by creating an engineered assistive technology device for persons with disabilities. Registration for the 2007-2008 competition opens September 5. More information is available at: http://www.jets.org/programs/nedc.cfm. Iron Science Teacher: An Offbeat Science Competition for Teachers Cheer on the competitors in this zany, science cook-off, where teachers compete before a live audience at the Exploratorium for the revered title, "Iron Science Teacher." In a fast-paced atmosphere where showmanship and creativity reign, science teachers are given 10 minutes and a secret ingredient to concoct a science activity that can be used in the classroom. Program runs on Fridays through August 4. More details available on the web at http://www.exploratorium.edu/iron_science. Cosmos in the Classroom 2007, August 3-5 This three-day, hands-on symposium on teaching astronomy to non-science majors will be held at Pomona College in Southern California. The meeting is sponsored by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, with co-sponsorship by a range of astronomical and educational organizations. For updated information and to get on the mailing list for the meeting, visit http://www.astrosociety.org/events/cosmos.html. Foundations and Frontiers of Physics Education Research, August 6-10 This intensive week-long residential meeting in Bar Harbor, ME, will provide a forum for examining and articulating the current state of the field, exploring future directions, and discussing ways to pursue the most promising avenues for future research.Registration is limited. For more information, visit http://perlnet.umaine.edu/~ffper/2007. 2008 Toyota International Teacher Program In March 2008, selected participants will have the opportunity to learn through hands-on projects about the environment, culture, history, and education system of Costa Rica. All full-time classroom teachers in grades 7-12 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are eligible to apply. The deadline for application is September 7, 2007. For more information, visit The Institute of International Education at http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?&Template=/programs/toyota/default.htm. International Conference on Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning This conference, sponsored by the European Physical Society, takes place September 13-15 in Wroclaw, Poland. Its aim is to exchange trends, research results, new materials, and experiences with regard to the use of multimedia in physics education. Visit the website for more details: http://mptl12.ifd.uni.wroc.pl/. 2007 Chautauqua Program, University of Dayton This series of courses includes:
A selection of recent stories of interest to our members.* Can These Kids Save American Science? Workshop Aims to Double Number of Women in Physics Green Project of the Month Source: Photonics Game of the Month No-Way Physics Scientists Want Your Help Sorting Galaxies South Dakota Mine Chosen as Site for NSF Physics Lab An American Physicist in Venice Podcast of the Month Digital Tools Push Math, Science to New Levels Video of the Month Astroparticle Physicists Publish "Roadmap to the Stars" It Could Only Happen in the Movies Gadget of the Month Sky's the Limit: Jump-Starting Science, Math Education Will Help U.S. Succeed in Global Economy Physicist Explores What Happened Before the Big Bang A Trip Back in Time and Space The Gedanken Experimenter Recommended Reading American Journal of Physics Article of the Month "Falling Elastic Bars and Springs" by J.M. Aguirregabiria, A. Hernandez, and M. Rivas (AJP online subscribers only, PDF) The Physics Teacher July Letters to the Editor (TPT online subscribers only, PDF) Career Center Looking for the best physics job candidates and job opportunities? The AAPT Career Center is part of the Physics Today Career Network focused on the physics industry and its related disciplines. The network reaches more than 120,000 physicists and other scientists in a broad range of sectors from academia to industry to government and nonprofit organizations. It offers advertisers unmatched exposure and the best buy for their advertising dollar. Visit the online Career Center. About AAPT NEWS AAPT NEWS is a service to members of the American Association of Physics Teachers and is produced by the AAPT National Office. It is published monthly on or about the 15th. All issues are archived here. Other stories of significance appear in our Announcements Archive. We also have an archive of Press Releases. E-mail news items, comments, and suggestions to: news@aapt.org. *Links to non-AAPT sites are intended as a service to readers interested in AAPT, physics, and education. These links do not reflect an endorsement of any content or product. Also, due to the evolving nature of websites, some external links referenced in the AAPT NEWS may expire over time. |
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