Sessions, Panels, Posters, Plenaries, Committee Meetings, and Special Events

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Posters

  • Astronomy Posters

      • Astronomy Demonstration Videos Focusing on Phase Changes

      • PST1A01
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Kevin Lee
      • Type: Poster
      • AU is a series of short videos of physical demonstrations appropriate for use in introductory astronomy classes. Considerable effort is made to make the videos interactive through embedded peer instruction questions and accompanying worksheets. This poster will focus on recently developed videos involving phase changes. Individual videos have emphasis on 1) the fact that phase depends upon temperature and pressure, 2) that liquids are rare in astronomy since they require the pressure of an atmosphere, 3) the sublimation of carbon dioxide and Martian polar caps, and 4) geysers of nitrogen snow on Triton. These materials are publicly available at http://astro.unl.edu and on YouTube and are funded by NSF grant #1245679.
  • Labs and Apparatus Posters

      • A Not-So-Simple Pendulum Lab to Investigate Systematic Uncertainties

      • PST1B01
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Farzan Beroz
      • Type: Poster
      • We present a case study on a novel ISLE-inspired mechanics lab implementedin a calculus-based introductory physics course at Princeton University. Students are instructed to perform a precision measurement (<1%) of gravitational acceleration using a 2 kg mass hanging from a 2 m wire. They know from class the simple model of a pendulum as a point mass on a massless string, and they can solve it analytically assuming the small angle approximation. In practice, the competing influences of the pendulum's non-idealized moment of inertia and corrections to the small-angle approximation give rise to systematic uncertainty in measurements and a discrepancy with the accepted value of g. After conducting the preliminary study, including identifying all relevant assumptions, students are guided to quantitatively account for these systematic uncertainties. Students gain a deeper understanding of how simplifying assumptions give rise to uncertainties, a crucial step in connecting experimental observations and theoretical predictions.
      • Cognitive Elements of a Hybrid Visual-tutorial Instruction Curriculum

      • PST1B03
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Maria Gonzalez
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Juarez and the University of Texas at El Paso have developed a hybrid instruction model to combine lab activities and a tutorial-based inquiry through the use of a video. We present the collection of cognitive elements that determines the micro-curriculum of this instructional model to understand the concept of electric charge. The elements are: 1) A conceptual pre-test: This test is administered to students previously to the projection of video, 2) A procedure-based video: Student can watch the video as many times they need during the development of lab, and 3) A conceptual post-test: Students take this test after lab. Both pre-test and post-test contain pairs of questions to explore possible students' transfer effects from mechanics to electricity concepts.
      • Diffraction Experiments with Smartphone Displays

      • PST1B05
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Craig Wiegert
      • Type: Poster
      • Smartphone technology lends itself to an increasing variety of uses in theintroductory physics instructional lab. Many physics experiments for smartphones rely on one or more of their many available sensors, such as the accelerometer, magnetometer, or GPS receiver. This poster presents an entirely different use of the smartphone in the lab: treating the high-density pixel display as a reflection diffraction grating. Students can easily use the resulting 2-D diffraction pattern to measure the pixel size to better than 1% accuracy.
      • Independent Measurements of Q Factor of a Damped Oscillator

      • PST1B07
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Steven Jackson
      • Type: Poster
      • We present a novel mechanical oscillations lab developed for an introductory calculus-based physics course at Princeton University. The lab is an ISLE (Investigative Science Learning Environment) application experiment in which students are guided to design two independent experiments to measure the Q factor of a damped oscillator consisting of a mass attached to a spring and submerged in water. One method measures Q by driving the oscillator and comparing the low-frequency oscillation amplitude to that at resonance. Another measures Q from the amplitude decay rate of free oscillations. They consider assumptions made in the calculations for the two measurements, some of which are shared, and others that are not. Taking experimental uncertainties into account, they decide whether the measurements agree. If not, they identify which assumptions significantly affect their results and cause the discrepancy. In addition, students receive hands-on experience with the phase shift of a driven damped oscillator.
      • MagLev Track Using off-the-Physics-shelf Lab Equipment

      • PST1B09
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Richard Zajac
      • Type: Poster
      • Science Olympiad*, a national K-12 science competition, relies heavily onregional institutions to implement and administer dozens of individual competition events for area middle- and high schoolers. Limitations of time, resources, and personnel can require hosting institutions to creatively repurpose traditional lab equipment while conforming to national competition standards specified by unifying build descriptions, especially when specialty ordering is prohibitive. A quick and thrifty repurposing of the PASCO dynamics track (or equivalent) to fit the MagLev event specifications is presented as an example. The development of new setups for Science Olympiad events subsequently broadens the number of available applications of regular lab equipment within the undergraduate physics lab curriculum.
      • Preparing Students for Research Experiences Through Instructional Labs in Electronics

      • PST1B12
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Heather Lewandowski
      • Type: Poster
      • Electronic laboratory courses are a common component of many upper-division lab curricula, but are often not given adequate attention compared to the Advanced Lab. We began a project to develop goals, curricular materials and structure, and assessments to transform the junior-level course at the University of Colorado to prepare students to more easily transition into a research lab. A unique component of this work was to use interviews with a large number of graduate students working in experimental research labs to help develop content and skill goals for our electronics course.
      • Student-built Lab Equipment via an Arduino and Modeling Instruction

      • PST1B14
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Nathan Moore
      • Type: Poster
      • What would the introductory physics class be like, if, at the start of theterm, every student bought an ultrasonic motion detector at the bookstore along with the latest edition of Serway? In the talk I'll describe how we've experimented with this idea by having our students purchase an Arduino-based "labkit" containing a microcontroller and a variety of cheap sensors. In two separate semesters we've had students create and deploy data acquisition systems with varying degrees of success. Given that many students don't arrive at the university with knowledge of programming, we've found that Modeling Instruction may provide a suitable intellectual framework for the inclusion of DIY lab apparatus. Briefly, students create models for how the sensors behave and report measurements, and then the students deploy these models to solve context-rich problems. The poster will present a lab using GPS antennae's in this DIY lab equipment context.
      • The Magnetopause: Bringing Space Physics Into a Junior Lab*

      • PST1B16
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jim Crumley
      • Type: Poster
      • Undergraduate students often have minimal exposure to many subfields of physics which are active areas of research. Space physics is an area that is particularly difficult to expose students to since it builds off of another area that most undergraduates see little of, plasma physics. The magnetopause is a convenient entry point into space physics, since it can be modeled as a pressure balance, which is a concept familiar from introductory physics. We use the Earth's magnetopause as the basis for a lab for junior physics majors. In the lab students analyze results from a NASA MHD simulation(1) and data from several spacecraft. In this lab, not only are students exposed to space physics, but they also develop their data analysis skills.
      • Vacuum Systems for Scientific Modeling

      • PST1B18
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Tom Christensen
      • Type: Poster
      • Many high schools and universities have small vacuum systems that are usedprimarily for demonstrations. We review here more advanced laboratory applications of vacuum systems that have been developed as part of the annual AVS Science Educator's Workshop.* An emphasis on scientific modeling of exponential processes and non-ideal behavior of gasses can give students a better understanding of real science and engineering. We focus on two vacuum system experiments in which we connect theory, model, and observations. The first experiment examines the pump down characteristics of the vacuum system which is predicted to follow an exponential behavior. The second examines Boyle's law but demonstrates that the ideal gas model is not obeyed allowing discussion of a polytropic model and methods for determining the exponent in the model from experimental data. Additional advanced experiments will be summarized.
      • Musical Intervals and Scales

      • PST1B20
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Michael LoPresto
      • Type: Poster
      • Classroom demonstrations and laboratory experiments on superposition of waves and Fourier analysis, and a student laboratory on analysis of the equal-tempered musical both scale, both based on research on the perception of musical intervals by the human ear.
      • Measuring Musical Consonance and Dissonance

      • PST1B22
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Michael LoPresto
      • Type: Poster
      • An overview of methods of quantifying the sensations of musical consonanceand dissonance compared to the judgment of human subjects and the application of this research in several classroom activities on the subject.
      • Balloon-based Measurements of Cosmic Rays

      • PST1B02
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Gordon McIntosh
      • Type: Poster
      • We have developed the capability of measuring the cosmic ray flux during balloon flights. Cosmic rays are high energy, ionized particles of interest in physics and astrophysics. Their flux varies with time, atmospheric depth, geomagnetic latitude, and the solar magnetic cycle. The measured flux depends on the area, direction, and solid angle of the detector. The measurement and analysis of cosmic ray fluxes have been incorporated in Modern Physics, Circuits and Electronic Devices, Experimental Physics, and in student research projects. The apparatus and interpretation of results will be presented.
      • Developing Writing Skills in the Introductory Laboratory

      • PST1B04
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Scott Bonham
      • Type: Poster
      • Technical writing is a major learning outcome for our calculus-based physics laboratories. The recent renovation of the laboratories included developing an intentional strategy to help students learn technical writing skills. We combine several different approaches, which include providing students with detailed grading rubrics, having them grade example reports, and each week discussing and adding one more element of the report until they are writing complete reports. Data from surveys and assessment of student reports shows the instruction is an improvement over the previous approach to writing instruction, that different students find different elements of the instruction most helpful, and that different components of good technical writing develop at different rates over the course of the semester.
      • Integrated Science Labs at Spelman College

      • PST1B08
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Donald Franklin
      • Type: Poster
      • Spelman College has been and continues to work on a unified approach to the science labs. The best examples are with Nerve cells. We go over cellular processes in physics labs and it comes out as series and parallel circuits. The chemistry and biology is the Sodium/Potassium Exchange. The Nerst equation is started in biology and finalized in physics. Our students see that a dialog exists between professors, and can respect physics in the process, rather than see it as a hurdle to jump on their way to graduation!
      • Experimenting with Musical Instruments

      • PST1B10
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Michael LoPresto
      • Type: Poster
      • Examples of student laboratories on the physics of brass, woodwind, and string musical instruments based on research on the mechanisms by which the instruments produce musical pitches.
      • Squeezing Research into the Junior Physics Lab

      • PST1B13
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Karen Williams
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster is in response to the call for papers for "research-like experiences for all students." In my Junior Physics laboratory course I give the students an odd real-world problem to solve. It must be something 'off the wall' so that the solution can't be found on the Internet. They must design the research and work in groups where each group completes part of the work. Each week they meet to decide what work must be done next by the following group. I feel that this mimics real-world research in industry and forces teamwork and planning. After this project I have the students choose a project of their own to work on. They prepare a Powerpoint presentation of this research for their final exam. Often this research can be polished and expanded into a project that can be presented at student research symposiums. Student reaction to this new way of "doing lab" by doing research is positive. Many of our students are first-generation college students who know very little about research. They seem more at ease when it comes to applying for REU's after doing some research.
      • The Magnetic Drive for a Foucault Pendulum Revisited

      • PST1B15
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Herbert Jaeger
      • Type: Poster
      • A Foucault pendulum is a popular and decorative item found in many sciencebuildings around the country and the world. Typical specimens are long with a heavy bob and various ways to indicate its precession throughout the day. The fact that even a heavy pendulum will eventually stop is overcome by including a mechanical or magnetic drive of some form. Miami's Physics Department is moving into a new building later this year, and we will take our Foucault pendulum with us. We will use that opportunity to upgrade our magnetic drive system and also design a detector for indicating and recording the precession of the pendulum. This presentation shows different forms of drives that can be employed and discussed the advantages of each, as well as some problems that are encountered when working with Foucault pendula.
      • Using Student's t-scores to Teach Measurement, Uncertainty, and Experimentation Skills

      • PST1B17
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Natasha Holmes
      • Type: Poster
      • Many introductory physics labs ask students to conduct experiments to see or experience physics concepts from class first hand. Students collect data from these experiments and are expected to analyze the data to make sense of the physics equations they've learned in class. In first year, however, many students have little to no experience with the probabilistic nature of data, measurement, and uncertainty and may also hold misconceptions about these ideas. Without that understanding, there are significant limitations to extracting physics concepts from the data and developing experimentation skills. In a first-year physics lab at UBC, we have removed the conceptual physics learning goals from the course and replaced them exclusively with goals for learning data analysis and measurement skills. This year in particular, we have introduced a tool analogous to the Student's t-test as a way to engage students in meaningful reflection of their data and to promote iterative experimentation. This poster will present some of these learning goals and associated teaching techniques, as well as evidence of its success.
      • Visualization of Vibrating Systems Using a Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer

      • PST1B19
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Thomas Huber
      • Type: Poster
      • A scanning laser vibrometer uses the Doppler shift of reflected light froman object to obtain incredibly precise visualizations of the deflection shape of vibrating objects. This system has been utilized to obtain insights about a wide variety of physical systems. We will describe measurements where the non-contact ultrasound radiation force excited vibrations of systems ranging from a microcantilever to the face of an acoustic guitar. Other measurements demonstrated that the reed in a reed organ pipe experiences accelerations in excess of 4000 g's. Visualization of the vibration of beakers excited by a speaker allowed better understanding of how they break. The vibrometer even enabled measurement of the sound waves traveling in tubes or emitted from ultrasonic ranger. Videos and curriculum guides have been produced to allow these visualizations to be utilized in classes. This project has been supported by NSF Grants: 0959858, 0900197, and 1300591.
      • Physics Models & Experimental Errors

      • PST1B21
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Daniel Crowe
      • Type: Poster
      • For the past several years, I have explicitly taught my students how to describe the physical and mathematical models used in textbook problems and the analysis of experiments. I have also explicitly taught my students how to use the physical models used to analyze experiments to identify sources of experimental error, especially systematic errors. I have also described to my students the relationship between physics models and the engineering concepts of tolerance and safety factor. I will describe specific examples of how these concepts have been used in my AP Physics C: Mechanics classes.
      • More Than g, or No g

      • PST1B23
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Glenda Denicolo
      • Type: Poster
      • We have carried out a study of the virtues and pitfalls of video analysis applied to two different experiments that measure acceleration: 1) falling at a faster rate than g (hinged board where free end accelerates faster than g when falling), and 2) falling with no acceleration (magnet rolling down a metal ramp with terminal velocity). Video analysis has been widely used in experiment-based project work in introductory mechanics, but it is not straightforward to perform precise measurements with this technique. We share our experiences in preparing, recording, and performing these video analyses. The chosen experiments are easy to perform in classroom and allow students to contrast their knowledge of free-fall motion with vertical motion at an acceleration greater than g, or no acceleration at all.
  • Lecture and Classroom Posters

      • Observing Students' Science Learning Activity in the Elementary School Classrooms

      • PST2B01
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by YoungSeon Seo
      • Type: Poster
      • The unbalance of intelligence development can be found with ease in low grade classes of elementary school. Lingual activities are dominant in a science class as well as the other classes. Logics and mathematics are also essential features in a science lesson. Therefore, the students who lag behind in developing language and mathematics skills often have difficulty in keeping up with the classes regardless of their interest and talent in science, in turn, it will let the students fall onto a chronically learning frustration that is hard to get recovered. We have observed the students' activities in low grade classes to find out how the students are different in intelligence development. As a consequence of this research, we hope to suggest a teaching and learning strategy in science class for the students who are late in the development of verbal linguistic and logical mathematical intelligence.
      • Active Learning Samples

      • PST2B03
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Gowoon Choi
      • Type: Poster
      • Several active learning samples will be displayed as follows: 1. An idea of a fun, first class activity: Building an easy-to make balloon-powered car from a given template and everyday materials like straw, coffee stirrer,...etc. Students are led to compete with their own racing cars in class. A template, a built-in sample car, students' misunderstandings of related concepts will be displayed. 2. A different style of lab assignment was developed. Unlike the traditional lab report format, the focus is to encourage students to describe the concepts in their own words according to qualitative labs. This after-lab writing assignment helps students understand better the lab topics. Assignment forms and evaluation grids were developed. 3. Combining Ranking task and realtime (short-checking) lab idea: when students are reluctant to accept or are not sure about the answers of some ranking task, performing an easy set-up lab about the ranking task seems to help them to accept the result. A ranking task, short-lab set-up pictures and students' responses will be displayed.
      • Strategies for Encouraging Qualitative Thinking During Problem Solving

      • PST2B07
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Bradley McCoy
      • Type: Poster
      • While solving quantitative problems, novices tend to resort to formal manipulation instead of integrating physics concepts with formulas in a coherent manner. In contrast, experienced problem solvers habitually use concepts as a foundational piece of their problem solving to guide their quantitative work and to check their solutions. This poster will present strategies for training students to use qualitative thinking and incentivizing qualitative thinking, in the context of an introductory university physics course.
      • Transitioning All Introductory Physics Courses to a Studio-Style Classroom

      • PST2B09
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Heidi Manning
      • Type: Poster
      • The physics department at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, has completeda three-year transition to implement Studio Physics pedagogy in both semesters of its calculus-based and algebra-based introductory physics courses. The goal of the Studio Physics project was to increase both student learning and the retention of STEM majors. The transition required modifications to our course schedule, teaching schedules and the classroom environment. The effectiveness of the new pedagogy was evaluated using the FMCE and the CLASS. An overview of the transition process and the results of these assessments will be presented. The project was funded by an NSF STEP grant.
      • Learning Assistants in Introductory Physics: Successes and Challenges at WVU

      • PST2B12
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Paul Miller
      • Type: Poster
      • In the fall of 2011, the West Virginia University Learning Assistants (LA)program began. Since the funding came as a component of a larger grant, our situation was well-suited to replication. Our program was designed after attending the LA Workshop at the University of Colorado. From the perspective of three years of LAs in our courses, we report successes, challenges, and lessons learned for both semesters of calculus-based introductory physics. We present content learning gains (from the FMCE and CSEM) and attitudes (from the CLASS) data. We show that the program has improved learning gains overall and in some targeted categories, such as first-generation students. Finally, we document and explore differences in course readiness between fall and spring enrollees that were revealed through program assessment. (This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EPS-1003907.)
      • Should (and Can) We Teach Forces First?

      • PST2B14
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Andrew Pawl
      • Type: Poster
      • Interactions are the heart of the mechanics course and forces are the fundamental representation of interactions. Thus, from an educational theory standpoint, teaching forces first in mechanics is an attractive option. Traditional instruction in mechanics, however, begins by teaching the concept of acceleration from a kinematic perspective before introducing Newton's second law. I briefly summarize a pedagogy that illustrates the potential utility of teaching forces before kinematics and presents evidence that college students in calculus-based mechanics perform equally well in courses that begin with forces as they do in courses that begin with kinematics.
      • Blending Content and Practice: Designing a New Introductory Mechanics Course

      • PST2B16
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Marcos Caballero
      • Type: Poster
      • Developing students' skills with scientific practices is key for preparingscience and engineering professionals, science educators, and critical consumers of scientific information. However, most undergraduate instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) severely lacks authentic scientific practice (e.g., developing and using models, designing experiments, using computational modeling). Physics courses that blend the practices of science with core physics content engage students in creative and inspiring ways that are simply not possible in traditional lecture environments. At Michigan State University, we are designing a course in which students will learn physics content by engaging in scientific practices to grapple with complex, real-world problems and by participating in multi-day projects. In this poster, we share the design principles, organization of curriculum, and sample problems and projects from this course.
      • Chemical Energy in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences

      • PST2B18
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Benjamin Dreyfus
      • Type: Poster
      • NEXUS/Physics is an introductory physics course for life science students that seeks to build interdisciplinary coherence among physics, chemistry, and biology. Chemical energy is at the center of these efforts to make connections between disciplines, since energy is central to all three disciplines and the energy that is most relevant to biological systems is chemical energy. We have developed a curricular "thread" on chemical energy that runs throughout the course, creating materials that are available to other instructors who want to integrate similar threads into their own courses. The thread builds on the ideas that students bring into the course, from their biology and chemistry backgrounds and from their experiences in the physical world. It makes connections both to canonical physics treatments of energy and the ways that energy concepts are leveraged in biology and chemistry. We emphasize coordinating and reconciling multiple models and representations. A 6th author, Edward F. Redish (University of Maryland) is also on the author list.
      • Flipping Upper-Division Undergraduate Classes Using Pencasts

      • PST2B20
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Kathryn Devine
      • Type: Poster
      • In "inverted" or "flipped" classroom formats, lectures are delivered in anonline format and class time is spent on activities such as group problem solving, computational modeling, and discussion. Flipped classes are becoming increasingly prevalent in physics education. One of the struggles encountered in flipping upper-division physics courses is how to record and share lectures, which are traditionally done at a chalkboard. I used an Echo LiveScribe pen to create "Pencast" audio-enabled files that covered lecture material for my Theoretical Mechanics and Quantum Physics courses. The logistics of creating and using the lectures and a summary of students' feedback will be presented.
      • A Story of a Boy Who Loves Machines--Analyzing the School Life of a 1st Grade Student Whose Talents Are Unbalanced

      • PST2B02
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Hye Young Seo
      • Type: Poster
      • Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence suggests all people have different kinds of intelligences. In other words, individuals have their own intelligence profiles as the strengths of each eight intelligences. But these are not enough to explain various profiles in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out the tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains. The subject of this case study is a 1st grade student who shows particularly great talent and creativity in machines but has unbalanced intelligence development. We analyzed his various characteristics through the observation of the school life, interviews and one-to-one class according to Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory. As a consequence of the research, we discovered the possibility of the engineering intelligence existence.
      • Problem Solving and "Beginning with the Physical Situation"

      • PST2B06
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Dennis Gilbert
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster elaborates on moving students to "begin with the physical situation" in problem solving and developing conceptual understanding in calculus-based General Physics. A variety of visual tools and interventions in class discourse will be presented, which support students in transforming their approach to problems solving. These diagrams and discourse interventions also provide students tools for greater awareness of their evolving understanding of the nature of science and physics, level of knowing, problem solving, and their identity as physics learners.
      • Team Analysis And Review -- Using Group Assessment for Learning

      • PST2B08
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Kayt Frisch
      • Type: Poster
      • Team work is widely reported to be a highly desired skill by prospective employers and professional schools. To help my students develop teamwork skills I have been using group quizzes called "Team Analysis And Review" (TAARs) in my introductory algebra-based physics course. A TAAR takes the full 50-minute class period and the students will review the material on the quiz three times during the period: individually, in an assigned group, and finally as a whole class. The individual TAAR allows the student to identify personal gaps in their understanding of the material. The group TAAR encourages peer instruction and offers an immediate opportunity to learn from your mistakes. Reviewing the TAAR as a whole class closes the feedback loop and allows the instructor to correct any lingering student misunderstandings. Students respond favorably to the process and report that TAARs are helpful for their learning.
      • Using the Patterns Approach as a Comprehensive Model for Meaningful STEM Integration in the Physics Classroom

      • PST2B10
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Bradford Hill
      • Type: Poster
      • Together, the Patterns Approach for Physics, data-driven engineering projects, and computational reasoning provide a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning physics. Instruction throughout the course is framed using the question "How do we find and use patterns in nature to predict the future and understand the past?" Each instructional unit begins with scenario and accompanying research question which prompts them to an investigation. Students start by making initial guesses which is contrasted with a data-informed prediction, found through extrapolation of the pattern in the data. Additionally, each unit involves an iterative, data-driven engineering project requiring students to apply patterns of physics, mathematical problem solving, and the tools of technology to solve a problem. Throughout the experience students are repeatedly modeling the real work of scientists and engineers and thus gain a greater understanding of science and STEM careers.
      • Modeling the Physical World: An Integrated Calculus/Physics Course

      • PST2B13
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Gintaras Duda
      • Type: Poster
      • A physicist and a mathematician (the authors) have been teaching a combined calculus and introductory physics course at Creighton University since fall 2011. Calculus II is paired with Physics I and Calculus III (multi-variable) is paired with Physics II. This team-taught class uses a combination of lecture with active-engagement elements and project-based learning. This poster will discuss student learning in this environment, lessons learned, the benefits of this tight integration between math and physics (to both students and faculty), and potential improvements in the future. This experiment also provides a model for inter-disciplinary teaching that is increasingly difficult given the sizes of most physics/mathematics courses and the difficult budgetary climates at many institutions.
      • An Introductory Physics Course that Combines Several Research-based Curricula

      • PST2B15
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Kevin Goering
      • Type: Poster
      • We report on a pilot of a first-semester calculus-based introductory physics curriculum at the University of Memphis. This curriculum incorporates elements from several different research-based curricula developed at other institutions. In order to better understand how students respond to this new curriculum, we compare student performance in a section using the redesign curriculum (n=35) to student performance in a lecture-based section (n=65) of the same course. We evaluate students' conceptual understanding, problem-solving performance and views about physics and learning physics in the two sections. Assessment methods include Force Concept Inventory (FCI) pre/post-tests, the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and paired embedded exam questions.
      • Lights, Action, Camera -- Coil Gun with a Disposable Camera

      • PST2B17
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Arlisa Richardson
      • Type: Poster
      • In Physics 112, General Physics II, at Chandler-Gilbert Community College the course topics include electricity, electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics. In an attempt to create a meaningful learning experience for the students, I include various hands-on team projects, adapted from my colleague, David Weaver. These projects are designed to engage students with specific concepts in a more contextual manner. This poster presentation focuses on the Lights, Action, Camera! project, which challenges students to design and build a coil gun capable of launching a metallic BB as far as possible, using the flash circuit from a used disposable camera. This project requires students to synthesize and apply concepts of electrical circuits and electromagnetism, while working as a team to design experiments and analyze data. The details of the project's requirements and a sample of students' final projects are shared in this poster presentation.
      • Development of Board Games for Learning Energy

      • PST2B19
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Youngseok Jhun
      • Type: Poster
      • As the energy problem has been a great challenge all around the world for decades, the importance of energy education for the youth has also increased. We know that adults cannot change their way of life if they didn't start changing in childhood. Nevertheless of the importance of the energy education, many efforts to teach students rational usage of energy have shown little effectiveness. They say that rational and logical approach in energy education cannot expect high achievement, so we have to introduce the strategy of informal science education even in formal classes. A board game can be a good idea to learn science concepts, to have a chance of thinking about the energy crisis, to guide the students into inquiry on the energy problem. We developed two board games that make the users learn about the energy based on the informal learning theory. We were to make the students understand the basic concepts, find evidences, argue each other, and decide by themselves due to the games. We'd like to share our findings in the procedure of developing the board game and in the application for small groups of students.
      • "Tiered" iClicker Recitation Introductions and an Open-Ended Experiment

      • PST2B21
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by David Blasing
      • Type: Poster
      • Interactively engaging students can significantly help them understand keyconcepts [Hake 1998]. In PHYS 272 at Purdue University, we are experimenting with two methods of interactive engagement: introducing recitations with qualitative, "tiered," iClicker questions and an open-ended laboratory where the students set up their own experiment. A typical iClicker series has three to five questions and begins at a level where most students are confident in their answers. The series progresses to a point where most students have difficulty identifying the correct answer. Our goal is to demonstrate that these qualitative introductions coupled with quantitative collaborative work increases the student?s overall learning gain (measured by the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment). Separately, we are piloting an open-ended laboratory. The goal is to uncover the identity of 10 common circuit elements concealed in identical black boxes. The students can conduct any experiment using any of the equipment in the laboratory.
  • Other Posters

      • Getting Involved with AP: Information for HS and College Faculty

      • PST1D01
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Dedra Demaree
      • Type: Poster
      • Advanced Placement® Physics 1, 2, and C are designed to provide rigorous college-level content to high school students. Ongoing collaboration between college and high school faculty, facilitated by the College Board, is instrumental to the success and integrity of the AP Program. Participation can be through course and assessment design, exam development, scoring and analysis, and delivery of high-quality professional development. This shift from Physics B to Physics 1,2 is an exciting time to be involved with the AP program. Each learning objective combines specific physics content knowledge with one of seven foundational science practices, and students will engage in hands-on explorations of physics and inquiry labs. Being part of the development process for the courses provides a rare opportunity to have a national-level impact on physics education. This poster presents an overview of the various roles that high school and college faculty can play in this important program.
      • Student-created Problem Scenarios in Introductory Physics for Life Science

      • PST1D03
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Nancy Beverly
      • Type: Poster
      • The increased availability of information online allows students to find enough data to apply mathematical models to real-life scenarios of their own choosing. This is especially important for life science students as it enables them to make their own meaningful connections of physics to life science phenomena and gives them more relevant problem solving practice. Typical end-of-chapter problems ask students to find an unknown based on given information and assumed use of a mathematical model covered in the chapter. In this alternative approach, students raise their own questions and determine what information they need to find to calculate an answer, using a particular model. Examples, successes, and pitfalls will be presented.
      • Energy Loss in Maxwell Rolling Pendulum System

      • PST1D05
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jixuan Hou
      • Type: Poster
      • We have analyzed the dynamics of ideal Maxwell rolling pendulum system andsemi-quantitatively demonstrated the energy loss cased by different physical mechanisms. By measuring the variance of the maximum height that the pendulum can reach each time, we conclude that air friction is not the primary cause of energy loss of the system and the energy transfer to other degree of freedom might be the main reason of the energy loss.
      • Introduction to Arduino Using High-Altitude (Weather) Ballooning Sensor Packs

      • PST1D07
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by James Flaten
      • Type: Poster
      • To introduce college students (and others) to Arduino microprocessors, we have developed a set of Arduino-based sensor packs for use on high-altitude (weather) balloon flights into the stratosphere, also called "near space" because the environmental conditions (and the view!) are similar to outer space. The sensor packs record physical data (temperature (potentially at multiple locations), atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, solar panel output (i.e. light intensity), 3-axis acceleration, and/or 3-axis magnetic field strength using a mixture of analog and digital sensors) every few seconds during a ~two-hour balloon flight. We then apply time stamps (and sometimes GPS stamps) and log the data to an SD card for later retrieval and analysis. Depending on the participants we build and program a "Basic Uno" package, a more-capable "Basic Mega" package, or a "Super Uno" package that really pushes the limits of an Arduino Uno microprocessor.
      • Making Collaboration Worth Your Time

      • PST1D09
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Heather Moore
      • Type: Poster
      • "Collaboration": a buzzword frequently used but infrequently made meaningful. We are a team of four teachers in three districts (two states) that has successfully collaborated for three years. This group has been invaluable in improving our instructional design and implementation of lessons. Together, we align content on a near daily basis, use backwards planning, and create common formative/summative assessments. Our success stems from our group norms -- (1) a commitment to instructional alignment, (2) decisions made through consensus rather than majority, (3) a critical but respectful approach towards new ideas and (4) a reflective stance of our group processes. We will share tools, protocols, and technology that have allowed us to be effective and efficient in our collaboration. This team is supported by the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation which strives to support new science teachers in becoming expert teachers.
      • Workshop of Electric Circuits for Mexican Preschool Teachers

      • PST1D11
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Mario Ramirez Diaz
      • Type: Poster
      • In the Mexican educational system, there is request for the preschool level to have scientific knowledge, applications of scientific knowledge and technology, skills associated with science, and attitudes associated to science. However, preschool teachers usually do not have these skills and therefore don't build strategies to develop in the kids this kind of competencies. On the other hand, professional physicists hardly approach elementary levels, especially in preschool, furthermore they didn't develop in their professional life didactic skills for the learning of physics. This situation take us to build workshops directed to preschool teachers in several topics of physics designed by physicists, so that the teachers could try to take this experience in their classroom with their students. We will show the results of the workshop in electric circuits with Mexican preschool teachers and their posterior implementation with the kids. It is useful to develop science skills not just with the teachers, but also with the parents and principals.
      • Toward a Balanced Undergraduate Curriculum: Theory, Computation, Experimentation, and Communication

      • PST1D13
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Marty Johnston
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of St. Thomas Physics Department is engaged in an ambitious, collaborative project to effectively embed computation, experiment, and communication skills throughout the curriculum. Our sophomore-level modern physics sequence provides an introduction to experiment and computation, as well as informal and formal technical writing. We moved our advanced laboratory course forward in the curriculum to give students experimental design and instrumentation skills that they can build on, and so they can get involved in research early. Experimental skills are further developed in optics, with its rigorous laboratory. In many of our lecture-based courses we have added short computational and /or experimental projects that connect the idealized physical systems with real systems. In all courses, written and oral communication skills are improved through laboratory notebooks, papers, poster presentations, or talks. Through continued exposure, our students learn computational techniques, gain confidence in their experimental skills, and polish their communication skills.
      • Transitioning to “Department Chair” at a College of Pharmacy

      • PST1D15
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Richard McCall
      • Type: Poster
      • A recent restructuring at St. Louis College of Pharmacy has created a new Department of Basic Sciences. As the only physicist at the college, my appointment as department chair has led to some interesting challenges. How do I continue to teach full time, chair a major college committee, and chair the new department? How do I go from being a colleague to being a supervisor/boss? How do I fulfill administrative duties and lead the department? How do we change our thinking to include two new undergraduate degree programs and not just pre-professional education? Several exciting things are on the horizon: the department is hiring more faculty in all areas (biological sciences, chemistry, math, and physics), we are developing more BS degree programs, more physics is required in the new undergraduate curricula, and a new physics lab is planned.
      • Using CFAs in Inquiry-based Middle School Science Teaching. II

      • PST1D17
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Caryn Palatchi
      • Type: Poster
      • We analyzed common formative assessments (CFAs) administered to middle andhigh school students across a broad range of science subjects including biology, geology, physics, etc. For the analysis of CFAs, we established a rubric with four defining parameters: reasoning, clarity, analysis, and correctness (1). Teachers worked with PER faculty to improve their teaching methodology and CFAs were used to analyze and quantify changes in student learning across the four rubric parameters that resulted from the intervention.
      • Integrating Physics Concepts in an Anatomy and Physiology Learning Activity

      • PST1D04
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Bijaya Aryal
      • Type: Poster
      • We describe the design, implementation, and assessment of an activity intended to help undergraduate students understand concepts related to force and physiology by integrating physics in an anatomy and physiology classroom. The teaching/learning sequence involved electromyography (EMG) recordings and a model of an arm aimed to help students understand the relationship among load, force generated by the biceps, and the amplitude of EMG signals. The learning sequence was implemented and systematically modified to explore the impact of specific variables over three semesters. We have analyzed various assessments to measure the degree to which students successfully incorporate understanding of physics concepts when designing and performing the EMG lab and interacting with the physical model. We present how using different real-world scenarios affects student understanding and application of relevant physics concepts as well as describe challenges in teaching and learning of abstract quantitative skills in the contexts of life science courses.
      • Basic Quantum Mechanics Concepts From the Eyes of Engineering and Physics Students!

      • PST1D06
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Tugba Yuksel
      • Type: Poster
      • Rapid growth through broad swathes of the scientific and technological fields has been defining features of the last few decades, spurred on by revolutions in scientific thinking. Today, quantum mechanics is opening a new chapter in the scientific world, which reveals the extraordinary nature of numerous phenomena at the sub-atomic level. With the advent of increasing scientific policies worldwide to stay on the technological edge, quantum mechanics education has been in the limelight. To investigate how students formulate and conceptualize foundational quantum concepts in engineering and science learning, a phenomenographic study is designed to examine the knowledge structure and thinking process of students from different levels in engineering and physics departments. Through analyzing the semi-structured interview data, misconceptions and modeling strategies that students utilized to conceptualize unobservable or unaccountable phenomena were identified preliminary in this paper. The possible implications for instruction and curriculum design are also discussed.
      • Dealing with More Climate Myths

      • PST1D08
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Gordon Aubrecht
      • Type: Poster
      • Many scientists understand that climate change has a sociopolitical aspect, but some scientists are unwilling to address the issue lest they be perceived as political themselves. Nevertheless, when we scientists find climate myths, I think it is our duty as scientists to be willing to debunk them. A poster at Orlando on this topic was well received. This poster exhibits some more climate myths and contrasts them with the science.
      • Assessing Undergraduate Physics Program Learning Objectives at UC Merced

      • PST1D10
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Carrie Menke
      • Type: Poster
      • Establishing and assessing program learning objectives (PLOs) provides a research-based method to improve our undergraduate physics education. We have five PLOs: (1) physical principles, (2) mathematical expertise, (3) experimental techniques, (4) communication and teamwork, and (5) research proficiency. We use a six-stage assessment cycle for each PLO that either validates current practice or drives needed modifications to our assessment process and/or program. We focus on one PLO each year and have just finished our first assessment of each. Our approach strives to maximize the ease and applicability of our assessment practices while maintaining faculty's flexibility in course design and delivery. A curriculum matrix elucidates skills development and applicable evidence. Descriptive rubrics result in higher inter-rater reliability and, in some cases, can be utilized at the course and program levels. Utilizing existing campus resources, challenges with evidence & rubrics, and strategies for increasing student and faculty participation are also discussed.
      • What Japan's Urgent Development of Radiation Curricula Is Telling Us

      • PST1D12
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Sachiko Tosa
      • Type: Poster
      • The disaster of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after the huge earthquake on March 11, 2011, has shaken the standards of science education in Japan. People feared radiation because they knew almost nothing about it. Through the urgent effort by governmental agencies and highly motivated science teachers in Japan, a few curricula for teaching radiation for middle school students were developed in the past three years. In the process of curricula development, it became clear that Japan's science education at the middle-school level lacked teaching of 1) basic scientific knowledge about radiation, 2) effects of radiation on the human body, 3) risk and usefulness of radiation in society, 4) process skills to measure and interpret radiation level, and 5) history and actual examples of phenomena associated with radiation. This presentation will focus on what the physics education communities in the world can learn from this Japanese case.
      • A Series of Modules for Introducing Computation into the Classroom and Laboratory

      • PST1D14
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jessie Petricka
      • Type: Poster
      • Presented are a series of modules for incorporating computation within thepedagogy in the classroom and laboratory. The modules serve both to introduce different computational platforms through intentional use of varied programs, (spreadsheet/Excel, symbolic/Mathematica, and LabView) and to teach concepts where those tools can be brought to bear. The concepts covered here are numerical integration via Euler's Method, error analysis and chi-square, and the use and understanding of a lock-in amplifier.
      • Using CFAs in Inquiry-based Middle School Science Teaching. I

      • PST1D16
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jennifer Esswein
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of the Inquiry Model for Professional Action and Content-rich Teaching III program (IMPACT III), teachers in a large Midwestern school district administer common formative assessments (CFAs) of science content to their middle and high school students. These assessments, created by the teachers for the purpose of informing their teaching, both assess and further develop student understanding of complex scientific content. This talk will focus on the development of a four-part rubric including evaluation of student reasoning, clarity, use of analysis, and correctness.
      • Analyzing Projectile Motion Uncertainty

      • PST1D18
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Kent Scheller
      • Type: Poster
      • Projectile motion is one of the first core concepts demonstrated in the undergraduate laboratory and it provides an initial opportunity for students to learn uncertainty in measurements and the statistical analysis of data. Using the PASCO Projectile Launcher, students make multiple measurements of the range of a ball fired from the device. Inherent in the experiment are uncertainties in all variables used to make a theoretical calculation of the expected range. These uncertainties manifest themselves as an uncertainty in the calculated range. After multiple firings of the device, it is possible to experimentally determine the range with its associated statistical distribution. Here we compare the calculated uncertainty in the measurements of the range with the actual observed spread of the range data from 500 shots of the PASCO device. We use this exercise to emphasize the distinction between experimental uncertainty and statistical deviation in the measurement process.
  • Outreach and Informal Physics Posters

      • Impact of Informal Physics Activities on Student Interest in STEM

      • PST2D01
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Michele McColgan
      • Type: Poster
      • The Siena Saturday Seminars for Urban Scholars After-school Program provides opportunities for underserved urban youth to engage in a wide range of informal, yet authentic, real-world science, technology, engineering, art, and math projects. This poster will present the results of several surveys given to students to determine student interest in science generally and in physics topics specifically after participating in Siena's urban scholars 14-week program.
      • History of the NJAAPT Physics Olympics

      • PST2D03
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by David Maiullo
      • Type: Poster
      • The New Jersey Section of the AAPT has a long history of organizing a successful Physics Olympics event for high schools in New Jersey. This event was held once per year and had many schools across NJ participating in it. The poster will detail the history, many of the events, a listing of the winners, and many of the individuals who were responsible for the event's success, and evolution through the years.
      • Physics and Having Fun: The Trebuchet

      • PST2D05
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Joel Berlinghieri
      • Type: Poster
      • The trebuchet is a siege engine that was developed in medieval times before the laws of classical mechanics were developed. Yet the trebuchet is a marvel of efficiency in converting potential energy into kinetic energy and launching a projectile at the most optimum angle. Each year The Citadel organizes a trebuchet contest involving kindergarten, elementary and middle school, high school and college, and corporate divisions. The teams compete within their division for projectile accuracy and distance, and for team spirit (Medieval dress). There is also an advanced, invitation-only Barbarian division for very large trebuchets. Trebuchet kits are supplied to the kindergarten and elementary school divisions and financial support to the upper school divisions. Workshop sections for teachers and college and corporate teams are provided where the physics of the trebuchet is explained, each according to background and skills of the participants. Students, teachers, and other team members have fun building their trebuchet, measuring its efficiency, calibrating its adjustments for accuracy and precision, and enjoying a day of competition.
      • Simulating and Stimulating the Social Production of Science Knowledge

      • PST2D07
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Daniel Doucette
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics is at its most exciting when international teams are collaboratingand competing to understand new ideas, but the social component of science has long been overlooked. Ford (1) suggests that constructivist approaches to science education fall short unless they pair model construction with appropriate critique. I attempt to bring these together in The Science Game, an extracurricular simulation of cutting-edge research. We asked students to investigate the properties of fat globules in milk, as seen under a microscope. The students developed knowledge claims based on Toulmin's Argument Patterns (2). These claims, along with the data and warrant, were distributed and critiqued using symposia, pre-prints, a journal, and informal communication. I will give an overview of the students' work and evaluate the effectiveness of this approach for learning both knowledge and "grasp of practice" (1).
      • The Analysis of Pupils' Activities in Children's Science Museum with an Aspect of Stimulating, Finding, and Fostering their Talents

      • PST2D02
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Seo Bin Park
      • Type: Poster
      • The importance of a science museum keeps increasing as an institute of informal science education. We have focused the role of the children's science museum to help pupils learn science without verbal, logical, and mathematical approach. We believe that the museum can stimulate, find, and foster the various talents with which children are born. With that background, we observed the children's activities to match the exhibits and talents they stimulate. As a consequence of the research, we are to suggest the direction of exhibition in children's science museum that can satisfy all the children with different intelligent profiles.
      • Student Models of Weather, Climate, and Climate Change

      • PST2D04
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Jignesh Mehta
      • Type: Poster
      • Climate change is an important challenge of our time but public understanding of it is limited at best. Newly released Next Generation Science Standards (2013) suggests that climate change be taught from the middle school level onward. We think that teaching of this complex topic needs to begin with what students know about weather, climate, climate change, and global warming. This exploration of student understanding needs to be done at the level where climate change education is expected to begin. To meet this need, we explored middle school students' responses to open-ended questions and constructed student models of these concepts. These models have implications for curriculum development and instruction at the secondary (7-12) grades.
      • Give Peas a Chance: A Citizen Science Discovery

      • PST2D06
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Miranda Straub
      • Type: Poster
      • The Zooniverse is a suite of online citizen science projects that has provided an opportunity for volunteers to contribute to science and humanities research without requiring extensive training or expertise. It uses crowd-sourcing methods to make independent classifications useful to researchers on the science teams. Since the launch of the first Zooniverse project in 2007, the organization has grown to more than 25 projects and reached the 1,000,000 participant mark in early 2014. While the goal of using volunteers for data processing has been successful, there have been unexpected examples of genuine discoveries by citizen scientists along the way. This talk will focus on the discovery of a class of galaxies called the "Green Peas," which were discovered by Galaxy Zoo volunteers in 2007. I will highlight elements of the scientific research process they used to characterize these as a new class of object, and explain identify common themes that can be used to encourage further serendipitous discoveries in other projects.
  • Physics Education Research Posters 1

      • A Good Diagram Is Valuable Despite the Choice of a Mathematical Approach to Problem Solving

      • PST1C01
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem solving heuristic that can transform a problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving the problem. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 118 students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected to two different interventions during the problem solving in recitation quizzes throughout the semester. Here, we discuss the problem solving performance of students in different intervention groups for two problems involving standing waves in tubes, one which was given in a quiz and the other in a midterm exam. These problems can be solved using two different methods, one involving a diagrammatic representation and the other involving mostly mathematical manipulation of equations. In the quiz, students were either (1) asked to solve the problem in which a partial diagram was provided or (2) explicitly asked to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. Students in group (1), who were given the partial diagram, could not use that partial diagram by itself to solve the problem. The partial diagram was simply intended as a hint for students to complete the diagram and follow the diagrammatic approach. However, we find an opposite effect, namely, that students given this diagram were less likely to draw productive diagrams and performed worse than students in the other groups. Moreover, we find that students who drew a productive diagram performed better than those who did not draw a productive diagram even if they primarily used a mathematical approach. We also find that many introductory physics students in algebra-based courses struggle with relatively simple algebraic manipulations while solving physics problems but are capable of doing equivalent algebra when the manipulations are stand-alone tasks not tied to problem solving in physics.
      • To Use or Not to Use Diagrams: The Effect of Drawing a Diagram in Solving Introductory Physics Problems

      • PST1C03
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem solving heuristic that can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving it. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 111 students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected to two different interventions during recitation quizzes throughout the semester. They were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We developed a rubric to score the problem-solving performance of students in different intervention groups. We investigated two problems involving electric field and electric force and found that students who drew productive diagrams were more successful problem solvers and that a higher level of relevant detail in a student's diagram corresponded to a better score. We also compared students' facility in calculating electric field vs. electric force and in calculating force on a point charge at a point efficiently from the electric field computed at the same point both immediately after instruction (quiz) and a few weeks after instruction (midterm). We found that the student performance on electric field remains stagnant while the performance on electric force improves significantly over time. Finally, think-aloud interviews were conducted with nine students who were at the time taking an equivalent introductory algebra-based physics course. These interviews supported some of the interpretations for the quantitative results, and were very useful in identifying some difficulties students still exhibited after having learned the concepts of electric field and electric force and after having been tested on it (in a midterm exam). The difficulties identified and instructional implications are discussed.
      • Influence of Visual Cueing on Eye Movements Using Think-Aloud Protocol

      • PST1C05
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Elise Agra
      • Type: Poster
      • Research has shown that using visual cues to direct students' attention torelevant areas of a diagram can facilitate problem solving. In this study, we investigate the effect of visual cues on students' visual attention while they solve conceptual physics problems with diagrams. The diagrams contained features relevant to correctly solving the problem, as well as features attributed to common incorrect answers. Students enrolled in an introductory mechanics course were individually interviewed using a think-aloud protocol. Participants worked through four problem sets while their eye movements were recorded and they thought aloud about the problem solution. Each set contained an initial problem, six isomorphic training problems, and two transfer problems. Students in the cued condition saw visual cues overlaid on the training problems. We discuss the influence of both visual cueing and feedback on students' eye movements and think aloud data. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 1138697 and 1348857.
      • Epistemic Impact on Metacognition in Cooperative Group Problem Solving

      • PST1C07
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Andrew Mason
      • Type: Poster
      • Cognitive apprenticeship for physics problem solving has been demonstratedto show potential for students to reflect upon their problem-solving attempts. In the context of introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS), a concern exists that non-physics science majors may have attitudes towards physics that mitigate the efficacy of a metacognitive problem-solving exercise. A weekly metacognitive intervention was administered in a lab group problem solving setting for a first semester algebra-based introductory physics course. MPEX and CLASS surveys were used in a pre-post format for respectively the fall 2013 and spring 2014 semesters. Other forms of data include written artifacts from the students themselves about aspects of problem solving with which they struggled, as well as an end-of-semester survey about the usefulness of the exercise. We discuss the effectiveness of the reflection task with respect to the students? attitudes towards problem solving.
      • Eye-Gazing Behavior of Students Solving Graphically Based Physics Problems

      • PST1C09
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Rabindra Bajracharya
      • Type: Poster
      • We report on one aspect of our multi-mode study -- using written surveys, interviews, and eye tracking -- of student problem-solving of graphically based Fundamental Theorem of Calculus problems in mathematics and physics contexts. A free-head eye-tracking instrument recorded visual attention in the form of direction and duration of eye gaze in real time. We focused particularly on the proportion of time spent on various stimulus domains -- lexicons, equations & symbols, graphs, and distractors. We also separately analyzed the proportion of time spent by participants on various features of the graphs. Our initial analysis of the direction and duration of participants' eye gaze indicate more time spent on equations and symbols than on other domains. We also found that participants who gave incorrect responses spent more time attending to irrelevant graphical features. We will present a summary of these findings and compare eye-tracking results to responses from interviews and written surveys.
      • What Resources Do Physics Experts Use When Solving Novel Problems?

      • PST1C11
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Darrick Jones
      • Type: Poster
      • A central goal of physics education is to help students learn to think like a physicist when solving problems. But what exactly does it mean to think like a physicist? What do physicists do that allows them to successfully solve and understand complex, novel physics problems? We will present how we have searched for an answer to this question by using the resources framework to analyze videotaped records of physics experts solving novel problems. By focusing on moments when physics experts reasoned towards a deeper understanding of the problem and dissecting their discourse during these moments, we identify resources that physics experts activate as they make progress through the problem solving process. We search for patterns to identify resources with epistemological underpinnings which help experts make progress towards understanding a novel phenomenon. We discuss how frequently various resources are used and the implications these findings have on physics instruction.
      • Teaching Fluids to IPLS Students via Microscopic Representations

      • PST1C13
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Daniel Young
      • Type: Poster
      • For introductory life science students, fluid dynamics is a topic that is important, relevant to biology, and yet difficult to understand conceptually. Our study focuses on probing understanding of pressure differentials, vacuums, and Bernoulli's equation which underpin ideas of fluid flow. Data was collected from written assessments and laboratory exercises in addition to teaching interviews, and was analyzed using the frameworks of resource theory and mechanistic reasoning to look for productive student ideas such as a microscopic viewpoint and gradient driven flow. We investigated whether a multiple-scale view of matter is useful for students when constructing models of pressure and fluid flow and will present both our model and a qualitative analysis of student work.
      • Introductory Physics Students: Understanding of Electric Potential in DC Circuits

      • PST1C15
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Ane Leniz
      • Type: Poster
      • Electricity is an area of physics that students find significantly difficult to understand. In many introductory physics courses on electricity, the core of the theory of electric circuits is a set of simple DC circuit laws, which relate algebraically voltages, currents, and resistance. These laws are usually related to the Drude model of electric current. Previous research shows that relations between electrostatics and electrodynamics are still a source of teaching-learning problems in the first years of university. Research shows that students do not relate concepts studied in electrostatics with the phenomena that occur in electric circuits. This study investigates how students from two different universities and countries understand the relation between potential difference and current in a context close to DC circuits. The results show evidence that in current transitional situations students don't usually use potential difference to perform the analysis. They show deficiencies in the explanatory model of charge movement.
      • Assessing Gender Differences in Students' Understanding of Magnetism

      • PST1C17
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • We investigate gender differences in students' difficulties with concepts related to magnetism using a multiple-choice test whose reliability and validity have been substantiated earlier. We also conduct individual interviews with a subset of students to get a better understanding of the rationale behind their responses. We find that females performed significantly worse than males when the test was given both as a pre-test and post-test in traditionally taught calculus-based introductory physics courses. In the algebra-based courses, the performance of females was significantly worse in the post-test but there was no statistical difference in the pre-test performance of males and females. These trends persisted regardsless of the instructors. We discuss possible reasons for these differences.
      • Investigating Student Difficulties with Time Dependence of Expectation Values in Quantum Mechanics

      • PST1C19
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Quantum mechanics is challenging even for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In the Schrödinger representation, the wave function evolves in time according to the time dependent Schrödinger equation. The time dependence of the wave function gives rise to time dependence of the expectation value of observables. We have been exploring the difficulties that advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with time dependence of expectation values in quantum mechanics. We have developed and administered conceptual free response and multiple-choice questions to students to investigate these difficulties. We also interviewed 23 students individually using a think-aloud protocol to obtain a better understanding of the rationale behind students' written responses. We find that many students struggle with time dependence of expectation values of observables. We discuss some findings.
      • Assumptions and Idealizations in Students' Reasoning During Laboratory Activities

      • PST1C21
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Benjamin Zwickl
      • Type: Poster
      • Assumptions and idealizations play a significant role in developing and applying models to real-world situations. Assumptions make models more tractable, but also impact the design of experiments (through the introduction of possible sources of systematic error) and limit the range of validity of predictions. In this investigation, students conducted a think-aloud laboratory activity using LEDs. Videos were coded and analyzed using a framework developed for model-based reasoning designed for upper-division physics laboratory classes. The analysis focuses on multiple roles of assumptions within the activity: making, recognizing, and justifying assumptions; linking assumptions to limitations of the validity of theoretical predictions and measured results; and using knowledge of assumptions to iteratively improve experimental results.
      • Exploring a Logical Approach to Promoting Conceptual Understanding

      • PST1C23
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by David Maloney
      • Type: Poster
      • An important aspect of scientific understanding is the use of sequential, inferential reasoning. One school of psychology argues that humans reason through models. This project is exploring the presentation and use of explicit models of conditional and bi-conditional statements as a mechanism for promoting conceptual understanding. Students in a calculus-based introductory physics course were given a conditional and a bi-conditional statement involving everyday content. The truth status of each of the seven possible rearrangements of the original statements was identified for each case. Students then had a weekly homework assignment that required explicit use of these models. In addition, there was a test item of the same format on each of the four tests during the semester. This presentation will present the struggles the students had with using the logic involved, with the physics concepts and with connecting the physics with the logical reasoning.
      • Identifying Blended Ontologies for Energy

      • PST1C25
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Benjamin Dreyfus
      • Type: Poster
      • Energy is an abstract concept, but students and experts alike reason aboutenergy using ontological metaphors: metaphors that indicate what kind of a thing energy is. These metaphors include energy as a substance ("This object has a lot of energy") and energy as a vertical location ("It dropped down to a lower energy"). Both of these metaphors can be productive, but each one has its limitations. In our previous work, we have shown that students and experts can productively combine the substance and location metaphors for energy and coordinate them coherently. Here, we examine instances in which students are using both metaphors, and argue that, in some cases, students blend these two separate metaphors into a single ontology for energy. To determine this, we employ an integrated methodology, analyzing both the verbal metaphors and the gestures that the students use.
      • Differences of Elementary School Students' Learning Process in "Velocity of the Object" According to their Mathematical Ability

      • PST1C27
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Kyungmi Lee
      • Type: Poster
      • Many elementary school students have difficulties in learning "velocity ofthe object." We have approached to this problem with a question of a relationship between mathematical ability and learning process of this subject. We assessed the mathematical ability of students as well as the achievement of the students in the subject. Based on the two results, we separated the students into three groups; high, middle, and low. We also acquired the correlation data between mathematical ability and achievement of the subject - velocity of the object. And then we interviewed the students in each group to ask their learning process. As a consequence of this research, we found out some meaningful suggestion for teaching and learning this subject. We'd like to share our findings.
      • Supporting Physics Majors: More than Instruction

      • PST1C29
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Sissi Li
      • Type: Poster
      • As instructors, our primary goal is to help students learn physics. We naturally focus our efforts on preparing course materials and managing classroom interactions. In this poster, we argue that awareness of, understanding of, and participation in the students' experiences outside of the classroom can not only enhance learning in the classroom but also support student persistence and enthusiasm for physics. We present case studies of physics majors constructed using data from reflective journals, classroom observations and individual interviews. Some of the experiences described as pivotal by the students were not completely academic in nature and thus were easily overlooked or ignored by instructors. We will highlight the impact that these experiences have had on the students' progress through their majors. Further we suggest that while instructors are understandably reluctant to delve too deeply into students' personal lives, there can be considerable benefits in the students' development.
      • Vector Addition in Different Contexts: A Fine-Grained Study

      • PST1C31
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Philip Southey
      • Type: Poster
      • The acquisition metaphor of learning is often used by teachers of physics:Students acquire a particular concept, and then transfer this concept to new contexts. In particular, one might say students acquire the mathematical concept of "vector addition" and apply it in (transfer it to) numerous physical contexts. In this study, 200 freshmen taking an introductory physics course were asked to calculate the total force, total displacement and total momentum in simple contexts involving vector addition at right angles. Another similar group of 200 students were asked to calculate the net force, net displacement, and net momentum. The students did significantly worse when adding momenta, and they did significantly better when asked to calculate the "net" quantity (rather than the "total" quantity). These results are inconsistent with a basic "acquisition-transfer" perspective of learning. A fine-grained analysis of subsequent interviews and questionnaires was also conducted.
      • Correlations Between Math Background and Class Performance in Conceptual Physics

      • PST1C33
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Lynne Raschke
      • Type: Poster
      • The College of St. Scholastica teaches a one-semester conceptual physics class for students from a variety of majors, including pre-service teachers, students intending to become occupational therapists, and students fulfilling a natural sciences general education requirement. There was no math pre-requisite for the class, but the class utilized math at the level of introductory middle-to-high school algebra. We investigated whether there was a correlation between students' math backgrounds and their performance in the class. Student performance was assessed in three areas: conceptual questions, questions that required applying physics knowledge, and quantitative questions. Four years of data showed that, even controlling for student GPAs, students with less math preparation performed worse not only in the quantitative aspects of the course, but also in the conceptual and applied questions. This raises the question of why we see this disparity and how we can better support student learning in this type of class.
      • Successes and Challenges in Scaling-up NEXUS/Physics Labs

      • PST1C35
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Kimberly Moore
      • Type: Poster
      • UMd-PERG's NEXUS/Physics for Life Sciences laboratory curriculum, piloted in 2012-2013 in small test classes, has been implemented in large-enrollment environments at UMD in 2013-2014. These labs address physical issues at biological scales using microscopy, image and video analysis, electrophoresis, and spectroscopy in an open, non-protocol-driven environment. We have collected a wealth of data (surveys, video analysis, etc.) that enables us to get a sense of the students' responses to this curriculum in a large-enrollment environment and with teaching assistants "new" to the labs. In this poster, we will provide a broad overview of what we have learned and a comparison of our large-enrollment results to the results from our pilot study. Special emphasis will be placed on successes and challenges accompanying this scaling-up. (This work is supported by funding from HHMI and the NSF.)
      • "Chaos is Cool": Teacher Perceptions of Physics and Engineering Integration

      • PST1C37
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Emily Dare
      • Type: Poster
      • As teachers prepare to bring engineering into K-12 science classrooms, guided by the calls of national reform documents (National Research Council, 2013), there is an importance to not only understand how teachers are accomplishing this, but to also understand their experiences and perceptions of the nature of engineering integration. By examining classroom practices and understanding teachers' experiences in integrating engineering into their instruction, we can better learn how to prepare these teachers. This study investigated the classroom practices of high school physical science teachers following an intensive professional development on engineering integration. Our findings suggest that teachers often drop explicit physics connections in these integrated lessons in favor of maintaining student interest and engagement with hands-on engineering activities. This student interest and engagement may be linked to teachers' willingness to bring engineering to their classrooms and has the potential to increase student learning of physics concepts.
      • Should Students be Provided Diagrams or Asked to Draw Them While Solving Introductory Physics Problems?

      • PST1C02
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem0solving heuristic that can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving it. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them understand that drawing diagrams facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 111 students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected to two different interventions during recitation quizzes throughout the semester. They were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We developed a rubric to score the problem-solving performance of students in different intervention groups and found that students who were provided diagrams performed worse than the other students on two problems in electricity which involve considerations of initial and final conditions. We developed a hypothesis to explain why this counterintuitive result occurred and conducted interviews with fourteen students to evaluate this hypothesis. We found evidence which supports our hypothesis, which was that students provided with diagrams spent less time on the conceptual planning stage and sometimes jumped into the implementation stage without fully understanding the problem.
      • Student Difficulties in Translating Between Mathematical and Graphical Representations in Electrostatics: Impact of Increasing Levels of Scaffolding on Student Performance

      • PST1C04
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • Prior research suggests that introductory physics students have difficultywith graphing and interpreting graphs. In this paper, we investigate introductory physics students' difficulties in translating between mathematical and graphical representations and the effect of increasing levels of scaffolding on students' performance. Ninety-five calculus-based introductory physics students were given a typical problem that can be solved using Gauss's law involving a spherically symmetric charge distribution (a conducting sphere concentric with a conducting spherical shell) in which they were asked to write a mathematical expression for the electric field in various regions and then graph the electric field. Previous preliminary research indicated that students have great difficulty in graphing the electric field as a function of the distance from the center of the sphere consistent with the mathematical expressions in various regions. Therefore, two scaffolding interventions with increasing levels of support were implemented in order to help them. Students who received the scaffolding support were either (1) asked to sketch the electric field in each region first (before having to plot it as a function of distance from the center of the sphere) or (2) asked to sketch the electric field in each region after explicitly evaluating the electric field at the beginning, mid and end points of each region. The comparison group was not given any scaffolding support and only asked to plot the electric field in all regions at the end of the problem. Analysis of student performance with different levels of scaffolding reveals that the appropriate level of scaffolding is not necessarily the one that involves more support (which is considered beneficial from an expert's perspective) and that the optimal level of support for a given student population can only be determined by research of the type discussed here. In particular, we found that more scaffolding may hinder students' performance and students may not even discern the relevance of the added support. We provide possible interpretations of these findings which were developed after in-depth interviews with some students.
      • Metacognition and Epistemic Games in IPLS Problem Solving

      • PST1C06
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Charles Bertram
      • Type: Poster
      • A metacognitive exercise in problem solving was given to an introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS) class over the course of the fall 2013 and spring 2014 semester. The exercise featured scaffolding in the form of a rubric students could use to note where they struggled in a group problem-solving effort. One of the concerns was that students who are not physics majors do not necessarily have the same epistemic framework as physics majors would for the classroom. As such, we examine written artifacts from the students' reflection activities for evidence of different epistemic games. We also describe a comparison of written artifacts to pre-post data from the FCI, MPEX, and CLASS surveys.
      • Student Srategies Solving Graphically Based Physics Problems Invoking the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

      • PST1C08
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Rabindra Bajracharya
      • Type: Poster
      • We have been investigating student understanding and application of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC) in different physics contexts involving definite integrals. We conducted 14 semi-structured individual interviews with introductory physics students. Our analysis, using grounded theory, elicited various strategies to solve graphically based FTC problems. While many students struggled initially, at some point during the interviews students displayed the relevant and requisite mathematical knowledge, suggesting that they failed to access and/or apply the knowledge in the given physics contexts. Similar to prior studies on students dealing with mathematically based physics problems, we found the analysis perspectives of epistemological framing and epistemic games productive in interpreting some of the choices of strategies, the strategies themselves, and some individual steps observed. The framing perspective helps explain students' strategy-switching based on representations available or context familiarity. We discuss our findings and relate our results to those in the literature.
      • From Instructional Goals to Grading Practices: The Case of Graduate TAs

      • PST1C10
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for grading student solutions. Grading communicates instructors' expectations, thus TAs have a crucial role in forming students' approaches to problem solving in physics. We investigated the grading practices and considerations of 43 first-year graduate students participating in a TA training course. The study utilized four student solutions, selected to reflect expert and novice approaches to problem solving and to elicit conflicting considerations in assigning grades. TAs were asked to list solution features and to explain how and why they weighed the different features to obtain a final score. We will describe how discussions of grading practices in the course, as well as one semester of teaching experience, impacted how the TAs grade student solutions. We will relate our results to the findings of a larger study to understand instructors' considerations regarding the learning and teaching of problem solving in an introductory physics course.
      • How Students Use Visual Representations When Solving Charge Distribution Problems

      • PST1C12
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Alanna Pawlak
      • Type: Poster
      • In physics, we create simplified models of physical systems, which can be presented visually through the use of representations. Often, multiple representations are available to illustrate different aspects of the same model. For example, the area surrounding a charge distribution could be visualized as being filled with electric field vectors, electric field lines, or equipotential lines. While each representation appears different superficially, it is important that students recognize that each illustrates the same model. Additionally, students should be able to determine when a particular representation may be most productive, depending on the aspect of the model they wish to study. We observed students in small groups completing an activity requiring them to choose one of the previously mentioned representations in order to answer questions about charge distributions and justify their choice. We present results from analysis of a small number of videos and the emerging strategy for future investigations.
      • Investigating Student Difficulties in Upper-Division Electromagnetism

      • PST1C14
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Charles Baily
      • Type: Poster
      • Expanding our knowledge of student difficulties in advanced undergraduate physics courses is essential if we are to develop effective instructional materials. This poster focuses specifically on student difficulties in upper-division electromagnetism. We present quantitative data based on responses from students at multiple institutions to a research-based conceptual assessment developed at the University of Colorado Boulder (the Colorado UppeR-division ElectrodyNamics Test, or CURrENT). We also present qualitative results from interviews with individual students, and observations of student difficulties during lectures and optional homework help sessions. Common difficulties include, but are not limited to, relating the vectors appearing in Maxwell's equations in integral form to specific geometries; understanding the fields associated with an infinite solenoid; and interpreting diagrams and notation for reflection and transmission problems.
      • Student Learning of Critical Circuits Concepts in Physics and Engineering

      • PST1C16
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Kevin Van De Bogart
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of a new effort to investigate the learning and teaching of concepts in thermodynamics and electronics that are integral to both undergraduate physics and engineering programs, we have been examining student learning in electrical engineering and physics courses on circuits and electronics. Due to the considerable overlap in the content coverage, we have been able to administer the same (or similar) questions to students in both disciplines. A major goal of this work is to investigate the impact of disciplinary context on the nature of student understanding, including the prevalence of specific difficulties. This talk will focus on foundational concepts (e.g., loading) that are critical to the design and analysis of circuits in all courses studied. Preliminary results will be presented and implications for instruction will be discussed.
      • Investigating Student Difficulties with Dirac Notation

      • PST1C18
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Quantum mechanics is challenging even for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Dirac notation is a convenient notation used extensively in quantum mechanics. We have been investigating the difficulties that the advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with Dirac notation. We administered written free response and multiple-choice questions to students and also conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 23 students using a think-aloud protocol to obtain a better understanding of the rationale behind their responses. We find that many students struggle with Dirac notation and they are not consistent in using this notation across various questions in a given test. In particular, whether they answer questions involving Dirac notation correctly or not is context dependent.
      • Analogous Patterns of Student Reasoning Difficulties in Introductory Physics and Upper-Level Quantum Mechanics

      • PST1C20
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Very little is known about how the nature of expertise in introductory andadvanced courses compares in knowledge-rich domains such as physics. We develop a framework to compare the similarities and differences between learning and patterns of student difficulties in introductory physics and quantum mechanics. Based upon our framework, we argue that the qualitative patterns of student reasoning difficulties in introductory physics bear a striking resemblance to those found for upper-level quantum mechanics. The framework can guide the design of teaching and learning tools.
      • Spanning Student Reasoning about P-V Diagrams in Physics and Engineering

      • PST1C22
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jessica Clark
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of a new effort to investigate the learning and teaching of concepts in thermodynamics and electronics in both physics and engineering, we have been examining student learning of thermodynamics in mechanical and chemical engineering and physics courses. In thermodynamics, students must grapple with multivariable dependence between state properties. They are also taught to use simplified models of real substances (e.g., ideal gas). By varying a task we have previously studied which probes students' understanding of the First Law, its constituent elements, and graphical representations, we access additional specific knowledge of the univariant temperature dependence of the internal energy of an ideal gas. Our results show that use of this concept varies across disciplines despite being covered in all. Additionally, the task alteration suppresses the most common previously identified difficulty and elicits others to give a more complete understanding of student reasoning.
      • Causal Effects of Reasoning Skills and Epistemologies on Content Learning

      • PST1C24
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Lin Ding
      • Type: Poster
      • Multiple factors can affect content learning. Research in physics education has tapped into some key factors that are postulated to be causal agents of learning gains. These include student pre-instructional levels of scientific reasoning and epistemological sophistication. Previous work in this matter has largely relied on qualitative case studies or correlation analysis to demonstrate, separately, the positive relation of reasoning and epistemology with content learning. However, the postulated causality has not been explicitly verified through larger-scale integrative investigations. In this study, we use path analysis to test the causal influence of scientific reasoning and epistemology on content learning. Results show that student pre-instructional reasoning skills (measured by the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning) and epistemologies (measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey) are significant causal factors for learning gains on the Force Concept Inventory. However, post-instructional epistemology is not a significant contributor to learning gains.
      • It's "Just Math": A New Epistemic Frame

      • PST1C26
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Steven Wolf
      • Type: Poster
      • Physicists use mathematics as a tool to model physical phenomena. Studentslearn to use sophisticated mathematical tools (e.g, vector calculus and Taylor series) in their physics courses, but often struggle to employ them in novel situations. As part of a new collaboration between the Physics Education Research groups at Michigan State University and Kansas State University, we reviewed video of students solving a variety of physics problems in interview and small group settings. We identified patterns of student behavior and discourse that we are calling the "Just Math" epistemic frame. A specific epistemic frame can be described as the network of activations and inhibitions of resources in response to a person's current activity. The Just Math frame is marked by little or no verbal communication as well as a change in body language; transitions into and out of this frame are both obvious and abrupt. Furthermore, these transitions appear universal, inevitable, and predictable.
      • Becoming a Physicist: The Roles of Research, Mindsets, and Milestones

      • PST1C28
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Paul Irving
      • Type: Poster
      • The development of an appropriate subject-specific identity is a strong influence on retention within a discipline. In physics, there is a strong link between how students identify with being a physicist and whether or not they have decided on a physical science career. As part of a longitudinal study into subject-specific identity development in upper-level physics students, we examined students perceptions on various aspects of their physics identity. Using a phenomenographic methodology, we present four different perceptions of what it means to be a physicist. The categories of perception centered around the level of exclusivity students associate with being a physicist and the importance they placed on the relationship between being a physicist and conducting physics research. A subset of the original students were reinterviewed to determine if their perceptions of being physicists had changed. Similar categories emerged but there were significant changes in individual students' perceptions.
      • Beyond the Numbers: Finding Mechanisms to Support Diversity

      • PST1C30
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Vashti Sawtelle
      • Type: Poster
      • Understanding issues of diversity and equity in physics has historically taken the lens of documenting broad patterns of participation of women and ethnically underrepresented groups. This work has explored reasons for differing levels in participation including conceptual understanding, physics identity, and student self-efficacy. A common aim of this work has been to examine the impact of these variables on the prevalence of underrepresented groups in physics. We present an alternative lens on diversity and equity that centers on better understanding and supporting student trajectories of participation over time. Drawing from case study data of a biology major in an introductory physics class, we argue that access to a professional community of scientists must start from exposure to, participation in, and developing an affinity towards a variety of scientific practices. We articulate how this perspective informs a model of supporting diverse students who are commonly disenfranchised from physics.
      • Explanatory Coherence in an Introductory Physics for Life Scientists Course

      • PST1C32
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Benjamin Geller
      • Type: Poster
      • Life science students crave coherence among the science courses that they are required to take, and are frustrated when these courses fail to talk to each other in meaningful ways. In an effort to bridge disciplinary divides, we have iteratively designed and implemented an Introductory Physics for Life Scientists (IPLS) course that aims to unpack the physical mechanisms underlying a number of authentic biological phenomena. We draw on case-study data to examine what it looks like for students in our course to make connections between fundamental physical principles and meaningful biological questions. In particular, we explore the multiple ways in which an explanation can be "mechanistic" in the context of interdisciplinary sense making, and the affective markers that indicate satisfactory explanation. We argue that achieving explanatory coherence in an IPLS course demands that we take up authentic biological phenomena for which highly detailed accounts are not practical.
      • The CU Science Education Initiative: Examining the Model and its Impact

      • PST1C36
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Stephanie Chasteen
      • Type: Poster
      • In 2005, the Science Education Initiative (SEI) at the University of Colorado was launched as a $5 million, university-funded project to support departments in improving science education (http://www.colorado.edu/sei). The SEI funded work across seven STEM departments to transform dozens of courses using a scientific approach to educational reform driven by three questions: What should students learn? What are students learning? Which instructional approaches improve student learning? The SEI is structured with a small team of central staff, and a cohort of Science Teaching Fellows -- postdocs, hired into individual departments, who partner with faculty to identify learning goals, develop instructional materials, and research student learning. Key elements of the program are its departmental focus and bottom-up structure. As the SEI draws to a close, we have an opportunity to reflect upon the impacts of the program. This poster will use multiple data sources to examine and highlight the outcomes of the SEI model, including both the affordances and lessons learned.
      • STEM in United States and STEAM in Korea

      • PST1C38
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Hyunjung Kang
      • Type: Poster
      • I have compared the STEAM education in Korea to the STEM education in the United States with reference to various documents. "A" in STEAM stands for Arts. I have attempted to make a comparison between the emphasis placed within the field of science education and the spread of the new wave in science education. In Korea, they intend to fuse arts with science in order to promote the students' self confidence and interest in learning science, while placing emphasis on both quality and quantity of learning science in relation to mathematics and engineering design for understanding real life. Also, the creation of the STEAM education has been headed by an organization that is funded by the government. They have developed a large amount of class materials, have trained many teachers, and have supported the schools that the STEAM is introduced to. They have also pushed schools and teachers in various ways like boot camp. I have examined the process of spreading STEAM and have compared that of STEM in the United States.
  • Physics Education Research Posters 2

      • An Evaluation of the Japanese Translation of the Force Concept Inventory

      • PST2C01
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Michi Ishimoto
      • Type: Poster
      • This study assesses the Japanese translation of the Force Concept Inventory (abbreviated to FCIJ). Because of differences between the Japanese and English languages, as well as between the Japanese and American educational systems, it is important to assess the Japanese translation of the FCI, a test originally developed in English for American students. The data consist of the pre-test results of 350 students and the post-test results of 335 students, most of whom were first-year students at a mid-level engineering school between 2011 and 2012. The basic statistics and the classical test theory indices of the FCIJ indicate that its reliability and discrimination are adequate in assessing Japanese students' pre-concepts about motion. The pre-concepts assessed with the FCIJ are quite similar to those of American students, thereby supporting its validity.
      • Force Concept Inventory Clarifications

      • PST2C03
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Matthew Semak
      • Type: Poster
      • Over the past two years we have conducted three iterations of think-aloud interviews with students as they grappled with questions on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Doing so has shown us that the difficulties they have with some questions have nothing to do with their understanding of physics. These difficulties involve diagrams, notations, and vocabulary that make perfect sense to physics teachers but can easily confuse beginning students. Informed by those think-aloud interviews, we modified a subset of questions to improve clarity. Also, for the same purpose, some new questions were added. Modifications were made after each round of interviews, and then the latest version of the clarified FCI was administered to students in two introductory physics courses. Here we present an overview of our efforts by discussing some specific changes made and how students responded to them.
      • Developing and Evaluating Quantum Mechanics Formalism and Postulates Survey

      • PST2C05
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Development of multiple-choice tests related to a particular physics topicis important for designing research-based learning tools to reduce the difficulties related to the topic. We explore the difficulties that the advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with quantum mechanics formalism and postulates. We developed a research-based multiple-choice survey that targets these issues to obtain information about the common difficulties and administered it to undergraduate and graduate students. We find that the advanced undergraduate and graduate students have many common difficulties with these topics. The survey can be administered to assess the effectiveness of various instructional strategies. Supported by the National Science Foundation
      • Evaluating the Effects of Course Style on Learning About Energy & Environment

      • PST2C07
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Rebecca Rosenblatt
      • Type: Poster
      • We will present an ongoing project to design an assessment of content learning and attitude changes for different versions of an energy and environment physics course. The course is an examination of the scientific, environmental, economic, ethical, and political aspects of energy production and use. The course is taught in three ways: more traditional, flipped with active-group engagement, and online. We will present the methods we are using to build an assessment for these different course types. Also, we will present several specific findings about student understanding and reasoning within the topic of energy/environment. For example, we will discuss students' ability to support their ideas about global climate change with data and to compare energy footprints for different activities like walking a mile vs. using a computer for 20 minutes. Lastly, we will discuss their responses to attitude survey questions similar to some of those on the CLASS.
      • Learning Objectives Based Assessment in a University Physics Course

      • PST2C09
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Todd Zimmerman
      • Type: Poster
      • Learning Objectives Based Assessment (LOBA) is a type of standards-referenced grading. Performance of students in a LOBA university physics course is compared to students in a traditional points-based course. Comparisons include FCI scores, problem solving ability, and student study habits.
      • Evolution of C3PO: Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online

      • PST2C13
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Qing Ryan
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Minnesota Physics Education Research Group has been developing Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online (C3PO), a web-based system designed to help students progress toward expert-like problem solving in an introductory physics class. This poster describes the coaching system, the design process, and the evolution of the system as a result of extensive testing and feedback. This work was partially supported by NSF DUE-0715615 and DUE-1226197. Others who also contributed: Bijaya Aryal (University of Minnesota--Rochester), Kristy Crouse (University of Minnesota--Twin cities)
      • Future of C3PO: Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online

      • PST2C15
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Jie Yang
      • Type: Poster
      • Based on the success of the first version of our computer coaches for solving problems in introductory physics, the University of Minnesota Physics Education Research Group has been developing its second generation, Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online (C3PO). In this poster, we describe the lessons learned from testing the first version of the coaches with hundreds of students and how the results impact the second version of the system. This work was partially supported by NSF DUE-0715615 and DUE-1226197. Q. Ryan from University of Colorado Boulder, B. Aryal from UMN-Rochester and A. Mason from University of Central Arkansas also contributed to this poster.
      • Explaining Student Perceptions of Interactive Video Vignettes in Undergraduate Physics

      • PST2C17
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Jonathan Engelman
      • Type: Poster
      • Students in an entry-level undergraduate physics course engaged in short Interactive Video Vignettes (IVVs) outside of class in order to enrich their understanding of specific physics concepts. Prior work by the LivePhoto Physics Group suggests that students enjoy using IVVs and that their use does improve learning, but not to the same extent for every IVV. The research question for this study is: What characteristics of Interactive Video Vignettes help or hinder student learning in introductory physics courses? The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) is to begin explaining the thoughts, opinions, and perceptions regarding the use of IVVs for roughly 15 students in an entry-level undergraduate physics course. This poster reports the results of a survey given to students during the course, interviews conducted after the course, and integration of these data. Supported by NSF grants DUE-1122828 and DUE-1123118.
      • Conceptual Versus Computational Homework

      • PST2C19
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Kristi Concannon
      • Type: Poster
      • Does the type of homework assigned in an introductory physics course affect exam performance? In spring 2014, two sections of algebra-based second-semester introductory physics were taught by the same instructor. Class-time for both sections focused primarily on building conceptual understanding, with minor emphasis on the mechanics of problem solving. End-of-chapter problems were assigned to each of the two sections: Section A was assigned 8-10 conceptual exercises; Section B was assigned 2-3 computational problems. The alternate problem sets were recommended to students, but were not collected for grading. Three exams and a comprehensive final exam were given, each evenly weighted with conceptual and computational problems. We anticipated that (1) students in the section requiring conceptual homework would perform better on conceptual exam questions than students required to submit computational homework and (2) students in both sections would perform equally well on the computational exam problems. This poster will present our findings.
      • Examples of Whole Class "Board" Meetings Overcoming Sharp Initial Disagreements

      • PST2C21
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Brant Hinrichs
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster describes a whole-class whiteboard meeting and gives three examples of how they are used in a calculus-based introductory physics course taught using modeling instruction. Students in one section are divided into six groups of 4-5 students each. Each group creates a solution to the same problem on a 2 x 3' whiteboard. The groups then form a large circle in the center of the classroom with their whiteboards on the ground, resting against their knees, facing out to the rest of the group. The instructor is outside the circle and interjects only rarely, if at all. The goal of the discussion is to come to a consensus on the "best" answer to the given problem. Three examples are given of amazing conversations where students overcome sharp initial disagreements to eventually reach whole-class consensus. Students are learning the epistemology of science by actively engaging in it every class.
      • How Do Course Materials Address Students' Learning Difficulties?

      • PST2C23
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Ozden Sengul
      • Type: Poster
      • At Georgia State University, we are participating in a collaborative research study starting in fall 2014 with two other universities, GW and UCF, to explore the successful instructional strategies for the implementation of studio physics in the algebra-based introductory physics classes. As part of this study, we have collected course documents to investigate differences in how various instructors frame their assignments. Course documents, such as in-class activities, quizzes, and experiments, have significant importance in teaching-learning and affect students' learning and instructors' teaching processes. Therefore, we propose to analyze course documents, which are used in studio classes at different institutions. The analysis will be built on students' intuitive ideas grounded in everyday experiences and basic scientific conceptions; we will examine how the activities or homework are used to address students' learning difficulties with regard to certain scientific conceptions.
      • Simulating Nanoscale Magnetism as a Single Domain

      • PST2C25
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by David Sederberg
      • Type: Poster
      • High school and even undergraduate student's explanations of magnetic phenomena seldom involve the dynamic alignment of fundamental structural components, their individual contribution to net forces, reversibility, and effects of applied fields. These concepts carry special meaning with respect to the size dependency of ferromagnetic materials at the nanoscale where, as consequence of ambient thermal energy, materials can exhibit zero remanence. In an interactive computer simulation of a single domain ferromagnetic particle, students manipulate three variables: size, applied field, and temperature. Initial piloting in both middle and high school settings suggests that the immediate feedback depicting the magnetic moments of the atoms on the surface of the domain, relative to those comprising the whole, provided a framework with which students could interpret the effect of each of the variables, individually or in concert on overall magnetic moment and remanence. Opportunities are sought for additional field testing of the simulation module.
      • Improving Students' Understanding of Gauss's Law

      • PST2C27
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • We discuss the development and assessment of research-based tutorials on helping students learn about symmetry and Gauss's law. We discuss the performance of students on the pre-/post-tests given before and after the tutorials in several calculus-based introductory physics courses. We also compare the performance of students who used the tutorials with those who did not use them. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on Quantum Key Distribution

      • PST2C29
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • We have been conducting research and developing and assessing a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on quantum key distribution to expose students to contemporary and exciting applications of quantum mechanics. One protocol used in the QuILT on quantum key distribution involves generating a shared key over a public channel for encrypting and decrypting information using single photons with non-orthogonal polarization states and another protocol makes use of entanglement. The QuILT actively engages students in the learning process and helps them build links between the formalism and the conceptual aspects of quantum physics without compromising the technical content. Details of the development and assessment will be discussed. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation
      • Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on Mach Zehnder Interferometer with Single Photons

      • PST2C31
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • We are developing and assessing a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on Mach Zehnder Interferometry with single photons to expose students to contemporary applications of quantum mechanics. The QuILT strives to help students develop the ability to apply quantum principles in physical situations, explore differences between classical and quantum ideas, and organize knowledge hierarchically. The QuILT also helps students learn about delayed choice experiments, first proposed by John Wheeler. The QuILT adapts visualization tools to help students build physical intuition about non-intuitive quantum phenomena and focuses on helping them integrate qualitative and quantitative understanding and discriminate between concepts that are often confused. Details of the development and assessment will be discussed. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation.
      • Promoting Self-regulated Learning in Introductory Mechanics

      • PST2C33
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Jeffrey Phillips
      • Type: Poster
      • Students who successfully engage in self-regulated learning, are able to plan their own studying, monitoring their progress and make any necessary adjustments based upon the data and feedback they gather. In order to promote this type of independent learning, a recent introductory mechanics course was modified such that the homework and tests emphasized the planning, monitoring and adjusting of self-regulated learning. Students were able to choose many of their own out-of-class learning activities. Rather than collecting daily or weekly problem set solutions, assignments were mostly progress reports where students reported which activities they had attempted, self-assessment of their progress, and plans for their next study session. Tests included wrappers where students were asked to reflect on their mistakes and plans for improvement. While many students only engaged superficially the independent aspects of the course, some did demonstrate evidence of self-regulation. Examples of student work will be presented.
      • Peer Evaluations vs. Instructor Evaluations of Student Lab Reports

      • PST2C35
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Shih-Yin Lin
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of an introductory physics course offered at Georgia Tech, students submit video reports on force and motion labs. Peer grading of reports provides the primary method for evaluating student laboratory work. During peer grading, students are guided to rate each others' videos on a rubric consisting of several likert-scale questions. They are also encouraged to provide written feedback explaining their grading for each rubric item. This paper explores how peer evaluations compare to instructors evaluations by examining the likert-scale responses and written responses provide by both students and instructors. The written responses will be coded to understand what students and instructors attend to in their grading. Similarities and differences between student grading and expert grading will be discussed
      • Student Journeys for Understanding Radiation and Radioactivity

      • PST2C37
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Andy Johnson
      • Type: Poster
      • Radiation literacy is a key component of scientific literacy. However, fewpeople understand much about radiation. Most people think radiation can spread to and contaminate objects and organisms, making the victims radioactive and causing mutations. People tend to use the terms "radiation" and "radioactivity" interchangeably. These alternate ideas impede learning and reasoning about radiation and radioactivity. The research presented in this poster shows that developing understandings of radiation is a slow process that occurs gradually and that seems to require a well-structured environment. Thus it appears that teaching radiation will only result in meaningful understanding when the teaching effort is sustained and robust. We present evidence for some of the stages in students gradually progressing to understanding radiation.
      • Student Perspectives and Reflections on Project-based Pedagogies

      • PST2C39
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Kristina Ward
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster will present the results of student interviews and student reflections from several project-based learning (PBL) courses at Creighton, including an upper-division quantum mechanics course and a freshman-level integrated calculus and physics course. The PBL courses will be described and common themes will be presented and discussed, such as motivation, changes in students' epistemologies, and teaming issues. Student suggestions for more successful implementations of PBL pedagogies will also be discussed.
      • Implementing Elaborative Interrogation in an Introductory Physics Course

      • PST2C41
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Robert Zisk
      • Type: Poster
      • Elaborative Interrogation, a comprehension strategy that asks students to read a passage from the text and respond to the prompt "Why is this true?" for a sentence from the passage, was employed in an introductory college physics course. In this poster, initial results with regard to student accuracy and depth of reasoning are reported, and the effect of sentence type on student responses is detailed. A reading survey was also conducted to address students' reading habits during the course. Results from the reading survey indicate that students read more when asked to complete the interrogation questions as compared to when they are just asked to read the text.
      • Impact Video Tracker in the Teaching of Physics for Engineers

      • PST2C43
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Oscar Jardey Suarez
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster aims to socialize a classroom experience and its impact on theteaching of translational kinematics in the first courses of physics for engineers. The experience is based on an epistemological approach of the experiment in engineering education, supported by didactic sequences as a set of activities with defined intentions. Methodologically based on an experiment, traditionally a block sliding down an inclined plane (air table), focus in comparing the results recorded by a PASCO sensor, manual records, and records of video tracker, information is processed in the spreadsheet with the above is written and exposes an article. The "learning achievement" is measured and compared in two student groups -- one control and other experimental. The results show significant differences in the writing, speaking, and conceptual organization.
      • RIP FCI: A Psychometric Argument

      • PST2C02
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Rebecca Lindell
      • Type: Poster
      • Originally developed by Hestenes, Wells and Swackhamer in 1992, the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) consists of 30 research-based conceptual multiple-choice questions. Over the last 20+ years, tens of thousands of physics instructors throughout the world have utilized the FCI as a way to evaluate the success of their instruction. The question now arises is the FCI still a valid instrument to use to evaluate physics instruction? In this poster, I will present a psychometric argument attempting to answer this question. Alternative procedures will also be discussed.
      • Developing a Survey of Thermodynamic Processes and First and Second Laws

      • PST2C04
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:00PM
      • by Benjamin Brown
      • Type: Poster
      • We developed a research-based multiple-choice survey on thermodynamic processes and first and second laws of thermodynamics. The survey was administered to students in introductory algebra-based and calculus-based courses and also to physics majors in an upper-level thermodynamics course and graduate students. Students at all levels were found to have great difficulty with these concepts. The development process of the survey and findings will be discussed.
      • Developing Static Fluids Assessment: Limiting the Number of Conceptions Probed

      • PST2C06
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Doris Wagner
      • Type: Poster
      • We are developing an FCI-style assessment covering hydrostatic topics commonly included in introductory physics courses. This past academic year we took a step back and gave a "fluids conception" Likert-style survey at many institutions, to try to narrow the range of conceptions targeted by our final assessment to the most prevalent ones. This poster will present commonly and uncommonly held misconceptions and plans for the future of the assessment. We're particularly interested in receiving suggestions from other educators and in recruiting more beta-testers. Stop by and chat!
      • The Multiple Roles of Assessment: Rubric Design in the Upper Division

      • PST2C08
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Leanne Doughty
      • Type: Poster
      • End-of-course assessments play informative and evaluative roles in the ongoing attempt to improve instruction in our undergraduate physics courses: (i) Analysis of students' answers to assessment items provides insight into difficulties students experience with specific concepts and required skills; (ii) Comparison of students' performance on assessments before and after instruction gives a measure of student learning. While open-ended questions provide information about student reasoning (i), training graders to score students' answers to these type of questions so that meaningful comparisons can be made (ii) requires significant investment. One solution for reliable analysis of an open-ended assessment for both purposes is the use of a grading rubric that separates assessing student work and uncovering student difficulties. We have constructed a separable rubric for the Colorado Classical Mechanics/Math Methods Instrument that can be used by untrained graders to reliably score the assessment (i) and by others to unpack common student difficulties (ii).
      • Research-based Assessment Resources to Improve Teaching in Your Classroom and Department

      • PST2C10
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:00PM
      • by Sarah McKagan
      • Type: Poster
      • Often physics faculty want to know how their students are doing compared to other "students like mine.'' As part of the PER User's Guide (http://perusersguide.org), we are developing a national database of research validated assessment results and an accompanying data explorer. Here faculty can securely upload their students' anonymized assessment results and compare them to students from peer institutions and the national dataset, view a question-by-question breakdown and compare results over time. "One-click analysis'' allows faculty members to visualize their data, view statistics, and download a report of the results. Results can be used to improve teaching, to make a case for more resources, for accreditation reports, or for promotion and tenure. Additionally, we are developing guides to these research validated assessments and access to the tests themselves. We will showcase our new online system and provide information about how you can use it.
      • Raising Calculus to the Surface: Discovering Geometry Using Tangible Models

      • PST2C12
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Aaron Wangberg
      • Type: Poster
      • The solutions to mathematics and science problems with multiple variables often rely upon the geometric relationships between mathematical objects. For most calculus and physics students, this geometric reasoning occurs after their algebraic understandings -- if at all! This poster shows a new approach to multivariable calculus which lets students discover the geometric properties of mathematical objects before introduction with algebraic expressions. As a result, students are able to discuss the geometric (including coordinate dependent and independent) properties of such concepts as gradient, directional derivatives, level curves, integrals, and partial derivatives. Come explore how these physical surfaces help students bring their geometric knowledge of calculus to the surface and discuss how these tools could help physics students explore important quantities in physics.
      • Assessment of C3PO: Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online

      • PST2C14
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Evan Frodermann
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Minnesota Physics Education Research Group has been investigating the utility of using computer coaches to help students learn more expert-like problem solving skills in introductory physics. These coaches, Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online (C3PO), comprise a web-based system that allows students to follow their own path in solving a physics problem while providing them with guidance and feedback. This poster describes the measures of the effectiveness and utility of the coaches that were used in the environment of a large introductory physics class where many other factors influence their learning. B. Aryal, and A. Mason also contributed to this poster. This work was partially supported by NSF DUE-0715615 and DUE-1226197.
      • Computer Coaches for Problem Solving: Algebra-based Applications

      • PST2C16
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Cassandra Lange
      • Type: Poster
      • An introductory physics problem-solving framework is desirable for students to develop problem-solving skills. However, a potential obstacle to developing this framework, even with an explicit intervention, is with regard to student attitudes and approaches to problem solving. Computer coaches, developed at the University of Minnesota for introducing a problem-solving framework, are examined with respect to data taken from a reflection activity performed by students in an introductory physics for life science (IPLS) course. The activity consisted of students working on a problem in lab groups and recording aspects of the problem solving process in which they struggled. These recorded struggles are compared to the computer coaches' different problem solving steps.
      • Describing Video Viewing Behavior in a Flipped Introductory Mechanics Course

      • PST2C18
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by John Aiken
      • Type: Poster
      • In Fall 2013, Georgia Tech began offering a "flipped" introductory calculus-based mechanics class as an alternative to the traditional large enrollment lecture class. This class "flips" instruction by introducing new material outside of the classroom through pre-recorded, lecture videos that feature in-video "clicker" questions. Classroom time is spent working in small groups solving problems, practicing scientific communication, and peer evaluation. Video lectures constitute students' initial introduction to course material. We analyze how students engage with online lecture videos via "clickstream" data. Clickstream data consists of time-stamped interactions with the online video player. Plays, pauses, seeks, and other events are recorded when the student interacts with the video player. Patterns in this behavior can emerge and be used to highlight areas of interest in the video and improve the overall video delivery for future iterations of this course.
      • Examining Epistemological Beliefs in Undergraduate Thesis Writing

      • PST2C20
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Jason Dowd
      • Type: Poster
      • We present results from ongoing research to better understand how writing an undergraduate thesis improves scientific reasoning and writing skills through impacting metacognition, motivation, and epistemological beliefs. Previous work indicates that scaffolding the writing process in a thesis-writing course can be an effective strategy for promoting better writing and stronger scientific reasoning skills. Our findings suggest that students' beliefs about the nature of knowledge are, indeed, related to students' exhibition of these skills. Here we further explore this relationship through analysis of the coherence of students' various epistemological beliefs and the effect of epistemology-focused classroom interventions on learning outcomes. Data have been collected across multiple departments and institutions over two years. Ultimately, our analysis will be used to shape continued institution- and department-specific changes during subsequent years of this multi-year study.
      • Truly Interactive Use of Interactive Whiteboards in High School Physics

      • PST2C22
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Bor Gregorcic
      • Type: Poster
      • In a pilot study we did last year in a Slovenian high school, we have found that IWBs are not being used to their full potential, as physics teachers are mostly not taking advantage of the interactive affordances of the touch-sensitive surface. As a continuation of the study, we have designed two lessons that incorporate students' creative graphical and kinaesthetic input as a key part of the learning sequence. Two teachers, although experienced users of the IWB, learned to work with the IWB in a new way and implemented the designed lessons in their classes. One of the teachers also participated in the design process and analysis of one lesson, which gave us valuable critical feedback on our ideas. The study investigates how teachers and students responded to the novel approach to IWB use and how it influenced the classroom dynamics.
      • How Does Problem-solving Training Affect Students' Reasoning Patterns?

      • PST2C24
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Xian Wu
      • Type: Poster
      • We study the effects of a computer-based training process on pre-service elementary teachers' reasoning. There are four introductory physics problem sets with diagrams in our training process. Each problem set has three training problems with solutions followed by one near transfer problem and one far transfer problem. All of the problems are based on physics diagrams and conceptual understanding rather than calculations. The entire training processes have been video and audio recorded. We analyze students' verbal answers in order to unravel the reasoning resources that they activated to construct the different explanations given. We found that student reasoning patterns have been changed dramatically throughout this process. Our results provide insight into student activation of their resources and the procedures they facilitated to construct their understanding by walking through the training problems and solutions.
      • Implementing Lecture-Tutorial Exercises in an Introductory Astronomy Course

      • PST2C26
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Eric Williams
      • Type: Poster
      • We present initial results from a study on the effects of pedagogical course reform in two sections of an introductory astronomy course for non-science majors at Florida International University. This reform was accomplished by implementing publisher-supplied hands-on lecture tutorials (LTs), which are short (15-30 minute) workbook activities that are done in class in small groups. Each LT is designed so that students uncover and confront common misconceptions about astronomical and physical concepts. The instructor, with the help of undergraduate learning assistants, acts as a facilitator during each LT exercise. Here we discuss the methods and challenges of implementation, and the impact on student learning by comparing exam performance in the LT sections to that in traditionally taught lecture sections.
      • Improving Students' Understanding of Lock-In Amplifiers

      • PST2C28
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • A lock-in amplifier (LIA) is a versatile instrument frequently used in physics research. However, many students struggle with the basic operating principles of a LIA which can lead to a variety of difficulties. To improve students' understanding, we have been developing and evaluating a research-based tutorial that utilizes a computer simulation of a LIA. The tutorial is based on a field-tested approach in which students realize their difficulties after predicting the outcome of simulated experiments involving a LIA and check their predictions using the simulation. Then, the tutorial guides and helps students develop a coherent understanding of the basics of a LIA. The tutorial development involved interviews with physics faculty members and graduate students and iteration of many versions of the tutorial with professors and graduate students. The student difficulties and the development and assessment of the research-based tutorial are discussed. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation.
      • Learning Introductory Physics via Web-based Tutorials and Scaffolded Prequizzes

      • PST2C30
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • Web-based tutorials based upon research in teaching and learning of physics can be a useful self-study tool for increasing exposure to expert-like problem solving strategies in introductory physics in which the student population is generally quite diverse. One challenge with web-based self-study tools is that the level of student participation and engagement with these tools depends on how disciplined students are and what value they discern in learning from these tools. We developed both a set of web-based tutorials and scaffolded pre-quizzes designed to improve introductory students' understanding of physics. The scaffolded pre-quizzes mirror the structure of web-based tutorials developed via research and can be implemented in the classroom where participation from all students is easier to mandate. We discuss investigation of the effectiveness of the web-based tutorials and scaffolded pre-quizzes and weigh on the strengths and weaknesses of each intervention. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on Quantum Eraser

      • PST2C32
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • We are developing and assessing a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on quantum erasure. The quantum eraser apparatus uses a Mach Zehnder Interferometer with single photons and exposes students to contemporary applications of quantum mechanics. The QuILT strives to help students develop the ability to apply quantum principles in physical situations, explore differences between classical and quantum ideas, and organize knowledge hierarchically. The QuILTs adapt existing visualization tools to help students build physical intuition about non-intuitive quantum phenomena. Details of the development and assessment will be discussed. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation.
      • Implementing and Evaluating Peer-review of Writing for Freshmen Engineers

      • PST2C34
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Kathleen Harper
      • Type: Poster
      • One goal of the Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors sequence at The Ohio State University is to develop strong technical communication skills. As part of a "cornerstone" design-and-build robotics project for second-semester engineering majors, teams write a thorough technical report. During the nearly 20-year history of the program, teams have submitted drafts of each half of the report for feedback. In spite of the heavy emphasis on technical writing in the prior semester, these drafts have often been disappointing and time-consuming to grade. Also, it sometimes has seemed that feedback on the first half draft had little impact on the quality of the second half draft. To address these weaknesses, teams now draft the first two sections of their report earlier in the term for a peer review and feedback exercise. This talk describes the details of the exercise, along with an assessment of its effectiveness.
      • Improving Conceptual Understanding in Physics Class for Non-traditional Students

      • PST2C36
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Olga Stafford
      • Type: Poster
      • A different teaching approach has to be used in physics class for nontraditional students. Most of them have limited free time to study and little math preparation for taking the class. In order to improve students' conceptual understanding of physics concepts a few teaching technics might be used. They are: studio format teaching style, group work in groups with traditional students, initiation of discussion during the lecture class, recitation and Lab right after learning material in class, mostly studying in class with weekly online homework and chapter's reading quizzes. Students' gain in conceptual understanding of physics principles significantly improved based on results of standard pre- and post- test in comparison with the national data.
      • Solving the Two Sigma Problem

      • PST2C38
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Wendy Adams
      • Type: Poster
      • We have developed a course for students with weak backgrounds in physics that has consistently resulted in an effect size over three for female students and over two for males on the Force Concept Inventory. This course demonstrates improved outcomes in three areas that have not been previously reported in the literature: a) very large effect sizes on a concept tests, b) reasonable FCI gains (0.57) using interactive engagement with poorly prepared students, and c) reducing the gender gap. The course is structured around the theoretical design of engaging students in effortful practice via a highly structured course with lots of feedback. The structure is provided to block student short cuts. Groups and activities have been carefully chosen to provide a safe environment for discussion and practice, and the idea that effort results in success is constantly reinforced by activities with reasonable challenges.
      • Measuring the Effectiveness of Collaborative Group Exams

      • PST2C40
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Joss Ives
      • Type: Poster
      • I will report on the results of a study designed to measure the effectiveness of an instructional strategy known as 2-stage exams or collaborative group exams. This exam format first has the students take the exam individually. Once all the students have handed in their individual exams, they organize into collaborative groups of three or four and take the same exam again with only a single copy of the exam being given to each group. Different versions of the group exam featured different subsets of the questions from the individual exam. Questions isomorphic to the exam questions will be administered on the end-of-course diagnostic and comparisons, using the relevant isomorphic question, will be made between the students that saw a given question on the group exam and those that did not.
      • Facilitating Students' Transfer of Learning Through Integration of Interdisciplinary Contexts

      • PST2C42
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Bijaya Aryal
      • Type: Poster
      • We designed a module-based learning cycle for an introductory-level physics course integrating interdisciplinary contexts. A multi-disciplinary group of faculty contributed to the development of various teaching activities involving multiple contexts. Students were expected to learn physics concepts and skills, and then apply the learning in various interdisciplinary contexts in the last stage of the learning cycle. We define such application of concepts and skills across contexts as transfer of learning. In this presentation we report on the design, implementation and assessment of students' learning of physics in the learning environment. We also describe the extent and nature of students' ability to transfer physics in various contexts. Moreover, we present the impact of presentation of interdisciplinary contexts by instructors of different disciplines on transfer tasks and we provide results of our comparative study on students' spontaneous transfer of physics learning to contexts involving science courses and non-science courses.
      • Exploring the Gender Gap in an Algebra-based Physics Course

      • PST2C44
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Twanelle Majors
      • Type: Poster
      • The differences in performance of males and females in physics have been well documented. While evaluating the effectiveness of the Learner-centered Environment for Algebra-based Physics curriculum (LEAP), results on the Force Concept Inventory for the first semester course showed that females in LEAP sections perform the same as males in traditional sections, which suggests that the LEAP curriculum might be effective in reducing the performance gap between males and females. To better understand whether this result is due to pedagogical or assessment choices, students in the LEAP and traditional course sections were given the Gender FCI developed by Laura McCullough which replaces the school/male-oriented contexts with real-life/female-oriented contexts. Propensity scoring was used to strengthen the findings as confounding variables can have a significant effect on estimating the effect of the curriculum. The results from this work will be presented in this poster.
  • Physics and Society Poster Session

      • Science and Religion

      • PST2A01
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Madhuri Bapat
      • Type: Poster
      • Many physicists (Fritjof Capra, David Baum) in the past have tried to relate science with religion. I have made an attempt to find a parallel between Hindu philosophy and science. Birth, life, and death are seen as effects of four fundamental forces combined in various manners. Reincarnation and Moakhsha or Nirvana are seen as principles in physics such as conservation of energy, and converting mass into energy. Controlling enemies such as greed, pride, anger, jealousy, and sorrow are seen as controlling degenerative forces such as friction, resistance, etc. Soul is perceived as a wave that carries all four fundamental energies-electromagnetic, gravitational, nuclear, and atomic. Meditation is perceived as controlling electron transitions in brain. Emotions are seen as biochemicals produced in brain. This model is neither complete nor even close to accurate. However it invites more brain storming from interested folks.
      • Establishing an Ancient Cosmos (in the Creation Museum's Backyard)

      • PST2A03
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Richard Gelderman
      • Type: Poster
      • The Creation Museum, located in northern Kentucky near Cincinnati, presents a "young Earth" account of the origins of the universe and life on Earth, according to a literal reading of the Book of Genesis. Because this high production-value museum experience is an easy day trip for people in our region, we have explicitly incorporated into our presentations the strategies that we hope can counter young Earth teachings. We share examples of investigative activities to establish cosmic timescales. However, we have found that reinforcing the practices of science is a more important aspect of our instruction than factual content. We argue that the bulk of our time is best spent engaging students in processes by which they create and test potential explanations as scientists.
      • Engaging Physics Majors with Academic Civic Engagement Projects

      • PST2A05
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Melissa Eblen Zayas
      • Type: Poster
      • How to prepare students to become engaged citizens and apply their physicsknowledge to social problems is often an afterthought in the undergraduate physics curriculum. Academic civic engagement projects, both in traditional classes and beyond standard coursework, provide a powerful opportunity for students to bring their knowledge to bear on local community issues. I will present several examples of the types of academic civic engagement projects I have had students work on as well as highlighting the benefits and challenges of this type of work.
      • Demonstrations for Outreach on Energy Topics

      • PST2A07
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by David Sturm
      • Type: Poster
      • A compilation of demonstrations found useful with the Mainely Physics RoadShow in lecture-style presentations on the topic of energy (particularly electrical energy) to the middle school audience.
      • Can Small Boxes Model the Atmospheric Greenhouse?

      • PST2A09
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Thomas Gibbons
      • Type: Poster
      • Atmospheric trapping of infrared leads to a warmer surface, but there has been questioning about whether solar collectors and greenhouses also act in this way. These systems also control convection, which might be responsible for the warmer temperatures. Schools need models of the atmospheric greenhouse but should not use models that actually demonstrate something else. I have used small boxes resembling solar collectors with a black absorbing interior but covered by materials of differing infrared transmission properties. After determining relative infrared transmission ability using two methods, I measured their interior temperatures with varying degrees of insolation and ambient temperature. Whenever infrared transmission differences were clear, the greater transmission (smaller trapping) corresponded to a lower internal temperature. This leads to greater confidence that infrared trapping in these devices does affect their temperatures, thus crudely modeling atmospheric effects, regardless of any convection effects present.
      • Observing Students' Science Learning Activity in the Elementary School Classrooms

      • PST2A11
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by YoungSeon Seo
      • Type: Poster
      • The unbalance of intelligence development can be found with ease in low grade classes of elementary school. Lingual activities are dominant in a science class as well as the other classes. Logic and mathematics are also essential features in a science lesson. Therefore, the students who lag behind in developing language and mathematics skills often have difficulty in keeping up with the classes regardless of their interest and talent in science. Also it will let the students fall into a chronically learning frustration that is hard to get out of. We have observed the students' activities in low grade classes to find out how the students are different in intelligence development. As a consequence of this research, we hope to suggest a teaching and learning strategy in science class for the students who are late in the development of verbal linguistic and logical mathematical intelligence.
      • Student Attitudes Toward Science: Baseline Data

      • PST2A02
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Shannon Willoughby
      • Type: Poster
      • Nationwide student attitudes toward science and students' perceived ability to learn science tend to decrease through the semester in traditionally taught physics and astronomy courses. A recent study[1] has shown that more explicit inclusion of the nature of science and science versus pseudoscience in an introductory astronomy course has resulted in increased student attitudes toward the relevance of science in their daily lives as well as students' perceived abilities to learn science. In order to gauge the change in student attitudes in Astronomy 110 locally, we have given the Epistemological Beliefs about the Physical Sciences[2] survey for four semesters. Overall results are similar to those seen nationwide, but when broken down by gender some surprising results emerge.
      • Crazy, Cool, Controversial: Real-world Radiation and Nuclear Technology Topics

      • PST2A08
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Kathryn Schaffer
      • Type: Poster
      • Radiation is everywhere. This is true in a literal sense, but also in the sense that news stories, pop-culture references, historical oddities, technological applications, and cultural artifacts that relate to radiation and nuclear technology are abundant. These provide rich fodder for class discussion and intriguing entry-points for learning physics. This poster will highlight some favorites from a course that devotes an hour a week to discussing the "nuclear news" and student-selected curiosities. A handout will present a collection of over 50 topics to consider for enriching classroom discussion of radiation, radioactivity, and nuclear technology, ranging from the radiation environment in space to nuclear weapons imagery in contemporary fashion.
      • Analysis of Carbon Dioxide's IR Absorption Ratio

      • PST2A10
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Suyeong Kim
      • Type: Poster
      • People around the globe have been concerned about greenhouse effect for decades. Greenhouse effect is caused by man-made gases, such as carbon dioxide. It is said that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere absorbs IR light, while the quantitative data tells the absorbing rate according to the density and thickness of carbon dioxide gas. We developed the method to measure the absorbing ratio of IR light due to the density and thickness with simple equipments.
  • Post-deadline Abstract (posters)

      • Facilitating an Authentic Research Experience in Quantitative Biology and Biophysics

      • PST2G01
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Benjamin Geller
      • Type: Poster
      • The First-Year Innovation and Research Experience (FIRE) aims to facilitate transformational experiences for first-year undergraduates in faculty-led research and innovation streams at the University of Maryland, College Park. A pre-pilot FIRE stream was implemented during the spring 2014 semester, focusing on authentic biophysical research questions related to the dynamics of the cytoskeletal network and the associated motor proteins. More broadly, this stream provided students (1) the opportunity to develop research skills that make them competitive when applying for future research internships and/or medical school, (2) iterative practice in written and oral scientific communication, and (3) the chance to build a collaborative and supportive community that lasts beyond the end of the stream. This poster explores the lessons learned in this pre-pilot stream and how those lessons might inform the implementation of future FIRE streams.
      • Music Science Collaboration: Libraries, Community Band, and Music Education Students

      • PST2G03
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Patricia Sievert
      • Type: Poster
      • Engagement and collaboration produce rich physics outreach experiences. This year we collaborate with three area libraries, the School of Music, additional NIU faculty and students, and the oldest, continuously performing community band in the United States to bring the physics of music to families across our county. A simulcast performance and music-physics demonstration with musicians at three libraries and on campus kicks off this spring's series. A local artist and environmental studies education students will team up with us to help families recycle materials into instruments for Earth Day. An art educator and a sound technician from our e-learning lab will team up with us to work with families in a circuit-bending activity to produce electronic instruments from old toys in May. The finale will be a family music-science fair immediately preceding the first summer concert of the DeKalb Community Band as it kicks off its 160th season.
      • The Formality of Physical and Social Sciences Learning.

      • PST2G05
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Mario Ramirez Diaz
      • Type: Poster
      • When considering physics as a nomothetic and generalizing science, which is isolated from the ideographic sciences or individualized sciences, can not display the opportunity to take formal models that serve to give a widening in this construct. Currently interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity allows us to cooperate between different branches of science, even create new sciences like Sociophysical and Econophysics, which occupy the same models. This requires us to share in a classroom, the construction of these branches of knowledge with a mixture of teaching physics, grounded in models that support a political, economic and cultural baggage.
      • Re-Thinking the Teaching of Intermediate Electrodynamics

      • PST2G07
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by James Dull
      • Type: Poster
      • The "flipped" classroom teaching model makes lecture-like information available outside the classroom, and then builds on this instruction through learning activities such as group problem solving, discussion, and short projects. This differs from the traditional lecture/homework model by requiring students to enter the classroom prepared to learn. I have adopted a more modest version of the flipped classroom. Reading the text is used in a way similar to lecture videos, and students are rewarded for and challenged to complete reading and short assignments in preparation for group problem-solving sessions during each class period. This no-lecture classroom, emphasizing a more dynamic form of communicating conceptual and detailed understanding through written and oral assignments, was eagerly adopted by my students. In addition, preliminary comparisons with the results from more traditional versions of this course show a slight improvement in average test scores. More significantly, this method has given opportunities for the less confident student to demonstrate her/his understanding in multiple formats.
      • Using IOLab to Correct Student Misunderstandings of Newton's Third Law

      • PST2G09
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Eric Martell
      • Type: Poster
      • The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is used at schools across the country asa tool to measure student conceptual understanding of Newtonian physics. One of the weaknesses commonly identified is in applications of Newton's Third Law. In this project, we utilized a recently-developed wireless data acquisition system, the IOLab, to attempt to rectify student misunderstandings regarding the Third Law. The subjects for this research came from calculus and algebra-based introductory physics courses. An assessment of the effectiveness of this teaching tool as well as a comparison between the two courses will be included.
      • A Program for STEM Scholarship Recipients in Physics, Math, Computer Science, and Engineering

      • PST2G11
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Mary Lowe
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster will focus on the activities at Loyola University Maryland associated with an NSF grant to provide scholarships to STEM undergraduates attending the university from 2007-2012. The poster will describe issues with implementing such a grant: recruitment and selection of students, financial considerations, students' progress through the program, mentoring, research and outreach activities of the recipients, supplemental courses, and retention. Alumni information is now becoming available. Outcomes of physics students who received scholarships will be presented.
      • Interaction of Negative Ions with X-Rays

      • PST2G13
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by ileana dumitriu
      • Type: Poster
      • Clusters are the bridge between gas phase and solid phase and have been studied using mostly laser techniques. Investigation of cluster negative ions using synchrotron radiation is a novel direction. Studies of ionic clusters allow us to understand the complex behavior of bulk materials. The experiment was performed at Lawrence National Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA. The negative small carbon clusters Cn ¯ (n = 1,?,10) were produced by a cesium sputter source SNICS. The negative ion beam and counter propagating photon beam overlap in the interaction region. Inner-shell photodetachment from negative ions followed by Auger decay produce positive ions that are detected as a function of photon energy. The inner-shell photodetachment cross section of small carbon clusters was measured in the photon energy range of 25 -90 eV. The poster presents experimental results on the size evolution of the electronic properties of the small Cn ¯ (n = 1,?,10) clusters.
      • SciPlay's Physics Noticing Tool (PNT): Designing for Real Middle School Classrooms

      • PST2G15
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Laura Rodriguez-Costacamps
      • Type: Poster
      • The New York Hall of Science's SciPlay department creates and researches technologies and curricular approaches that leverage children's natural playfulness for scientific inquiry and engagement. We recognize the challenge of successfully and simultaneously fostering playfulness and physics learning in the middle school classroom, and are developing a Physics Noticing Tool (PNT) in an effort to support teachers in this endeavor. The PNT is a digital app that allows students to document their own playground activities and investigate the energy, force, and motion involved in their performances. We will discuss how the app design accommodates the messiness of real playground physics, how the accompanying curricular scaffolding addresses the challenges of classroom management, and how the technology and facilitation together can support collaborative classroom investigations of rich and relevant physics.
      • MyTech: Using Smartphones in Physics Labs

      • PST2G17
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Colleen Lanz
      • Type: Poster
      • The common use of "black boxes" in physics laboratories impedes students' learning of the topics at hand and the high cost of the equipment often prohibits universities from being able to provide a laboratory experience to their students. We believe that the use of unfamiliar equipment encountered in the laboratory places a pedagogical barrier between students and their educational gains. By using their own familiar electronic devices, students not only gain access to all of the necessary sensors for data collection, but the connection between their school lives and personal lives strengthens. In response to this desire to integrate smartphones into laboratories, we have developed a suite of experiments and apps featuring the use of students' own equipment in data collection and analysis. We will present preliminary results on shifts obtained in kinematics skills, attitudes and technological anxiety from this study to illustrate the impact of smartphones in physics labs.
      • Investigating Polymer Lens Formation Using Interfacial Liquid Surfaces

      • PST2G19
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Mason White
      • Type: Poster
      • In this experiment we examine the profile of polymer lenses formed by dropping hydrophobic, photo-curable monomer onto liquid substrates, and then solidifying the monomer through exposure to a UV light source. The intermolecular forces acting on the monomer at the interface of these two substances mold the floating monomer into a specific shape. This geometry is maintained as the polymer cures, thus indicating that these intermolecular forces determine the structure of the lens. By manipulating these forces, we can create polymer lenses of different curvatures. We can change the force at the interface by altering the temperature, density, and polarity of the substrate, as well as the container in which the curing process occurs. We will present data for the full width at half max of the lenses with respect to these variables, with the ultimate goal of finding a mathematical equation that describes this curvature.
      • Computational Modeling of Missense Mutations

      • PST2G21
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Ekaterina Michonova-Alexova
      • Type: Poster
      • The present research is motivated by the global impact of drug dependence and substance abuse, accounting for one of the highest mortality tolls worldwide. We apply biophysics, bioinformatics, and molecular modeling approaches to the recently crystallized structure of the µ-opioid receptor (MOR), which is a member of the GPCR superfamily and one of the primarily targets for opioids. We investigated the impact of four missense mutations in MOR, coded by non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs), observed in patients with substance dependence problems.
      • Tapping Into the Matrix

      • PST2G25
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Christopher Porter
      • Type: Poster
      • We present a scaffolded, stepped-complexity approach to incorporating matrices in quantum mechanics at the advanced undergraduate level. Advances have been made in recent years in improving students comfort level with basis vector and/or bra ket notation. But we have observed a disconnect when topics combine matrix notation and linear algebra with traditional wavefunction notation and calculus. This difficulty is notably present in perturbation theory and topics in continuous media. We are developing trial activities that establish a connection between the two notations and concepts, implement increasing levels of complexity as the connection is developed, and finally allow the student to do full calculations and give conceptual interpretations of problems involving both matrix and wavefunction representations. Examples are shown in perturbation theory and continuous media. We comment on early reactions although statistics are not yet available. Currently, the activities have only been used in pilot study for Master's-to-PhD bridge program participants.
      • Physics in the Mountains

      • PST2G27
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Enrique Gomez
      • Type: Poster
      • We conducted a study of student responses to a "flipped" course for two sections of an introductory, algebra-based, college physics course. In a flipped course, content is presented in online videos introducing physics concepts and the subsequent classroom meeting time is dedicated to solving physics problems both numerical and conceptual. We coupled this flipped course with an additional redesign element where students took field trips to sites in the mountains of Western North Carolina illustrating the application of physics concepts. We collected student responses with three instruments: the Force Concept Inventory, an attitude toward physics survey, and a small group analysis. In the three instruments we find significant shifts in student attitudes toward physics as well as evidence of metacognition.
      • Experiences of Assessment in the Sciences Laboratory, in the UPSLP

      • PST2G29
      • Wed 07/30, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Carlos Arriaga Santos
      • Type: Poster
      • The Polytechnic University of San Luis Potosí (UPSLP) has promoted the application of a new model of education, based on the development of professional competences that the students should possess after graduating. This model has required rethinking the methodology, both in the classroom and in the laboratory. Assessment is the main aspect of this new focus, and allows verification of the grade of development of certain aspects such as knowledge, skills and attitudes that the student has reached in a given period of time. This work presents some reflections derived from the experience in the implementation of the evaluation under the focus of the Education Approach in Competences, as well as the evolution of the practice in the science laboratory.
      • Flipping the Introductory Physics Classroom

      • PST2G02
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Joseph Trout
      • Type: Poster
      • Assessment was completed on using classroom "flipping" techniques and thisassessment will be presented. The "flipping" techniques include using in-class group assignments and video lectures. Self assessment by student surveys will also be presented.
      • Stimulating Research-driven Reforms -- The Role of Concept Inventories

      • PST2G04
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Vijay Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • Science education research is a nascent area of academics in India. However the country has a vast and aspiring student population. Quality science education is thus extremely vital for the economic and societal progress of the country. We have been involved with the task of promoting research in science education, particularly at the introductory level. We chose concept inventories as a means to facilitate as it enables large-scale application. It may be noted that CIs played a crucial role in stimulating reforms in the U.S. inspired us. In this paper we present some of the work we carried out in this regard. We developed inventories on friction on rolling bodies and rotational kinematics of a rigid body. We administered popular inventories such as the Force Concept Inventory and the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism to Indian students. We compare our results with those of the U.S. and China. The Kuder Richardson reliability index for FCI for a sample of over 900 students was 0.95. On the other hand CSEM registered a value of 0.96 for a sample of nearly 500 students. We are also involved in training motivated practicing teachers to develop their own inventories on introductory level topics.
      • Data Collection on Cirrus Coverage Using an Allsky Camera

      • PST2G06
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Sylke Boyd
      • Type: Poster
      • Systematic observations of atmospheric optical phenomena can reveal much about the physical properties of normally inaccessible layers of the troposphere, for example at cirrus altitude. Optical displays are influenced by the ice crystal shapes, sizes, orientations, and particle densities. This research aims to utilize these optical phenomena for remote probing of atmospheric conditions that affect the color, angular intensity distribution, brightness, and type of optical displays, including halos, parhelia, and pillars. An allsky camera serves for long-term observation and data collection on frequency, seasonal distribution, and type of optical displays at the University of Minnesota-Morris. We present our work on image analysis software for the automatic detection of the presence of common halo-related optical phenomena. In addition, we present our work on the development of a simulation aiming to correlate the observed angular intensity distribution with the types, sizes and orientations of ice crystals present in the generating layer.
      • Twitter As a Professional Development Tool for Physicists

      • PST2G08
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Eric Martell
      • Type: Poster
      • Social media is ubiquitous in popular culture and is used by individuals and businesses to build a brand and interact with customers, but it is much more than a repository for advertising and banal statements about the state of an individual's lunch choices. Twitter, in particular, can be used to develop professional connections, share news regarding research and teaching, and collaborate with colleagues around the world in real time. This can be especially important for faculty teaching in smaller departments, where the opportunities for professional interactions with diverse colleagues are limited, although physicists from departments of all sizes can benefit from effective use of Twitter.
      • Fermat's Principle in Refraction of Light

      • PST2G10
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Vernessa Edwards
      • Type: Poster
      • Fermat's principle represents a unification of the laws of geometrical optics, namely, the laws of rectilinear propagation, reflection, and refraction. Apparent violations of Fermat's principle have been widely publicized in reflection of light inside ellipsoidal mirrors. This study explores the violation of Fermat's principle in refraction. The surface of separation of the two media is found to be an oval, whose parametric equation is obtained. The part of the oval on which actual refraction could take place is determined. If the oval at any point is replaced by a convex surface having a curvature greater than that of the oval, then the optical path is shown to be maximum. However, since the laws of reflection or refraction are valid at points where the surfaces are locally flat, Fermat's principle of minimum optical path is also obeyed at those same points.
      • We Share Solar - a STEM Program to Built a Solar Suitcase

      • PST2G12
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Tiberiu Dragoiu Luca
      • Type: Poster
      • We Share Solar is a STEM education program, which uses the building of a We Share Solar Suitcase (a 12V DC Stand-Alone Solar Power System) as a learning platform for solar technology. It is a program that is offered by the parent organization We Care Solar (CNN Hero). The We Share Solar kit (also referring to as Solar Suitcase) was developed to allow teachers to easily have all the necessary parts to build a solar electric system, and to provide a supportive educational program with enriching curriculum in solar energy literacy. In this short talk I will present the implementation of this program at my school.
      • Student mental model as a guide to teaching

      • PST2G14
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Anita Roychoudhury
      • Type: Poster
      • Students develop their mental models from their everyday experiences. It is likely that middle and high school students have developed their mental models of abstract concepts like greenhouse effect and climate change from frequent talks on these topics in the media. Student mental models are personal and are often different from the conceptual models constructed by scientists and the general goal of teaching is to assist students to modify their personal models into the scientific ones. This process is far from a replacement of one by the other; it is a slow process of construction. We will present our iterative findings from the ways student models guided our lessons and how they changed after instruction on greenhouse effect and climate change.
      • Projectile Motion In-class Activity Using Landmarks and Online Map Data

      • PST2G16
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Kenneth Purcell
      • Type: Poster
      • Projectile motion is the primary means of discussing two-dimensional kinematics under constant acceleration and is one of the first core concepts encountered by students in an introductory physics course that allows them to develop their problem solving skills. We will discuss a projectile motion activity challenge that we have introduced to keep the interest of the students peaked during the in-class problem solving. Students are broken up into teams and choose a location from a list of chosen landmarks/locations in Evansville, IN. Each team has three ?guns? at their base: a fixed angle and adjustable velocity cannon, a fixed velocity and adjustable angle cannon, and a cannon with fixed angle and velocity but an adjustable height. We will also discuss how data from online map sources can be used to obtain accurate distances between preselected landmarks of the instructors choosing.
      • Maxwell?s Equations in a Plastic Cup

      • PST2G18
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Gregory Putman
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics in Entertainment and The Arts Lab is a science core course that serves approximately 500 non-science students per year. This course is designed to explore the physics of everyday objects with a few basics ideas and minimal technical equipment. We focus on waves of sound and light and how they shape music and the visual arts. One of the most appreciated labs involves making a speaker out of a coil of wire, a plastic cup, and a magnet (after using the coil and magnet to explore the relationship between electricity, magnetism and motion.) This activity fascinates students at all levels, including faculty. To paraphrase one student "Heavy Metal out of a plastic cup is (amazing)!"
      • History of Nuclear Physics: From the Dawn of Nuclear Physics to the First Atomic Bombs

      • PST2G20
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Ekaterina Michonova-Alexova
      • Type: Poster
      • Here we present a fresh look at the major discoveries leading to nuclear fission within the historical perspective. The focus is on the main contributors to the discoveries in nuclear physics, leading to the idea of fission and its application to the creation of the atomic bombs used at the end of the World War II. This work is a more complete review on the history of the nuclear physics discoveries and their application to the atomic bomb. In addition to the traditional approach to the topic, focusing mainly on the fundamental physics discoveries in Europe and on the Manhattan Project in the United States, the nuclear research in Japan is also emphasized. Along with that, a review of the existing credible scholar publications, providing evidence for possible atomic bomb research in Japan, is provided. Proper credit is given to the women physicists, whose contributions had not always been recognized. Considering the historical and political situation at the time of the scientific discoveries, thought-provoking questions about decision-making, morality, and responsibility are also addressed. We refer to the contributions of over 20 Nobel Prize winners.
      • CERN Beamline for Schools Proposal: Testing Nuclear Cladding Materials

      • PST2G22
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Emily Koss
      • Type: Poster
      • CERN has sponsored the Beamline for Schools competition. Proposals to use their 10 GeV target facility were solicited from international high school student teams. The objective of our experiment is to revolutionize the nuclear energy industry's current testing methods for nuclear reactor cladding materials. Because charged particle beams are more common, less expensive to operate, and allow for faster test cycles than test reactors, our method of using charged particles to simulate neutron damage could expedite testing cycles and reduce development costs.
      • Agile Development of a Python-based Image Analysis Tool

      • PST2G24
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Matthew Craig
      • Type: Poster
      • A tool for performing professional-level analysis of astronomical images was developed with active undergraduate participation as part of an agile software development process. This poster will provide an overview the ipython notebook-based software. It will be used as the primary tool in an astronomical image processing course. It will also be used by small groups of students in an introductory astronomy course as part of observation projects for the course. Development of the tool will continue in response to student feedback.
      • Students' Responses to Different Translations of the Physics Concept Inventory

      • PST2G26
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Michi Ishimoto
      • Type: Poster
      • The physics concept inventory has "gone global:: It has been translated into many non-English languages and is in use in many countries today. Two Japanese translations of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) by two independent translators differ in terms of their representational and writing styles. In this study, data from 130 Japanese university students who had written both tests were analyzed to detect any differences in the item response ratios caused by different translations. The item response ratios of each test showed statistically significant differences on some distractors between the two tests. This study also examined if experienced physics teachers could predict the differences in the item response ratios between the two tests. The results revealed that the teachers? predictions did not match the data, thus their reasoning could not account for the differences.
      • More mathematics in a conceptual physics course: formula appreciation activities

      • PST2G28
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Vazgen Shekoyan
      • Type: Poster
      • Conceptual physics courses are typically offered to non-science majors as a fulfillment of laboratory science degree requirements. These courses do not have mathematics prerequisites and use minimal amount of mathematics. Is it worthwhile adding more mathematics in conceptual physics courses? How would it affect students? science attitudes and anxieties? I have devised and incorporated mathematical activities (formula appreciation activities) in a Conceptual Physics course offered at Queensborough Community College. Most of the activities were comprised of a) making sense of formulas by examining limiting cases, and b) identifying proportionalities between variables in the formulas. I have evaluated the implications of the implementation on students? science attitudes and anxieties in a quasi-experimental control-group design study. In this poster I will present examples of such activities and discuss the implications of the implementation.
      • Comparative Educational Outcomes from Three Introductory Physics Courses

      • PST2G30
      • Wed 07/30, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Jack Olsen
      • Type: Poster
      • While popularized for their potential of low-cost and broad access, Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are not fully understood nor well researched in terms of educational impacts. This study examines some of the educational outcomes from a MOOC that was designed to parallel a traditional brick-and-mortar lecture of 900 students. While the MOOC initially enrolled an audience of nearly 16,000 students, a mere 1.5% actually completed the MOOC. Four times as many students completed the brick-and-mortar course. Complementing the MOOC and traditional offerings of Physics 1, we also examine a special physics course held as part of a live-in residential community. In contrast to the MOOCs, these residential courses are characterized as high-touch and locally based. Student demographics, performance, and retention were compared for the three approaches to teaching the same physics content. All environments yielded similar normalized relative learning gains on the FMCE for Physics 1 performance, for those who completed the courses. However, larger absolute gains and higher retention rates are found for the students in the traditional and more community-focused physics environments.
  • SPS Undergraduate Research and Outreach Poster Session

      • Brazil Nut Effect in the Binary Granular System

      • SPS01
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Yaran Li
      • Type: Poster
      • Larger particles often end up on the surface of the binary granular systemwhen the container is shaken, which is the so called Brazil nut effect. We carry out the experiment by controlling vibration frequency and amplitude. Not only do we observe the Brazil nut effect, but we also reverse the Brazil nut effect, sandwich layered, and even some other configurations. The relations between vibration frequency, amplitude, and separated configurations are found, and we find that the factor of air plays an important role in this system.
      • Comparing Alternate Approaches to Spacetime Diagrams: The Loedel Diagram

      • SPS02
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Tobias Nelson
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of a systematic survey of the various methods for drawing spacetime diagrams for special relativity, we present the Loedel diagram and its advantages and disadvantages compared to the traditional Minkowski diagram.
      • Energy Loss in Maxwell Rolling Pendulum System

      • SPS03
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jixuan Hou
      • Type: Poster
      • We have analyzed the dynamics of an ideal Maxwell rolling pendulum system and semi-quantitatively demonstrated the energy loss cased by different physical mechanisms. By measuring the variance of the maximum height that the pendulum can reach each time, we conclude that air friction is not the primary cause of energy loss in the system, and the energy transfer to the swing pendulum motion might be the main reason of the energy loss.
      • Laminar Fluid Flow In Non-Circular Pipes

      • SPS04
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Michael Yohn
      • Type: Poster
      • The properties of laminar fluid flow have been well understood in the context of circular pipes for years. These properties, however, have not been well researched or compared to identical properties for pipes of a non-circular shape. These comparisons have applications for space saving and efficiency increases in architecture, engineering, and even medicine. Half pipes of a circle, square, and triangle with uniform cross-sectional surface area were constructed with PVC piping and sheeting, and filled with corn syrup. Aluminum foil squares were suspended in the corn syrup and their movements were observed. The flowing syrup was captured in digital video and then run through video analysis in LoggerPro to determine flow rates for various points. This analysis allows for fluid and energy transfer determinations and comparisons between the differently shaped pipes to be made, allowing for analysis of pipe shape efficiency as a whole.
      • On the Equilibrium Condition for the Movable Piston

      • SPS06
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jing Ji
      • Type: Poster
      • It is not a sufficient equilibrium condition that the pressures are equal on both sides of a smooth adiabatic movable piston. We consider a system consisting of gas (with ideal gas model) which is partitioned into two parts by an adiabatic movable piston. From the microscopic point of view, even if the two parts are with equal pressures but different temperatures, energy can still transfer from higher temperature gas to lower temperature gas through the piston vibration, which is difficult to observe in macroscopic system but very significant in mesoscopic system.
      • On the Resonance of the Air Column in a Bottle

      • SPS07
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Yuchen Yang
      • Type: Poster
      • When pouring water into a thermos, a sound with rising frequency appears.We recorded and analyzed the sound wave. By using spectrum analysis, we found that the sound exists in several different modes. After comparing the standing wave theory with our measurements, we found that they coincide with each other quite well. Our research shows that the frequencies of the sound are also affected by penetrability and diffraction.
      • The Minimum Force Required to Separate Two Alternating Books

      • SPS08
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Xudong Wu
      • Type: Poster
      • It is difficult to separate the two books with their pages overlap alternately with each other. To research the minimum force required to separate these two alternating books, a dynamometer is used to measure the different friction for different distance between overlapping line and spine L. We found that the relation between maximum static friction and L shows a power-law, which coincide our scaling argument.
      • The Research of the Linear Oscillator

      • SPS09
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Cheng Chi
      • Type: Poster
      • The bizarre behavior of a type of nonlinear oscillator confused many people. By analyzing the mechanical properties of a coil spring, we found the equivalent of the nonlinear oscillator, a linear two-mode spring system. By analyzing this linear model, we found that its solution can fit the experimental data collected from the nonlinear oscillator, which means that the motion of the nonlinear oscillator is linear indeed.
      • The Motion of a Falling Chain

      • SPS10
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Haoliang Su
      • Type: Poster
      • We assembled an experimental apparatus with a chain is initially attachedby its two ends at the same height. We observed that, as one of the ends is released, the acceleration of the chain tip is greater than the acceleration of gravity. We posed our mechanical model which can fit the experimental data very well.
      • Measurement of Planck's Constant and Plane Separation for NaCl Monocrystal

      • SPS11
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Misganaw Getaneh
      • Type: Poster
      • Diffraction of X-rays scattered by a NaCl monocrystal was used to measure the spacing between two adjacent planes in a NaCl monocrystal and also Planck's constant. The x-rays were produced through bremsstrahlung and K_?, K_? transitions when high-energy electrons were stopped by a Molybdenum target. The first three orders of constructive interference of the scattered K_?, K_? lines were analyzed to determine the separation d of two adjacent planes of NaCl in the [1,0,0] direction. The crystal plane spacing, according to this measurement is d=281±4 pm and the corresponding edge length of a unit cell of NaCl is a_0=562±8 pm. These are reasonably close to the literature values of d=282.01 pm and a_0=564.02 pm, respectively. Data of count rate versus scattering angle was obtained for various accelerating voltages for the bremsstrahlung part of the x-ray spectra. Analysis that is based on the displacement of the high energy edge of the x-ray spectra with increase in the accelerating voltage and the Duane-Hunt law were used to determine Planck's constant h. Planck's constant is measured to have the value h=(6.8±0.2)×?10?^(-34) Js, which is close to the literature value of h=6.63×?10?^(-34) Js.
      • Space Balloon: Journey into the Stratosphere

      • SPS12
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Carlos Blanco
      • Type: Poster
      • Purdue University's Society of Physics Students (SPS) conducted an investigation of the Earth's atmosphere by launching space balloons during the spring 2014 semester. The experiment utilized a balloon that would carry a 4-6 lb. payload. This payload consisted of a GPS detector, radio transmitter and two cameras to observe both the Earth's surface and also to detect Baryons. Additional sensors attached to the weather shield of the balloon collected data on: altitude, pressure, humidity and ambient light. The space balloon was launched on two separate occasions to reach a height of over 80,000 ft. or greater than 15 miles (~ 25 Km) and traveled over 60 miles before parachuting to the Earth. Data on each variable collected as a function of altitude and position will be presented along with pictures from the flight.
      • Concentration-dependent Luminescent of GdF3: Yb3+, Er3+

      • SPS13
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Chufeng Liu
      • Type: Poster
      • Yb3+, Er3+ co-doped rare-earth fluorides have attracted great attention due to their excellent upconversion luminescent properties and research on Yb3+, Er3+ co-doped GdF3 nanocrystals are also flourishing. However, concentration effects of Yb3+ and Er3+ on luminescent properties were seldom studied. In this paper, a series of GdF3:20% Yb3+,x% Er3+ (x = 1, 2, 3, 5) and GdF3:y%Yb3+,2%Er3+ (y = 10, 20, 40, 60, 98) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by a hydrothermal method. The structural properties of the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Luminescence spectra under 980 nm and 390 nm excitation of GdF3:y% Yb3+,Er3+ NPs show that RGR is positively proportional to the Yb3+ concentration. The corresponding energy transfer mechanisms were illustrated. The results show that GdF3:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs are promising materials in photovoltaic, display panel and bio-imaging.
      • Electrochromic Device Based on Core-Shell Au-Ag Plasmonic Nanoparticle A rray

      • SPS14
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Ziying Feng
      • Type: Poster
      • Plasmonic effect in Au-Ag nanostructures was utilized to realize novel electrochromic materials. Quasi ordered Au-Ag core-shell nanoparticle array has been fabricated by thermal evaporation deposition of Au and electrochemical deposition of Ag onto SiO2 hole array, which is prepared with the assistance of reactive ion etching and anodic aluminium oxide template. The thickness of the Ag shell could change by alternating the electrochemical deposition time, and therefore tunability of the absorption spectrum as well as a prototype plasmonic electrochromic device were achieved.
      • Sympathetic Cooling of Antiproton

      • SPS15
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Lu Wang
      • Type: Poster
      • This thesis describes the laser sympathetic cooling of the antiproton in AEgIS experiment. The antiproton and buffer gas particles are trapped in paul trap. We use Matlab, Mathematica and COMSOL to achieve the simulation.
      • Stability of FeCl3-Graphite Intercalation Compounds Under Uniaxial Pressure

      • SPS16
      • Sun 07/27, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Ziling Deng
      • Type: Poster
      • We report the stability of pure stage-1 FeCl3-graphite intercalation compounds (FeCl3-GICs) under uniaxial pressure by examining changes in X-ray diffraction patterns. It is found that FeCl3-GIC remains stable when exposed to an uniaxial pressure below 528 Mpa. However, they become unstable and deintercalate under a higher uniaxial pressure, and can even change into other stages. The time the pressure is applied has no significant effect on the structure of FeCl3-GICs.
  • Teacher Training and Enhancement Posters

      • AAPT Films -- A New Video Series Created to Help Physics Teachers

      • PST1E01
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by James Lincoln
      • Type: Poster
      • For the past year, I have been creating videos that are designed to both train new physics teachers and provide ideas and inspiration to experienced teachers. This poster describes and summarizes the AAPT Films Project and provides a chance for AAPT members to make requests and suggestions. This project was funded by the Meggers Award Grant and the Karl L. Brown Foundation. At the moment the videos are being hosted at www.youtube.com/aaptfilms.
      • ATE Workshops for Physics Faculty

      • PST1E03
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Thomas O'Kuma
      • Type: Poster
      • The ATE Workshop for Physics Faculty project is into its fourth year and has finished its 19th workshop/conference. In this poster, we will display information about the project, information about these workshops/conferences, and information about future workshops/conferences. Information concerning development of laboratory activities will also be displayed.
      • Understanding and Explaining Equations in Physics Teacher Education

      • PST1E05
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Ricardo Karam
      • Type: Poster
      • In this work I describe a semester course given to pre-service physics teachers at the Technical University of Dresden. Its main goal was to address issues related to understanding and explaining physics equations. Besides lessons dedicated to general historical and epistemological reflections on the interplay between physics and mathematics, four equations traditionally taught in high school level (free fall, centripetal acceleration, simple pendulum and refraction law) were approached in the course. During instruction, the students were presented with different ways of deriving these equations and were given the task to explain each of them to the whole class. Using multiple data sources, which include pre-/post-instruction questionnaires, association maps and explanations' repertoire to each equation, interviews with selected students and the recording of the meetings, several aspects that influence students; understanding of these equations, as well as their views on how to explain them in classroom situations, were identified. The main findings of this study will be presented and discussed.
      • STEMteachersNYC -- Starting an Effective Physics Teacher Support Organization

      • PST1E07
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Fernand Brunschwig
      • Type: Poster
      • STEMteachersNYC, affiliated with the American Modeling Teachers Association, has achieved strong growth since its founding by a group of physics teachers in May, 2011, with a membership of 240 in February, 2014. The group has organized a total of 32 highly successful workshops between founding and February, 2014, including four 3-week Summer Modeling Instruction Workshops and 28 three-hour weekend workshops. See STEMteachersNYC.org for details. This poster documents what we have achieved and describes the explicit organizing strategies and the process we used to generate our dynamic growth. STEMteachersNYC has successfully leveraged experienced teachers' expertise as workshop leaders and has been supported financially almost entirely through fees paid by the teachers attending the workshops. The poster explores in detail the scalability of what we have done, as well as the potential for widespread implementation to support teachers, especially beginners, by enhancing their pedagogic content knowledge and teaching skills.
      • Professional Development of Teacher and Master PFDS

      • PST1E09
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Marisa Michelini
      • Type: Poster
      • The Master "Professione Formatore in Didattica delle Scienze" (M-PFDS) (Formation Profession in Science Education) is a biannual course for expert teachers that will become responsible for the in-service education of science teachers in the first five years of the Italian secondary schools. The research-based M-PFDS implement an integrated model of those metacultural, experiential and situated for teacher professional development. Udine University carries it out in e-learning modality while three other Italian universities do it with courses in presence. It is based on school/university cooperation. Particular attention is placed to match the interdisciplinary nature of the science education to offer the participants a rigorous, certificated, and qualified formation based on the most recent development of the pedagogical content knowledge. Participants become competent in design-based research to be able to form other teachers to innovation in teaching/ learning process.
      • Integrating Practices and Core Ideas into Introductory Physics Courses

      • PST1E11
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by James Laverty
      • Type: Poster
      • The current curriculum in most introductory college physics classes nationwide centers almost exclusively on content knowledge. Many recent national publications have called for an integration of scientific practices (e.g. Construct and Use Models) into the curriculum to teach students the process of science as well. In the Physics and Astronomy Department at Michigan State University, we are working with faculty to incorporate practices into the introductory physics courses. As part of this process, we are developing assessment items that integrate both the practices and core ideas of introductory physics. These items are being used as a stepping stone to develop curricular changes in the courses as well. This poster will focus on this development process and its current status.
      • Infusing Pedagogical Content Knowledge into Elementary Teacher Preparation

      • PST1E13
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Claudia Fracchiolla
      • Type: Poster
      • Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is an important aspect in the preparation of future teachers. We have recently redesigned the Concepts of Physics (CoP) course for future elementary teachers at Kansas State University to infuse PCK into the learning experiences of the students. In this poster, we will describe how this course integrates the process of learning the physics concepts with learning of children's ideas about those concepts. The course is structured around the pedagogical learning bi-cycle (PLB), which combines the learning of content knowledge with knowledge of age-appropriate pedagogy. The integration is facilitated through a metacognitive reflection as a bridge between learning content and pedagogy. We will describe the structure of the course and provide examples of the activities of the course that have been used to facilitate students' metacognition and development of their PCK.
      • Fostering Partnerships between Physics Departments and K-12 Teachers

      • PST1E15
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jennifer Docktor
      • Type: Poster
      • The "A LOT of Science" project at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse provides professional development (PD) in Physical Science to in-service elementary and middle school teachers from high-needs school districts during summer institutes and ongoing weekend workshops. The PD is designed to incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards into project activities. We will summarize findings from all three years of the project, including teacher gains in content knowledge, student achievement data, self-reported use of inquiry-based pedagogy, and additional impacts of the partnership.
      • Connecting Three Pivotal Concepts in K-12 Science State Standards and Maps of Conceptual Growth to Research in Physics Education

      • PST1E17
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • We discuss three conceptual areas in physics that are particularly important targets for educational interventions in K-12 science. These conceptual areas are force and motion, conservation of energy, and geometrical optics, which were prominent in the U.S. national and four U.S. state standards that we examined. The four U.S. state standards that were analyzed to explore the extent to which the K-12 science standards differ in different states were selected to include states in different geographic regions and of different sizes. The three conceptual areas that were common to all the four state standards are conceptual building blocks for other science concepts covered in the K-12 curriculum. We discuss the nature of difficulties in these areas along with pointers towards approaches that have met with some success in each conceptual area. We thank the National Science Foundation for support. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Exploring One Aspect of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Physics Instructors and Teaching Assistants Using the Force Concept Inventory*

      • PST1E19
      • Mon 07/28, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has been widely used to assess student understanding of introductory mechanics concepts by a variety of educators and physics education researchers. One reason for this extensive use is that many of the items on the FCI have strong distractor choices that correspond to students' alternate conceptions in mechanics. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know the common alternate conceptions of introductory physics students and explicitly take into account students' initial knowledge state in their instructional design. Here, we discuss research involving the FCI to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of both instructors and teaching assistants (TAs): knowledge of introductory student difficulties related to mechanics as they are revealed by the FCI. For each item on the FCI, the instructors and TAs were asked to identify the most common incorrect answer choice of introductory physics students. We also discussed the responses individually with a few instructors. Then, we used FCI pre-test and post-test data from a large population (~900) of introductory physics students to assess this aspect of pedagogical content knowledge of physics instructors and TAs. We find that while both physics instructors and TAs, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory students' difficulties with FCI content, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory physics students have, even after traditional instruction. Moreover, the ability to correctly identify students' difficulties was not correlated with the teaching experience of the physics instructors or the background of the TAs. *Work supported by the National Science Foundation
      • Guitars in the Classroom? Absolutely! Teaching Physics/STEM with Guitars

      • PST1E02
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Debbie French
      • Type: Poster
      • This study highlights the educational impacts from the 2010-2013 NSF-funded grant, "Faculty Professional Development in Design, Construction, Assembly and Analysis of a Solid Body Guitar Design," which provided innovative STEM professional development to high school and community college faculty. Workshop participants built their own custom solid-body electric guitar, engaged in and developed their own STEM learning activities related to the guitar to take back and implement in their classroom.
      • Using Gadgets & Gizmos in Phenomenon-based Learning

      • PST1E04
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Matthew Bobrowsky
      • Type: Poster
      • Phenomenon-Based Learning (PBL) is a research-based approach designed to produce increased learning while making science education more engaging for the student and more interesting for the teacher. PBL arose from a collaboration with teachers in Finland, which is now seen as a major international leader in education. The PBL teaching philosophy combines elements of what's done in Finland with what's known about effective teaching based on science education research. The approach includes responsive teaching and inquiry-based collaborative learning, along with elements of problem-based learning, project-based learning, and hands-on experiments. The idea is to teach broader concepts and useful thinking and performance skills (as with NGSS) rather than asking students to simply memorize facts. By exploring first and getting to a theoretical understanding later, students are working like real scientists, having the opportunity to pursue creative approaches to understanding, learning more, and having fun in the process!
      • "Is This Real Life": Mixed Reality Training for Learning Assistants

      • PST1E06
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jacquelyn Chini
      • Type: Poster
      • TLE TeachLivE™ is a mixed-reality classroom that allows participants (typically K-12 pre-service or in-service teachers) to practice teaching with simulated students. Similar to a flight simulator for pilots, TeachLivE™ allows teachers to refine their skills without risk to real students, and to practice the same skills in the same instructional context several times. We used TeachLivE™ with a class of Learning Assistants (LAs), who worked in three-person groups. Each LA led a short discussion in the mixed-reality class, observed the other LAs lead discussions, and reflected with their teammates about the experience. After reflection, each LA re-taught the same discussion. Finally, LAs were asked to write about what they learned from their experience with regards to their pedagogical skills, specifically use of questioning and formative assessment. We present findings about what the LAs and instructors learned from this unique environment that shows promise for enhancing the preparation of physics teachers.
      • Recent Demographics of Physics Teachers from Schools and Staffing Survey

      • PST1E08
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by David Rosengrant
      • Type: Poster
      • This project is part of a multidisciplinary team to study secondary physics teaching using the School and Staffing Survey (SASS) between 1987 and most recently 2011. We will investigate the following questions: How many physics teachers are there in the United States? What are trends in the population growth compared to other teacher groups in the past 20 years? What proportion of those that teach physics do so as their main assignment? What other subjects do physics teachers teach? To what extent have physics teachers earned a physics degree at any level? What other backgrounds do these teachers have? What has been the certification status of physics teachers over time? To what extent has the racial and gender profile of physics teachers changed over time? To what extent have the age and years of experience distributions changed over time? We will also analyze trends in early career physics teachers.
      • Instructors' Understanding of Physics Concepts Training Through in-lab Inquiry-based Oriented Model

      • PST1E12
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Sergio Flores Garcia
      • Type: Poster
      • Inquiry-based physics is integrating in-lab learning approaches. At the University of Juarez Mexico, we have established a physics teaching model based on instructors' abilities to explore and argue mechanics content ideas of the environment. They develop skills to design and implement their own in-lab learning activities through a 40-hour workshop in the physics lab. The frame of reference is a compound of five phases: 1) Design, 2) Preparation, 3) Experimentation, 4) Measure, and 5) Discussion. Instructors have to generate a general question, specific questions, and a hypothesis during the first phase. These questions and the hypothesis are the central axis of the cognitive strategy. The questions are designed to explore several taxonomy levels and foster the development of intellectual abilities and scientific skills. This instruction model will impact students' conceptual understanding. The rest of curriculum elements are: Pre-test, post-test, rubrics and an acceptance survey.
      • Biology to Physics Teacher - A Case Study

      • PST1E14
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Judy Vondruska
      • Type: Poster
      • This intrinsic case study explores the process through which an experienced biology teacher becomes a high school physics teacher for the first time. Data gathered through interviews and evaluation of a personal journal focused on the teacher's preparation over the summer and the teacher's perceptions and practices during the first year of teaching the course. The results of this case study suggest that while many teaching practices can be transferred between disciplines, there is difficulty in building expertise in content knowledge. Additionally, while access to the Internet can reduce the isolation of a teacher teaching outside their discipline by providing numerous resources, a content novice does not have the experience or confidence to evaluate which materials are appropriate to use.
      • Reforming Physics Teacher Education at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

      • PST1E16
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jennifer Docktor
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Wisconsin - La Crosse (UW-L) Physics Department is nationally recognized as a thriving undergraduate physics program, and routinely ranks among the top producers of physics majors among bachelor's-only granting institutions. Despite its success at recruiting and retaining physics majors, UW-L graduates very few students licensed to teach high school physics. Recently, UW-L was selected as a targeted site by the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) and has made focused efforts to increase the number of students pursuing careers in physics teaching. We will present a description of changes that have been made to improve physics teacher education at UW-L and evaluate the effectiveness of each initiative. Preliminary evidence suggests that the most successful practice for recruiting and retaining students in physics teaching has been focused advising and mentoring from faculty members.
      • Exploring One Aspect of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Teaching Assistants Using the Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics*

      • PST1E18
      • Mon 07/28, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • The Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics (TUG-K) is a multiple choice test developed by Beichner in 1994 to assess students? understanding of kinematics graphs. Many of the items on the TUG-K have strong distractor choices which correspond to students? common difficulties with kinematics graphs. We evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of first year physics graduate students enrolled in a teaching assistant (TA) training course related to topics covered in the TUG-K. In particular, for each item on the TUG-K, the graduate students were asked to identify which incorrect answer choice they thought would be most commonly selected by introductory physics students if they did not know the correct answer after instruction in relevant concepts. We used the graduate student data and the data from Beichner's original paper for introductory physics students (which was collected from over 500 college and high-school students) to assess this aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of the graduate students, i.e., knowledge of student difficulties related to kinematics graphs as they are revealed by the TUG-K. We find that, although the graduate students, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory student difficulties on the TUG-K, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory students have with graphs in kinematics. In addition, we find that the ability of graduate students to identify the difficulties of introductory students is context dependent and that discussions among the graduate students improved their understanding of student difficulties related to kinematics graphs. Moreover, we find that the ability of American graduate students in identifying common student difficulties is comparable with that of foreign graduate students. *Work supported by the National Science Foundation.
  • Teaching the Women in Physics Course

      • A Women in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics Course*

      • DA05
      • Tue 07/29, 9:00AM - 10:00AM
      • by Jim Crumley
      • Type: Poster
      • Increasing women's participation is a concern in disciplines beyond physics. As part of our Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science Research Scholars (MapCores) program1, we teach a women in science class covering these three areas. Our course is a special version of our college's first year seminar, which is a course designed to prepare our students to read, write, and speak at a college-level. We structure our FYS to promote academic confidence and interest in our disciplines for the women in MapCores. It covers not only contributions that women have made and barriers that women face in these disciplines, but also research frontiers and science policy issues in these disciplines. While the women in MapCores find covering these topics beneficial, the most important benefit of the course is the supportive cohort that grows from it. *Supported by NSF grant DUE-0965705.
      • Preliminary Work in Developing a Women in Physics Freshman Seminar

      • DA06
      • Tue 07/29, 9:00AM - 10:00AM
      • by Jolene Johnson
      • Type: Poster
      • St. Catherine University is a small all women's liberal arts college, looking to add a physics major for the first time. The number of potential students is a consideration when adding programs so we are exploring ways to increase the number of women interested in majoring in physics and their persistence. In the future we plan to offer a freshman seminar that focuses on women in physical sciences. This class would cover the topics currently covered in freshman seminar but would also include topics such as historic women in science, differences in learning styles, and discrimination in STEM. We believe that the community this class would build along with the discussions would improve the retention of STEM majors. In this poster we will present student comments and reactions to a pilot discussion that occurred in introductory physics. We will also outline the potential topics and structure of this course.
  • Technologies Posters

      • What Can We Learn from Student Interactions with MasteringPhysics?

      • PST2E01
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Marina Malysheva
      • Type: Poster
      • Students in a reformed introductory physics course at Rutgers University work on their weekly homework assignments online, using a web-based learning environment (an interactive tutoring system MasteringPhysics). The system allows you to assign tasks of different types, and to provide different levels of scaffolding. For this study, we focused on a specific type of task, called a tutorial. The tutorials provide a high degree of support, leading students through a sequence of sub-tasks, and providing hints (if requested by the student), an immediate answer-specific feedback, and follow-up comments. The system collects data about student performance and student-system interaction. We report the results of our analysis of these data, and discuss the important lessons we have learned during the first year of using this system, and possible ways to use our results to improve the course.
      • Quality Education and Quality Entertainment at HarvardX

      • PST2E03
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Colin Fredericks
      • Type: Poster
      • In-classroom demonstrations and labs are great for hands-on experience, and a lot of fun for students. Online courses need their own equivalents, and there is no shortage of options. This poster presents some of the fun stuff we're building into our courses at HarvardX.
      • The Physics of Smart Phone Sensors

      • PST2E05
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Al Adams
      • Type: Poster
      • Mobile devices today are powerful measurement systems and most of the onboard transducers are designed to measure the very parameters of interest to physicists and physics teachers. These include linear acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic field, light and sound levels, and imaging and video-recording capability. In order to use these portable measurement systems most effectively in a teaching environment it is important for those designing teaching and learning activities to understand the physics behind their operation and the nature of their electronic output. I have begun to research the design and operation of the sensors being used in smartphones. Much to my surprise the basic physics behind them can be found in most introductory physics texts; smartphone sensors provide a timely illustration of physics principles, one of immediate interest to our current student population.
      • Particle Physics Experiments for High School Using Medipix/Timepix

      • PST2E07
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Jan Koupil
      • Type: Poster
      • The Medipix/Timepix chip developed by CERN is usually being used in medical imaging, material analysis, optics or even in space programs. However, in a setup named Jablotron MX-10 it is ready for in-classroom use. Unlike traditional detectors like Geiger tubes, the pixel detector offers a real-time display, recognizes different particle types, and is able to show particle traces. This poster will present a set of high school experiments taking advantage of the chip abilities. Some examples of these experiments are "Showing the statistical nature of radioactive decay", "Studying absorption of different particle types in materials" or "Natural background radiation."
      • Learning Physics with MinecraftEDU

      • PST2E02
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Michele McColgan
      • Type: Poster
      • Minecraft is a popular sandbox game. Tutorials in MinecraftEDU allow students to quickly navigate, interact, and build within the game and learn the skills they need to participate in activities and lessons within the game. MinecraftEDU includes built-in tools to quickly create worlds for teachers to create a learning environment for students on different topics. As students become more proficient, comparisons between physics in the Minecraft world and the real world become obvious. Is there gravity in Minecraft? Sometimes! How fast does a player walk or run? Can you predict the flight of a projectile? Students can quickly build experiments in MinecraftEDU to answer these questions. This poster will present tools within MinecraftEDU that provide an opportunity for teachers to build lessons within the game and for students to explore different physics topics such as vectors, forces, momentum, circular motion, electric fields, magnetic fields, and so much more.
      • The Effect of Online Lecture on Performance in a Physics Class

      • PST2E04
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by John Stewart
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster will examine the difference in student performance between students attending lecture in person and students choosing to watch the lecture on video as part of an online class. The option to watch the lecture on video was implemented mid-semester in fall 2012 so that the performance of the same set of students could be compared. A fully online lecture section was introduced in spring 2013. Higher than expected withdrawal rates have been experienced in the online sections of the class. These will be examined in the context of the historical performance of the class, the demographics of the students, and their motivation for enrolling in the online experience. Differences in time-on-task for online and face-to-face students will also be presented.
      • Tying Online Homework to the Book while Keeping Costs Down

      • PST2E06
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Andrew Pawl
      • Type: Poster
      • Paradoxically, the publisher-managed homework systems that accompany textbooks are often constructed in a manner that actually discourages students from engaging with the book. They are also expensive and offer subscription models that do not always fit classroom logistics. In this poster, I describe an alternative to commercial packages that simultaneously ties the homework more closely to the book and lowers costs for the students. My approach is explicitly intermediate between buying the publisher's package and the "do-it-yourself" option of coding up all the homework. It does mean more work for me than when I was simply picking out problems from the commercial package, but it is far less difficult than writing a complete homework library of my own.
  • Upper Division and Graduate Posters

      • Legendre Transforms for Dummies

      • PST2F03
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Carl Mungan
      • Type: Poster
      • Legendre transforms appear in two places in a standard undergraduate physics curriculum: (1) in classical mechanics when one switches from Lagrangian to Hamiltonian dynamics, and (2) in thermodynamics to motivate the connection between the internal energy, enthalpy, and Gibbs and Helmholtz free energies. Both uses can be compactly motivated if the Legendre transform is properly understood. Unfortunately, that transform is often relegated to a footnote in a textbook, or worse is presented as a complicated mathematical procedure. In this poster, I simplify the idea to the point that the Legendre transform can be elegantly presented in class in a sensible and accessible manner. In a nutshell, a Legendre transform simply changes the independent variables in a function of two variables by application of the product rule.
      • Coupled Multiple-response vs. Free-response Formats in Upper-division Conceptual Assessment

      • PST2F05
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Bethany Wilcox
      • Type: Poster
      • Free-response conceptual assessments, like the Colorado Upper-division Electrostatics Diagnostic (CUE), provide rich, fine-grained information about students' reasoning. However, because of the difficulties inherent in scoring these assessments, the majority of the large-scale conceptual assessments in physics are multiple-choice. To increase the scalability and usability of the CUE, we set out to create a new version of the assessment that preserves the insights afforded by a free-response format while exploiting the logistical advantages of a multiple-choice assessment. We used our extensive database of responses to the free-response CUE to construct distractors for a new version where students can select multiple responses and receive partial credit based on the accuracy and consistency of their selections. Here, we offer examples of the questions and scoring of this new coupled multiple-response CUE. We also present a direct comparison of test statistics for both versions and potential insights into student reasoning from the new version.
      • Core Graduate Courses: A Missed Learning Opportunity?

      • PST2F07
      • Tue 07/29, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • An important goal of graduate physics core courses is to help students develop expertise in problem solving and improve their reasoning and meta-cognitive skills. We explore the conceptual difficulties of physics graduate students by administering conceptual problems on topics covered in undergraduate physics courses before and after instruction in related first year core graduate courses. Here, we focus on physics graduate students' difficulties manifested by their performance on two qualitative problems involving diagrammatic representation of vector fields. Some graduate students had great difficulty in recognizing whether the diagrams of the vector fields had divergence and/or curl but they had no difficulty computing the divergence and curl of the vector fields mathematically. We also conducted individual discussions with various faculty members who regularly teach first-year graduate physics core courses about the goals of these courses and the performance of graduate students on the conceptual problems after related instruction in core courses.
      • Comparing Alternate Approaches to Spacetime Diagrams

      • PST2F02
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Roberto Salgado
      • Type: Poster
      • We present a systematic survey of the various methods for drawing spacetime diagrams for special relativity. We study the Loedel, Brehme, Epstein, and Minkowski diagrams. By considering how each method handles some standard examples in Special Relativity, we identify the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
      • Ongoing Validation of an Upper-division Electrodynamics Conceptual Assessment Tool

      • PST2F04
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Qing Ryan
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of an ongoing project to investigate student learning in upper-division electrodynamics (E&M II), the PER research group at CU Boulder has developed a tool to assess student conceptual understanding (the CURrENT: Colorado UppeR-division ElectrodyNamics Test). This instrument is motivated in part by our faculty-consensus learning goals and can serve to measure the effectiveness of transformed pedagogy. In this poster, we present measures of the validity and reliability of the instrument and scoring rubric. These include expert validation and student interviews, inter-rater reliability measures, and classical test statistics. This work is supported by the University of Colorado and NSF-CCLI grant #1023208.
      • Flipped Upper-Division Physics at the Colorado School of Mines

      • PST2F06
      • Tue 07/29, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Patrick Kohl
      • Type: Poster
      • The flipped classroom is gaining popularity as a way of blending the best of online and in-person education, but efforts so far have been mostly (though not exclusively) focused on introductory classes. At CSM, we have developed and implemented two upper-division physics courses that use full or partial flips. Students are asked to watch one or more videos before class as preparation, with the actual class period occupied by Q&A, clicker questions, and various other activities. One of these two courses, PHGN 440, is a senior-level elective on solid state physics. The other, PHGN 462, is a core course on electrodynamics. In this poster we'll report on methods, motivations, and data, including but not limited to Youtube analytics, a qualitative survey, course evaluations, and a PER-based content inventory.