Call for Papers
2012 Winter Meeting — Ontario, California

Teaching with Technology

Share innovative and/or effective ways you use technology in teaching.

Physics Education Research Around the World

(Committee on Research in Physics Education)

This is an invited and contributed session designed for reports from groups around the world working on Physics Education Research. We are interested on research approaches, perspectives and results in different countries; successes and challenges of this area of research around the world; and the effect of the structure of different school systems on research.

Astronomy Research at the Small Observatory

Productive astronomy research is often thought to be only done at the major observatories. In actuality, with modern computer controlled mounts and relatively inexpensive CCD imaging devices, real research can be done at the small college observatory and easily understood by undergraduates. This is a call for papers on lab projects and research projects done at local school observatories with off-the-shelf technologies.

Pseudoscience

Claims pretending to be scientific are numerous and varied. This session will look at some of those claims and how they can affect our teaching the nature of science. This is a call for contributed papers by those who have either investigated aspects of pseudoscience or who have incorporated the study of pseudoscience in their classroom to define real science.

How I Use Popular Media In Teaching Physics

How I use popular media to Teach Physics? Do you ever use comic books, movie clips from You Tube, singing, dancing or excerpts from Novels while teaching physics? This session is designed to allow you to share experiences using any form of media to teach physics. Please contribute talks and share any unique or interesting media that you teach with.

PER in High Schools

(Committee on Research in Physics Education)

This session is intended to (1) provide a forum for physics education researchers who study how high school students learn physics and (2) encourage more physics education researchers to study how high school students learn physics.

Overview of High School Physics in the US

The American Institute of Physics has conducted Nationwide Surveys of High School Physics Teachers and the Horizon Research is conducting a 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education. These surveys are valuable in providing insights on the status of high school physics on a national scale. A call for papers is being requested that can provide insights on a state, regional, or local scale.

Wave Nature of Matter

(Committee on Apparatus)

To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Davisson-Germer Nobel Prize, this special session co-sponsored by the Committee on Labs and the Committee on Apparatus aims to highlight *_instructional_* labs that might reasonably be construed as helping students to think about the wave nature of matter.

DIY technology for the physics classroom

(Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education)

When off-the-shelf technologies are not quite right to address your needs, what do you do? This session on do-it-yourself technologies seeks to answer that question. What creative new technologies have you developed, how have you modified existing technologies to adapt to new needs?

Online Physics Courses: Technology, Assessment, Experiences

(Committee on Research in Physics Education)

We invite papers from instructors who have taught online or hybrid online physics courses, to explore the challenges and promises of this new type of learning. Share your experiences with the technologies available to teach physics online, or methods and results on student learning assessment, or other aspects of the comparison to a traditional face-to-face course.

Reforming the Introductory Physics Course for Life Science Majors VI

The particular theme for the panel is identifying and characterizing physics aspects of biology-related disciplines (bioengineering, biophysics, ... ) to better answer ?What physics should be in the IPLS?? There will be a mini-poster session following the invited talks. Posters on pedagogical reform of the introductory physics course for the life sciences are welcome. (The IPLS list-serve is ipls@mail.aapt.org, a wiki on the topic is at http://www.phys.gwu.edu/iplswiki/index.php/Main_Page)

Physics of Everyday Devices

Talks are invited on experiments and approaches to explore the physics hidden within the black boxes of our everyday lives, particularly for activities useful as classroom demonstration or hands-on laboratory. Examples might include: liquid crystal displays, IR remote, thermal imaging, web cams, CD and DVDs, laser pointers, GPS, wireless, credit cards, smoke and detectors, rfid, etc.

Physics and Society Education

A 30-minute presentation addressing the following questions: To what degree does our current physics education provide our society a working knowledge from where the public is able to interpret and participate in a discourse on relevant scientific issues? And what changes can be implemented to improve this educational process?

Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Physics Suite Materials that Enhance Learning in Lecture

Contributed papers on the use of interactive lecture demonstrations in all areas of physics in introductory physics courses are invited.

Physics by the #s: Mobile Communications in the Classroom (Including Diversity)

(Committee on Minorities in Physics)

How do you use mobile communication devices in the classroom to better serve our physics students? Are your students constructively utilizing their phones, ipads, and other app-based mobile devices in the classroom to enhance their understanding?

Apps for Tabs

First came the iPad, then Android and Windows: Tablet computers provide a light-weight, relatively low-cost piece of technology for both student and teacher use. In this session, educators are invited to show off an "app" that they find most useful. Rather than a traditional paper presentation, participants will have five minutes to present an app they find valuable.

Smart Tools for Teaching

(Committee on Educational Technologies)

From Smart boards, pens and phones, to iPADs and Kindles, there has been a wild proliferation of smart devices and users in the last few years. If you are developing curriculum, lessons or even modifying an existing lesson using any of these devices, or researching their use, please consider contributing a paper in this session.

Physics of games, animations & Game Interfaces

(Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education)

Physics has an impact on motion sensing capability and motion processing technology for personal video game systems. Physics also impacts how programmers use motion sensing data to develop games with compelling realism. Contributed papers are requested on topics related to the physics used in video games, animation, and game interfaces as well as how to teach physics using these devices.

Best Practices in the Use of Educational Technologies

It is the hope that the meeting location will bring a lot of first time attenders. This session will be aimed at these instructors disseminating to them the absolute best use of technology in physics education.

What Can We Learn About Learning From Research in Museums, Media, and Other Informal Environments?

This session aims to bridge the gap between formal and informal learning environments: What can teachers and PER learn from research outside the classroom? We welcome papers describing research and research-based strategies on motivation, identity, assessment strategies, metacognition, transfer, creating prolonged engagement, or other aspects of museums, media, after-school programs, etc. Overviews and descriptions of individual research are welcome.

Physics of Entertainment

Most forms of Entertainment would not exist without physics ? from films & special effects, to amusement parks, to surfing & jet skis, to what some people term ?magic?. We the session will feature contributions concerning those intersections of physics & entertainment that have found most exciting, and in particular those that have effectively been used in class.

Methods of Teacher Evaluation

(Committee on Physics in High Schools)

Teacher evaluation has been a hot topic in the national news. Physics, with a relatively long history of discipline-based education research, is in a position to contribute to the national discussion.

Using the Riches of Astronomy to Teach Physics

(Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education)

Decades of research in physics, astronomy, and space science have led to remarkable new instruments and technologies and astonishing discoveries. This call is a challenge · to emphasize the physics content of astronomical discoveries and technologies in ways that will help physicists use them in their teaching; · to identify basic concepts needed for students to understand the discoveries and technologies of astronomy and space science, and · to explore how the discoveries and technologies can be presented to most effectively realize the goals of physics instruction. Submissions for talks or posters are requested to share successful methods by which important undergraduate physics concepts are motivated and expressed through astronomical and space science research results. Contributions should highlight the underlying physics and lay out realistic ways to use this material for physics instruction.

Undergraduate Research and Two-Year Colleges

Physics is a research-oriented science, for that, there is no doubt. Providing research opportunities for students and faculty at most two year colleges presents quite a challenge. This session discusses how two year colleges have instituted successful programs involving students and faculty in physics research.

Supporting Emergency Professional Development: Career Changers and Non-Physicists as Teachers

(Committee on Professional Concerns)

Teacher preparation includes so much more than teaching a group full-time undergraduates through a prescribed set of courses. Many school districts face a shortage of physics teachers, and returning veterans and other career-changers can be candidates for the job. We seek presenters to give details on successes in providing emergency professional development for science and physics teachers.

Teaching methods for physics teacher preparation

We seek presentations on starting or enhancing physics teacher preparation programs. Describe your program and highlight successes and challenges. In particular, what should be included in a methods course for physics teachers? What curriculum issues do you face? How do you balance physics content with education standards? How you attract students to choose physics as their certification?

Implementing Matter and Interactions and Six Ideas that Shaped Physics

(Committee on the Interests of Senior Physicists)

Matter and Interactions by Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood and Six Ideas that Shaped Physics by Thomas Moore are two innovative introductory calculus-based physics textbooks that have been adopted at numerous sites. Contributed papers are sought on the implementation of these curricula. Topics may include successes and challenges, suggestions for future adopters, assessment, and associated laboratory activities, for example.

Student Understanding of Concepts that Underlie the Interpretation of Astronomical Data and Models

(Committee on Space Science and Astronomy)

Current findings from astronomy and astrophysics are expanding our view of the universe. Ability to interpret these findings, however, requires an understanding of many physics concepts (relativity, atomic spectra, Doppler shift, etc.). Papers are requested on student thinking about physics topics related to astronomy, or on the design of instruction to help students apply physics in interpreting astronomical evidence.

Best Practices for Outreach to Elementary or Middle School Teachers

What are the benefits of outreach to elementary and middle school teachers? What are the longer term results? There are an increasing number of outreach efforts to enhance science learning in all parts of the country. This session will present programs which successfully bridge the gap between the science community and K-8 teachers.

Physics First

(Committee on Science Education for the Public)

With the push to increase the number of students taking physics in their high school career, several districts have opted to have a conceptually based physics course as a freshman requirement. Share your successes and challenges as you adapted to this shift in curriculum.

Teaching Across the Science Curricula: Engaging Students in Physics Curricula

Do you dissect eyeballs with the biology students and have them find the index of refraction of the humor and the focal length of the lens or examine the forces responsible for the plate tectonics? Please share your techniques for engaging students in physics concepts in other science curricula.

Art of Teaching in the Melting Pot

(Committee on Physics in High Schools)

While we are dealing with questions regarding the high stakes testing, let's not forget those of us who are teaching in high stakes areas. In recent years, the demographics of many schools have changed and in addition to the language of physics, we have many more languages in the classroom. We are encountering cultural differences and familial issues that were not found in the classroom 30 years ago. Please share the issues you have encountered and the techniques you have adapted for the classroom of the 21st century to hone the Art of teaching in the Melting Pot.

Professional Exchanges for Physics Teachers at the College and Pre-college Levels

(Committee on Professional Concerns)

This session includes invited and contributed talks from teachers that have taught abroad via Fulbright Teachers Exchange program. For those interested, there are many other opportunities for teaching abroad: DoDEA; Search Associates; ISS; Carney, Sandoe & Associates; US-AID; Peace Corps; US Dept of State-Education Division

Teaching Science Writing/Writing in Science

(Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education)

This is an invited/contributed session focused on writing in science. This includes (but is not limited to) use of science notebooks in K-12 teaching and teacher preparation; use of writing in physics/science teaching for development and communication of scientific ideas; and finding, evaluating, and understanding relevant information written by others (e.g., research papers, internet resources).

Gaming Devices/Smart phones in the Lab

(Committee on Educational Technologies)

It seems everyone has a smart phone or the latest i*Device, including students. Do you use an iPod, iPad, iPhone, Kinect, Wii, Ninentendo, GPS or any other of the ubiquitous gaming devices and smart phones in the lab (or interactive lectures)? What devices are you using and how? How does using these devices enliven or expand your students? learning environment?

Effective practices in the instructional laboratory

(Committee on Research in Physics Education)

Do you have an effective lab practice? How do you measure the effectiveness of your instructional lab? Do you have an objective measure or other evidence that your practice is effective? Is there a difference between effective advanced and introductory lab experiences? Come share what you do in your lab and participate in a conversation on effective instructional laboratory experiences.

Computational and Online Tools for Teaching Physics

If you have developed computation or other online tools for teaching physics, consider submitting a paper to this session.

Unusual Uses of Video Analysis in the Classroom

(Committee on Physics in High Schools)

New low cost devices for creating 30fps and high-speed video images, the availability of unusual YouTube videos, and the expanding capabilities of computer tools for video analysis have led to exciting new physics based video projects. Instructors whose students are doing unusual projects that either verify physical principles or expose fakery are invited to discuss these projects.

Mentoring: Stories and Strategies

(Committee on Professional Concerns)

This is an invited and contributed session designed for reports from groups investigating or providing transformative mentoring in Physics or Physics Education Research. We are interested in successful stories and strategies regarding recruiting, preparing, and retaining students, faculty, researchers, teachers, and others in the world of Physics. Please consider sharing your ideas for transformative mentoring.

The Physics of Stunts

Is your interest in physics in the movies? Have you wondered how a particular stunt occured and wondered how or why that happend? If so, please consider sharing that clip and analysis with us.

SPS Undergraduate Research and Outreach

Undergraduates are asked to contribute posters, whether relaying details about a local research effort, or a physics outreach event, or disseminating work from an REU experience, or telling about an experience as a Learning Assistant. Undergraduate mentors are also invited to present posters appropriate for an audience of undergraduates and other mentors. Undergraduates engaged in PER efforts are especially invited to submit an abstract.

New Results in Astronomy Education Research

(Committee on Research in Physics Education)

Astronomy Education research continues to grow and develop. Come share with other astronomy education research and astronomy teachers the latest methods and techniques to teach astronomy effectively.