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AAPT NEWS

May 2006

From the Editors

Welcome to AAPT's monthly update. This month we are publishing on the web only—eliminating the html email. Your feedback and our research have revealed that the AAPT NEWS reading experience is more efficient on the web than via email. You will continue to receive an email notification when each edition is published (the first Monday of each month). As always we hope you find this month's issue helpful and informative. And we welcome your comments and criticism.

Contents

 
 
News Headlines 

A selection of recent stories of interest to our members.*

May 5: Space Day 2006
From NASA

Physics in America at Crossroads and in Crisis, Panel Says
From The New York Times (Free registration required)

Physics Courses Podcasts Available
From UC Berkeley (Free, Apple iTunes required, also free)

Yuval Ne'eman Dies at 80
From ScienceNow

Graduate Student Report: First-Year Physics and Astronomy Students, 2003-2004
From American Institute of Physics: Statistical Research Center
This report describes enrollment trends, characteristics, subfields of specialization, types of support, and career goals for first-year physics and astronomy graduate students.

A Flying Carpet to Pluto
From The Hindu

The Eroding Faculty Paycheck
From Inside Higher Ed

Survey Finds AP Courses Don't Predict Success in College Science
From NSTA Webnews Digest

A Field Guide to the Entire Universe
From Discover

Does Hot Water Freeze First?
From PhysicsWeb

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Hubble Space Telescope
From NASA-ESA
 
News from the Executive Office

Editors Sought for ComPADRE
ComPADRE is looking for editors for two collections: Upper Division Physics and Introductory Physics.

Celebrating 75 Years
This year marks AAPT's 75th anniversary. Visit our anniversary site for
details on this year's special activities and events!

Summer Meeting Speakers Announced
AAPT’s 2006 Summer Meeting features an exciting line-up of speakers.
Information about award lecturers and plenary speakers can be found
here.

75th Anniversary Time Capsule
At the 2006 Summer Meeting, a time capsule will be filled with AAPT and physics-related memorabilia. Once sealed, the capsule will be displayed in AAPT's Executive Office until its opening at our 100th Anniversary in the year 2031. Members are invited to suggest items to include in the capsule. Click here to read more details and submit your ideas; and then be sure to attend the time capsule ceremony at the 2006 Summer Meeting.

Celebrating 75 Years of Authorship
As part of our anniversary celebration, AAPT is collecting a selection of books written by members throughout the years. The books will be displayed at the 2006 Summer Meeting in Syracuse, NY. For more information please visit the 75th Anniversary home page.

75th Anniversary Call for Photos
The Summer Announcer will feature a special print and online section
dedicated to remembering the past. Please send your old photos and
memories to AAPT, Attn: Publications, One Physics Ellipse, College Park,
MD 20740. Photos may also be emailed. Click here for more details.

Discounts at the AAPT Online Store
Right now, select World Year of Physics items are 50% off: t-shirts,
watches, hats, umbrellas, and more! Visit the store now for these items
as well as AAPT 75th Anniversary commemorative items.

 
Recommended Reading 

The Physics Teacher
Article of the Month
"Run, Forrest! Run!: A Powerful Hollywood Physics Activity" by Chandler Dennis (TPT online subscribers only, PDF format)

American Journal of Physics
Article of the Month
"Do Physicists Need Myths?" by Harold I. Brown (AJP online subscribers only, PDF format)

 
Upcoming Meetings & Events 

AAPT 2006 Summer Meeting
Details on the July 22-26 meeting at Syracuse University are available here.

Workshop: The Role of Colleges and Universities in Preparing Future Physics Teachers
On June 19, Cornell University will be hosting a workshop to examine the nationwide shortage of qualified physics teachers and the role higher learning institutions could play in alleviating this shortage. The Laboratory for Elementary Particle-Physics (LEPP) is inviting individuals who are actively involved in this effort to present at this workshop and share their knowledge and experience with an audience of university and college physics department representatives. Visit this site for more information and a tentative agenda.

Nationwide Physics Modeling Workshops
Workshops in high school physics will be held this summer in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Ohio, and Texas. For details visit the site.

Integrating Science and Mathematics Education Research into Teaching
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research Summer Conference will take place June 25-28 at the University of Maine. For registration and call-for-papers information visit the site.

A Nuclear Workshop: Hiroshima and Nagasaki for College Teachers
A one-week workshop: June 26-30, 2006, is planned. Click here for details.

Workshops on Distance Learning and Remote Controlled Laboratories
The Department of Physics and the Laser and Fiber Optics Technology Program at Queensborough Community College/CUNY and the National Science Foundation are offering two NSF Faculty Enhancement Workshops in July 2006. The workshops are designed to enhance instruction in science, engineering, and technology through the use of remote controlled laboratories and interactive multimedia courseware. Click here for specific dates and more details.

 
Member News

2006 Summer Meeting Awardees
The following awards will be presented at the AAPT Summer Meeting in July:
Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award, Robert A. Millikan Lecture Award, Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching Award, and Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching Award. The award winners have been announced.

Contributions to ComPADRE Sought
ComPADRE and the Physical Sciences Resource Center (PSRC) are looking for good materials that can be added to the collections. To submit materials or register (free) click here.

2007 NCUR/Lancy Initiative: Call for Proposals
The Initiative is designed to provide exceptional undergraduates with the opportunity to do original work in close collaboration with faculty mentors. The program will make grants to institutions only. Please see proposal guidelines here.

Do You Know a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math Educator with a Disability?
Georgia Tech researchers are conducting a survey to learn about the employment experiences and workplace accommodations used by science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) K-12 and postsecondary educators who have a disability. The survey is anonymous and takes about 20-30 minutes to complete. While there is no direct benefit to you for participating in this study, the goal of this research is to provide information to help people with disabilities successfully become teachers and to help educators who acquire a disability to be able to continue in their career. To participate in this NSF-funded research project, go here.

The Pirelli INTERNETional Award
This month, registration will officially open for the Tenth Edition of the Pirelli INTERNETional Award (2006). Launched in 1996, it is the world’s first Internet multimedia award aimed at the diffusion of scientific and technological culture worldwide. Click here for more details.

Publish Your News Here
Have a news item you'd like to share with the AAPT membership in the June edition? Send it to us by May 22—be sure to include an overview and a URL (website address) where readers can go to for more information:
aapt-news@aapt.org
 
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 the AAPT News

* Note: Due to the evolving nature of the web, some links referenced in this and other AAPT NEWS reports may no longer work.

The AAPT NEWS is a service to our members and is from the Executive Office of the American Association of Physics Teachers. All issues can be found here.

E-mail news items, comments and suggestions to: aapt-news@aapt.org

Links to non-AAPT sites are provided as a service to readers, they do not reflect an endorsement of any content or product.