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WM17 Program
Sessions, Panels, Posters, Plenaries, Committee Meetings, and Special Events
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Sessions & Panels
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Project-based Learning for Introductory Physics for Life Science
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Incorporating Project-based Learning in a Competency-based IPLS course
- DA01
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 12:30PM
- by Nancy Beverly,
- Type: Invited
- The criteria for robust project-based learning includes projects with student voice and choice, authenticity, challenge, and connection to the larger world, with sustained student inquiry, reflection, critique, and revision. In addition, a course project should focus on the course learning outcomes and include skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, and self-management. The project and competency-based IPLS course curriculum at Mercy College, serving pre-med, pre-vet, and pre-PT students, has been designed to incorporate as many project-based learning criteria as possible, to support students using introductory physics concepts and skills to probe the physical mechanisms of health and life phenomena they have authentic inquiries about. Summative final projects and formative mini-project assignments are used to assess student competence in the course learning outcomes. There are no exams. Curricular and assessment design, student project examples, and implementation challenges will be discussed.
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Physics of the Body Student Projects
- DA02
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 12:30PM
- by Nancy Donaldson,
- Type: Invited
- At Rockhurst University, we have been teaching our introductory physics classes with a relevance to medicine and healthcare for many years. In 2012, we received a collaborative NSF grant to develop Physics of Medicine active learning curriculum in Fiber Optics in Medicine, Physics of the Respiratory and Cardiovascular System and Nuclear Medicine and the Gamma Camera. Our emphasis on this type of learning has contributed to a growing number of students entering our major track in Physics of Medicine (POM.) We have developed a required two-semester project in our Physics of the Body I and II courses with an optional follow-up capstone for students to design, build and present a project that models a physical process based on physics principles. The students have excelled in these projects, demonstrating higher level critical thinking skills of analysis, evaluation and creation. Several of these projects and assessments will be shared in this presentation.
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21st Century Physics in the Classroom
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Particle Physics Investigations in the High School Classroom*
- EC01
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
- by Shane Wood,
- Type: Invited
- QuarkNet's free online Data Portfolio contains an ever increasing number of activities in which students analyze real data; some of these activities rely on data from large experiments (e.g., CERN's CMS and ATLAS detectors), while other activities rely on data collected by students (e.g., QuarkNet cosmic ray detectors). Learn how you can give your students authentic experiences learning and applying scientific practices by tapping into physics research of today. Many of the ideas and skills students learn by doing these activities relate directly to the introductory physics classroom and meet many academic standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
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Particle Physics Investigations in the High School Classroom*
- EC02
- Mon 02/20, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by Joel Klammer,
- Type: Invited
- QuarkNet's free online Data Portfolio contains an ever increasing number of activities in which students analyze real data; some of these activities rely on data from large experiments (e.g., CERN's CMS and ATLAS detectors), while other activities rely on data collected by students (e.g., QuarkNet cosmic ray detectors). Learn how you can give your students authentic experiences learning and applying scientific practices by tapping into physics research of today. Many of the ideas and skills students learn by doing these activities relate directly to the introductory physics classroom and meet many academic standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
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Introducing Particle Physics to High School Students
- EC03
- Mon 02/20, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
by Nora Wurmbach,, Nicholas Sfiroudis,, Christina Love,
- Type: Contributed
- Although the Standard Model of Particle Physics is our current best “theory of everything”-- it is rarely mentioned in a high school physics curriculum. A complete teaching toolkit (lesson plans, interactive activities, and teaching slides) was developed using active learning methods, tested by three AP physics teachers with 150 students, and assessed using original surveys. The surveys asked a variety of questions, both on content and interest in science, and in a variety of formats, including open-ended, ranking, and multiple- choice questions. Although we found no significant change in the students’ interest in science, we did find a difference between the gains in interest for males and females. The average content knowledge scores increased from 1.6 +/- 0.1 questions correct to 5.4 +/- 0.1. There was no significant difference for the content knowledge performance between males and females.
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QuarkNet Data Portfolio: A Resource for 21st Century Lessons
- EC04
- Mon 02/20, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
- by Deborah Roudebush,
- Type: Contributed
- This talk will focus on particle physics lessons available in the QuarkNetData Portfolio. The lesson on using cosmic ray detector data to determine muon lifetime will be featured as well as the process for vetting lessons to ensure that the QuarkNet Data Portfolio is a quality resource for 21st Century lessons for the high school classroom.
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Cosmic Rays, Proton Beams, and More
- EC05
- Mon 02/20, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
- by Nathan Unterman,
- Type: Contributed
- High energy physics is not easily integrated into the current state and national high school science curricula. A high energy physics club was established at our school in 2004 using QuarkNet’s cosmic ray detector as a stimulus. The club was the nucleus of students entering CERN’s Beamline for Schools Contest. Although not being chosen for the CERN contest, the proposal was made to FermiLab, was accepted and run. Club activities and experiment ideas will be shared to show how high energy physics can be made available to students in the secondary setting.
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Cosmic Ray Study: Effect of Detector Area on Shower Rates
- EC06
- Mon 02/20, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
by Kamryn Abraskin,*, Brian Burke,, Kendall Crispin,, Anthony Valsamis,
- Type: Contributed
- Cosmic rays are immensely high-energy particles originating mainly from outside our solar system. Although they have been studied since the early 20th century, much remains unknown about their origin, properties, and behavior. These primary cosmic rays produce secondary particle showers through interaction with Earth’s upper atmosphere. Using QuarkNet cosmic ray detectors, an investigation was conducted to measure the amount of cosmic ray events per hour as a function of detector area; both indoors and outdoors. Three counters placed in a triangular array were tested within a one-story building and inside of a greenhouse with a thin plastic roof. The data collected suggests that roofing material affects the measured shower rates.
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Dark Matter for the Classroom -- Cutting-edge Science for Pupils
- EC07
- Mon 02/20, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
- by Wolfgang Vieser,
- Type: Contributed
- When starting physics pupils often think that they will learn formulas that will explain all of nature to them. Their preconceptions based on TV documentaries and movies lead them to believe either that scientists already know about everything or that the unsolved mysteries are too hard to understand. Both perceptions are wrong. We are far from knowing everything, our actual understanding of the universe explains only five percent of its constituents. Introducing students to the mystery of dark matter, using freely available scientific data on the internet, can show students our current understanding and just how much we still have to learn.
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Quantum Levitation and Superconductivity
- EC08
- Mon 02/20, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Vehbi Sonmez,
- Type: Contributed
- Superconductivity was discovered at 1991 and only discussed at the high school physics level as an interesting topic or an anecdote. The phenomenon couldn’t be observed in class because it occurred only at extremely low temperatures – a few degrees above absolute zero (0 K). During the late 1980s, the rapid succession of newly discovered high-temperature superconductors which can operate at liquid nitrogen temperatures (77 K) turned the tables. Superconductivity was now well within the reach of high school students. It was now possible to perform classroom demonstrations of magnetic levitation and to easily observe quantum phenomena using relatively cheap liquid nitrogen! Quantum Levitation demonstrations always capture students’ attention. They become entranced by an upside down levitated magnet, they wonder how it works and predict what it can be used for – scientific inquiry has begun! Students’ curiosities will be limited only by their imagination
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30 Demos in 60 Minutes
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30 Demos in 60 Minutes
- DE
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 12:30PM
- by Wendy Adams
- Type: Panel
- Our panel of physics teachers will present at least 30 dynamic demonstrations that will engage students in the wonder of science. Presenters will share tips on the setup, materials, procedure, and underlying science concepts so the audience can integrate these demos into their own classrooms.
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Astronomy Education Research
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Astronomy Students’ Epistemological Beliefs Regarding Science: Research and Interventions
- CB01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
by Shannon Willoughby,, Keith Johnson,
- Type: Invited
- Within the last several years, education researchers have begun to look into student epistemologies regarding the learning of science. Several studies have focused on courses taken by STEM majors. We chose to study non-STEM majors taking a lower level astronomy course, primarily because this course is one of their only science experiences typically required for such majors. Our goal was to measure changes in student epistemologies regarding the learning of science in our baseline (unchanged) course. After two years of collecting baseline data using the Epistemological Beliefs about the Physical Sciences Survey, which measures five aspects of epistemological development. We then used the data to guide our reforms for the course. Data was subsequently collected for two more years in the reformed course. This talk will focus on the baseline and reformed course results, as well as materials developed to improve student epistemologies. Future work will also be discussed.
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Using Refutation Texts and Graphics to Teach about Seasonal and Climatic Change
- CB02
- Sun 02/19, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
- by Robert Danielson,
- Type: Invited
- Teachers, instructors, textbook publishers, and journalists often pair texts and graphics together. The reasons seem obvious enough – learners of all ages greatly appreciate the pairing, and one of the most common complaints about texts is that they don’t contain enough pictures. Most assume that these pairings are beneficial, but this is not always the case. Across a number of investigations, we have examined how pairing texts and graphics can facilitate learning and conceptual change on topics including seasonal and climatic change. Our results indicate that refutation texts – texts that explicitly mention a commonly held misconception and then directly refute the misconception (for example, that the proximity of the Earth to the Sun causes seasonal change) – can be effective at promoting conceptual change. The relationship with graphical additions is less clear – our results indicate that for some graphics comprehension was enhanced and maintained over time, whereas for other graphics students noticed a conflict between the text and their prior knowledge but performed poorer on tests of comprehension. Our results indicate that text-graphic pairs are not interchangeable, and educators must think carefully on the graphics they choose to pair with texts to explain complicated concepts.
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Investigating Students' Ideas about the Fate & Curvature of the Universe
- CB03
- Sun 02/19, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
by Kimberly Coble,, Mallory Conlon,, Janelle Bailey,, Lynn Cominsky,
- Type: Invited
- As astronomers further develop an understanding of the fate and curvature of the universe, it is essential to study students’ ideas so that instructors can communicate the field’s current status more effectively to their students. In this study, we examine undergraduate students’ pre-instruction ideas in general education astronomy courses (ASTRO 101) at five institutions through pre-course surveys given during the first week of instruction [N ~ 250]. We also examine students’ post-instruction ideas at a single institution through exam questions [N ~ 60] and interviews [N = 9]. Responses are analyzed through an iterative process of identifying self-emergent themes. We examine not only what students think the fate of the universe and the curvature of the universe are, but also "how we know."
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Improving Astronomy Literacy through Science Fiction Writing and Media
- CB04
- Sun 02/19, 5:30PM - 6:00PM
- by Donna Governor,*
- Type: Invited
- The Launch Pad writers workshop is an intensive, week-long retreat for writers of science fiction media hosted by the University of Wyoming. The goal of this program is to improve the content knowledge of authors, screen writers, and editors so that they are better able to present accurate astronomy concepts in their writing. Data from a recent program evaluation shows that these authors improved not only their understanding of astronomy concepts, but became more confident in their ability to present accurate science to their audiences. As a result of the workshop the attendees improved their self-efficacy in incorporating astronomy in their work, and were better able to illustrate how astronomers do science to the public.
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Astronomy Outreach & Planetarium Education
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New Lessons from the Last 200 Planetarium Education Research Dissertations
- GA01
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Timothy Slater,
- Type: Invited
- The synthesis-oriented literature review is a ubiquitous component of any comprehensive science research program. Few scholars would argue against the notion that discipline-based astronomy education research studies need to be firmly situated within the existing scholarly landscape in order to establish relevance and theoretical underpinnings. Yet, some well-meaning journal reviewers have proposed all references and citations should focus first on recent papers published within the last five years. Such a constraint is often welcomed by nascent researchers, as it dramatically limits the scope of literature that must be surveyed. At the same time, some reviewers admonish writers to focus only on peer-reviewed journal articles at the expense of looking at unpublished dissertations. Through the iSTAR international Study of Astronomy Reasoning project at istardatabase.org, we have found more than 200 dissertations on planetarium education research from the last 100-years, which yield results largely unpublished in journals providing insight into longstanding planetarium education efforts.
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The Role of the Planetarium in Outreach Astronomy Education
- GA02
- Tue 02/21, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Ken Brandt,*
- Type: Invited
- What role can a planetarium play in facilitating outreach education in astronomy? Several strategies will be discussed, and various volunteer network connections described which help me deliver effective astronomy outreach to my audiences locally, regionally, and nationally.
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Science on a Sphere Used as an Interactive Instructional Tool for Students
- GA03
- Tue 02/21, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Monique Wilson,
- Type: Invited
- The goal was to create 21st century learners and to be a leader in STEM education. Using the data collected from our test scores and listening to area industry leaders, it was apparent that a home grown STEM workforce was needed and the school systems had to answer the call. Under the leadership of Mr. Richmond, the school district began to invest heavily in this endeavor. The largest culmination of these efforts was the creation of a Science Center that is located on the same campus as the district's newest high school, St. Charles High School. The Science Center is part of the instructional strategy bring the "WOW" factor to education. The Science Center houses a 184-seat planetarium, Discovery Lab classroom and a Science on a Sphere. The Science on a Sphere is visualization technology that allows students to see the Earth and its systems in ways that flat screen technology cannot. The Science on a Sphere is being used to unlock the mysteries of Science for our student population in more ways than originally believed and has empowered our students to see themselves in relation to the word.
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Using a Planetarium for Teaching and Outreach
- GA04
- Tue 02/21, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- by Philip Groce,
- Type: Invited
- Planetariums in both formal and informal educational institutions have been used to teach and inspire students and the general public about the physical nature of the universe. Planetariums have the unique ability to illustrate astronomy and physics concepts that are difficult, if not impossible in the classroom. Participants in this workshop will discover though live presentations and hands-on operation better teaching methods through the use of planetariums. This workshop will focus on the August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse. Goals of the workshop include: Providing a participatory and practical professional development opportunity by focusing on the 2017 Solar Eclipse. Sharing information about available educational resources and products for this Eclipse. Demonstrating the multi-disciplinary nature of planetariums. In addition to the physics and geometry of this eclipse, observations of changes in animal behavior during an eclipse can lead to better understanding of "light-dark" behavior in animals.
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Astronomy Paper
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Williamina Fleming and the Women "Computers" of Harvard College Observatory
- EA01
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
- by Misty Bentz,
- Type: Invited
- Women "computers" have a long history of important contributions to science and technology. In astronomy, the women computers of the Harvard College Observatory are recognized to have made numerous significant discoveries, but they received only partial credit, were paid less than male employees, at the time. The first woman "computer" at the Observatory was Williamina Fleming, a newly immigrated Scottish woman who was abandoned by her husband while heavily pregnant. Fleming became a housekeeper working for Edward Pickering, the director of the Harvard College Observatory. One day, Pickering famously declared that his maid could do a better job than his trained and educated male employees at the Observatory. This outburst from a frustrated Pickering in 1881 marked the beginning of Williamina Fleming's distinguished career in astronomy, which culminated in her election to the Royal Astronomical Society in 1906, the first woman from the United States to be so honored.
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Analyzing Astronomy Concepts in the NGSS
- EA02
- Mon 02/20, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
by Stephanie Slater,, Sharon Schleigh,, Timothy Slater,
- Type: Contributed
- As the study of the entire universe, astronomy courses topics can range from studying the interior and formation of planets like Earth all the way out to studying the dynamics and interactions of the oldest and most distant galaxies of stars. In an effort to constrain the range of topics, the NRC Frameworks and Next Generation Science Standards documents make bold statements about which astronomy topics are to be included and which excluded, and at what age groups. For those teachers and curriculum developers who have not yet carefully reviewed these national documents, the new guidelines of which topics to teach and which topics to exclude, are perhaps surprising. From a cognitive science point of view, special allowances must be made for sequencing as some topics-to-exclude are pre-requisites for required topics. Moreover, some guidelines for high school astronomy topics become impractical because of the rarity of high school astronomy courses being offered.
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Holographic Scaling in Newtonian Gravity, Mass and Black Hole Physics
- EA04
- Mon 02/20, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
by Leo Rodriguez,, Emma Machado,, Shanshan Rodriguez,
- Type: Contributed
- Not typically part of an undergraduate education in physics, courses on general relativity have been on the rise and in continued demand by respective students. In this article, we wish to share some techniques inspired by and derived from modern gravitational research (holographic duality) that help bring advanced topics in gravity theory into the undergraduate classroom. This serves to satisfy students excitement and curiosities about topics in black hole physics and their properties (mass, orbits, thermodynamics). The techniques included have been developed over several years and implemented in teaching general relativity and gravitation to undergraduates at primarily undergraduate serving institutions and major state universities.
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The National Science Olympiad (NSO) NASA Astronomy STEM Outreach Network
- EA05
- Mon 02/20, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Donna Young,
- Type: Contributed
- There are opportunities to become involved with the NSO NASA Universe of Learning Astrophysics STEM Learning & Literacy Network. NSO is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K12 science education, increasing interest in science for all students, creating a STEM literate workforce, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by students and educators. These goals are achieved by participating in events at invitational, regional, state and national tournaments, and incorporating Science Olympiad events into classroom curricula. Events address NGSS scientific practices, crosscutting concepts and core disciplinary ideas from every scientific discipline, including astronomy. Knowledgeable event supervisors and well-written events for all levels of competition are difficult to find for astronomy. Instructors and students can sponsor an invitational, write an invitational, regional or state event, become an event supervisor, or contribute questions to the test bank. The NSO website provides information on developing and supervising astronomy events.
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An Undergraduate Summer Program Through a University-Community College Partnership
- EA06
- Mon 02/20, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
by Carol Hood,, Michael Hood,, Laura Woodney,
- Type: Contributed
- We present a model for an undergraduate summer research program in astronomy targeted at 2-year and 4-year students and the short-term success of student participants. In an effort to involve students in research as early as possible, we selected two students from each campus to participate in the program. Students were not selected based on their grades, or specific courses completed, but on their expressed interest in astronomy. The only requirement was completion of at least one physics or astronomy class and selected students typically would be classified as freshmen or sophomores. As part of the program, students learned observational techniques, data reduction and analysis skills, and later worked on more complex faculty astronomical research projects. By the end of each summer, students were able to run the state-of-the-art campus observatory, and many chose to continue working on their research projects into the school year.
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Using Planetaria to Represent Scaled Distances with Correctly Scaled Time
- EA07
- Mon 02/20, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
- by Richard Gelderman,
- Type: Contributed
- A clear understanding of the vast distances and relative emptiness of our solar system, galaxy, and universe are critical to a meaningful grasp of astrophysical concepts. In our planetarium we use multiple models to give our visitors a grasp of the cosmic scales. An important addition to the more familiar spatial models is the use of correctly scaled time to evoke a clear feeling of the sparseness in our cosmos. Instead of the exponentially increasing velocity used in most videos and planetarium presentations, linear speeds can express the distances we want to convey.
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Flipping Astronomy to Actively Engage Cheapskates (but not lazy ones)
- EA08
- Mon 02/20, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
- by Terry Ellis,
- Type: Contributed
- A flipped classroom allows students to spend their time in class problem-solving, analyzing, and communicating ideas while engaged in group discussions, role-playing activities, or tutorials. The flipped format requires students to have done preparation work before class, which usually would consist of passively watching lecture videos, reading a textbook, and using online homework systems. However, many college students take astronomy to satisfy a science core requirement and are unwilling or unable to pay for the textbook and online homework subscription. I will describe the new series of daily pre-class assignments I’ve created to actively engage the students with the material before class (without requiring a textbook), some associated in-class activities, student-written “quests”, and the effectiveness of a no-text-required flipped introductory astronomy class.
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Incorporating Student-Centered Pedagogies in an Undergraduate Astronomy Course
- EA09
- Mon 02/20, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
by Debbie French,, Andrea Burrows,
- Type: Contributed
- Teaching science using student-centered pedagogical techniques such as inquiry are more prevalent in K12 education than in collegiate science education. This study examined the effects of incorporating best pedagogical practices from K12 science education into an introductory undergraduate astronomy course. Forty-two students participated in this study. These students took the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) pre and post instruction. Students’ TOAST scores showed an increase from an initial 37% to a final 62%. Students reported their interest in astronomy increased because of this course (79%). Students also recalled the student-centered learning activities more than astronomical facts. These results show encouraging results for implementing best practices from K12 science education in undergraduate science classes. Suggestions on how to incorporate these pedagogical techniques will also be presented.
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Rapidly Changing Landscape of Publishing Astronomy Education Research
- EA10
- Mon 02/20, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Timothy Slater,
- Type: Contributed
- As the decade-running Astronomy Education Review journal hosted by AAS & NOAO sunset, an academic void was left for scholars needing venues to publish their work in the domain of astronomy education and outreach. One solution, of several, was the creation of the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education JAESE. JAESE makes use of an open-access business model where authors and their institutions bear the cost of running the journal instead of what has been a more typical library and members’ subscription revenue model. As traditional journals have become more and more expensive to subscribe to, and page-charges growing ever higher, many new open-access journals of widely varying quality and levels of predation have been introduced into the academic workspace. The complex and changing publishing landscape poses difficulty for scholars trying to navigate where to publish their work.
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Best Practices to Make Women Welcome in Physics Booklet
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Best Practices to Make Women Welcome in Physics Booklet
- TOP05
- Mon 02/20, 8:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Karie Meyers
- Type: Topical
- The AAPT and the CWP would like to publish a short monograph outlining the best practices for attracting girls and women to physics departments, helping them to succeed, and for supporting women physicists in general. This topical discussion will be a starting place for the planned booklet. We will try to define the scope of the booklet. Contributions of research on the subject will be welcome, and we hope to outline the project and form working groups for future work.
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Bring the 2017 Solar Eclipse into your Class!
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Bring the 2017 Solar Eclipse into your Class!
- TOP06
- Mon 02/20, 8:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Rebecca Vieyra
- Type: Topical
- Join us for an interactive discussion on the upcoming 2017 total solar eclipse. We will provide a packet of research-based instructional materials utilizing the eclipse that can be used in pre-service teacher education, introductory physics and astronomy, or upper division physics. We encourage participants to share any resources or approaches to instruction that you have on this topic. This effort is part of a Temple University / AAPT collaboration with the NASA Heliophysics Education Consortium. Additional organizers include, Ramon Lopez, Janelle Bailey, Shannon Willoughby, Ximena Cid, and Brad Ambrose.
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Building Institutional Support for your Physics Teacher Preparation Program
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Getting Buy-in for Physics Teacher Preparation: Lessons from GSU Experience
- FC01
- Mon 02/20, 7:00PM - 7:30PM
- by Brian Thoms,
- Type: Invited
- Building and sustaining a physics teacher preparation program requires confronting a number of challenges. One of these challenges is to develop buy-in at the department, college, and university level to support the efforts and recognize the successes of the program. The five-year history of the physics teacher path within the BS in Physics at Georgia State University is used to examine some key questions related to these challenges. How do we change the minds of faculty who don’t understand or value teaching as a career path for physics majors? Will the college of sciences embrace teacher preparation as part of its mission? How can a physics department work effectively with the education departments and college? What does it take to get the university to see physics teacher preparation as furthering its own objectives?
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The Virginia Tech Physics Teacher Preparation Program
- FC02
- Mon 02/20, 7:30PM - 8:00PM
- by John Simonetti,
- Type: Invited
- At Virginia Tech, we have a multi-department -- indeed, multi-college -- approach to preparing physics teachers, and considerable support. Outside the Physics Department, we collaborate with the School of Education to produce new physics teachers with a BS or BA in Physics, plus a Masters of Education (MAEd) degree. This collaboration had grown over many years of personal interaction between myself, other physics faculty, and the faculty in the School of Education, and was ready-made for use when we became a Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) comprehensive site. Even before becoming a PhysTEC site, our institutional support included Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) for physics students pursuing an MAEd. This particular aspect of our program is very important in our recruitment and production of physics teachers. I will discuss our program in general, the GTA support model, and other aspects of institutional support we enjoy.
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Enhancement Program for In-Service Physics Teachers at TAMU
- FC03
- Mon 02/20, 8:00PM - 8:10PM
- by Tatiana Erukhimova,
- Type: Contributed
- Many high school physics teachers in Texas have insufficient background inphysics and did not take any college-level physics courses. These teachers have limited opportunities for professional development. To help them, the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy runs a two-week summer boarding school. The school, called MIPEP (Mitchell Institute Physics Enhancement Program), provides intense training in physics which includes lectures, physics labs, hands-on demos, tours of various campus research facilities, telescope observations, discussions and meetings with top researchers, and many other physics-related activities. We will present the results of five years of the program, address difficulties, and outline plans for the future.
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Challenges Faced by LGBT Physicists
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Queer in STEM: Emergent Issues from Research on Academia and Industry
- HA01
- Tue 02/21, 12:30PM - 1:00PM
- by Erin Cech,
- Type: Invited
- Science prides itself on being an objective and neutral space where who one is and who one loves is supposed to matter least. In this presentation, I will discuss findings from my ongoing research on the experiences of LGBTQ-identifying persons in STEM academic departments and in STEM industry. This research, supported by National Science Foundation grants, point to a variety of processes at the interactional level, such as informal peer interactions, and the profession level, such as biased perceptions of competence, that disadvantage LGBTQ-identifying scientists. This presentation will provide a broad overview of these processes and offer suggestions for their amelioration.
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Report of the APS Ad-Hoc Committee on LGBT Issues
- HA02
- Tue 02/21, 1:00PM - 1:30PM
- by Timothy Atherton,
- Type: Invited
- In 2014 the Executive Officer of the American Physical Society (APS), KateKirby, created an Ad-Hoc Committee on LGBT Issues (C-LGBT) charged with reporting on the obstacles to inclusion of LGBT physicists, a term that for the purpose of this report refers to persons who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual, as well as other sexual and gender minorities. The committee was charged to “advise the APS on the current status of LGBT issues in physics, provide recommendations for greater inclusion, and engage physicists in laying the foundation for a more inclusive physics community. More specifically, the committee will investigate LGBT representation in physics, assess the educational and professional climate in physics, recommend changes in policies and practices that impact LGBT physicists, and address other issues that affect inclusion.” In this talk, I present the findings and recommendations of the C-LGBT final report, as well as provide some perspectives on its implementation.
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Creating Space for Mental Health at CUWIP
- HA03
- Tue 02/21, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
- by Andrea Welsh,
- Type: Contributed
- As a college sophomore in 2009, I attended a Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWIP) at Yale. While I learned some valuable things, what should have been a great experience was tempered by my social anxiety and depression spending the conference feeling scared and unsuccessful. In 2016, I had an opportunity to chair a CUWiP. Remembering my difficulty at my first CUWiP, I decided to take a risk: we would host a breakout session on mental health. The session was well-attended, with over 30 students in the audience. This demonstrated to me and other CUWiP facilitators that this was a necessary topic to cover, and in 2017, a few sites have chosen to include this workshop. This talk will discuss the trial of creating a space to specifically talk about mental health topics and how to help students get the most out of new and stressful opportunities.
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Lessons Learned from LGBTQ+ Roundtable Discussions at CUWiP
- HA04
- Tue 02/21, 1:40PM - 1:50PM
- by Robin Bjorkquist,
- Type: Contributed
- I first attended CUWiP in 2009, a few months before my college graduation.It was a powerful and inspiring experience, and I returned home feeling hopeful about my future as a physicist. I encountered CUWiP again as a graduate student, when I joined the local organizing committee for the 2013 conference at Cornell. Since then, I have attended three more conferences as a graduate panelist and workshop leader (2014 Penn State, 2016 Ohio State and 2017 Wisconsin). Most recently, I have been leading LGBTQ+ roundtable discussion workshops, to give LGBT participants an opportunity to meet each other and discuss their experiences, needs, and available resources. I will share some take-away messages from these sessions, as well as best practices for LGBT inclusion at CUWiP, other women-in-physics events, and physics as a whole.
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Cold War Physics
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Atoms for Peace -- Or for Proliferation
- HB01
- Tue 02/21, 12:30PM - 1:00PM
- by John Krige,
- Type: Invited
- In December 1953 President Eisenhower made his famous Atoms for Peace Proposal to the General Assembly of the United Nations. It was directed at the Soviet Union as a disarmament measure, and at the rest of the world as an instrument to spread the positive benefits of nuclear power to all those who could use them, above all in 'developing countries'. By 1960 the Atomic Energy Commission had distributed nuclear material and nuclear power knowledge to almost 40 countries throughout the globe. At about this time too there was growing concern that nuclear weapons would proliferate dramatically and that 10, 20, N countries would soon have them. Did Atoms for Peace make the world a safer place, or did it contribute to the spread of nuclear weapons beyond U.S. control? This paper will address this dilemma and explore both the costs and benefits of nuclear collaboration.
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Our Machine in Havana: The Cuban Missile Crisis and Espionage
- HB02
- Tue 02/21, 1:00PM - 1:30PM
- by Kristie Macrakis,
- Type: Invited
- This paper argues that U.S. intelligence nearly missed the fact that the Soviets had nuclear medium-range missiles in Cuba by 1962 because they relied too much on technical intelligence instead of using human intelligence. Agents and refugees had been telling the U.S. intelligence about missiles on Cuba for quite some time but they were discounted because the U-2 spy plane could not verify their existence. It wasn’t until late in 1962 that the Central Intelligence Agency heeded warnings by human agents and then verified reports with the U-2 spy plane the existence of medium-range missiles on Cuba. Traditional narratives of the story argue that the U-2 spy plane found the missiles. It was, in fact, humans that found the missiles. The plane only verified their reports.
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Creating Inclusive Environments at Conferences
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Creating Inclusive Environments at Conferences
- CG
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
- by Gina Quan and Ellie Sayre
- Type: Panel
- Increasing inclusiveness and diversity in AAPT is a major focus of our professional community and is related to the mission of AAPT. Inclusiveness at national meetings is of particular importance given that conferences play a major role in shaping the direction of physics education, networking and idea-sharing, and other opportunities for professional development. In addition, interpersonal interactions at conferences are consequential for individual newcomers’ access to the field. In this interactive panel, we will discuss inclusiveness at conferences with particular attention on issues affecting: people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer/genderfluid, agender, intersex, queer, questioning, or asexual (LGBTIQA*) people; people with disabilities; women and female-presenting people; people identifying with other dimensions of marginalization; and everyone who holds more than one of these underrepresented and/or marginalized identities in the physics education community. Recent national events highlight the need for eliminating harassment and other targeting behavior in our professional scientific communities. To this end, AAPT is currently developing a Code of Conduct for national meetings. This panel is a complementary effort to create community dialogue around motivating issues and intended outcomes of the code. In addition to discussing the Code of Conduct, this session will address issues of disability/accessibility and diversity of speakers and content at AAPT national meetings. The goal of this panel is to provide space where we as members of the AAPT community reflect on the ways we interact with each other in professional spaces, and how those interactions and spaces can be improved. We see this session as a one step along a path towards a more inclusive and diverse AAPT.
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The APS Code of Conduct & Inclusion at APS Meetings
- CG01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
- by Arlene Modeste Knowles,
- Type: Panel
- APS has a long history of developing initiatives to increase diversity within physics and improve the climate for women, underrepresented minorities, and recently, LGBTQ physicists. As APS has expanded its focus to become a more inclusive organization in the U.S. and globally, it has simultaneously put increasing effort into organizing conferences that meet the needs of all attendees. As an outgrowth of this, this year, APS developed a Code of Conduct for APS meetings to communicate and bolster its commitment to inclusive conferences free from harassing behavior. I will discuss the development of the APS Code of Conduct, including its benefits and challenges, and the value of a strategic dissemination plan. I will also touch on the importance of professional societies providing pathways for members to communicate their needs. Finally, I will discuss issues to consider when organizing meetings specifically centered on physicists and physics students from marginalized groups.
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Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives of Creating Inclusive Scientific Communities
- CG02
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
- by Christopher Atchison,
- Type: Panel
- Regardless of the discipline, the scientific community as a whole is not fully embracing the diverse abilities of those who have physical, sensory, and intellectual differences. Recent inclusion statements created and endorsed by the member societies of the Science Council (UK) and the American Geosciences Institute are bringing the issue to the forefront. However, traditional perspectives of most disciplines still pervade science communities marginalizing students who may be interested in pursuing a scientific career, or practitioners who are unable to continue contributing to the discipline due to degenerative ailments or catastrophic events. This presentation will discuss the impact of these inclusion statements, and also share ways in which the Geological Society of America is creating a more inclusive scientific community by using basic accommodation strategies at their annual meeting.
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Developing a Code of Conduct for AAPT
- CG03
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
by Janelle Bailey,*, Beth Cunningham,, Mary Mogge,
- Type: Panel
- In 2015, AAPT leadership began discussing the need for a Code of Conduct to help support our members and curb inappropriate behaviors at our events. The Code was developed by first reviewing several others in existence and in development, such as those for other scientific/professional organizations. Multiple revisions were created and reviewed, with input first from the Board of Directors and later a lawyer specializing in harassment-related issues for nonprofit organizations. A small group of about 20 AAPT members were also invited to provide feedback on the developing Code. The final version was approved July 10, 2016, and unveiled at SM16 in Sacramento. Subsequent work has focused on roll-out and implementation, as well as the development of investigative and disciplinary procedures.
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Inclusivity through the Lens of Data and Policy
- CG04
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
- by Ramon Barthelemy,
- Type: Panel
- Survey research is a powerful tool in uncovering issues of inclusivity anddiversity. This talk will present equity data on physicists and physics students from the American Institute of Physics Statistical Research Center, as well as the literature. The AIP SRC has steadily uncovered inequities for women in physics across the globe. Coupled with a strong literature on LGBT and People of Color physicists, this presents a unique research lens to understand the barriers and challenges faced by certain groups in physics.
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Developing Project-Based Lab Courses
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Project-based Undergraduate Lab Courses at Bethel University
- GC01
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
by Chad Hoyt,, Nathan Lindquist,, Keith Stein,
- Type: Invited
- We describe the development of project-based laboratory courses at Bethel University. These courses include rigorous lecture portions and open-ended labs that last approximately seven weeks. We discuss methods and recent student projects in Lasers, Optics, Quantum Mechanics, Fluids and Material and Devices.
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High Altitude Balloons and Other Projects in a Medium Sized Department
- GC02
- Tue 02/21, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
by Ernie Behringer,, David Pawlowski,
- Type: Invited
- For the past five years, the Capstone course at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has been using open-ended projects to challenge students in their final year of undergraduate studies. During different semesters, the students have attempted several high-altitude weather balloon projects, built a wind tunnel, and have developed multiple schlieren imaging apparatuses. This presentation will focus on the highs and lows of these projects and the approach that is taken at EMU to give the students the best chance to have a successful project.
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Project-based Labs for an Electric Fields and Circuits Course
- GC03
- Tue 02/21, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Dale Syphers
- Type: Invited
- Following years of trying to modify the labs in our existing course for majors in Electric Fields and Circuits, we decided to switch to project-based labs. In the summer of 2016 we developed an entirely new set of labs which consisting of a three-week project, a four-week project, and a final three-week project. The new labs included all the basic elements of our prior labs, basic bench equipment, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, op-amps, RL and RC circuits, and all the same conceptual elements, including input and output impedance, rectification, amplification, complex impedance, phase of AC signals, etc. The first two projects are structured around experiments that place materials appropriately according to their triboelectric response. The final project uses RC and RL circuits as crossovers for identical speakers, where phase is observed visually with a 1000 frame per second camera as well as on an oscilloscope.
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Project-based Lab Course Experience
- GC04
- Tue 02/21, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- by Kurt Wick,
- Type: Invited
- A vital component of our advanced lab course is the 10-week project. The project topics are inspired either by students’ ideas and interests and/or from a list of previous projects that we think could be improved or from recently published articles, mostly in AJP. To be approved, students must have a prediction or model of the outcome and we expect them to build or assemble components of their experimental setup. At the start, students submit a detailed proposal and at the end a 10 to 15 page report in the form of a scientific paper. In addition, each student gives an oral presentation and we end the semester with a popular poster/pizza session. Students typically work in pairs and in a typical year we have about 25 projects. The talk highlights the strengths and pitfalls of this approach.
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Effective Practices for Integrating Computation into the Curriculum
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Effective Practices for Integrating Computation into the Curriculum
- AG
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Larry Engelhardt
- Type: Panel
- This panel will discuss how and where computational problem solving can be integrated into an undergraduate physics curriculum. During the first 30 minutes of the session, each panelist will briefly introduce one computational activity and how they integrate this activity into their course/curriculum. During the next 45 minutes, you will choose one of the activities, and you will work through the activity in small groups (as a mini-workshop). During the final 45 minutes, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating computation.
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Exploring the Chaotic Pendulum with the Maxima CAS
- AG01
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Todd Timberlake,
- Type: Panel
- In this panel presentation I will discuss an activity from my computational physics course in which students explore the behavior of a driven, damped pendulum using the Maxima computer algebra system. The activity introduces the concepts of limit cycles, Poincare sections, period-doubling bifurcations, chaos, and strange attractors. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop with Maxima pre-installed. A cross-platform version of Maxima called wxMaxima is available for free at wxmaxima.sourceforge.net. More information about exploring chaotic motion, and other physics topics, with Maxima can be found in my textbook "Classical Mechanics with Maxima" (Springer, 2015).
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Deepen Understanding of Mathematical Methods through Python and Jupyter Notebooks
- AG02
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Joshua Samani,
- Type: Panel
- We explore a sequence of self-guided computational activities designed to deepen student understanding of linear algebra, ordinary differential equations, and how they are related. Working in pairs to complete Python coding exercises in Jupyter notebooks, students combine their understanding of matrix diagonalization and numerical solution of ordinary differential equations to compute and visualize the dynamics of systems of oscillators. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop with Python 3 and Jupyter notebooks installed. Alternatively, participants can make a SageMathCloud account to experience how students can easily use Python and Jupyter in the cloud.
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Coulomb Scattering in Glowscript for Intro Students
- AG03
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Dwain Desbien,
- Type: Panel
- During this panel discussion I will share my experiences using glowscript (VPython) in introductory physics classes. In particular I will be sharing the use of a simple Coulomb scattering activity that students code and explore scattering with. Student solutions to the activity will be shared as will student solutions. Follow-up questions to students and discussion of extensions to the activity will be discussed.
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Problem-based Learning with VPython in Introductory Mechanics
- AG04
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Marcos Caballero,
- Type: Panel
- In this panel discussion, I will discuss a series of activities designed to engage science and engineering students in computational modeling in the context of a group-based, introductory mechanics course called, "Projects and Practices in Physics" or P-Cubed (pcubed.pa.msu.edu). This series of activities emphasize using the Euler-Cromer method to model the motion of single particle systems experiencing no net force, constant force, or a position-dependent force. In the P-Cubed learning environment, students explore these activities, which are framed as investigatory modeling projects, in small groups of four. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop with classic VPython installed (vpython.org). Participants with internet access may use Glowscript (glowscript.org) in lieu of installing VPython.
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A Nuclear Physics Simulation Suitable for Classroom Use
- AG05
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Javier Hasbun,
- Type: Panel
- I discuss a nuclear physics activity in which we will apply a classical mechanical concept and adapt it to the modeling of a nuclear physics problem; i.e., the interaction between a nuclear particle and the rest of the remaining nucleus. The idea is to look at the two body problem and work with the center of mass and relative coordinates of the system to obtain the motion of the nuclear particle (neutron or proton) as well as the heavier nucleus [1]. We will use Matlab/Octave to perform the modeling and interested participants are encouraged to preinstall "Matlab" from http://www.mathworks.com or the open source compatible version "Octave" from https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/.
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Effective Practices in Educational Technologies
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Modeling PeerWise and CLAS Technologies in Secondary Physics Teacher Education
- DC01
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 11:10AM
- by Marina Milner-Bolotin,
- Type: Contributed
- For the past seven years we have been experimenting with a wide variety oftechnologies in secondary physics methods courses at the University of British Columbia. Some of these technologies are well known (PhET simulations, data collection tool, sensors). While other technologies, despite being freely available, are rarely used in teacher education. We have collected data on the effectiveness of the pedagogies that incorporated these “new” technologies for supporting the development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of future physics teachers. In this talk we will discuss two of these technologies: PeerWise – an online database for collaboration on multiple-choice questions developed at the University of Auckland, NZ; and Collaborative Learning Annotation System (CLAS) developed at the University of British Columbia. We will also share our tips on how these technologies can be incorporate more effectively and how future physics teachers can use these technologies in their own teaching.
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Effective iOS apps for Higher Education
- DC02
- Mon 02/20, 11:10AM - 11:20AM
- by Shahida Dar,
- Type: Contributed
- In this contributed talk I will focus on various iOS applications (for phones or iPads) that can be used in Higher Education Physics classroom and lab settings. These applications are designed to enhance students' learning experience through the use of mobile technology.
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A Model for Open-ended "Dorm Room" Physics Experiments
- DC03
- Mon 02/20, 11:20AM - 11:30AM
by Katherine Ansell,, Mats Selen,
- Type: Contributed
- Recent technological developments have made it possible for students to dohigh-quality physics experiments in their homes, and instructors have developed distance learning and online hybrid laboratory materials that take advantage of these capabilities. At the University of Illinois, we have used online instruction to explore two different paradigms for physics experiments outside of the classroom: (1) A structured approach with prescribed experiments, designed to prevent students from making unchecked errors and (2) an open-ended approach where students are given room to explore a situation and tell their instructor what they think. In this talk we will focus on the implementation and results from the latter approach in a hybrid (online and classroom) laboratory course, including examples of open-ended experiment prompts and student responses to this style of instruction.
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Re-Creating On-Ground Lab Experiences for Online Students
- DC04
- Mon 02/20, 11:30AM - 11:40AM
- by Sean Cordry,
- Type: Contributed
- Creating an on-ground lab experience for online physics courses can be difficult. The combined use of smart phone technology with carefully crafted spreadsheets goes a long way toward giving online students a parallel experience to that of their on-ground peers. Methods and techniques developed for use in a state-wide online campus context will be presented, as well as actual lab results obtained by online students.
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Integrating Typical Educational Games into Extended Curriculum
- DC05
- Mon 02/20, 11:40AM - 11:50AM
by Aryah Franklin, Vadim Polikov,, Emily Tanner-Smith,, Andrew Hostetler,, Douglas Clark,
- Type: Contributed
- In a study conducted in partnership with researchers at Vanderbilt University, “Substantial Integration of Typical Educational Games into Extended Curriculum,” Dr. Polikov and four other researchers found that if teachers incorporated curriculum-aligned games across a three-week unit, the game-based learning curriculum significantly augment student learning (as compared to teacher-matched control sections). The study used a cluster-quasi-experimental design, with 13 teachers and 1002 students participating in the study and playing 55 games developed by 16 different game development companies. The results demonstrated significantly higher gains for the game condition in terms of multiple-choice, open-response factual outcomes, evidentiary depth, and student engagement outcomes. The games findings demonstrated the potential of typical games for enhancing instruction, particularly when combined with data from teacher surveys.
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Charges in a Conductor and Gauss’ Law
- DC06
- Mon 02/20, 11:50AM - 12:00PM
- by Larry Engelhardt,
- Type: Contributed
- I will present an activity developed for introductory calculus-based E&M for understanding the behavior of charges in a conductor and Guass’ law. Students use a computer to simulate the equilibration of the charges in a conductor and to compute the net electric field, both outside and inside of a charged conductor.
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Capstone Projects Involving Computational Physics
- DC07
- Mon 02/20, 12:00PM - 12:10PM
- by Jeffrey Emmert,
- Type: Contributed
- In an effort to provide students with experience in conducting open-ended research and communicating the results, every upper-division physics major at Salisbury University is required to develop and complete a capstone project prior to graduation. Limited equipment and funding, however, constrain these activities and provide some challenge in finding projects that are both educational and exciting, yet realizable. Several students have recently taken advantage of the low cost and ubiquity of computers to explore topics in computational physics with success. By sharing some of these projects and describing a couple of them in detail – one involving diffusion limited aggregation and another involving the chaotic dynamics of a compound double pendulum – I hope to spark ideas that you may in turn use with your students.
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Engaging the Public with Festivals
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Engaging the Public with Festivals
- GE
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
- by Shawn Weatherford
- Type: Panel
-
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Exhibit Hall Open (Monday)
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Exhibit Hall Open (Monday)
- EXH07
- Mon 02/20, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Exhibit Hall Open (Saturday)
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Exhibit Hall Open (Saturday)
- EXH01
- Sat 02/18, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
-
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Exhibit Hall Open (Sunday)
-
Exhibit Hall Open (Sunday)
- EXH02
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 5:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
-
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Friday Registration
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Friday Registration
- REG01
- Fri 02/17, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Frontiers of Space Science & Human Space Flight
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Spectroscopic Mapping of Comets at Radio Frequencies
- AD01
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- by Amy Lovell,
- Type: Invited
- Sublimation of ice from comets can reveal clues to the interior of the comet, provide insights on the formation of our solar system, and reveal interesting dynamical processes in a rarefied atmosphere. Water is the primary volatile in comet nuclear ices, but may be difficult to observe through Earth's atmosphere. As an immediate product of water molecule breakup, OH is easily observed at radio wavelengths and can be used to trace other gas phenomena in comets. We will review gas production rates, outflow velocities, and other physical processes as revealed by a 15-year survey of 18-cm OH spectra from dozens of comets, and the unique elements of computational modelling for data analysis.
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Hooke's Law Orbital Motion: A Zero-G Flight Experiment
- AD02
- Sun 02/19, 10:30AM - 11:00AM
- by Jeffrey Regester,
- Type: Invited
- This talk describes an experiment flown aboard NASA’s reduced-gravity aircraft. The experiment explores the behavior of two masses, connected by a spring and set into rotation, resulting in orbital motion. The experimental apparatus consists of a turntable that accelerates a mass-spring-mass system to a predetermined angular speed before releasing it during a “zero-g” interval, while the aircraft is performing a parabolic maneuver that simulates the absence of gravity. A video camera recorded each run, allowing frame-by-frame analysis of the masses’ trajectories. This talk will describe the apparatus development, aircraft integration, training, the actual flights, and data analysis. Use of the data in educational settings ranging from middle school to university physics major classes will be discussed as well.
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Developing STEM SOS Near Space Project
- AD03
- Sun 02/19, 11:00AM - 11:10AM
- by Mehmet Gokcek,
- Type: Contributed
- Space travel is still a very costly endeavor for most humans. As an educator it is our job to come up with innovative ways of bringing space technology and experience to the classrooms so that next generations can innovate affordable ways of space travel making what some might consider science fiction today into a reality. In 2014 STEM SOS students in Lubbock, TX, launched the first weather balloon among 45 HPS campuses where STEM SOS model has been implemented in the state of Texas. Their first goal was to collect sensor data as the weather balloon ascended to near space to the upper edge of stratosphere. However, mishaps caused by high winds led to an unsuccessful recovery and payload was lost to inclement weather, only to be found a year later in Oklahoma - Texas border by a cattle rancher, 200 miles away from the initial launch site. Same year HPS Sugar Land campus became part of this new initiative by doing a successful launch in the Houston area. A year later STEM SOS Near Space Project took another turn when El Paso STEM SOS students launched a payload close to the U.S.-Mexico border, where recovery took hours due to harsh conditions of the Chihuahuan desert. The project made it possible for teachers to collect sensor and media data that could later be part of the physics classes allowing more students to take a role analyzing the data. Moreover, in the last six months we have partnered with a computer engineer at University of Texas - Dallas to create an open source flight computer that would allow students build their own sensor and telemetry system to be launched in to near space. Technology used in the flight computer is a basic version of satellite communication systems. An average of 100 mile telemetry is possible over 900 Mhz frequency. Through this push a newly developed phase of STEM SOS Near Space Project will include affordable classroom applications of satcom sensor and telemetry systems that will use Arduino and Raspberry Pi as building platforms.
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High Altitude Balloon Cosmic Ray Detection at a TYC
- AD04
- Sun 02/19, 11:10AM - 11:20AM
by Rod Milbrandt,, Nathan Brown,, Andrea Walker,, Steve Keidl,
- Type: Contributed
- For two successive years at RCTC we have launched a High Altitude Balloon (HAB) as a part of student research projects. This year we launched a home-built cosmic ray detector and acquired data from ground level to 38000 feet that matched theoretical predictions. This project allowed undergraduates at our TYC to do research on a reasonable budget and generated a lot of interest. We will describe our materials, methods, and hints we’ve learned regarding HAB cosmic ray experimentation.
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A Practice-based Model of STEM Teaching in Physics: “STEM Students on the Stage (SOS) ™”
- AD05
- Sun 02/19, 11:20AM - 11:30AM
- by Mehmet Keles,
- Type: Contributed
- Harmony Public Schools have developed a STEM curriculum that incorporates project-based and inquiry-based learning titled STEMSOS “STEM Students on the Stage (SOS) ™”. Students experience PBL projects at various levels at Harmony Public Schools. Level I is a short term project and targets 21st century skills within the context of the curriculum. Level II & Level III are long-term interdisciplinary projects connecting STEM curriculum to the humanities through rich, meaningful, and rigorous cross-disciplinary and multi-sensory projects that allow the application and development of critical 21st century skills. I will be showing some examples of PBL Level II websites and videos that were created by my physics students last year. You will also have some brochures created by students. This brochures will let you to get more information about the projects.
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21st Century Skills in STEM SOS Harmony Near Space Project
- AD06
- Sun 02/19, 11:30AM - 11:40AM
- by Nicolas Gonzalez,
- Type: Contributed
- For students, it is difficult to transfer the knowledge they have gained in the classroom and utilize it during experiments. STEM SOS Harmony Near Space Project is a hands-on student-oriented college level project that helps walk the students through how to transfer what they have learned in the classroom to meaningful skills they can utilize outside the classroom. The students create a launch schedule with all the components necessary to complete the high-altitude weather balloon experiment, in which they collect sensor data such as altitude, temperature, and other variables; assign roles to their team members, and schedule a launch date and location based on environmental factors they have been observing; with the end goal to prepare a project portfolio showcasing what they learned. This leads to an opportunity for the students to share and shine in class during physics lessons that involve concepts visited during the launch, such as thermodynamics and gas laws, this also allows the teacher to use footage and data from launches to have the students analyze real-life data.
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Graduate Student Topical Discussion
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Graduate Student Topical Discussion
- TOP03
- Sun 02/19, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
- by Daryl McPadden
- Type: Topical
- This session is the primary opportunity for members of the PER graduate students community to meet and discuss common issues.
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High School
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Science 100: A Three-Credit Course for High School
- CE01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
- by Donald Franklin,
- Type: Contributed
- By combining the four major sciences, which are linked together by interaction of Energy, a school can have a class that will enable the students to earn college credit for their work during the year, rather than taking an AP Test at the end of the year. This will also help teachers to gain Adjunct Faculty Status with their local colleges. The advantage is that the students explore all sciences, not just one for college credit.
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Role of After School Clubs in STEM Learning
- CE02
- Sun 02/19, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by Ismail Eroglu,
- Type: Contributed
- Many of the kids attending America’s public schools have experienced limited success in math and science. They lack motivation to reach higher in these subjects because they do not understand how the material connects to daily life. We offered after school clubs, Momentum clubs, to create a demonstration project for implementing math and science enrichment that dovetails and extends existing curriculum. Stem clubs we have in our school are Shell Eco Marathon, Rocketry, Robotics, Underwater robotics. There are 72 students engaged in those clubs.
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21st Century Skills and Physics Education
- CE03
- Sun 02/19, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Oguz Celik,
- Type: Contributed
- Rapid changes in the world—including technological advancement, scientificinnovation, increased globalization, shifting workforce demands, and pressures of economic competitiveness—are redefining the broad skill sets that students need to be adequately prepared to participate in and contribute to today's society (Levy and Murnane 2005; Stewart 2010; Wilmarth 2010). NSTA acknowledges the need for and importance of 21st-century skills within the context of science education and advocates for the science education community to support 21st-century skills consistent with best practices across a preK–16 science education system. Because of that 21st century skills have to be hearth of today educational system. We have to align our curriculum according to 21st century skills. I want to introduce how I use 21st century skills in my physics classes.
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Teaching Friction with a Discrepant Event-Inseparable Phonebooks Lab
- CE04
- Sun 02/19, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
- by Guven Yilmaz,
- Type: Contributed
- While making a description for an interesting phenomenon, students should reorganize their justifications by using scientific explanations. However, the inadequacies of their own explanations of phenomena create cognitive conflict on the student's mind. This early conflict should be generated to reach students and help them achieve cognitive change. This study is designed to understand one of the discrepant events deeply, called inseparable phonebooks demonstration. While total force is used as a dependent variable during this experiment, numbers of pages and amount of interleave are used as two independent variables. This experiment can be conducted as an example to show the agreement between theoretical and experimental results along with the confounding variables.
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Engaging Students by Modernizing High School Physics Curriculum
- CE05
- Sun 02/19, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
- by Amber Henry,
- Type: Contributed
- Many students have the perception that physics is only boxes on ramps and boring formulas from the 19th century. They believe there is nothing new or interesting going on in physics today. As teachers we must modernize our curriculum and show them today’s exciting world of physics. Particle physics and relativity are perfect for instilling awe in our students. The common sentiment is that these topics are too complex for high school students. In this talk I will discuss the successful modernization of the physics curriculum at Paradise Valley High School and how you can utilize the work of places like CERN and LIGO to engage and excite students.
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Learner-Centered STEM Education for Physics Teachers
- CE06
- Sun 02/19, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
- by Levent Sakar,
- Type: Contributed
- What do you get when you mix project-based deeper learning, STEM, collegeprep and personalized learning in a small supportive physics class? Getting Smart and Harmony Public Schools partnered to share more about “Learner-Centered STEM” model to inform and inspire others. I will share the seven blogs in the series that are bundled in a collection STEM SOS (Student on the Stage) model and explore Getting Smart’s findings after visiting and working with teachers and leaders to discover and unpack 11 key elements of learner-centered STEM. Physics is the effective course to implement the "Learner-Centered STEM” model. I will also share videos and images of the impressive STEM SOS Physics projects that students create with support of their teachers and expert mentors and links to more information on the events, STEM festivals and competitions available to students.
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Building a High School Solar Car from Scratch
- CE07
- Sun 02/19, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
- by Ali Dal,
- Type: Contributed
- Building full-size Solar Car in a high school level course is a challenge!The presentation will be on a middle-high school STEM program named STEM SOS (Students On Stage) Model. The presenter will talk about how small projects lead them to build an advanced project in a short period. STEM SOS Model targets to increase students' learning and hands-on experience. Students become active contributors rather than passive listeners. The program has been applied in a school system with most of the students are coming from low-income families. In this session, the contributor will mainly focus on one group of students and how the program works in their school, obstacles they faced and how the engagement process took place.
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A Student e-portfolio
- CE08
- Sun 02/19, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
- by Ramazan Ozdemir,
- Type: Contributed
- In our school system students have different levels of yearlong projects and in order to complete these yearlong projects each student needs to prepare an e-portfolio, which is an individual website including a self-produced video about their own project. I will be focusing on the one of the those e-portfolios. I will display a part of the remarkable YouTube recording made by one of my students in his student e-portfolio demonstrates Visualization of Gravity.
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Appropriate Challenge: Multi-level Practices in Inclusive High School Physics Courses
- CE09
- Sun 02/19, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Emily James,
- Type: Contributed
- Inclusion classrooms strive to establish learning environments that are age appropriate and meet the needs of all students, regardless of learning profiles or academic abilities. This diversity has been shown to present enormous problems for teachers as they try to appropriately challenge all students at the same time regardless of learning profile while still keeping the entire class moving forward through the curriculum. At Brewster Academy, our classes are inclusive, and attempts are made to level each curricula into three different groupings and match each student to the most appropriate level. After 15 years of developing and teaching multi leveled physics curricula, this talk will present several teaching practices, that effectively meet the needs of individual students within such a diverse learning environment. Specifically, the examples provided will be presented in the context of Newton’s Laws and Projectile Motion.
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Induction and Mentoring of Early Career Teachers
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Seeking Different Kinds of Understanding: Research with Middle School Teachers*
- HE01
- Tue 02/21, 12:30PM - 1:00PM
- by Michael Wittmann,
- Type: Invited
- In middle school physical science teaching, the focus is typically on conceptual understanding and rich descriptions of a situation, without using much math. Working with many collaborators in the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (MainePSP), I have spent several years investigating middle school students' understanding of energy and their teachers' knowledge of energy and non-uniform motion. In our professional development activities, we have teachers engage with student data in order to develop their content understanding and their knowledge of students' ideas. To analyze our observations, we use a resources perspective, recognizing the context-dependence of teaching decisions regarding the multiple goals of instruction. As an extension of our work, we have used our findings to guide medication of our graduate courses in Integrated Approaches to Physics Education for pre-service teachers. Our goal is to help teachers be more responsive to the creative and useful ideas their students bring to the classroom.
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Mentoring Teachers Through Professional Learning Communities
- HE02
- Tue 02/21, 1:00PM - 1:30PM
by David Henry,, Michael Belling,
- Type: Invited
- Providing effective support for in-service teachers is a critical component to addressing the existing teacher shortage. U.S. attrition rates are hovering near 8% compared to high-achieving jurisdictions like Finland, Singapore, and Ontario, Canada—where only about 3 to 4% of teachers leave in a given year. This presentation will discuss two programs, the grass-roots Western New York Physics Teacher Alliance and the well-funded New York State Master Teacher Program. Both programs provide supportive professional communities for physics teachers that can make a critical difference in teacher attrition. I will compare the characteristics of these two distinct organizations and share lessons we have learned related to the role of Professional Learning Teams in effective professional development.
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AP Physics Professional Learning Team*
- HE03
- Tue 02/21, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
- by Michael Belling,
- Type: Contributed
- As part of the New York State Master Teacher Program, a professional learning team (PLT) was formed in the Buffalo area to address the needs of teachers teaching AP physics. Emphasis has been placed in helping those new to the Advanced Placement curriculum, which often includes teachers outside of the Master Teacher Program. Meetings often include both the sharing of existing laboratory practices and the development of new AP-centric labs, along with discussions of pedagogical techniques. I will discuss how our PLT has evolved, and the direction to which it is headed.
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edTPA (teacher certification program) and the Challenge of Preparing Well Qualified H.S. Physics Teachers
- HE04
- Tue 02/21, 1:40PM - 1:50PM
- by Frank Lock,
- Type: Contributed
- There are 704 Educator Preparation Programs in 38 states and the District of Columbia participating in edTPA. Georgia is among those 38 states. During my two years as a physTEC Teacher In Residence, I found the edTPA certification program inhibited the preparation of high school physics student teachers. My experience indicates that university teacher education programs requiring students to complete edTPA hamper the preparation of those students for their first year in a classroom. Evidence for this will be presented in this talk.
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21st Century e-portfolios: Outreach, Tracking and Training with Share & Shine Model
- HE05
- Tue 02/21, 1:50PM - 2:00PM
- by Fatih Gozuacik,
- Type: Contributed
- 21st Century; everything has changed, all moved into digital portals. One great way to build up your resume, keep track of your awesome work, do school outreach, attract best students into your AP classes and principal amusement...Benefits don't fit here. I started using Google+, YouTube and Facebook as an educational tool and it sparkled my teaching way. Parents see and get proud of their kids' work, school yells out that we are a STEM academy, teachers create their name brands... Reaching your society with such tools inspires next generations and increases STEM awareness. You can also use these interactive albums to train other teachers even in other countries! Only thing you need is an internet connection and then "share & shine." In this session you will see how to use and reroute social media, and critical points need to be careful. Best practices of a sharing & shining physics teacher…
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Sharing STEM with the World: Opportunities in China
- HE06
- Tue 02/21, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
- by John Lewis,
- Type: Contributed
- In 2015 a unique partnership was formed between the Beijing School District and the Northern Illinois University STEM Outreach program. NIU was contracted to do numerous professional development sessions which shared secrets of STEM with the Beijing teachers. Wanting more, the school officials asked if NIU could provide teachers to actually come in to their schools and teach STEM processes to their students for the entire school year. Eighteen months into the program, it looks as though things are flourishing and ready to grow. NIU offers a summer STEM training program to prepare teachers for such an excursion and then provides tremendous support while the teachers are in China. Interested? Find out more at this informative talk which will describe the process and experience of teaching STEM to middle-schoolers in China.
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Modeling Workshops, Representational Tools, and Assessing Scientific Processes
- HE07
- Tue 02/21, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
by Kathleen Harper,, Lin Ding,, Ted Clark,
- Type: Contributed
- Workshops in Modeling Instruction(1) for physics have been offered in central Ohio for 13 years. Their evaluation has largely focused on changes in the conceptual understanding of the participating teachers, as well as of their students, using the Force Concept Inventory.(2) However, in an effort to better understand how specific modeling practices may influence the participant’s problem-solving, an additional evaluation was introduced to address participants' scientific process skills in 2016. Participants were given the “lab question” from a recent AP Physics 1 exam, without being told that it was an AP question. After the participants’ answers were collected, they were asked to describe how, if at all, their workshop experience had influenced their answers. Analysis of the responses shows the workshops influenced the methods applied by the teachers. In addition, participants that utilized new representational tools gained through the workshop outperformed those who did not.
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STEM Training for K-12 Teachers: A Pilot Program in Upstate South Carolina
- HE08
- Tue 02/21, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
by Chad Sosolik,, Sean Brittain,, Jody Penland,, Brenda Schrantz,
- Type: Contributed
- We present our experiences from a pilot program in K-12 teacher training formed through a state-funded Math/Science Partnership (MSP). The MSP’s goal was to provide expert content-based instruction in physics, technology, and math through monthly workshops where teachers received content-based instruction, including hands-on activities and discussions about careers. The monthly events culminated in a four-day workshop where the teachers applied the skills they had developed to design power generation systems. While these workshops generated a positive response and increased connections between the university and the district school, the measured changes in teacher performance on content-specific testing was mixed. The program has shown that a focus on exposing teachers to high level materials with hands-on opportunities makes them more comfortable with the content and empowers them to conduct their own STEM-themed lessons. This applies even in classes considered non-STEM (art, writing, special education) which broadens the impact of their STEM training.
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Institutional Support For Elementary Teacher Physics Training
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These Important Science Teachers Need Our Support
- BB01
- Sun 02/19, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Gay Stewart,
- Type: Invited
- Arguably, elementary teachers are among the most important science teachers. They encourage or discourage a love of science, touching all students. Unfortunately, many future elementary teachers do not have access to the type of college science classes that model the way they should teach these subjects, and often elementary preparation programs do not place a large emphasis on science methods. Excellent curricula exist to fulfill this need, particularly in physics, but they require a commitment of good faculty and potentially more resources than other physics courses for non-majors. How we effectively sought institutional support, at the department, dean and provost levels, at two institutions will be discussed. Time for questions and advice to those attempting to start such a program will be available.
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Is Physics by Inquiry Still Relevant?
- BB02
- Sun 02/19, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
by Bruce Patton,, Andrew Dougherty,
- Type: Invited
- Physics by Inquiry (PBI) at The Ohio State University has evolved over several decades starting from the original University of Washington framework. Changing core science standards, equipment options, staffing involvement, online options, and experimental innovation have all played a role in the format of the current course as a key part of teacher education. The approach to active learning and meaning making in Physics by Inquiry is still extremely relevant to the preparation of teachers to deal with both the content and cognitive requirements of the new Common Core and NGSS standards. The role of the hands-on PBI structure has been investigated for both pre and in-service teachers, including their effects on students of diverse backgrounds in their classrooms. Extensive data collection now enables a comprehensive statistical analysis of the role of many factors such as student background, co-operative learning, and scientific reasoning ability.
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Replacing the Lab Manual with a Learning Management System in Physics Investigations for K-4 Pre-Service Teachers
- BB03
- Sun 02/19, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
by Stanley Sobolewski,, Muhammad Numan,
- Type: Contributed
- The traditional laboratory investigation uses a procedure written on paper; students then record their responses on a supplied data page or laboratory notebook. In an attempt to make this process more efficient, the use of a Learning Management System (in this case D2L) was used to present the material and collect student feedback. Each student had a University supplied laptop, read the procedure from the screen, and submitted answers through D2L. As anticipated there was no change in content knowledge. However surprisingly, subjects felt the paper and pencil approach was easier to use than computer entry. In a subsequent study, the same population in the same course completed an online only lecture and lab course. We will discuss the student’s reaction to this online class.
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Ozobot Physics: Robotics for K-5 Preservice Teachers and Their Students
- BB04
- Sun 02/19, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
- by Matthew Perkins Coppola,
- Type: Contributed
- Ozobots provide a simple way for K-2 students to learn the basics of coding. About the size of a quarter, these line-following robots interpret embedded patterns of color as commands to alter their speed and direction. In this presentation I will share how I prepare preservice elementary educators to use Ozobots to teach concepts of force and motion to their students.
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Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: What’s New? ILDs Using Clickers and Video Analysis
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Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Whats New? ILDs Using Clickers and Video Analysis
- BC01
- Sun 02/19, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
by David Sokoloff,, Ronald Thornton,
- Type: Invited
- The results of physics education research and the availability of microcomputer-based tools have led to the development of the Activity Based Physics Suite. (1) Most of the Suite materials are designed for hands-on learning, for example student-oriented laboratory curricula such as RealTime Physics. One reason for the success of these materials is that they encourage students to take an active part in their learning. This interactive session will demonstrate through active audience participation Suite materials designed to promote active learning in lecture—Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) (2), including those using clickers and video analysis.
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Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Effectiveness in Teaching Concepts
- BC02
- Sun 02/19, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
by Ronald Thornton,, David Sokoloff,
- Type: Invited
- The effectiveness of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) in teachingphysics concepts has been studied using physics education research based, multiple-choice conceptual evaluations.(1,2) Results of such studies will be presented, including studies with clicker ILDs. These results should be encouraging to those who wish to improve conceptual learning in their introductory physics course.
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Introductory Courses
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Using You-tube Clips to Further Emphasize Physics Concepts in Real-world Situations
- GG01
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
- by Flavio Fenton,*
- Type: Contributed
- We present a comprehensive list of about 50 short videos that can be used to explain physics concepts from inertia to angular momentum. We have been using these videos for over two years in an Introductory Physics course (Mechanics) at Georgia Tech. The everyday events allow students to better appreciate how the concepts learned can actually be applied to explain the actions observed in the videos. The videos can be interspersed throughout the lecture to encourage students to think about how physics is used to describe and understand real-world events. Students’ comments at the end of the courses by far have centered on the use of the videos as a way to keep them motivated and interested in learning more physics.
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Conceptual Physics Understanding through Augmented Reality
- GG02
- Tue 02/21, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
by Sergio Flores Garcia,, Osiel Ramirez,, Maria Cruz,, Maria Gonzalez,, Juan Chavez,
- Type: Contributed
- The Augmented Reality’s capacity of inserting virtual objects in the real life has converted it in a very helpful technological tool to present entertainment and educative contents. Moreover, it has demonstrated its pedagogical function in different scenarios as in museums, where the object is presented in an attractive and didactic way simultaneously. These kinds of virtual environments allow the observation of objects created from mathematical figures or equations, as students would do with real models. The understanding of conceptual nucleus of projectile motion by students in the Engineering and Technological Institute of University of Ciudad Juarez’ students taking the Physics II course is our particular goal. Two groups were selected to collaborate in this project: the experiment and the control groups. The control group was exposed to a traditional instruction. Meanwhile the experiment group was exposed to an Augmented Reality lab. Analysis of the results indicates that the experiment group showed a greater knowledge gain than the control group.
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A Hybrid Introductory Physics Sequence in Review
- GG03
- Tue 02/21, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
by Grant Thompson,, James Hall,, Kenneth Kroeger,
- Type: Contributed
- Increased enrollments in health-related professional programs at our institution has driven our department to devise a hybrid two semester introductory physics sequence that meets the demands of our majors and those in the health fields. This sequence requires all students to enroll in an algebra-based Physics I succeeded by the option to pursue either an algebra-based Physics II course or an enhanced calculus-based Physics II course that revisits Physics I and its calculus applications. The pilot offering of this hybrid physics track was held during the 2015-2016 academic year. This talk will present the successes and shortcomings of the modified introductory sequence and future avenues of development.
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Mathematical Modeling of Newton’s Cooling Law
- GG04
- Tue 02/21, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
by Maria Castro,, Maria Gonzalez,, Sergio Flores,, Osiel Ramirez,, Maria Cruz,
- Type: Contributed
- Although the exponential function is part of the curriculum of mathematicssince primary and secondary educational levels, the extent of programs in higher education institutions limit the time this issue is discussed. In addition, the traditional education system only includes some changes in representation. Also, according to The Theory of Registers of Representation, proposed by Raymond Duval, they are not enough for students to gain a meaningful understanding of this function. This research was developed based on the design and implementation of laboratory practices. Students were exposed to a dynamic contextualization of the concept of exponential function. This article describes the cognitive effect of the instruction received by the coefficient-normalized gain of Hake and the possible relationship with the level of understanding of Hitt. The results show a correlation of 0.5 between these two indices.
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Student Confidence and Performance Outcomes in an Introductory Physics Class
- GG05
- Tue 02/21, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
by Ramesh Adhikari,, W. Lane,
- Type: Contributed
- Introductory physics classes bring students from various departments and backgrounds. For some students, the materials covered in these classes are review of their advanced level high school physics, while for others, they are completely alien. Despite this discrepancy in preparation of the students, it is expected that designing a course that requires active participation of the students, would help improve the performance of the disadvantaged students while retaining the performance of the high achieving students. However, the level of self-confidence of the students based on their perception of the materials assigned or presented during the course may influence the extent of their preparation outside of class or lack thereof. In this study, we track the evolution of self-confidence of students in an introductory level calculus-based electricity and magnetism class throughout a semester and investigate how it relates to their performance.
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A New Instrument to Develop Assessments that Align with PER
- GG06
- Tue 02/21, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
- by James Laverty,
- Type: Contributed
- Between the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards, changesto the AP Physics curriculum, and the steady advances from Physics Education Research, physics education is advancing and changing at a rapid pace. As with most advances in science, there is a gap between the introduction of new ideas and their routine use in educational environments. Recently, a team of disciplinary experts and discipline-based education researchers at Michigan State University released a new instrument, the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP). One of the goals of this instrument is to aid practitioners in the identification or development of assessments that align with the current transformations in physics education. In this talk, I will briefly describe the idea of "scientific practices," what it means to assess them, and demonstrate the use of the 3D-LAP to help align assessments with them.
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Quizzing to Improve Homework Efficacy in Physics
- GG07
- Tue 02/21, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
- by Mark Mayer,
- Type: Contributed
- College physics courses generally include assigned homework to provide problem solving challenge and consolidation of conceptual understanding. In coordination, on-line grading systems are often used. Some studies have shown that successful homework completion does not correlate with higher exam performance. Kontur et al. [F.J. Kontur, K. de La Harpe, N.B. Terry., “Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course,” Phys. Rev. PER. 11,010105 (2015)] found this to be the case, in particular, for the lower-scientific-aptitude students. To increase student benefits from homework, a homework quiz process was instituted in General Physics II courses at the United States Air Force Academy. This presentation will explain the quiz process and discuss our understanding of its efficacy.
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Exploring Dynamics of Instructor Credibility in Active-learning Physics Classes
- GG08
- Tue 02/21, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Jon Gaffney,
- Type: Contributed
- “Instructor credibility” refers to how students perceive their instructor as competent, trustworthy, and caring. Credibility is a convenient construct because it is repeatedly shown to be related to student satisfaction and learning. However, perceptions of credibility are formed over time, not from singular behaviors or interactions. Because interactive-engagement physics classes require instructors to interact with their students frequently and directly, it is important to understand the dynamics of how instructors gain or lose credibility through those interactions. This talk provides early results of a pilot study to investigate those dynamics over a semester of algebra-based physics, with an eye toward how understanding such dynamics can inform instructors of similar courses.
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With all Due Respect: Physics Students Speak to Physics Teachers
- GG09
- Tue 02/21, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
by Paul Hutchison,, Christian Clark,, Jessica Daly,, Jason Jennings,, Major May,
- Type: Contributed
- The primary authors are six undergraduate students who took a non-traditional introductory physics class. The class is a type that some call a “responsive science class”. The course instructor will briefly describe some characteristics of the class. Then we present our investigation into aspects of the class that were important to our positive experience in it. We collected and analyzed after-the-fact reflections on the course written by us and a couple of other students from our class. Three key themes emerged in our analysis of those reflections: the importance of learning to talk about our understanding, the role of changing our expectations about knowledge, and truly collaborative inquiry. We make the case physics students at all levels will benefit if more physics teachers incorporate aspects of responsive science teaching in their pedagogy.
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Can We Prevent Students from Googling Answers to Their Homework?
- GG10
- Tue 02/21, 10:00AM - 10:10AM
- by Debora Katz,
- Type: Contributed
- We know that problem-solving is one of the best ways to really learn physics. So why would a student cheat himself or herself of such an important learning opportunity? In my talk I will discuss what motivates some students to search for homework solutions online, rather than doing their own work. I will also talk about some practices we can use to prevent cheating. One practice is to provide students with right-on-time homework help. Along those lines, I will show online homework-help videos I've recorded.
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Introductory Courses (General)
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Physics of Winter Olympics in STEM SOS Model
- BA01
- Sun 02/19, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
- by Abdulkadir Akti,
- Type: Contributed
- Winter Olympics are the best resource to connect physics lectures with daily life. Most of mechanic concepts from one dimensional motion to mechanical waves can be taught by using winter Olympics and video analysis. Besides being wonderful example of physics concepts, it is also a great tool to draw students attention to topics. Students also can use winter Olympics in our STEM SOS model as their pbl projects.
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From Physics to Technology
- BA02
- Sun 02/19, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
- by Yusuf Eren,
- Type: Contributed
- As physics teachers, we know the important of physics. Every single thing around us is related to physics. We are aware of that. However, our students don’t know the important of physics in terms of how important it is. As a physics teacher, my main goal is to make physics relevant to our society. For that purpose, I would like to introduce Arduino. Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs -- light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message -- and turn it into an output -- activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. Students start learning basic electrics. They learn how the electric works, series, and parallel circuits. After that we start building some electronics things like parking sensor. Students also get a lot of knowledge about modern technologies. As a result of that, students will gain valuable knowledge for their life. They will be excited to physics and technology.
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Elaborate Formula Recollection through a WORLDLY recognized Mnemonic Technique
- BA03
- Sun 02/19, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
- by Shannon Schunicht,
- Type: Contributed
- Most students when taking physics for the first time are exposed to a multitude of formulas. Such exposure to the non-physicist usually prevents further exploration, or studies. For this reason alternative venues other than physics are often sought. In 1985, this author was involved in a mid air collision to be rendered unconscious for three weeks. Everything had to be relearned, as nursing actions were reported as having been displayed upon awakening from the extended unconsciousness. A WORLDLY recognized mnemonic technique was made for memory compensation. Recent '16 notification as well since '01. Attendance will reveal: 1. this technique, 2. sample cards, 3. past acronyms created from simple to complex equations, as well as 4. equations submitted by attendees. The application of this mnemonic technique to ANY Western language is remarkable, whereas Eastern characters have yet to be explored. Regardless, its possibilities remain limitless as Delta X approaches 0. Come 2 C what acronym Dr. Seuss will show u.
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Remote Sensing, Big Data and Environmental Physics
- BA04
- Sun 02/19, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
- by J. Sharma,
- Type: Contributed
- The 21st century will see an exponential growth in the deployment of sensors on satellite and UAV platforms to quantify Earth surface phenomena. The confluence of fast computing, novel algorithms, ubiquity of broadband and powerful miniaturized sensors are creating very large data streams that need to be converted to actionable information. This enterprise is largely dependent on greater grassroots physics literacy. Physics applications such as remote sensing are a tangible way of getting students motivated to learn the physical principles underlying remotely sensed data. Typically this data is in the form of multiband optical imagery, laser reflectometry and radar. The underlying principles are the EM spectrum, interaction of radiation with matter, atmospheric scattering/absorption, orbital dynamics, wave optics and geometric optics. Scalable cloud computing platforms like Google Earth Engine are making planetary scale remote sensing capabilities available to faculty and students across the entire educational continuum from K12 to higher education.
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New Video Resource for Calculus-based Introductory Physics at TAMU
- BA05
- Sun 02/19, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
by Jonathan Perry,, William Bassichis, Tatiana Erukhimova
- Type: Contributed
- Use of videos as an additional component of education has been on a continual rise in recent years. Video engagement as an instructional technique can be beneficial if the material is designed at an appropriate level, and presented in an accessible manner. Many existing, popular resources have content designed for algebra-based courses, which are not suitable for STEM majors in calculus- based introductory physics. This work consists of the development of a new set of online video resources being developed at Texas A&M University to exhibit the fundamental physical concepts, laws, and equations in a manner appropriate for calculus-based physics courses of any institution. Preliminary assessment on the effectiveness of the modules, and user surveys concerning them will be presented for modules deployed during the spring and fall terms of 2016.
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Experiments in Ancient Chinese Science and Technology
- BA06
- Sun 02/19, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Matt Marone,
- Type: Contributed
- We have developed a general education physics class for non-science majorsbased on the inventions and discoveries of ancient China. In this class, we explore these discoveries in their historical Chinese context and through the lens of our current scientific understanding. This is not just a theoretical course but there is a strong “hands on” emphasis. In our laboratory component, we re-create several different inventions or technologies used by the Chinese in ancient times. Students then analyze the ancient technologies using modern methods and tools. Each experiment has a two fold lesson that addresses the ancient technology and modern laboratory techniques. Thus, making paper, becomes and exercise in statistical analysis. Experiments include making paper, building a steelyard balance, silk spinning, magnetism, musical instruments, optics, astronomy and bronze casting.
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Introductory Labs/Apparatus
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Incorporating Deductive Inquiry into Traditional Labs: Lab Reformation and Assessment
- CF01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
by Rex Taibu,, Vazgen Shekoyan,
- Type: Contributed
- Conceptual physics course is required for most if not all elementary education majors across the nation. Being pre-service teachers, such students need to be equipped with teaching skills that foster scientific inquiry in pupils. This project focuses on reforming conceptual physics labs from traditional to deductive inquiry labs. In a deductive inquiry lab, the instructor presents the important science concepts and theory early as established knowledge followed by exploration of the implications of the theory. This is unlike inductive inquiry where the science concepts and principles are generated out of explorations. We will argue for the need to introduce deductive inquiry as yet another form of inquiry and a theory-driven instruction that reflects an important but often overlooked characteristic of both science and engineering practices. We will report preliminary results regarding the evaluation (students’ cognitive as well as affective domain achievement) of the reformed labs as compared to the traditional labs.
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Subtle Issues in the Bullet-Block Experiment
- CF02
- Sun 02/19, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by David Jackson,
- Type: Contributed
- The bullet-block experiment is a beautiful example of an introductory mechanics problem that most students answer incorrectly. The correct answer appears to violate energy conservation, so the situation comes across as somewhat paradoxical to students. Although the resolution to the paradox is fairly easy for students to understand, the details of what happens physically are not completely obvious. In this talk, I will explore some of the subtle features of this problem in an attempt to find out if it is possible to experimentally demonstrate what is really happening.
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Capacitor Labs Which “Parallel” Resistance Labs
- CF03
- Sun 02/19, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Paul Simony,
- Type: Contributed
- In the 2nd semester introductory physics course the Ohm’s Law and Serial/Parallel Resistance labs are easy to perform and provide results which support fundamental notions of conservation of charge and energy. Two similar labs based on capacitors are a bit more difficult to perform and analyze, and provide results that are not as precise, but they provide students with the opportunity to practice numerical integration and reinforce charge and energy conservation laws.
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A Fan-tastic Alternative to Bulbs: Learning Circuits with Fans
- CF04
- Sun 02/19, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
by Robert Ekey,, Brandon Mitchell,, Andrea Edwards,, Roy McCullough,, William Reitz,
- Type: Contributed
- This talk describes a novel hands-on experience of learning simple resistive circuits using low-voltage computer fans. The magnitude of current through a fan is related to the frequency of the rotating fan blades, which can be seen, heard, and felt, whereas the traditional bulb utilizes only vision. With incandescent bulbs being replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and light emitting diodes, students will become less familiar with incandescent bulbs. Without familiarity, the pedagogical value of using them to teach circuits decreases. Simply replacing incandescent bulbs with either CFL or LED bulbs is not viable because their brightness doesn’t correlate to the current flowing through each bulb. Ultimately, small computer fans are widely accessible, affordable, and easy to use. These qualities make them an ideal replacement for incandescent light bulbs while, at the same time, keeping alive the pedagogical spirit that makes bulbs so successful.
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Arduino on a Rocket
- CF05
- Sun 02/19, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
- by Jeffrey Groff,
- Type: Contributed
- This talk will discuss the construction and use of an Arduino-compatible model-rocket payload to teach Newtonian mechanics in introductory physics. The custom-made payload is approximately 20-g and consists of a data logger, an Arduino-compatible microcontroller, an accelerometer, and a lithium-polymer battery packed into a film canister. This payload allows the rocket’s acceleration to be sampled and logged during a launch. Using discrete approximations of the integral, this data can be used to estimate the rocket’s velocity and position as a function of time. In addition, Newton’s second law can be used to estimate the force and total impulse generated by the rocket’s engine.
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Engineering DIY Sensors by STEM SOS Model
- CF06
- Sun 02/19, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
- by Mehmet Gokcek,
- Type: Contributed
- Would you build your own sensors for physics class? Recent developments inthe tech industry and the White House "Computer Science For All" initiative proved that coding is the new literacy. We must have students in physics class design, build and code their own sensors while covering state or federal curriculum objectives. Part of a STEM SOS model we have developed an example one-week curriculum for a DIY parking sensor that can help understand how signals travel over a parallel and series circuit. Later the class is introduced to a challenge where they must analyze the pattern of the sound waves to develop a complete affordable parking system for a car. This creates a connection to Electromagnetic Spectrum as they try to visualize the range and pattern of the waves. There is also a daily life connection going to animal kingdom as kids look in to how bats find their ways even though they are visually impaired. Moreover the circuit can also include a cheap LCD screen to show numerical data on the proximity of objects, which can be applied to topics like speed and velocity. There will be more sample Arduino sensor circuit examples related to other concepts in physics such as optics, energy and thermodynamics. Participants will have the opportunity to have access to some of the resources. STEM SOS is a rigorous, interdisciplinary, standards-focused, and engaging STEM teaching approach that is teacher-facilitated, student-centered and directed through sets of project- and inquiry-based (PBL) projects.
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Development of a Radiation Detector in a Project-based Laboratory Course
- CF07
- Sun 02/19, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
- by Joshua Hamblen,
- Type: Contributed
- We have developed a project-based component of an upper-level laboratory course that is focused on the construction of a Geiger counter/cosmic ray detector. The design is based on simple, inexpensive electronic and detector components that are connected to a portable Raspberry Pi computer which serves as both the power supply and data acquisition system. The students participate in the entire design, construction, calibration, and operation of the detector. The overall project provides crucial introductory experience in electronics, computation, and radiation detection to the students.
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Using OSP-ComPADRE Simulations on Mobile Devices in Class
- CF08
- Sun 02/19, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
by Wolfgang Christian,, Colleen Countryman,, Francisco Esquembre,
- Type: Contributed
- Smartphones contain sensors that can be utilized to take data and to simulate realistic demonstrations. We have developed activities using the EJS authoring tool that take advantage of these sensors and students’ familiarity with their devices: a friction block on an incline and a simple harmonic oscillator. We use a web browser to display these systems with annotations, such as force-body diagrams, that respond to device motion and orientation. Our simulations and activities are freely available in the Open Source Physics Collection on the AAPT-ComPADRE website. During class testing, we found that 70% of students like using smartphones/tablets in class and self-reported data indicates that they found the activities valuable, and believed that the activities aided their understanding of the course material. These data are being used to modify the user interface and the activities for additional class testing. Preliminary data and ways to implement mobile-device activities will be presented.
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An Introductory Online Laboratory Effort at Stony Brook University
- CF09
- Sun 02/19, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
by Nicole Cronin,, Thomas Hemmick,
- Type: Contributed
- At Stony Brook University, we have piloted an online laboratory course in which students can take and analyze data all in the comfort of their homes. This is possible with the use of the iOLab device developed by Mats Selen and his colleagues at the University of Illinois. Eleven labs were produced for the first semester of the introductory laboratory course, four of which were unique to Stony Brook. Lab manuals and introductory videos were delivered to the students through the associated iOLab software. These online labs were proven to be much more accurate than the labs in the traditional in-class lab setting. The success of this class, in terms of student performance and motivation, was assessed through surveys, focus groups, and lab quizzes. Full implementation for the course is planned for the summer of 2017.
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Embedding Research in Undergraduate STEM Curricula: The NEIU PEERS Project
- CF10
- Sun 02/19, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
by Paulo Acioli,, Sudha Srinivas,, Elisabet Head,, Ken Nicholson,, Rachel Trana,
- Type: Contributed
- We present results of the implementation of mini-research components in the Undergraduate STEM curriculum at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). These are results of a funded NSF-IUSE grant to engage students, enhance learning, and improve retention in STEM. The primary emphasis in the modified physics courses was in the research process. The first lab was to choose a research topic following the steps, inquiry, literature review, planning, viability, and execution. Two additional lab sessions were dedicated to the projects. The culmination was the report and an oral presentation. The topics covered on the first year of the proposal ranged from Earthquakes to Asteroid Collisions, and Magnetic Trains to Cancer Therapy. The students were encouraged to seek projects in their own discipline that had a strong physics component at the university physics level. The challenges and success of the implementation and assessment of learning gains for each course will be presented.
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Bring Your Own Equipment! Using Smart Phones in Introductory Physics Labs
- CF11
- Sun 02/19, 5:40PM - 5:50PM
by Toni Sauncy,, Toni Sauncy
- Type: Contributed
- Under most circumstances, students are not allowed to use their communication devices during class. However, over the past two years, students in freshman physics labs have been encouraged to find new ways that smart phone functions can be used in the design and execution of lab experiments. Several examples for both the intro mechanics and intro E&M labs will be discussed.
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DIY Cellphone Spectrometer for Online Physics and Astronomy Labs
- CF12
- Sun 02/19, 5:50PM - 6:00PM
- by Brian Geislinger,
- Type: Contributed
- With a majority of students now having access to smartphones, there are growing opportunities to leverage this technology for student labs, particularly in conjunction with online coursework. There is also a small but growing market of add-on devices that increase the data collection capabilities of these devices. We present a cheap and easy to assemble DIY spectrometer designed for smartphone cameras. The hardware design is open-source as is the accompanying analysis software -- meaning that students can access this technology very cheaply on their own. We will share our experience in utilizing this technology for student labs in our online Introductory Astronomy course at Gadsden State Community College.
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Lab Guidelines Focus Area 4: Communication
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Developing Professional Communication Competencies in Physics Lab Classes
- EE01
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
- by Benjamin Zwickl,
- Type: Invited
- Whether students are engaging in group work, presenting results, or keeping a lab notebook, communication is woven into the laboratory course experience. An emphasis on communication benefits the professional development of all physics students regardless of eventual career goals, and employers routinely cite communication skills as being a critically important competency. This talk will overview some of the education research and pedagogical approaches that support the AAPT recommendation that students should "present results and ideas with reasoned arguments supported by experimental evidence and utilizing appropriate and authentic written and verbal forms." Examples from scientific argumentation, communication in the disciplines, and data on workplace communication skills in physics-intensive careers will be presented.
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Visually Communicating Scientific Concepts, Data, and Results
- EE02
- Mon 02/20, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by Kelly Martin,
- Type: Invited
- “When I make scientific figures I don’t think about the rules. I just start creating and re-arrange based on trial and error.” This sentiment reflects a common practice among scientists when communicating an intended message through visuals. Visuals are often seen as an add-on and are created with little thought given to graphic design principles. However, as presentations are common and information more complex, the necessity to communicate findings as clearly as possible should not be an afterthought. Just as students are taught to be mindful when collecting data and reporting findings, they should also be held to that same level of precision and critique when constructing visuals. Strong visuals support viewers’ understanding and can help researchers gain new insights about their own work. This talk will cover best visual communication strategies and principles (e.g. alignment, contrast, proximity, etc.) when presenting scientific information in a report or a talk.
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The Letter Home: An Authentic Post-Lab Writing Experience
- EE03
- Mon 02/20, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
by W. Brian Lane,, Ramesh Adhikari,
- Type: Invited
- The traditional lab report as typically written by physics students is known to exhibit several deficiencies: Underdeveloped explanations of background material, incomplete reasoning to support results and conclusions, and vague demonstrations of student learning. We attribute such deficiencies to the inauthentic nature of the lab report, as it requires the student to repeat back to the instructor information the instructor already knows. We have found that replacing the traditional lab report with a Letter Home written to a non-physicist creates a more authentic post-lab writing experience, promotes a deeper “unlearning” process for students, and results in student writing that is more complete and of higher quality than the traditional lab report. We outline the structure of the Letter Home assignment, present several samples of student writing, and discuss an initial assessment of this assignment’s impact on student self-confidence.
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Organization by Topic Enhances Communication in Advanced Lab
- EE04
- Mon 02/20, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
- by Tim Gfroerer,
- Type: Contributed
- Advanced Lab at Davidson College is a special capstone course: seniors work in pairs on different but complementary experiments, which progress in three-week increments through classical, statistical, optical, and quantum mechanical topics. After each round, students gather to present their work to their peers. This structure means that groups are always working on projects with shared themes, which facilitates meaningful exchange between peers. The outcome has been validated by unity gains in E-CLASS responses on questions about the value of communicating scientific results to peers. I conclude that this format, namely the simultaneous investigation of similar physical systems followed by the sharing of results, enables students to experience the benefit and appreciate the importance of communication in science.
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Communication Skills Throughout a Physics Curriculum
- EE05
- Mon 02/20, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
- by Donald Smith,
- Type: Contributed
- The Guilford College Physics curriculum emphasizes communication skills throughout all the years of its program. From written lab reports in the first year, through oral and poster presentations in the second year, through colloquia, conferences, and senior thesis defenses, students present their thoughts and research in multiple ways to a variety of audiences. In this presentation, I will describe our program and illustrate how it has served our students to learn and gain confidence in the many forms of scientific communication. In particular, I will outline how our Experimental Physics II class guides the students through the process of doing science, from proposal through experiment to conference presentation and journal paper. Although our alumni have gone on to a wide variety of careers, they all speak of the importance of the public presentation skills they learned in Guilford College physics.
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Designing a "Lab-on-a-Ship": The Floating Physics of Fluid Dynamics
- EE06
- Mon 02/20, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
by Andre Bresges,, Florian Genz,
- Type: Contributed
- We are applying U Stanford's “Design Thinking” approach to convert a 200 ft ship into a swimming science lab. The ship combines a research center for large river ecosystems with a training facility for teacher trainees, and a bionic lab where classes can study the impact of fluid dynamics on marine ecology, geography, and the design of ships and airplanes. Design Thinking applies on several levels. We declared the design process of the Science Lab a part of our “Future Strategy for Teacher Training”. Space on a ship is always a precious resource, as is the time of the classes visiting the lab. Using the “Fail early, fail often” principle, teacher education students work closely with students of neighboring schools to develop, test and evaluate various prototypes. Thus, they combine theory and research to untangle all the problems and constrains, and to provide an rich, interesting and meaningful environment for students.
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Labs/Apparatus (General)
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Game Development for Teaching Physics
- FE01
- Mon 02/20, 7:00PM - 7:10PM
- by Gerd Kortemeyer,
- Type: Contributed
- The talk describes two computer games developed using the Unity 3D platform: "A Slower Speed of Light" designed to teach Special Relativity, and "Kirchhoff's Revenge," which is currently under development to teach circuit laws. The talk includes a short demo of both games, a discussion of the effort required to develop immersive game environments, as well as the beginnings of the analysis of gameplay videos that users posted to YouTube.
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"Grappling" Success in Speed Runners!
- FE02
- Mon 02/20, 7:10PM - 7:20PM
by Richard Hechter,, Quinn Morris,
- Type: Contributed
- Is understanding the physics behind the grapple tool the key to winning the game Speed Runners? Our students seem to think so (and we agree)! What started as an introduction of a widely accessible, user friendly, multiplayer PC game led to a discussion of problem- solving techniques that had students deconstructing gameplay through the lens of physics. Come join us as we share our findings from introducing the game into our secondary level physics class!
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The Origin of ‘Cookbook’ Laboratories
- FE03
- Mon 02/20, 7:20PM - 7:30PM
- by Joanna Behrman,
- Type: Contributed
- The term "cookbook laboratory" is nearly ubiquitous in modern science education research. This paper outlines the likely origins of the term and its roots in gender-stereotyping certain professions in the early 20th century. At the turn of the 20th century, industrial chemists, and analysts in particular, were held in low regard by business as well as by the general chemical community. Education became both the locus of concerns and the means of improvement for the industrial chemical community, and "cookbook" became the way to distinguish good education from bad. But at the same time, “cookbook” was also the means of denigrating chemical analysis as the profession for the women and other less-capable scientific practitioners. Other types of chemical professions were distinguished by their non-"cookbook" education and marked as exclusively male occupations.
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Short, Demonstrative Lab Activities for an Upper-division Lasers Course*
- FE04
- Mon 02/20, 7:30PM - 7:40PM
- by Christopher Nakamura,
- Type: Contributed
- Lasers and optoelectronics are an important component of physics in which experiment is of critical importance, yet lecture courses can focus on very abstract, challenging theory, leaving the student failing to learn central concepts, and perhaps questioning the value of studying the material at all. Here I discuss short, demonstrative lab activities that I implemented in an upper-division lasers course. The project grew out of a practical constraint-- it was not feasible to introduce an additional lab course to address the experimental aspects of the discipline, but neglecting those aspects was pedagogically unacceptable. Challenges, primarily associated with strong time-constraints, and equipment use will be discussed. As will benefits, primarily the shared context for discussion of the theory ideas that can be generated by providing students with a guaranteed shared experience in which they’ve seen relevant phenomena. Future development plans, and alternative implementations will be discussed.
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Student Ownership of Optics Projects: A Multiple Case Study
- FE05
- Mon 02/20, 7:40PM - 7:50PM
by Dimitri Dounas-Frazer,, Jacob Stanley,, Laura Kiepura,, Heather Lewandowski,
- Type: Contributed
- Part of what it means to "be a physicist" is to have ownership over a physics project, i.e., to feel and be responsible for project design, execution, and outcome. Many physics lab courses culminate in multi-week projects, providing students with opportunities to engage in projects over which they have ownership. However, because this phenomenon has not been well studied in the context of physics education, it is unclear what instructional features facilitate student ownership in this context. We report results of a multiple case study that focuses on three student groups who felt ownership over their seven-week-long projects in an upper-division optics lab course. These success stories shed light on the role of cycles of struggle and success in students’ development of a sense ownership over their project. This work is one step towards the goal of developing a framework for ownership that can inform future curricular and research designs.
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Shoe Box Labs: Designing Labs for Local High School Students
- FE06
- Mon 02/20, 7:50PM - 8:00PM
by Brent Lunsford,, Andrew Wilzman,, Jeff Pullen,, Chamaree de Silva,
- Type: Contributed
- In collaboration with teachers from a local high school, we designed a setof physics and mathematics activities for students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The annual science budget for the entire school is about $600, so the students do not have an opportunity to conduct proper labs as part of the curriculum that could prepare them for college-level material. Funded by the “Research that Reaches Out” Quality Enhancement Plan at Mercer University, we designed activities for 2D-kinematics, vectors, standing waves, circuits, and probability and statistics. This included a home-built wooden catapult to demonstrate projectile motion at three different initial angles.
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Lessons from the Pre-HS Community
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Lessons from the Pre-HS Community
- AF
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
- by Bill Reitz
- Type: Panel
- What can those in the trenches teach us about physics education in the Pre-High School? Join us as elementary and middle school educators discuss the challenges (and successes) they have encountered and how the physics community can support their efforts.
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Maker Spaces in K-12
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Using CK-12’s Open Educational Resources to Increase Student Engagement
- CA01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
- by Sonia Tye,
- Type: Contributed
- CK-12 offers a variety of open educational resources (OER) that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, and on any device -- for free! CK-12 FlexBooks® are digital textbooks that can be customized to fit your specific course -- delete chapters, re-order sections, embed videos, edit the text and even download or print them for offline access. CK-12 also features an interactive Concept Map that provides students with visual pathways for learning and highlights important connections between math and science. In addition, CK-12 offers an Adaptive Assessment tool and a large collection of digital interactives, including over 85 Physics Simulations (SIMs) and 250 PLIXs (Play, Learn, Interact, Xplore) that are all aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Join us in exploring how this large collection of physics resources can help you cut down on the cost of expensive textbooks, update your curriculum, and engage students.
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Classroom Design Informs Physics Curriculum & Vice Versa
- CA02
- Sun 02/19, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by Taoufik Nadji,
- Type: Contributed
- The presenter will share how his contribution to the design of his new physics classroom would inform his curriculum and how his adoption of the Modeling approach to teaching physics informed the design of the lab space. In addition, the presenter hopes that sharing such experience with fellow physics educators may help them as they contemplate remodeling or moving unto to new learning spaces.
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Establishing STEM SOS Innovation Labs in Texas
- CA03
- Sun 02/19, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Mehmet Gokcek,
- Type: Contributed
- Many schools have been showing great efforts to creating Maker Spaces for the last couple of years. However, experience has shown that it becomes very hard for schools with limited academic resources to implement this concept efficiently. Proper consultations and training are highly required to turn Maker Spaces into a project-based learning heavens, where teachers and students know how to utilize the equipment safely and extensively. Some school leaders have also expressed reluctance towards investing thousands of dollars in such learning environments due to concerns related to successful curriculum implementation. I will be sharing my personal experience, as an educator previously and a consultant currently, with creating STEM SOS Innovation labs in Texas that primarily serve students, teachers and parents, where advanced tools and technology such as Laser Cutters, CNC Milling and Routing, 3D design, scanning and printing are utilized.
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Physics Lab to Maker Lab
- CA04
- Sun 02/19, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
- by Yusuf Dogan,
- Type: Contributed
- There are different approaches and understandings of science. Some people think that science is just a facts of life. When you start asking a question to understand it, you will not have a chance to test it. This what science is for the some of the teachers and students in the school. This approach to the science is against human nature. Because humankind starts exploring laws science when they born. They start observations they start experimenting gravity, projectile motion, etc. All the times they want to make changes they don't want to follow just one way. That is how their imagination and understanding of life is developing. When I check the National Science Standards, I see that teachers should prepare the learning environment and nurture students high order thinking skills--Instead of just remembering students will create or make judgments about the information and use this information to make something. The teacher will facilitate this environment and let students design, test, and represent their findings. I will show some examples on how you can turn your regular class to the physics as a Maker Class.
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Fabrication of a Scanning Ultrasound System to Locate Objects Inside a Maze
- CA05
- Sun 02/19, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
by Brandon Mayle,, Connor Bramham,, Joshua Fair,, Neal Gallagher, III,, Jason Cannon-Silber,
- Type: Contributed
- Using two Ultrasound sensors mounted on a single scanning axis with servo motor, we locate objects within a maze. The use of two sensors differentiates between walls and objects. The signals from the two sensors are physically isolated using 3D printed shrouds for each sensor. We discuss our hardware and software design challenges.
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The Joy of Fabricating our Own Lab Equipment
- CA06
- Sun 02/19, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
by Bob Brazzle,, Rex Rice,
- Type: Contributed
- The authors are fans of fabricating their own laboratory equipment. While one author achieves this primarily through traditional power tools, the talk will focus on the use of a MakerBot 3-D printer. Although the lab equipment that can be produced remains limited, this new technology holds tremendous potential. The presenter will describe several accessories he has created using AutoDesk Inventor and the MakerBot 3-D printer. We are preparing a paper to be submitted to The Physics Teacher that focuses on equipment we’ve made for a current balance laboratory. Similar equipment is available from a popular supplier for around $280.
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3D Printing in Laboratory MakerSpace at Socrates Preparatory School
- CA07
- Sun 02/19, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
by Neal Gallagher III,, Brandon Mayle,, Connor Bramham,, Jason Cannon-Silber,, Joshua Fair,
- Type: Contributed
- AutoDesk Fusion 360 - designed 3D parts printed using our Wanhao i3 printer are heavily utilized in our robotics makerspace. We will share our experiences in using these tools to fabricate specialized parts for our maze tracking robot and First Tech Challenge robot. Our makerspace is within the classroom itself. Details on our hardware and software tools, and how we incorporate them into our curriculum will be discussed.
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Combined Classroom and Laboratory MakerSpace at Socrates Preparatory School
- CA08
- Sun 02/19, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
by Jason Cannon-Silber,, Connor Bramham,, Brandon Mayle,, Joshua Fair,, Neal Gallagher, III,
- Type: Contributed
- Most high school teams competing in the FTC (First Tech Challenge) robotics competition have a dozen or more members and legacy equipment from several previous years of competition. Our team from Socrates Preparatory School started with six members and a workshop-classroom with a few essential machines, beginning our work by constructing and modifying a VEX Robotics kit. In this presentation we will discuss our modest makerspace and the process of working therein, with analysis of the challenges and advantages presented by working in such a small but tightly knit group.
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Autonomous Maze Tracking Robot
- CA09
- Sun 02/19, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
by Joshua Fair,, Neal Gallagher, III,, Brandon Mayle,, Connor Bramham,, Jason Cannon-Silber,
- Type: Contributed
- In our classroom MakerSpace, using a 32 bit ARM Vex micro-controller, multiple scanning ultrasound sensors, and a gyroscope our team has designed a robot that finds an object in a complex maze and then carries the object out of the maze via the shortest route rather than simply retracing its path out. This presentation discusses the construction of the path tree as the robot traverses the maze, and how the tree is pruned to find the shortest path exiting the maze.
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Creating Makerspaces in the Public K-12 Environment
- CA10
- Sun 02/19, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
- by Cori Araza,
- Type: Contributed
- Participants will walk away with the knowledge to implement a plan to inspire active learners in Makerspaces. Creating a science and technology-rich environment can transform public spaces to spark interest in creation and design. See how it's done in a public high school as CTE and Academic courses bridge the gap between theory and application. Passion Projects and/or Genius Hour focus allow for true Project Based Learning. Cori Araza brings extensive experience in creating Makerspaces in the high school environment. This course is designed to explain how to start a Makerspace in a classroom, Media Center, or school environment. It will focus on how to cultivate active learning using technology, science education, and hands-on projects that inspire future problem solvers and critical thinkers. Using a design-thinking model, makers of all ages can participate in transforming the learning environment of their public educational institution.
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Monday Afternoon Exhibit Hall Break
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Monday Afternoon Exhibit Hall Break
- EXH10
- Mon 02/20, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Monday Morning Exhibit Hall Break
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Monday Morning Exhibit Hall Break
- EXH08
- Mon 02/20, 10:30AM - 11:00AM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Monday Registration
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Monday Registration
- REG05
- Mon 02/20, 7:00AM - 5:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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New Resources and Pedagogy for the IPLS Course
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IPLS-Portal: An Open Curated Resource for Building IPLS Classes
- CC01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 4:20PM
- by Edward Redish,
- Type: Invited
- There is great interest in both the physics and biology education [1] communities in a physics class that serves the need of biology and pre-health-care students. The NSF has been supporting the creation of materials for introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS) for more than 15 years. An AAPT-sponsored conference on IPLS classes [2] drew 120 attendees, more than 50 of whom submitted syllabi or materials. Under a new NSF grant, AAPT, together with eight colleges and universities [3] will create IPLS-Portal, a website that combines the rich trove of already existing materials from multiple NSF-funded projects with a structure that will allow developers to submit new work for peer review, evaluation, and inclusion. Its course-building interface will allow instructors to create innovative and individualized courses tuned to their needs, mixing and matching from multiple sources.*
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Vision and Change in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences
- CC02
- Sun 02/19, 4:20PM - 4:40PM
- by Simon Mochrie,
- Type: Invited
- Our department offers a re-imagined calculus-based introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS) course, based on a selection of topics, that are relevant and meaningful to biology and premedical students, and permit them to acquire a number of key competancies, specified by the biology community. The overarching course goals are to: (1) introduce students to physical and mathematical principles and tools, that will enable a deeper scientific understanding of biological systems, including our bodies; (2) demonstrate the application of physics and mathematics to the life sciences and medicine via authentic examples; (3) seed an appreciation of the power of these approaches in biology and medicine; and (4) transform IPLS into an engaging subject, appreciated by students and faculty alike as essential to every biologist’s undergraduate education. This presentation will describe our syllabus, and curricular materials, that will enable IPLS instructors to teach a similar course at their own institutions.
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Biomedically Inspired Physics Lab Activities for IPLS*
- CC03
- Sun 02/19, 4:40PM - 5:00PM
by Ralf Widenhorn,, Elliot Mylott,
- Type: Invited
- Too often IPLS students find it hard to relate to the material in both lecture and lab courses. However, there is currently much momentum in the physics teaching community to change this. Our approach is to teach physics starting with a medical authentic application and spark students interest in physics by making it relevant to them and their career goals. Here, we present a suite of lab activities that can be used in introductory physics or intermediate level physics courses for life science students interested in medical applications of physics. The labs emphasize the importance of physics concepts centered around electromagnetism and waves in medical technology. They aim to teach the physics of medical technology, which often uses ionizing radiation and expensive equipment, in a safe environment and at a relatively low cost that makes it affordable to setup multiple experiments in an undergraduate lab course.
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IPLS Resources Inspired by TPT: Cross-Pollinating with AAPT's K-12 Efforts
- CC04
- Sun 02/19, 5:00PM - 5:20PM
by Rebecca Vieyra,, Caroline Hall,
- Type: Invited
- Learn about the AAPT's efforts to develop a coherent series of interdisciplinary lesson templates (including IPLS topics) inspired by articles published in The Physics Teacher journal, and supported by vetted collections of free, high-quality digital resources through comPADRE.org. In this session, hear from AAPT's K-12 Program Manager about at least four existing lessons appropriate for high school and introductory college students dealing with DNA modeling and diffraction, the nervous system and simple circuits, hydrostatic weighing and percent body fat, and flight physics and biomechanics, among others. Also hear from AAPT's comPADRE Content Manager about the development of Digi-Kits that support these activities with additional resources to deepen both students' and teachers' understanding of biological and physical topics. Opportunities for featuring your own IPLS-related work in this efforts will be discussed. Find IPLS-related TPT articles, associated student and teacher worksheets, and Digi-Kits at http://aapt.org/K12/All-Lessons.cfm.
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An Innovative, Interactive Course Solution for Algebra-based College Physics
- CC05
- Sun 02/19, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Michael Tammaro,
- Type: Contributed
- I will present an innovative, interactive online environment through whichthe student is actively engaged with the course content. The interactive pieces include concept questions, practice problems, interactive examples, videos, animations, click-to-open footnotes, and additional examples. The robust hints that accompany the assessment pieces, as well as the pop-up glosses, take the pedagogy to a new level, as the online environment is fully exploited in this first-of-its-kind product. With interactive questions embedded with the reading, and the usual compliment of assignable end-of-chapter problems, along with innovative tracking tools, the instructor has an excellent vantage point from which to track and evaluate student progress.
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Non-academic Career Trajectories
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Career Training in the Undergraduate Physics Classroom - Call to Action!*
- ED01
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
by Brad Conrad,, Toni Sauncy,
- Type: Invited
- The session will begin with a talk focused on career development tools forundergraduates. The AIP Career Pathways Project will be highlighted and the resources that have been developed for faculty and students as a result of the project will be discussed. The session will focus on why career training belongs in the physics undergraduate experience and what we can do to help the community.
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Incorporating Career Development in Physics at William Jewel College
- ED02
- Mon 02/20, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by Blane Baker,
- Type: Invited
- In the Physics Department at William Jewel College, providing a robust, well-rounded curriculum for physics students is a top priority. As part of the commitment to best preparing our students for whichever path they might choose, intentional effort has been made to include resources about career options for our students in both curricular and extra-curricular settings. We will discuss how career development resources recently made available by the Society of Physics Students, designed specifically for undergraduate physics students, have been integrated regularly in our Society of Physics Students chapter meetings and also incorporated into a new course in our major called “Introduction to the Physics Major.”
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PER: Diverse Investigations
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Effective Facilitation of Teams to Enact Departmental Change
- BD01
- Sun 02/19, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
by Joel Corbo,, Daniel Reinholz,, Melissa Dancy,, Noah Finkelstein,
- Type: Contributed
- We have facilitated Departmental Action Teams (DATs) in several departments as part of a change effort to improve undergraduate STEM education at a large research-intensive university. A DAT is a working group focused on addressing a broad-scale educational issue in a sustained, ongoing fashion. DATs consist primarily of faculty members from a single department, but may also include undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and staff. DATs are externally facilitated; the facilitators act as catalysts for change by providing DAT participants with expertise in education research and institutional change, logistical support, connections with related work across campus, and a functional process for achieving their goals. Through an analysis of DAT meeting minutes and focus groups, we identify the specific facilitation techniques that helped the DATs succeed and categorize them into goals, process, and support. We discuss these techniques to provide practical guidance for the facilitation of DATs and other similar groups.
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Mindset Research in Introductory Physics: Strengths of Student Interview Analyses
- BD02
- Sun 02/19, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
by Angela Little,, Vashti Sawtelle,, Bridget Humphrey,
- Type: Contributed
- Mindset is a well-studied area of the psychology literature associated with Dweck and colleagues. Mindset research focuses on beliefs about the nature of intelligence: is it an unchangeable entity a person either possesses or not (fixed) or is it possible to improve (growth)? School success and mindset have been linked. The proposed mechanism behind this link is that students with growth mindset exhibit “mastery-oriented behaviors” in response to challenges, such as embracing hard work and strategizing how to improve. Mindset is typically studied through large-N survey measures with context-general Likert scale items measuring beliefs about the nature of talent and intelligence. We argue that such context-general survey measures are limited in application, particularly in the context of introductory college STEM courses. We describe recent work to improve a preliminary analysis framework that we have developed for coding mindset in interview data.
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Analysis of the NSF IUSE Physics & Astronomy Education Portfolio
- BD03
- Sun 02/19, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
- by Kevin Lee,
- Type: Contributed
- The National Science Foundation’s IUSE:EHR (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) Program is now over three years old. This presentation will describe the characteristics of the awards presently in the physics & astronomy portfolio. Awards will be described based upon a) general characteristics (duration, total funding, PI rank, type of institution, etc.), b) applicability (intended audience, level, and arena of implementation), c) nature of project (educational research, practical implementation, or both), and d) pedagogical focus (curriculum, STEM recruitment, STEM retention, information collection, and tools and/or skills development). General trends and exemplars will be identified as well as voids in the portfolio. Understanding what has been funded will help attendees design future proposals that will make innovative contributions to the portfolio.
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An Immersive Research Program for High School Students
- BD04
- Sun 02/19, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
by Christina Love,, Brean Prefontaine,, Naoko Kurahashi Neilson,, Eric Brewe,
- Type: Contributed
- A four-week-long immersive summer program for high school students was developed, implemented, and assessed. The program was completely directed by an undergraduate physics major and it included a hands-on and student-led capstone project for the high school students. The goal was to create an adaptive and shareable curriculum in order to influence high school students’ views of university level research and what it means to be a scientist. The program was assessed through various methods including a survey developed for this program, a scientific attitudes survey, weekly blog posts, and an oral exit interview. The curriculum included visits to local STEM laboratories, an introduction to particle physics and the IceCube collaboration, an introduction to electronics and computer programming, and creating and presenting their capstone project. Assessment results and details concerning the curriculum will be discussed.
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Preliminary Results from the Waves and Synthesizers in Physics Project
- BD05
- Sun 02/19, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
by Benedikt Harrer,, Nigel Pasman,
- Type: Contributed
- In this exploratory study, we investigate how tapping into students’ experience, expertise, and interest in music and sound supports learning about waves using musical synthesizers. Waves are at the heart of modern physics, but students have great difficulty understanding basic wave properties, even after instruction. Research shows that students who explore physics phenomena in contexts they are familiar with and interested in enlist their prior experiences as productive resources for reasoning about physics and are more likely to spend the time to achieve expert-like understandings of complex phenomena. We will present preliminary findings from our investigation.
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PER Postdocs: Current Hiring Practices in the U.S.
- BD06
- Sun 02/19, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
by Alexis Knaub,, Manher Jariwala,, Charles Henderson,
- Type: Contributed
- Based on the advertisements from the PERJobs blog, we estimate that there have been at least 120 PER postdoc positions in the past five years. Hiring for these positions poses several challenges that are unique from hiring postdocs in other fields: prospective postdocs hail from both traditional physics and PER, PIs may not have been PER postdocs, and these positions sometimes require skills that the PI has never used. We conducted an interview study of current and past PER postdocs and PIs who have hired PER postdocs to learn more about hiring practices. This talk highlights some of the preliminary findings from this study regarding how postdocs find positions, what PIs are looking for in a postdoc, and advice that postdocs have for prospective postdocs.
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Understanding How Undergraduate Physics Research Experiences Shape Identity Trajectories
- BD07
- Sun 02/19, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
by Gina Quan,, Chandra Turpen,, Andrew Elby,
- Type: Contributed
- In this talk, we analyze the development of students' identity trajectories as undergraduate physics majors participating in their first research experiences. Students in the study participated in an elective seminar in which they were paired with graduate student and faculty mentors on physics research projects and participated in weekly discussions about research. Using video data from student interviews, classroom observations, mentor interviews, and research observations, we study how students' research experiences and their experiences in the classroom community impact their identities. Our analysis draws on sociocultural theories of learning to study how positional dynamics between students and other members of the physics community contribute to the legitimization and delegitimization of students' physics identities. In particular, we attend to how research group environments and a reflective classroom community provide unique opportunities for these interactions.
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Investigating Students' Peer Review Practices and Attitudes
- BD08
- Sun 02/19, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
by Scott Douglas,, Edwin Greco,, John Aiken,, Emily Alicea-Munoz,, Michael Schatz,
- Type: Contributed
- Our group has incorporated peer review of video lab reports into several flipped and online-only introductory physics courses at Georgia Tech, and in previous work we have demonstrated an improvement in student-expert grading agreement over the course of the semester. This talk presents our qualitative findings stemming from a series of interviews conducted with our latest group of laboratory participants from the summer of 2016. We discuss student-reported attitudes toward peer review and scientific communication, and describe the features of the peer review process which students considered most salient. In particular, we find that the interviewed students learned very quickly during the peer review process that the instructors were “harsher” or “more critical” graders than they themselves were, and so developed a practice of routinely revising downward the ratings they assigned to their peers.
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PER: Evaluating Instructional Strategies
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Effects of a Professional Development Program on GTA Teaching Effectiveness
- DF01
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 11:10AM
by Emily Alicea-Munoz,, Joan Espar Masip,, Michael Schatz,
- Type: Contributed
- For the last three years, the School of Physics at Georgia Tech has been preparing new Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) with a mentoring and development program that focuses on pedagogy, physics content, and professional development strategies. Our goal is to produce effective GTAs who have a positive impact on student learning, while honing the skills they need to succeed in their future careers. Approximately 70 graduate students have successfully completed the program. The content of the program is revised yearly, based partly on feedback from the participating GTAs. As part of our ongoing assessment, we want to determine the program's impact on GTAs' teaching effectiveness. To do that we performed a statistical analysis of students' responses to end-of-semester GTA evaluations. Here we present the results of our analysis, in particular the comparison between GTAs who participated in the program and GTAs before the program went into effect.
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Exploring Different Types of Faculty -- Learning Assistant (LA) *
- DF02
- Mon 02/20, 11:10AM - 11:20AM
by Mel Sabella,, Andrea Van Duzor,, Felicia Davenport,, Fidel Amezcua,
- Type: Contributed
- Collaborative relationships between faculty members and LAs can enhance the effectiveness of the LA model by leveraging the expertise of LAs and placing them in positions where they can co-think and co-design activities and lessons for the STEM classroom. Interviews with LAs and faculty members, in addition to video from weekly preparation sessions, illustrate the different types of partnerships that can evolve between LAs and faculty and help us understand the roles different factors play in these partnerships. We describe three types of partnerships that exist along a continuum: mentor-mentee, faculty driven collaboration, and collaborative. This data highlights the importance of student voice and weekly meetings between LAs and faculty members in an LA Program.
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Understanding Two Similar Course Reforms
- DF03
- Mon 02/20, 11:20AM - 11:30AM
by Zeynep Topdemir,, Ebru Oncul,, David Trusty,, Brian Thoms,
- Type: Contributed
- The Physics Education Research Group at Georgia State University has implemented two different reforms in algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses. The integrated lecture and lab SCALE-UP approach was implemented in half of the algebra-based introductory physics classes. The lab portion of all of the calculus-based introductory physics classes has been redesigned to include the use of the University of Washington tutorials and learning assistants. Although these reforms are different they share common features of emphasizing conceptual understanding and applying inquiry-based experiments. This study reveals that even though both reforms are able to improve students’ conceptual understanding and increase their success rates, changing only the lab portion of the class is not sufficient to affect students’ attitudes and beliefs about learning physics. We will compare the effect of both course reforms on conceptual learning, withdrawal and success rates, and students’ attitudes and beliefs.
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Impact of New Tutorial-based AP Curricula in High School
- DF04
- Mon 02/20, 11:30AM - 11:40AM
by Stephen Kaback,, Michael Gearen,, Jamey Clark,, Tiffany Coke,
- Type: Contributed
- After five years of implementation and data collection, authors share their assessment of the effects of two new tutorial-based Advanced Placement physics curriculua on student AP scores and diagnostic test performances. Tutorial instruction has been overlooked as a mode of instruction in high school physics classrooms. While some teachers who teach AP physics courses use University of Washington Physics Education Group's "Tutorials in Introductory Physics" as a supplement to lessons, none have designed an entire curriculum with tutorials as the central classroom activity. These new complete AP courses were developed by Gearen at Punahou School in Honolulu, HI, and based heavily on materials from University of Washington. Currently, two schools are implementing Gearen's curricula for AP Physics 1 and 2 and AP Physics C, Punahou and The Blake School in Minneapolis, MN.
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Evaluating Scientific Practices in Introductory Physics Labs
- DF05
- Mon 02/20, 11:40AM - 11:50AM
- by Natasha Holmes,
- Type: Contributed
- A great deal of time and money is spent on science lab courses, but there is little evidence they are providing good educational value, and there is some indication that they are not. In particular, labs suffer from a lack of consensus on goals and on accepted assessment instruments. In this talk, I will introduce the Physics Lab Inventory for Critical thinking, a new assessment under development and validation. It is aimed to assess students' proficiency with critical thinking as related to making sense of data, variability, and models and to assess the efficacy of lab courses at developing these skills. I will briefly outline the motivation and goals of the assessment, the development and validation efforts thus far, and the next steps in the development process.
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Studio Physics Through the Lens of Universal Design for Learning*
- DF06
- Mon 02/20, 11:50AM - 12:00PM
by Jacquelyn Chini,, Westley James,, Jillian Schreffler,, Cherie Yestrebsky,, Eleazar Vasquez, III,
- Type: Contributed
- While our community is placing increased emphasis on supporting diverse learners, students with disabilities are rarely in the foreground of these efforts. Students with disabilities now make up more than 10% of students pursuing post-secondary degrees. Our project explores university science courses making use of active learning strategies from the perspective of students with executive function disorders, which is common in several disability diagnoses. While active learning strategies, such as studio physics, have been shown to improve learning and retention for many students, it is unknown what strategies represent support for, or barriers to, particular learners in STEM programs. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework supporting instructors to design a learning experience that enables all learners to naturally engage with the course, reducing the need for accommodations and supporting learning by all students. In this talk, we explore several studio physics courses through the lens of UDL.
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Predicting the Performance of Groups on Two-stage Group Exams
- DF07
- Mon 02/20, 12:00PM - 12:10PM
by Jared Stang,, Joss Ives
- Type: Contributed
- A two-stage group exam is an exam that students first write individually (solo phase), before getting into groups to write the same or a similar exam immediately afterward (group phase). This type of exam has been shown to promote both learning and positive affective benefits for students. To investigate how group exam design---including both question design and group composition---impacts student outcomes, we aim to construct a predictive model for performance on the group phase based on the performance of the students on the solo phase. We discuss preliminary results and implications for instructional design.
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Analytical Methods for Measuring Student Learning
- DF08
- Mon 02/20, 12:10PM - 12:20PM
by Jayson Nissen,, Ben Van Dusen,, Amreen Nasim,, Robert Talbot,
- Type: Contributed
- We will discuss implications that researcher’s choice between three commonly used methods for analyzing concept inventories has on making claims about student learning. These three methods are: normalized learning gains using class averages, normalized learning gains using individual student scores, and Cohen’s d. Historically physics education research has used the first two whereas other fields primarily use Cohen’s d. Data for the analyses came from the Learning Assistant Supported Student Outcomes (LASSO) database and included pre and/or post-test scores from more than 16,000 students on physics, chemistry, biology, and math concept inventories from 210 courses at 22 institutions across the country. The three methods were compared in aggregate across concept inventories. We will discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different methods and how the choice of method might lead to different inferences about student learning in a course.
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Science Education Research Journal Club
- DF09
- Mon 02/20, 12:20PM - 12:30PM
- by Eric Weeks,
- Type: Contributed
- For 10 years I have organized a journal club at Emory University that reads and discusses science education research articles. The club includes members from physics, chemistry, biology, math, computer science, psychology, and the medical school; it includes graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. In this talk I will discuss how the journal club works, give a sense of the impact of this club on teaching at Emory, and give thoughts about how one might start a similar journal club at other schools.
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PER: Examining Content Understanding and Reasoning
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The Effect of Prior Knowledge and Gender on Physics Achievement
- FD01
- Mon 02/20, 7:00PM - 7:10PM
by John Stewart,, Rachel Henderson,
- Type: Contributed
- Gender differences on the Conceptual Survey in Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) have been extensively studied. Ten semesters (N=1621) of CSEM data is presented showing male students outperform female students on the CSEM post-test by 5% (p<.001). Male students also outperform female students on qualitative in-semester test questions by 3% (p=.004), but no significant difference between male and female students was found on quantitative test questions. Male students enter the class with superior prior preparation in the subject and score 4% higher on the CSEM pre-test (p<.001). If the sample is restricted to students with little prior knowledge who answer no more than eight of the 32 questions correctly (N=822), male and female differences on the CSEM and qualitative test questions cease to be significant. This suggests no intrinsic gender bias exists in the CSEM itself and that gender differences are the result of prior preparation measured by CSEM pre-test score.
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Student Understanding of Balancing, Mass Distribution and Center of Mass
- FD02
- Mon 02/20, 7:10PM - 7:20PM
- by Paula Heron,
- Type: Contributed
- Understanding the relationships between balancing, mass distribution and the center of mass is challenging for students. In particular there is a widespread tendency to attribute a balanced state to equal amounts of mass to both sides of the fulcrum if the mass distribution is continuous. (1) A number of explanations have been proposed, including a recent suggestion that perceptual difficulties in locating the center of mass are, at least in part, to blame. (2) Recent experiments suggest that it is unlikely that perceptual difficulties play a significant role.
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Algebra-Based Students & Vectors: Assessing ijk Coaching Effects on Arrow Performance
- FD03
- Mon 02/20, 7:20PM - 7:30PM
- by John Buncher,
- Type: Contributed
- Students in calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics courses have been shown to perform significantly better on vector addition and subtraction tasks using the ijk representation than identical tasks given in an "arrows-on-a-grid'' representation. Evidence has also been provided that calculus-based students exhibit a knowledge hierarchy, with the ability to correctly solve questions in the ijk format necessary to correctly solving questions in the arrow format. The absence of explicit ijk instruction in a typical algebra-based course may cause difficulties experienced by most physics students with vector addition and subtraction in the arrow representation to be exacerbated in the population that typically takes algebra-based physics. In this study we investigate to what degree an instructional intervention in the ijk format improves algebra-based students' ability to correctly answer questions in the arrow representation over a similar instructional intervention in the arrow format. Results and instructional implications will be discussed.
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Investigating Student Difficulties Solving Systems of Equations*
- FD04
- Mon 02/20, 7:30PM - 7:40PM
by Matthew Jones,, David Meltzer,
- Type: Contributed
- Mathematical difficulties of introductory physics students are well documented, but not all such difficulties have yet been carefully examined. One of the most frequently encountered types of mathematical problem to arise in introductory physics is the solution of systems of equations involving just two or three variables. For example, when balancing force vectors in a plane, students are often confronted with two equations and two unknowns, and are asked to find the values of the variables. As part of a larger study, we have developed a diagnostic that includes multiple questions about solving such small systems of equations. This diagnostic was given to over 600 students in first- and second-semester physics courses, and preliminary results show that many students struggle to solve these problems. We will present our methods and findings, including possible insights into how students approach the problem of solving systems of equations.
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Exploring the Factors Underlying Physics Students' Mathematical Difficulties*
- FD05
- Mon 02/20, 7:40PM - 7:50PM
by David Meltzer,, Matthew Jones,
- Type: Contributed
- We are continuing an investigation of mathematical difficulties that pose obstacles for students in introductory university physics courses. We have documented that a substantial proportion of students consistently make errors on high-school-level trigonometry and algebra problems; error rates vary from 10-30% in second-semester calculus-based courses to 70% and higher in first-semester algebra-based courses. Based on analysis of students' responses to written diagnostics and on one-on-one problem-solving interviews, we observe that these student difficulties have three primary components: (1) simple carelessness; (2) inadequate skill levels; (3) difficulties with mathematical concepts. We are exploring the relative magnitude of these components along with the nature and strength of their interaction, in an effort to find effective methods for improving students' performance.
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Physics Majors’ Development of Metacognitive Gimmicks
- FD06
- Mon 02/20, 7:50PM - 8:00PM
by Gary White,, Tiffany-Rose Sikorski,, Justin Landay
- Type: Contributed
- We report on the initial phases of a study to investigate how and to what extent physics majors at a small private urban university campus develop three particular metacognitive gimmicks, namely: checking units for consistency, discerning whether limiting cases match physical intuition, and computing numerical values for reasonable-ness. Students in a one semester Griffiths electromagnetism course for physics majors are conditioned to respond to explicit prompts that encourage adopting these three methods for checking answers to typical textbook physics problems. We explore the time development of student use of these gimmicks in a given course and in a subsequent course. While the term “gimmick” carries with it some pejorative baggage, we feel it describes the essential nature of the pedagogical idea adequately in that it gets attention, is easy for the students to remember, and represents, albeit perhaps in a surface way, some key ideas about which professional physicists care.
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System-based Problem Solving in Physics
- FD07
- Mon 02/20, 8:00PM - 8:10PM
by Youngrae Ji,, Jinwoong Song,
- Type: Contributed
- This study evaluates and analyzes understanding and application that undergraduate students have regarding the conception of system. The participants were majors in physics education in Seoul National University, Korea. The research was composed of the survey and interview. Surveys consisted of open response questions that concerned the concept of system and problems in terms of conservation laws. And the interview items were a definition of system and importance of system in physics learning, and what is the function of system in problem solving. Results show that the concepts of system was explained by using one or two keywords; and their explanations were not same with previous research. Participants had difficulties with considering the concept of system and applying the conservation law in the process of problem solving. We discuss the conditions of system-based understanding and hierarchy of conditions.
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Teaching Mathematics and Physics to Tibetan Buddhist Monks in India
- FD08
- Mon 02/20, 8:10PM - 8:20PM
- by Chamaree de Silva,
- Type: Contributed
- The Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI) is designed to introduce modern science to Tibetan Buddhist monks studying in monastic institutions in India. Participating monks are exposed to concepts of Philosophy of Science, Biology, Neuroscience, and Mathematics & Physics every summer over the course of six years. First-year students learn basic mathematics and an overview of physics concepts such as kinematics, Newton’s laws, and astronomy. Second-year students learn mechanics, third-year students learn thermodynamics, and fourth-year students learn electricity and magnetism. The physics portion of the program is currently in its fourth year of planning. Here, instructors travel to one of the three different participating monasteries in India for two-three weeks in summer. This program is sponsored by Emory University. https://tibet.emory.edu/emory-tibet-science-initiative/
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Phys Rev Focused Collection on Gender in Physics
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Editorial Introduction to Focused Collection on Gender in Physics
- GB01
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
by Vashti Sawtelle,, Eric Brewe,
- Type: Invited
- In this talk, we present an editorial overview of the 2016 Physical ReviewPhysics Education Research Focused Collection on Gender in Physics. The focused collection includes 17 published papers drawn from 42 submitted proposals. The published collection includes papers from four broad categories: review papers describing how the literature has examined gender in a variety of arenas; evidence-based papers that use tools from outside traditional gender work in physics; research that looks at gender gaps in outcomes and works to understand why those gendered outcomes exist; and work that situates studying gender in physics in a broader context of STEM education. We will discuss the categories and highlight findings from authors that are not part of the invited session.
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Social Cognitive Perspective of Gender Disparities in Undergraduate Physics
- GB02
- Tue 02/21, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Angela Kelly,
- Type: Invited
- Sociopsychological theories and empirical research provide a framework forexploring causal pathways and targeted interventions for the low representation of women in post-secondary physics. Women earned slightly below 20% of physics undergraduate degrees in 2015. This disparity has been attributed to a variety of factors, including unwelcoming classroom atmospheres, low self-efficacy, and few female role models in academic communities. Recent studies have suggested gender disparities in physics and related STEM fields may be more amenable to social cognitive interventions than previously thought. Social psychologists have found that female students improved physics self-concept when adopting a malleable view of intelligence, when they received support from family and teachers, and when they experienced interactive learning techniques in communal environments. By exploring research-based evidence for strategies to support female students in physics, pre-college and university faculty and administrators may apply social cognitive constructs to improve the representation of women in the field.
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The Physics-Learning Environment Inequitably Harms Women’s Self Efficacy
- GB03
- Tue 02/21, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
by Jayson Nissen,, Jonathan Shemwell,
- Type: Invited
- Men’s and women’s physics self-efficacy, their beliefs about their capabilities to learn physics, tends to be reduced after taking university physics courses. This reduction is reliably larger for women than for men. However, it is an open question whether this gender difference is caused by physics instruction, per se. We investigated this question using an in-the-moment measurement technique to collect college students’ self-efficacy thoughts and feelings as they experienced physics instruction, other coursework, and in their daily lives. We combined these data with published data based on similar measurements for high school students. Female students in both populations experienced much lower self-efficacy than their male peers in physics, but not in other coursework. Evidently, physics-learning environments tend to harm women’s self-efficacy. We explore possible explanations for this effect, focusing on the nature of the subject matter, typical approaches to teaching it, and the role of stereotype threat.
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Exploring Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Physics: A Gender Study
- GB04
- Tue 02/21, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
by Emily Dare,, Gillian Roehrig,
- Type: Invited
- This study examined the perceptions of 6th grade students regarding physics and physics-related careers. The goal of this work was to understand similarities and differences between girls’ and boys’ perceptions surrounding physics and physics-related careers as part of an effort to increase female interest and representation in this particular field of science. A theoretical framework based on the literature of girl-friendly and integrated STEM instructional strategies guided this work to understand how instructional strategies may influence and relate to students’ perceptions. Our findings indicate very few differences, but show that boys are more interested in the physics-related career of engineering. While girls are just as interested in science class as their male counterparts, they highly value the social aspect that often accompanies hands-on group activities. These findings shed light on how K-12 science reform efforts might help to increase the number of women pursuing careers related to physics.
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Physics & Society Topical Discussion
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Physics & Society Topical Discussion
- TOP02
- Sun 02/19, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
- by Chuck Winrich
- Type: Topical
- Join your colleagues for an informal discussion about physics-related societal issues such as climate change, energy use, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, resource extraction, and pseudoscience. Share your ideas about effectively teaching these issues and communicating such information to the general public, and hear what others are doing as well.
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Post-deadline I
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A C# Program for Transferring Assessment-Marks from Socrative to Blackboard
- IA01
- Tue 02/21, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
by M. Syed,, Jedidiah Ong,
- Type: Contributed
- Socrative is an online student response system that can easily be used to conduct in- or out-of-class physics assessments containing multiple choice, true/false or simple short answer questions. Students log into Socrative’s free version, using any internet-accessible device like a smartphone, simply by entering a unique identifier (called Room Name) preselected by the instructor through his/her Socrative account. At the conclusion of an assessment, Socrative produces an Excel file containing corresponding student marks. These marks can be uploaded to the grade center/book of a learning management system either manually or after being adjusted in Excel. A computer program written in C# (pronounced as C sharp) has been developed to expeditiously transfer the student marks from a Socrative Excel file to the Grade Center of Blackboard Learn — a widely used learning management system. We present this C# program and the associated process of transferring student marks.
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Comparing Learning in Flipped and Standard Introductory Physics Classes
- IA02
- Tue 02/21, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
- by M. Parks,
- Type: Contributed
- Colgate University’s introductory physics course, Atoms and Waves, was taught in both standard and flipped formats in the same semester. In the standard format, lecture alternated with problem-solving classes. In the flipped classroom, students watched lecture videos online and answered multiple-choice questions, then came to class only for problem-solving sessions. (Both groups of students also had a three-hour lab once per week.) In addition to discussing the technology that enabled this flipped classroom, I will report on the results of this experiment, including student-reported use of educational resources (lecture, videos, textbook, problem-solving classes) and grades earned, both in Atoms and Waves and in the following Introduction to Mechanics, which was taught purely in the standard format. The student performance in the two sections was not significantly different. The students in the flipped classroom expressed enthusiasm for this method of learning and wished it were available in future courses.
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The Logic of Science in Teaching Physics
- IA03
- Tue 02/21, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Genrikh Golin,
- Type: Contributed
- The rapid developments of science and technology, as well as the introduction of scientific methods into all spheres of human activities, have revealed the necessity to further develop cognitive and creative abilities and intellectual potential of each student. The efficiency of teaching physics is now judged not simply by the total subject knowledge acquired by students, but mainly by their abilities in gaining new knowledge independently in class (inquiry method). When particular facts, formulas, and definitions are forgotten, what must remain as an ultimate result of the whole process of education is the fundamental knowledge and skills that enable people, regardless of their type of activities, to grasp new phenomena. We have come to the conclusion that logic physics as educational subject does not necessarily follow from the logic of physics itself. The same content of the physics course can be realized with the help of several structures (designs) consistent with the existing logic of physics as science. The choice of pedagogical design of lessons is determined by educational aims and types of education institutions. The problem under consideration has not only theoretical value but practical value as well. This analysis will be illustrated with examples taken from High School Physics Program.
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The Educational 3-bodies Planar Motion Simulation Based on HTML5
- IA04
- Tue 02/21, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by Wonkun Oh,
- Type: Contributed
- This paper suggests a way of using the HTML5 based simulation for 3-body planar motion problem in the education of celestial dynamics in physics or astronomy. Three different reference frames -- screen frame, CM frame, a body frame-- were enabled in the simulation to understand the observation of motions of bodies in each frame. This simulation might help students understand the various features of complex 3-body motions interacting in mutual gravitational fields such as stellar bodies.
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Teleology as Placeholder: Experts’ and Novices’ Explanations of Newton’s Cradle
- IA05
- Tue 02/21, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
- by Luke Conlin,
- Type: Contributed
- Physics students often use teleological (goal-directed) reasoning to make sense of complex phenomena (e.g., 'atoms bond in order to fill electron shells'), a practice debated by educational researchers. Some view teleology as a misconception held by novices (Keleman, 1999), inferior to experts' mechanistic reasoning; others follow Aristotle in treating these as complementary modes of scientific inquiry (Talanquer, 2007). Researchers on both sides rely more on theoretical commitments than empirical data. I present findings from a microgenetic analysis of 20 interviews with both novices and experts as they spontaneously constructed explanations of the behavior of Newton's cradle. Analysis reveals that both experts and novices used teleological reasoning productively, as a placeholder (Carey, 2004) for a more mechanistic account. The difference between experts and novices was not in which mode of reasoning they used, but in how they coordinated both perspectives. Implications for research and instruction will be discussed.
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Studying the Relation Between the Pressure and Temperature Using the Dot-39 Cylinder and a Wireless Temperature Sensor
- IA06
- Tue 02/21, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
- by Mohammad Alshahrani,
- Type: Contributed
- The relation between the volume, pressure, and temperature is one of the most important concepts in thermodynamics. The following activity is an attempt to introduce the student to the idea of learning by doing. In fact, they do what was taken in class on the white board in a practical way. Simply, It is by using the Dot 39 cylinder, a wireless temperature sensor, a tablet, refrigerator compressor, and other cheap stuff such as tubes and tapes. Through doing this activity the student will be able to answer the following question. What happens to the inner tank’s temperature when its air is removed. This activity expands the students' horizon by making them think, imagine, discuss, and even ask: what if? This also helps to achieve one of the NGSS standards.
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Students’ Resources for Solving a Partial Derivative Problem in Thermodynamics
- IA07
- Tue 02/21, 3:30PM - 3:40PM
by Rabindra Bajracharya,, Corinne Manogue,
- Type: Contributed
- We investigated students' common knowledge resources while dealing with a partial derivative problem posed in multiple representations. We conducted structured-interviews with eight middle-division students in a restructured thermodynamics course. They were asked to determine a partial derivative using a contour map and a numerical table in a thermodynamic context. Since the partial derivative cannot be computed directly from the numerical data or the graph alone, one first needs to express it in terms of other computable partial derivatives or plot a constant pressure path on the graph using the numerical data. Although students did not exhibit much difficulty finding the individual partial derivatives from the table and the graph, they struggled substantially while deriving the above expression. They used both productive and unproductive knowledge resources including the ideal gas law, the cyclic chain rule, the first law of thermodynamics, total differentials of given variables, and tree diagrams.
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STEM Incorporated into a NASA Payload
- IA08
- Tue 02/21, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
by Peter Spacher,, Ileana Dumitriu,
- Type: Contributed
- For the past four years, undergraduate students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges have been involved in multiple NASA competitions. In 2014, HWS students won first place in National Student Solar Spectroscopy Competition for designing, building, and collecting data using a solar spectroscope. During the academic year 2015/2016 students designed and built a payload for a sounding rocket launch under the RockSat-C program at NASA’s Wallops Flight Center VA. The students implemented three experiments in their canister – muon detectors to determine muon flux at various altitudes and a spectrometer to record spectra through layers of atmosphere. The participation of students in these programs has an enormous impact on physics programs at HWS and tripled the number of majors.
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Revised Curriculum for the Mechanics IPLS Course at Towson University
- IA09
- Tue 02/21, 3:50PM - 4:00PM
- by Katarzyna Oldak,
- Type: Contributed
- We report our improvements to the introductory algebra-based mechanics course to make it more accessible and relevant to life-science majors. We have modified the usual curriculum to include more fluids and expanded on the topic of air resistance and how it might affect the motion of small organisms. These changes in the lecture are also reflected in the labs (one two-week lab sequence has the students modeling air drag using Euler’s formula in Excel as objects fall from rest) and in-class activities (worksheets are passed out during some lecture days and students solve problems in class with the help of the lecturer and TAs). Emphasis is placed on problem solving, so the students can apply the concepts before they are faced with similar questions on homework assignments. There is higher student interest in enrolling in these revised sections, rather than traditional mechanics course, which is still offered.
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Post-deadline II
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Developing a Visual Programming Editor for VPython*
- IB01
- Tue 02/21, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
by Hunter Close,, Cody Blakeney,, Michael Dube,, Aimee Roundtree,
- Type: Contributed
- Programing skills are becoming increasingly more important in physics and other STEM fields. Existing tools for teaching physics and engineering using computational modeling, like VPython, can require students to already have a foundation of programming, thus narrowing students' learning opportunities. Block programming with visual environments like Blockly provides a way to engage learners with algorithmic thinking without extensive pre-requisite knowledge of keywords, functions, and syntax. It has also been observed to have various benefits for beginning programmers. We have created a prototype for a visual programing environment that allows students to create physics simulations utilizing the open source projects VPython and Blockly. We discuss lessons learned during development and initial user testing about the challenges of making a visual programming environment for physics simulations.
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Edwin James Houston (1847-1914) Author, Educator and Electrical Engineer
- IB02
- Tue 02/21, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
- by William Palmer,
- Type: Contributed
- This study is intended to honor the memory of a successful educator, knownfor his well-written school textbooks, his contributions to children’s literature and his engineering inventions. The study will use the opportunities that the internet offers to integrate biographical and bibliographical information about his life and work. Edwin James Houston was an amazingly hard-working man who used his talents in many diverse fields. He was born at Alexandria on July 9th, 1844; his family later moved to Philadelphia, where he studied and worked for most of his life. He was a student at Philadelphia Central High School and eventually became Professor of Engineering and Physical Geography. With his former student, Elihu Thomson, he invented and developed the Thomson-Houston system of arc-lighting and he wrote several school textbooks. Houston passed away on 1st March, 1914.
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Effectiveness-based Learning Problems in the Academic Achievement of Course Physics
- IB03
- Tue 02/21, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Silvia Espinoza,
- Type: Contributed
- The present work shows the efficiency of learning based on problems (ABP) in the academic performance of the course of physics, specifically how learning arises across the experience. For it, the existing methodologies were adapted on ABP in order to generate six methodological offers originated in specific situations of the profession, which were developed during an academic semester. The impact of the ABP was demonstrated on having concluded the above mentioned period, across the application of the test not paramétrica of Mc-Nemar, with a confidence level of 95%. One concluded that the ABP turned out to be highly effective, especially in the highest levels of academic performance, which are of application and analyses, in which they found substantial differences with regard to the group of control. On the contrary, the area of comprehension did not observe such a difference, which indicates that the application of the above mentioned methodological strategy with regard to this capacity is not interesting for the teacher. This investigation contributes with a program that relies on instruments that they measure the comprehension, application, and analysis of the beginning of the classic physics in the students of the course of physics. Likewise, a guide of fieldwork provides guidelines of employment for the course of physics in the top level, and examples for its later use.
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Fostering Authentic Communication in an Intermediate Physics Lab Course
- IB04
- Tue 02/21, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
by Muhammad Numan,, John Bradshaw,
- Type: Contributed
- We describe a redesigned junior level lab course where assignments includewriting an initial proposal, maintaining a lab notebook, oral presentations followed by question and answer sessions, lab reports, and a journal style paper. Students designed and performed experiments, some based on classic ideas and a few selected from recent literature, utilizing available resources. They analyzed and interpreted data, collected through computer interfacing, utilizing appropriate software. Scaffolding was provided through instructor and peer feedback and an opportunity to revise their reports initially. We will share preliminary assessment data on the effectiveness of the instructional design.
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Fully Flipping a Large Enrollment Introductory Physics Course: Successes and Challenges
- IB05
- Tue 02/21, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
- by Alexandru Maries,
- Type: Contributed
- “Learning results from what the student does and thinks and only from whatthe student does and thinks. The teacher can advance learning only by influencing what the student does to learn.” This quote, by Herb Simon, a Nobel Prize laureate and one of the pioneering researchers in the area of problem solving perfectly encapsulates the basic idea of effective teaching: carefully design students’ learning to influence what they do every day in and outside of class to help them develop the thinking skills required for learning. One promising course design is the flipped classroom approach in which students are required to watch educational videos and read assigned sections of a textbook before coming to class, while nearly the entire class time is devoted to active learning: clicker questions, group problem solving, interactive demonstrations etc. I have adopted the flipped model for a large-enrollment introductory physics course over the past two semesters and have been assessing the effectiveness of this approach via pre-post conceptual assessments, comparison with parallel sections, student surveys and informal observations, all of which show promising results. This presentation will focus on these results and lessons learned from implementing this approach.
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LIGO, CERN, and Python: Cutting Edge Physics in the Classroom
- IB06
- Tue 02/21, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
- by Charles Payne,
- Type: Contributed
- Data from LIGO and CERN are readily available and are easily analyzed by students. The Python programming language can be used to analyze and interpret data, and also develop simulations for other areas of physics. This can be a conduit for particle physics, gravitational fields, and relativity to be placed into a high school curriculum. LIGO and CERN have educational resources in addition to the data, and QuarkNet provides eLab experiences and resources that supplement and enhance the student’s knowledge of gravitational waves, particle collisions, and cosmic rays. In addition, students can either use prewritten code, or develop their own within the Python language and modules. Examples of data analysis and simulations will be shown and explored.
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Post-deadline III
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Pedagogic Challenges in Technology Intense Introductory Online Astronomy Laboratories
- IC01
- Tue 02/21, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
- by Ulrike Lahaise,
- Type: Contributed
- Pass-Withdrawal-Fail and course assessment data show higher WWF percentages for online than face-to-face, ftf, students in Introductory Astronomy Laboratories, but similar averages on end-of-semester common course exams. Hence, online students perform equally well as ftf students but a lot more are dropping out before completion. In addition to known hurdles for non-science majors, online students face course mode challenges like technology, social-academic isolation, life situations prohibiting ftf classes, etc., that significantly increases their cognitive load and time commitment beyond that of ftf students. In contrast, ftf students work in groups with immediate instructor access. Data show that only 20 percent of online students are available for groups, And viable groups rarely form consistently in classes of fewer than 60 students. The instructor can ameliorate these issues by actively fostering a learning environment with frequent participation, interaction, communication, well-organized, consistent, support materials, and regular performance check-points starting early in the semester.
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Quantification of Harmful Algae Blooms Using UAS Imagery
- IC02
- Tue 02/21, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
by Ileana Dumitriu,, Peter Spacher,, John Halfman,
- Type: Contributed
- Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) occurrence has increased in recent decades. Traditional monitoring program are expensive and time consuming. The use of UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) assures high-resolution space and time monitoring for HABs, and is economical for small bodies of water. By using UAS (Matrice100 and Phantom3) we obtained aerial photographs of eight Finger Lakes which span the oligotrophic to eutrophic spectrum of algal productivity. Water samples were collected/analyzed simultaneously. The Green/Blue (G/B) ratio extracted from the aerial photos was proportional to chlorophyll-a abundance. The algal pigments are characterized by unique light absorbance and reflectance features, and spectral images obtained from two up-down visible spectrometers revealed a prominent feature ~790 nm which correlates to the concentration of algae in the water.
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Review on Discovery Based Learning Laboratories in Physics Education
- IC03
- Tue 02/21, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
by Muhammad Riaz,, Thomas Marcinkowski,
- Type: Contributed
- This review of theory, research and practice pertaining to Discovery BasedLearning Laboratories (DBLL) is composed of five major sections. The first section discusses problems in physics education, particularly those related to discovery-based learning laboratories (DBLL). The second section discusses the origins, development, and design of DBLLs in physics education. These DBLLs serve as both a response to these problems in physics education and the basis for the redesign of physics labs. The third section introduces the underlying theories that underlie the design and conduct of this study. The review will then outline uses and effects of DBLLs. The final section will conclude with a summary of practices and their implications in physics education.
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Seismology at Loyola University of Chicago
- IC04
- Tue 02/21, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by Daniel Checca,
- Type: Contributed
- Upholding a 104-year tradition of seismological research at Loyola University of Chicago, we have collected data from a series of seismometers in an attempt to present a visual aid for understanding ongoing seismic activity and what it means. With the data we are receiving, we are creating a live stream interface that shows physics students a graphical representation of Chicago’s seismic activity—broadcast in the main hall of the physics building. As well as an educational tool, we seek to present a medium for relevant seismological data to be accessed by any who are lucky enough to experience an event. Overall, our research is focused on creating a digestible and immersive outlet for students to interact with real-world physics data on a daily basis.
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Professional Skills for Graduate Students
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Professional Skills for Graduate Students
- HD
- Tue 02/21, 12:30PM - 2:30PM
- by Daryl McPadden
- Type: Panel
- This interactive panel focuses on developing professional skills for graduate students and other early-stage researchers. This session will address professional concerns brought up by graduate students during the past Crackerbarrels/Topical Group Discussions. Topics covered may include: preparing for careers after graduate school, becoming integrated with the community, developing research skills, and disseminating your work.
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Raffle: Fire HD 8 Tablet, Wi-Fi, 16 GB
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Raffle: Fire HD 8 Tablet, Wi-Fi, 16 GB
- EXH11
- Mon 02/20, 3:15PM - 3:15PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
- Monday, February 20 at 3:15 p.m. - All-New Fire HD 8, now with up to 12 hours of battery life, 2X the storage, and 50% more RAM for faster performance - made for all day entertainment. Enjoy millions of movies, TV shows, songs, Kindle e-books, apps and games.
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Raffle: HALO Bolt Portable Charger and Car Jump Starter
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Raffle: HALO Bolt Portable Charger and Car Jump Starter
- EXH09
- Mon 02/20, 10:45AM - 10:45AM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
- Monday, February 20 at 10:45 a.m. - HALO Bolt Portable Charger and Car Jump Starter with LED Floodlight - The powerful HALO Bolt charger provides the juice when you need it most--not only for your phone, tablet, and other handheld devices, but for your car, too! That's right--at the push of a button this portable charger, small enough to fit your hand, can provide a jump to 12V car batteries with the included jumper cables.
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Raffle: JBL Blue Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
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Raffle: JBL Blue Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
- EXH04
- Sun 02/19, 10:15AM - 10:15AM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
- Sunday, February 19 at 10:15 a.m. - Bask your ears in JBL wireless headphones. Let the large 40mm drivers with PureBass performance envelop your ears, delivering an expansive soundstage with clarity and precision. Bluetooth technology allows wireless connectivity with your smart devices, with single-button access to hands-free, clear calling thanks to JBL echo-cancellation technology.
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Raffle: Samsung Gear Fit Smart Watch
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Raffle: Samsung Gear Fit Smart Watch
- EXH06
- Sun 02/19, 3:45PM - 3:45PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
- Sunday, February 19 at 3:45 p.m. - Receive smartphone notifications and track your workouts with the Samsung Gear Fit Smartwatch. This device has a 1.84" curved touchscreen Super AMOLED display and a 432 x 128 native resolution. The Gear Fit incorporates Bluetooth 4.0 technology for wireless pairing. Once paired, the Gear Fit gives you the ability to view message notifications and reject phone calls without touching your smartphone. A heart rate sensor is also built-in, which helps you monitor your workout intensity.
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Report of the APS/AAPT Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs: Case Studies and Recommendations
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Report of the APS/AAPT Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs: Case Studies and Recommendations
- EG
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 5:30PM
- by Claudia Fracchiolla
- Type: Panel
- Brief presentations by representatives of the "case study" institutions inthe J-TUPP report followed by general discussion of the report and its recommendations.
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Results of APEX (Alabama Physics Excellent) Professional Development Project
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APEX Statewide Professional Development Project
- CD01
- Sun 02/19, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by James Nelson,
- Type: Invited
- The Alabama Physics Excellence (APEX) Program includes a statewide physicsteacher professional development program stressing physics content, implementation of state and national standards, instructional strategies based on physics education research, infusion of instructional technology, and action research. The APEX Program has provided professional development for almost 80 high school teacher and physics leaders with about 250 hours of professional development during three summer institutes and nine follow-up sessions. This introductory presentation will discuss the essential and unique aspects of the APEX Program including the curriculum used, content assessment, instructional features and infrastructure. This introductory presentation will set the stage for the talks to follow today which will emphasize the evaluation, implementation and impact of APEX Program including evaluation and impact on teacher content knowledge and confidence, classroom implementation, and student achievement.
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What Has APEX Done for Teachers and Students in Alabama?
- CD02
- Sun 02/19, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
by Sheri Humphrey,, Dan O'Halloran,, Martina Norton,
- Type: Invited
- “In this teacher’s opinion, APEX has been the most effective professional development in 16 years of teaching.” The program provides teachers with skills, labs, and activities that are effective in an inquiry-based learning cycle. Teachers learn how to recognize and deal with student misconceptions, and strengthen their own conceptual ideas of physics so that they can be more effective facilitators of learning. In addition, teachers have the opportunity to network, share ideas, reflect, and learn the value of Socratic questioning. Students in the program learn how to develop mathematical models for physical phenomena, learn how to reason and think critically, verbalize their ideas about physics, and learn physics by doing physics. The Alabama state Science in Motion (ASIM) regional physics specialist teachers have also participated in the summer and academic year workshops. They have been charged with redrafting activities, technology, and regional teacher training for consistency with the Alabama Course of Study (ACOS). In drafting those activities, they are using materials from AAPT/PTRA, from Diagnoser.com and from other sources.
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Classroom Effects of Physics Focused Professional Development
- CD03
- Sun 02/19, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
by Dennis Sunal,, Cynthia Sunal,, James Harrell,, Marilyn Stephens,, Mohan Aggarwal,
- Type: Invited
- Does in-service physics focused teacher professional development (PD) makea difference? The study investigated physics classrooms across a large intact state-wide population relating findings to teacher’s experienced PD. As part of a larger mixed method study, classrooms were visited before and during the APEX PD program experiences. Results of the four-day visits found the physics focused PD fostered significant differences in the way physics teachers structured their classrooms, conducted teaching, and engaged students in learning. The findings were supported in each of the three parallel studies conducted using a convergent parallel research design. The results provided a unique picture of interrelated variables concurrently affecting physics teaching and implications for addressing in-service physics teachers’ professional development needs.
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APEX Formative Assessment and Responsive Teaching: Online Implementation and Results*
- CD04
- Sun 02/19, 5:30PM - 6:00PM
by Jim Minstrell,, Dan O'Halloran,
- Type: Invited
- One goal of APEX is to increase teachers’ knowledge and use of learning research and pedagogical implications. During summer and follow-up workshops, learning research and related online Diagnoser.com tools have been shared with all three cohorts of teachers and specialists. Learning goals and problematic facets of student thinking have been shared with teachers. Over 80% of the teachers have used questions and discussions to elicit student thinking early in units and are using online question sets formatively to monitor student thinking within units and check for retention later in the unit or school year. This session will present results of student performance on the short question sets and extent to which these data are helping monitor effects of the APEX Program in promoting deeper student conceptual understanding.
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Saturday Evening Registration
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Saturday Evening Registration
- REG03
- Sat 02/18, 7:30PM - 9:30PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Saturday Registration
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Saturday Registration
- REG02
- Sat 02/18, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Science Café
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Science Cafe at SACNAS
- EF01
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 5:30PM
- by Juan Burciaga,
- Type: Contributed
- The National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP, www.hispanicphysicists.org) has hosted Science Cafe at the annual meeting of SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science). This meeting is the largest gathering of under-represented students in STEM bring together over 2000 students, primarily of Hispanic/Latinic or Native American background. Our first goal of the Science Cafe at SACNAS is to open our science to the students and faculty of other disciplines. In addition, we (the NSHP) are demonstrating how to run a Science Cafe, so that faculty can add this important (and growing) technique to their educational outreach activities. Our third goal is to illustrate that interesting questions in science transcend any one discipline. A vital fourth goal is to provide leadership opportunities by encouraging our students to serve as facilitators. Our hope is that other STEM disciplines will start hosting their own Science Cafes.
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Self-Efficacy, Resilience, and Persistence for Underrepresented Women: What Research Tells Us
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Harnessing Affinity Towards Biology to Support Diversity in Physics
- AE01
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
by Vashti Sawtelle,, Chandra Turpen,
- Type: Invited
- Access to a professional community of scientists must start from exposure to, participation in, and developing an affinity towards a variety of scientific practices. In this work we explore how a female biology student with an initial negative orientation toward physics grows to see herself as capable and willing to engage in the scientific practices of the discipline. In this work we will examine case study data of a student who initially describes herself as hating physics, but shifts in her appreciation for physics. We triangulate across data sources to build an understanding of how this student’s relationship with physics shifts. We draw attention to ways that this shift may have been influenced by the ways our physics for life science majors course develops connections between the disciplines. We argue that harnessing students’ affinity towards biology may be a way to support diversity in introductory physics classrooms.
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Success of Female Physics Majors: Self Efficacy and Identity Development
- AE02
- Sun 02/19, 10:30AM - 11:00AM
by Sissi Li,, Michael Loverude,
- Type: Invited
- As a part of becoming physics majors, students develop a relationship withthe academic and professional physics communities. This relationship development is shaped by the way the individual makes sense of how to be a part of the physics community. A significant portion of this sense-making include learning how physicists approach and solve problems and developing a coherent framework for understanding a wide range of physics content. Every student pursuing physics will encounter these demanding tasks. Students from underrepresented groups, particularly female students, will face those tasks in addition to social and cultural challenges that are inherent in their minority status. Through qualitative case studies, we have examined successful female physics majors to understand the nature of their persistence through strong self-efficacy and resilient identities as legitimate members of the physics community.
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Domain Specific Self-Efficacy within STEM: The Role of Gender
- AE03
- Sun 02/19, 11:00AM - 11:30AM
by John Stewart,, Rachel Henderson,, Seth DeVore,
- Type: Invited
- The self-efficacy subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich et al., 1993) was modified to differentiate between the academic and professional environments of physics classes, mathematics classes, other science classes, and the student’s planned profession. The modified instrument was applied to introductory physics students (N=1005) at a large Eastern land-grant university. Students displayed significant differences in self-efficacy toward the different domains. Significant gender differences in self-efficacy were also identified, but these were restricted to the physics domain. Gender differences within physics were not explained by either past achievement measured by standardized test score or current achievement measured by physics test scores. General academic self-efficacy mediated the effect of test scores on self-efficacy within physics, but the effect was differentiated by gender. The gender difference in physics self-efficacy narrowed as students moved from Physics 1 to Physics 2.
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Science Education for Female Pre-service Teachers in China
- AE04
- Sun 02/19, 11:30AM - 11:40AM
- by David Osmond,
- Type: Contributed
- During the summer of 2016, I applied to teach physical science to pre-service elementary teachers in the Province of Shandong China. The course was designed as a total of 40 hours over a four-week period. Of the students participating, 41 were female and three were male pre-service elementary education majors. The lab activities and lectures were designed as explicit modeling of science instructional strategies, physical and earth science topics, and some American educational philosophies. Because the region is financially under-privileged all of the activities were designed to be easily reproduced from available materials there in China. For the purpose of this talk, I would like to share some insights into how this group of students approached learning. These approaches will be expanded to focus on how recent female Chinese immigrants might be thinking during your physics courses and how the roles of teacher and student are viewed.
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Equity in the IMPRESS Program
- AE05
- Sun 02/19, 11:40AM - 11:50AM
by Florian Genz,, Ben Archibeque,, Paul Hutchison,, Maxwell Franklin,, Eleanor Sayre,
- Type: Contributed
- We are interested in how student groups’ minority composition affect how equitable their discourse is. We follow several case study groups, chosen to have a broad range of students, to operationalize how discourse may be equitable. We look for moments when individuals are included or excluded and how the prevalence of those moments can create a more or less equitable environment during activities. We compare these qualitative measures of equity with quantitative measures of who speaks when. We found that when white men are in a group they tend to marginalize other group members. The groups for our case study came from the IMPRESS program, which is a two week, pre-college program that prepares first generation and deaf/hard-of-hearing students to major in a STEM field. In this program, students focus on improving their metacognitive skills and cultural preparation for college life within a context of model building and climate change.
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Societal Influences on Students' Career Paths
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Designing for Broadening Participation
- DD01
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 11:30AM
- by Déana Scipio,
- Type: Invited
- The dominant STEM broadening participation pipeline metaphor has key flaws: narrowing definitions of participation, creating drop-out narratives, and reifying existing paradigms. In this talk, Scipio explores the design and implementation of a layered learning environment intended to broaden participation in STEM by creating teaching and learning opportunities for youth and adults within an out-of-school time program. She conceives of broadening participation in two ways 1) increasing participation by peoples from non-dominant communities who are historically underrepresented in STEM and 2) broadening definitions of STEM participation. Using interviews and participant observations, she explores relationships between designed elements of learning environments and participant outcomes including new possible selves and identification with STEM domains. In particular, she discusses the concept of Deep Hanging, a way of learning in practice that led youth and adults to redefine participation within the context of a design-based research project.
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Mentoring, Networking, Support and Encouragement: How It Can Influence your Career Path?
- DD02
- Mon 02/20, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
- by Anitza San Miguel,
- Type: Invited
- Students’ career paths are influenced by a number of external factors suchas mentoring, networking, and the support and encouragement they receive during their academic and professional journey. Researchers have found that these external factors can affect students’ decision in paving their academic and professional careers. Mentoring can be very beneficial to a student especially when it includes multiple mentors. Networking is another important component which allows the student to learn from other individuals and it helps them create a personal connection that in the future might be helpful. The support and encouragement a student receives from their family and friends is also critical in helping the student persevere and succeed. This presentation will discuss how mentoring, networking and support and encouragement can influence students’ career path.
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Environmental Impact on Students' Career Paths
- DD03
- Mon 02/20, 12:00PM - 12:10PM
- by Michael Ponnambalam,
- Type: Contributed
- In many countries, in the post World War II era, many bright minds chose STEM in high schools; some of these were attracted towards physics. However, that glow of STEM and physics seems to have evaporated in the late 1900s. Is there a correlation between the rise in materialism and the fall in interest in STEM and physics? In this connection, this author's experience in a few countries will be presented.
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Developing STEM Application of CANNED Food for Community
- DD04
- Mon 02/20, 12:10PM - 12:20PM
- by Yusuf Karabalik,
- Type: Contributed
- “We CAN” is a friendly competition conceived to raise food for the HoustonFood Bank, to help form a better connection between the Houston area Harmony high schools, and to provide the student body a unique opportunity to apply learned skills and serve the community. The competition involves a team from each campus building structures out of canned food goods. Each team member will pay a $20 fee to join the Club, $10 going to the CANstruction entrance fee and other expenses and the other $10 will be used to jump start their fundraising. Each team will be required to raise a specified amount ($500 minimum) which the Company Sponsor, and potentially the Grocery Sponsor, will match. The funds will be used to purchase the cans needed for the competition. An award will be given to the three top fundraising schools.
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Solar Eclipse
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The Great American Eclipse of 1900
- FA01
- Mon 02/20, 7:00PM - 7:30PM
- by Tom English,
- Type: Invited
- The solar eclipse of 1900 May 28 occurred as American astronomy was asserting itself on the world stage. The early generation of home-grown astrophysicists, the likes of Charles A. Young and Samuel P. Langley, was giving way to the new breed, led by George Ellery Hale. By 1900 Hale had founded the AAS, started the Astrophysical Journal, and built his first great observatory at Yerkes. The 1900 eclipse, visible along a line from New Orleans to Norfolk, gave Hale an opportunity to orchestrate a coordinated effort to attack the eclipse with all available American resources. Parties were dispatched throughout the American South, and several dozen institutions put expeditions in the field, ranging from individuals with modest equipment to major undertakings occupying large tracts of land on which tons of apparatus were assembled. This presentation outlines the organization of the American eclipse effort and highlights the significant expeditions and their observations.
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Modern Eddington Experiment
- FA02
- Mon 02/20, 7:30PM - 8:00PM
- by William Dittrich,
- Type: Invited
- On August 21, 1917 Eddington's experiment to verify gravitational lensing due to Newtonian and General relativistic shifts was attempted and failed. The second retry (1919) was successful and Einstein became an instant sensation worldwide. This famous experiment will be repeated exactly 100 years to the day later. This Modern Eddington Experiment (MEE) will be performed by faculty, undergraduate students, and citizen scientists at several locations along the 2017 eclipse path using modern amateur astronomical equipment. The recent availability of large pixel CCD cameras enable this experiment to be performed at an accuracy 20-100 times more accurately than all past attempts. The research method and equipment will be discussed. What will you and your students be doing on August 21? For a reasonable sum, the equipment for the MEE can be purchased and your team can help improve the accuracy of this exciting multiple team experimental recreation, the Modern Eddington Experiment.
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A Total Solar Eclipse Celebration 117 Years in the Making
- FA03
- Mon 02/20, 8:00PM - 8:10PM
- by Kristen Thompson,
- Type: Contributed
- The August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse has generated much excitement and has prompted many to organize expeditions to view the event. Similarly, the small town of Winnsboro, SC, was the target of an expedition by early American astronomy programs to study the May 28, 1900 total solar eclipse. Then Davidson College professor Dr. H.L. Smith joined an expedition to set up an observing station in Winnsboro. Now, 117 years later, the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse will once again pass through the town. Davidson College, in collaboration with the Fairfield County Museum in Winnsboro, is planning to commemorate the 1900 expedition by returning to the site of the original observing station for a 2017 solar eclipse celebration. Guided by archives documenting details of the 1900 station, the celebration will include public lectures, eclipse viewing, and a museum exhibit featuring 19th century astronomy and the 1900 eclipse.
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Sunday Afternoon Exhibit Hall Break
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Sunday Afternoon Exhibit Hall Break
- EXH05
- Sun 02/19, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Sunday Morning Exhibit Hall Break
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Sunday Morning Exhibit Hall Break
- EXH03
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Sunday Registration
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Sunday Registration
- REG04
- Sun 02/19, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Teaching Scientific Practices in High School and College Labs
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Teaching Physics Instead of Teaching About Physics
- AA01
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- by Andrew Jackson,
- Type: Invited
- The Next Generation Science Standards have three explicit dimensions: Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. This presentation is about approaches that address teaching physics more than teaching about physics. The difference between teaching physics and teaching about physics is based on how the dimensions of crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas are integrated with the science and engineering practices. The three dimensions are columns supporting our physics instruction. Attempting to support instruction for any time with only one column weakens the learning. The dimensions need to be viewed as inseparable, and together, provide the strength found in good pedagogy. Attendees will examine and question traditional lab and lecture. They will explore how to expand and alter approaches to be in philosophical alignment with NGSS and the NRC framework where the practices of scientists and engineers are put into use as students gain understanding of physics content.
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Evaluating and Improving Laboratory Notebook Practices
- AA02
- Sun 02/19, 10:30AM - 10:40AM
- by Joseph Kozminski,
- Type: Contributed
- Keeping a laboratory notebook is an important skill for undergraduates to develop whether they plan to go to graduate school, industry, research, or any other area where keeping organized, detailed records is important. Often students are presented with a set of guidelines and possibly some examples of notebook entries and are expected to develop good notebook practices on their own. However, constructive feedback and mentoring are important in helping students develop this skill. This presentation will give preliminary results of an evaluation of student laboratory notebook practices and some pedagogical methods to help students better develop this skill.
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Assessing Scientific Abilities in the High School Classroom
- AA03
- Sun 02/19, 10:40AM - 10:50AM
- by Kelly O´Shea,
- Type: Contributed
- Over the past year, I have focused on how I can give students feedback about their developing scientific abilities without relying on lab reports. I have started developing assessments (both written and practical) to try to address abilities like designing observational experiments, taking and analyzing data, and creating and interpreting graphs. I shared some of that work in a blog post (https://kellyoshea.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/assessing-scientific-abilities/), and I will use this talk to share updates, student work, and my new ideas for teaching and assessing these abilities in my high school physics and chemistry classes.
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Students’ Engagement in Argumentation While Working on Physics Tutorials
- AA04
- Sun 02/19, 10:50AM - 11:00AM
by Ozden Sengul,, Renee Schwartz,, Joshua Von Korff
- Type: Contributed
- Argumentation as a core epistemic practice of science involves scientific reasoning and proficiency through advancing, critiquing, and justifying claims. Physics Education Research has developed numerous methods and scaffolds to promote students’ engagement in scientific argumentation. Through a case study approach, we examined how research-based materials-- Open Source Tutorials in Physics Sense-Making-- can facilitate students’ use of argumentation in small groups as well as their conceptual understanding. We analyzed transcriptions of students’ group discussions based on modified Toulmin’s Argumentation Layout. We will discuss the results of two episodes from the study to report what features of tutorials helped students engage in argumentation and make sense of physics concepts.
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Effect of Scientific Reasoning Curriculum for Different Prior COV Ability
- AA05
- Sun 02/19, 11:00AM - 11:10AM
by Krista Wood,, Kathleen Koenig,, Lei Bao,
- Type: Contributed
- Scientific reasoning (SR) skills are important for constructing knowledge based on experimental data. A curriculum needs to specifically target SR skills to promote students’ SR development. While control of variables (COV) skills are foundational to scientific reasoning, little research has studied the effect of an SR-targeted curriculum on students’ COV skill development. In a two-year college physics lab during the first implementation of an SR-targeted curriculum, we divided our students into Low, Mid, and High prior COV ability based on pre-test COV questions. Using pre- and post-test scores, we determined the effect of the SR-targeted curriculum on student development of COV skills at various complexity levels. We found notable differences in student development of COV skills depending on their prior ability and the COV skill complexity. In this talk, we will discuss these differences and the implications.
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Identifying Common Difficulties in Causal Reasoning*
- AA06
- Sun 02/19, 11:10AM - 11:20AM
by Lindsay Owens,, Kathy Koenig,, Lei Bao,
- Type: Contributed
- Students use causal reasoning in their everyday lives to generate hypotheses as to why an event occurred, or to create predictions about future events based on personal experience and/or data. Yet, students in introductory physics labs quickly demonstrated difficulties in causal reasoning when interacting with story-based scenarios and data. Qualitative think-aloud interviews were conducted with a variety of both algebra-based and calculus-based students; students verbally reasoned through causal scenarios which featured causal mechanisms, covariation data, or both. Students were categorized into low, medium, or high reasoning subgroups using additional questions given as part of a pre-test in the laboratory class. Common difficulties were noted among the group of students with low-causal reasoning skills, while a different set of reasoning difficulties were noted among the group of students with medium-causal reasoning abilities. These difficulties in causal reasoning will be discussed within the talk.
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AP Science Practices in the AP® Physics Laboratory
- AA07
- Sun 02/19, 11:20AM - 11:50AM
- by Robert Morse,
- Type: Invited
- The new AP® Science curricula define specific Learning Objectives that combine content in terms of Essential Knowledge with seven specific Science Practices common to all sciences. These learning objectives guide teachers' work in the classroom and the laboratory, and are the basis for AP® examinations. The new curricula emphasize learning through laboratory inquiry and data analysis as a basis for students to develop conceptual and mathematical models of system behavior, reflected in a syllabus requirement that 25% of student time be spent in inquiry-based laboratory work. The AP® Physics 1 and 2 Lab manual (2015) includes 16 example investigations described in terms of Essential Knowledge and Science Practices. In this talk I will discuss the Science Practices, give examples of their use in laboratory investigations in the AP Physics 1 & 2 courses, and briefly compare them with the eight practices of the NGSS Framework (2012).
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Teaching Strong Gravity: Black Holes in the Classroom
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Black Hole Basics
- DB01
- Mon 02/20, 11:00AM - 11:30AM
- by Deirdre Shoemaker,
- Type: Invited
- Black holes capture the imagination. Sounding fantastical, these ultimate expressions of curvature are in reality one of the most important components of the Universe. I will give an introduction to both the theory of black holes and the evidence for their existence in the Universe. I will highlight their role in the recent discovery of gravitational waves by LIGO and discuss some of the compelling qualities that intrigue students of all ages.
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Supermassive Black Holes: The Powerful Engines of the Universe
- DB02
- Mon 02/20, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
- by Tamara Bogdanovic,
- Type: Invited
- Black holes are a best seller of the popular culture that continues to inspire curiosity for science and the universe we live in. They are also an active topic of scientific research from both observational and theoretical perspectives. I will summarize scientific evidence for existence of the supermassive black holes, their key properties, and will comment on the open questions in this dynamic research area of astrophysics.
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Technologies
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Physics Projects with vCalc: a Wiki with Computational Capabilities*
- EB01
- Mon 02/20, 3:30PM - 3:40PM
by Joshua Grossman,, Tyler Jones,, Randolph Larsen,, Kurt Heckman,
- Type: Contributed
- vCalc is a fast-growing online calculator, equation, and dataset library that helps users freely create and quickly calculate. Located at vCalc.com, it serves as a calculating encyclopedia by combining wiki technology with a math engine. Users may publish content visible to anyone, share it in a group, or keep it private. In this talk, after introducing vCalc, we report on a summer program in which students and faculty from physics, chemistry, math, psychology, economics, and computer science developed content and advised vCalc. Adding to vCalc’s existing catalog, the physics content developed drew from mechanics, optics, atomic physics, and radar. We will present computational content pages and an example of a student-developed lab activity. Besides serving as a reference and computational tool, assignments to create calculators and accompanying wikis offer multifaceted learning opportunities in a course.
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HTML5 Simulations for Introductory Physics
- EB02
- Mon 02/20, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
- by Andrew Duffy,
- Type: Contributed
- This talk will cover a collection of over 100 free HTML5 simulations for the teaching and learning of introductory physics. These simulations can be used by instructors or students, and have been used in various settings, ranging from studio physics classrooms to massive open online courses. One goal of the simulations is to add value, in one way or another, to the standard way of teaching a topic, such as through the addition of a graph or other form of visualization, to produce added insight to a concept.
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3D Printing Emphasizes and Broadens University Programs in Physics
- EB03
- Mon 02/20, 3:50PM - 4:00PM
by Magnus Karlsteen,, Jonas Enger,, Jonathan Weidow,, Lars Hellberg,
- Type: Contributed
- A new development in our department is that students in physics and teacher training now learn CAD and 3D printing. The teaching is based on a very brief introduction, after which the students will create final products that are later shown to other students and teachers during an exhibition. To further deepen the understanding and maintain the creativity of the students, a room with 3D printers all day accessible is provided. The students learn CAD and 3D printing well. In addition, the students use CAD and 3D printing in advanced experimental courses in physics where they benefit from creating different accessories to experimental setups. The students have also formed their own club for 3D printing to support other students, to produce creative solutions, and to test business ideas. This development has provided the first steps toward a maker movement environment in the teaching lab. We strongly believe in this concept.
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Interacting with Simulated Charges and Fields via Augmented Reality
- EB04
- Mon 02/20, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
- by Steven Binz,
- Type: Contributed
- Electric and magnetic fields can be difficult for students to understand because they cannot directly see the fields or physically manipulate individual charges. Computer simulations and videos have helped, however they have been limited to a 2D screen. Using recently developed augmented reality devices it is possible to assign real-world objects a simulated charge or current, and to see the changes in the fields as those values are changed or as the objects are moved around the room. The user can walk around the charges and currents to see the fields from any direction, as well as introduce simulated test charges. The intent is that student understanding will improve if the students can control the simulation intuitively and see the fields and forces in all three dimensions. Mixed reality recordings of the simulation will be shown and the limits and possibilities of the underlying technology will be briefly discussed.
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The Development and Implementation of a Flipped Physics Course
- EB05
- Mon 02/20, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by Timothy Duman,
- Type: Contributed
- The physics department at the University of Indianapolis has implemented aflipped classroom in their introductory calculus-based physics sequence. The department uses both Windows and Mac-based PCs to create online content. Attendees will find out what software we use, how we incorporated the online lecture into our courses, and how it has worked out.
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Blended Introductory Physics Course: Instructor’s Experience of NCAT Redesign
- EB06
- Mon 02/20, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Tetyana Antimirova,
- Type: Contributed
- This talk describes the instructor’s experience of course redesign using one of NCAT redesign models. A large (500+ students) introductory physics course for science program at large Canadian university was redesigned following the National Council for Academic Transformation (NCAT) guidelines. The goal of the redesign was to turn the course into more active learning blended environment, with partially flipped lectures and with a significant online component to extend learning beyond classroom. A range of educational technology tools such as personal response systems (iClickers and web-based REEF), online tutoring and homework system, web-based tools facilitating peer collaborations, real-time data-acquisition, videos and screen capture was used to support the delivery of this course. The redesigned course demonstrated improved student engagement, better course retention and successful completion rates.
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Coding in the Classroom
- EB07
- Mon 02/20, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
by Stephen Robinson,, Jonathan Rankin,
- Type: Contributed
- We examine the use of VPython in a small flipped classroom, including topics such as student attitudes, student performance, grading, effects on learning, and other practical considerations. Data was collected via grades and surveys.
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The Fulbright Experience
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The Fulbright Experience
- TOP01
- Sun 02/19, 9:00AM - 10:30AM
- by Perry Tompkins
- Type: Topical
-
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The Physics of the NSF IUSE Program
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Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers*
- AC01
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- by Paula Heron,
- Type: Invited
- With support from the NSF IUSE program, the AAPT and APS formed a Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (JTUPP). The task force reviewed employment data, surveys of employers, and reports generated by other disciplines. We also met with with physicists in selected industries to get their views on the strengths and weaknesses of physics graduates, commissioned a series of interviews with recent physics graduates employed in the private sector, and identified exemplary programs that ensure that all of their students are well prepared to pursue a wide range of career paths. The resulting report “PHYS21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers” describes the skills and knowledge that undergraduate physics degree holders should possess to be well prepared for a diverse set of careers and makes recommendations intended to help departments and professional associations support student career preparation.
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Collaborative Research: Examining the Development of Student Reasoning Skills*
- AC02
- Sun 02/19, 10:30AM - 11:00AM
by Mila Kryjevskaia,, Andrew Boudreaux,, Paula Heron,, Beth Lindsey,, MacKenzie Stetzer,
- Type: Invited
- The development of reasoning is arguably the most important outcome of college physics instruction. In spite of sustained research interest, little is known about how students construct reasoning chains when responding to qualitative physics questions. We are therefore developing assessment methods to disentangle conceptual understanding from the reasoning abilities needed to productively apply that understanding. Such methods would have practical as well as theoretical value. They could lead to creation of instruments for systematically tracking the development of student reasoning throughout physics instruction, and could also inform existing and emerging theories of cognition (e.g., dual process theories). We will share lessons learned during the first two years of this multi-institutional collaborative project, discuss our current findings, and outline future directions.
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Research Validated Distance Learning Labs for Introductory Physics Using IOLab
- AC03
- Sun 02/19, 11:00AM - 11:30AM
by David Sokoloff,, Erik Bodegom,, Erik Jensen,
- Type: Invited
- The IOLab is a versatile, relatively inexpensive data acquisition device developed by Mats Selen and his colleagues at University of Illinois (1). It is self-contained in a cart that can roll on its own wheels, while an optical encoder measures motion quantities. It also contains sensors to measure a variety of other physical quantities like force, temperature, light intensity, sound intensity and current and voltage. With a current cost of around $100, students can purchase their own individual device (like a clicker), and can—in theory—use it to do hands-on laboratory, pre-lecture (flipped classroom) and homework activities at home. We report on the preliminary results of a project to develop distance-learning (DL) laboratories using the IOLab. We have developed RealTime Physics (3,4)-like mechanics labs based on the IOLab, tested them in supervised laboratory environments at PSU and Chemeketa, and just finished the first DL test of the labs at Chemeketa (Summer, 2016). We will present preliminary research on student learning and epistemological issues using the FMCE (5) and ECLASS (6).
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Connecting Math and Physics Across the Upper-division
- AC04
- Sun 02/19, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
- by Eleanor Sayre,
- Type: Invited
- The Mathematization project studies how upper-division physics students use mathematics across multiple courses and in several modalities. Our research takes place primarily in Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Fields, and Quantum Mechanics, three of the core upper-division physics theory classes. We conduct network analyses of their homework solutions to see which ideas are connected within problems, and what kinds of problems elicit which ideas. We analyze their in-class small-group problem solving to see how their epistemic framing affects (and is affected by) their peers, the instructor, and the kinds of problems they work on. We track how their ideas about "looking ahead" in numerical solutions vary by physics context, and we examine how they coordinate multiple representations to generate new ideas. In this talk, I'll highlight the connections between our research questions, our theoretical frameworks, and our methodological choices.
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The Wonderful World of AJP
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A Few Experiment-based Video Resources for Teaching Modern Physics
- HF01
- Tue 02/21, 12:30PM - 1:00PM
- by Gabriel Spalding,
- Type: Invited
- Intended for class discussions of the (basic) weirdness of quantum physics, we offer an intro to single-photon ghost imaging. ("Ghost" references Einstein's concern over spooky action at a distance.) Our AJP paper provides freely available video data of the dynamic evolution of single-photon ghost imaging and diffraction patterns, as well as more traditional (non-ghost) single photon imaging and diffraction. We point out the current (and future) availability of educationally priced instructional lab setups allowing students to directly grapple with quantum phenomena, and add how such equipment can be used for teaching other parts of Modern Physics, e.g. introducing, more simply, the idea of time reversals, as a prequel to teaching Special Relativity.
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Digitally Controlling Light for Optical Interference
- HF02
- Tue 02/21, 1:00PM - 1:30PM
by Benjamin Perez-Garcia,, David Gossman,, Raul Hernandez-Aranda,, Andrew Forbes,
- Type: Invited
- In the 19th century, Thomas Young presented his landmark experiment proving the controversial wave nature of light. He observed fringes in the intensity and thus attributed this phenomena to the interference between coherent light sources. In this study, we revisit this venerable with a modern twist using digital holograms. We then ask "fringes in what?", and show how that depending on how the optical fields interfere, fringe patterns in different observables can be observed. A tutorial approach to the topic is presented, aided by modern laboratory practices for the implementation of the underlying physics.
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The Enticing World of Quantized Wheels
- HF03
- Tue 02/21, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Eduardo De Campos Valadares,
- Type: Invited
- A simple approach is presented allowing one to determine all possible wheels that can roll smoothly without slipping on a periodic roadbed, while keeping their center of mass at fixed height. The inverse problem of obtaining the roadbed profile compatible with a specific wheel and all other related "quantized wheels" is also addressed. In contrast with geometrically quantized nanosystems like carbon nanotubes, the "ground state" might have a lower symmetry than that required by the periodic roadbed and hence is a "forbidden state." In this cases a new road profile must be found compatible with the "ground state" wheel. Several illustrative examples are discussed that highlight the different possibilities related to non-conventional wheels, including possible applications and the impossibility of "stars" rolling smoothly.
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Predicting the Influence of Plate Geometry on the Eddy Current Pendulum
- HF04
- Tue 02/21, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Timothy Atherton,
- Type: Invited
- In our graduate electrodynamics class, we quantitatively analyzed a familiar classroom demonstration, Van Waltenhofen's eddy current pendulum, to predict the damping effect for a variety of plate geometries from first principles. Results from conformal mapping, finite element simulations and a simplified model suitable for introductory classes are compared with experiments. Perspectives on how this pedagogical technique might be used in graduate education are also presented.
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Tools to Support the Conceptual Understanding of Magnetism and Quantum Mechanics
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A Visual Approach to Quantum Physics
- BE01
- Sun 02/19, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Stefan Heusler,
- Type: Invited
- In view of the complexity of the basic concepts of quantum physics and itssignificance for many technological applications, it is an important challenge how to teach quantum physics at high school and introductory university level. In our session, we want to investigate the potential and the power of new media (apps, animations, simulations) in combination with model building and experimental approaches for teaching quantum physics. In my talk, I will present a new visualization sheme for the periodic table of elements, which is based on counting modes of standing waves in one, two, three and four dimensions. A projection to three dimensions naturally leads to orbital and spin contributions of the electrons. First teaching experience at high school has been investigated in a qualitative survey, indicating the possible benefit of this approach.
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A Multi-Representational Approach to Teaching Diamagnetism, Paramagnetism and Ferromagnetism
- BE02
- Sun 02/19, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Daniel Laumann,
- Type: Invited
- Teaching magnetism at high school and introductory university level is typically limited to ferromagnetism and electromagnetism representing the most common types of magnetism. Although 85 elements of the periodic table are contributed to diamagnetism and paramagnetism and many important applications such as superconductivity (diamagnetism) or magnetic resonance imaging (paramagnetism), these forms of magnetism are often neglected in physics education. Nevertheless, considering the quantum physical nature of magnetic phenomena diamagnetism and paramagnetism reveal a great opportunity to involve orbital and spin contributions of electrons in an immediately accessible context. The talk presents a phenomenological approach to experience diamagnetism and paramagnetism in classrooms. Including multiple representations such as digital media and real experiments the quantum physical nature of magnetism as well as amazing phenomena reveal a teaching concept that has been tested in a qualitative survey.
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Comparing Classical and Quantum Spin Angular Momentum
- BE03
- Sun 02/19, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by Robert Close,
- Type: Contributed
- Quantum mechanics is universally understood as a probabilistic theory of particles with similarities to classical physics. However, the equations of quantum mechanics also form a deterministic theory describing the evolution of spin angular momentum density. To understand quantum mechanics, students need to understand spin. The classical analogue of spin is found in the theory of elastic shear waves. Orbital angular momentum is associated with wave propagation (i.e. derivatives of wave amplitude), while spin angular momentum is associated with rotational motion of the medium. In this presentation we will examine the classical spin equation in vector and Dirac form, show the associated Lagrangian, Hamiltonian, and dynamical operators, and investigate similarities between classical and quantum spin.
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A Conceptual Understanding of the Quantum Origins of Magnetism
- BE04
- Sun 02/19, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
- by Kevin Rasch,
- Type: Contributed
- Physics-hero Richard Feynman describes magnetism in his famous Lectures onPhysics as “ . . . a completely quantum mechanical phenomenon.” Unfortunately, an understanding of magnetism that begins with the wave function and leads to the varieties of magnetic phenomena is elusive because the details incorporate many-electron wave functions. I will show that introducing the Slater determinant form of the wave function incorporates the axioms of quantum mechanics and also simplifies the readability and interpretation of the wave function. From there I build a description of Heitler-Fritz bonding theory that focuses on conceptual understanding. This framework naturally introduces chemical bonding and provides insight into the origins of magnetism. This path through topics remains suitable to a modern physics course or can be adapted to quantum mechanics classes.
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The Effects of van Hove Singularities on Intrinsically Localized Vibrations
- BE05
- Sun 02/19, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
by Benjamin Agyare,, Peter Riseborough,
- Type: Contributed
- Intrinsically Localized Modes (ILMs) have purportedly been observed in NaIbut only for wave-vectors, q at the corner of the 3-D Brillouin Zone. It has been suggested that, for high-symmetry q vectors, several van Hove singularities may converge at one frequency producing a large peak in the two-phonon density of state and giving rise to ILMs with these q values. We fit the experimentally determined acoustic and the optic phonon modes using a nearest neighbor and a next-nearest neighbor force constant. We find that the two-phonon density of states, for fixed q exhibits non-divergent van Hove singularities. The frequencies of these features are found to vary as q is varied. We intend to search for q values at which the two-phonon density of states is enhanced and then examine whether the anharmonic interactions can bind the two-phonon excitations to produce a quantized ILM.
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Leveraging the Eyeball in Relativity: Fast Running Clocks
- BE06
- Sun 02/19, 3:30PM - 3:40PM
by Joseph West,, Nathaniel Shanklin,
- Type: Contributed
- All observers, whether inertial or not, who share a location must agree about what they see as a reading on (and can take a picture of) any third clock in the universe. The arrival of the photons that make the image is a well-defined event. In a two-dimensional variation of the classic Twin paradox we focus on what the accelerated twin actually sees (or records as video) that will explain why she sees the inertial twin age quickly, when inertial observers traveling along any leg of her motion with her would measure and record that her twin’s moving clock runs slowly. Students are intrigued by, but often overwhelmed by the list of measurements that observers do not agree on: slow asynchronous clocks; length contraction; and order of events. Working from knowledge based on what the observers must agree on is a useful tactic for helping students.
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Tuesday Registration
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Tuesday Registration
- REG06
- Tue 02/21, 8:00AM - 3:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Two Year College Issues
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Two Year College Issues
- TOP04
- Mon 02/20, 8:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Joe Heafner
- Type: Topical
- This session is an opportunity for two year college physics and astronomy faculty to meet and discuss common issues, challenges, and possible solutions.
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UTeach in Physics
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A Transitioned and Unique U-Teach Experience at Kennesaw State University
- FB01
- Mon 02/20, 7:00PM - 7:30PM
by Erin Sutherland,, David Rosengrant,
- Type: Invited
- When Southern Polytechnic State University became a UTeach site in 2010 they were the first university to have a program without a school of education. Just three years after this, Southern Polytechnic State University consolidated with Kennesaw State University to form a new Kennesaw State University. Kennesaw State University has a college of education but secondary education faculty are housed in the departments of their discipline. The university also prides itself on content specific pedagogies. As a result of the consolidation the UTeach program was modified to form the new undergraduate teacher preparation program for the sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology). This presentation highlights the initial program, the process of consolidation and the end resulting program along with the strengths and the challenges still faced.
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Student Learning in Classes of UTeach Graduates
- FB02
- Mon 02/20, 7:30PM - 8:00PM
- by Michael Marder,
- Type: Invited
- I will discuss the retention of UTeach alumni in teaching and the gains instudent learning in classrooms of novice UTeach graduates compared with alternatively certified teachers in the same schools. The data come from Texas, which is the only state where UTeach has been present long enough and at sufficient scale that these comparisons can be made. Most of the results come from mandatory tests in Algebra I and Biology. No results from physics tests are available, but student course-taking patterns in physics will also be examined.
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The Maker Movement in a UTeach Physics Class
- FB03
- Mon 02/20, 8:00PM - 8:10PM
- by Jill Marshall,
- Type: Contributed
- The Maker Movement, publicized by Make Magazine and Maker Faires now happening across the U.S., has begun to make inroads into STEM education. Maker Spaces, where students have access to technological tools and a safe environment in which to create, are appearing in elementary school libraries, high school shop classes, and engineering departments at the undergraduate level. A recent Noyce teacher preparation grant to the UTeach program at the University of Texas at Austin has as one of its aims an investigation of the incorporation of Making into pre-service teacher education. I will report on the incorporation of a Maker strand into a class using the University of Washington Physics by Inquiry curriculum (McDermott et al., 1996). I used a project-developed framework and rubric to evaluate the effect on student learning of optics and circuits, and the development of students’ identity as both makers and as users of physics.
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UTeach and PhysTEC, a Winning Combination
- FB04
- Mon 02/20, 8:10PM - 8:20PM
by Gay Stewart,, John Stewart
- Type: Contributed
- The speakers have now been part of two PhysTEC/UTeach implementations. In the first, at the University of Arkansas, we introduced a UTeach replication to a mature PhysTEC site. UAteach was designed based on our PhysTEC experience. There was a strong influence of how to incorporate the best aspects of a Teacher in Residence into the Master Teacher (MT) position. We looked at full role of all MTs in a mature UTeach program and built the induction and mentoring into all of the MT job descriptions, instead of having separate staff. At West Virginia University, we launched the two programs in parallel, with the background and experience of having done both programs before. One year in, things are moving well, with almost 70 STEM majors in the WVUteach program, and nine new physics teachers in the PhysTEC pipeline.
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STEMteach: Enabling Physics Degree-Holders to Become Physics Teachers*
- FB05
- Mon 02/20, 8:20PM - 8:30PM
by Earl Blodgett,, Rachelle Haroldson,
- Type: Contributed
- STEMteach is a novel one-year graduate course of study designed for STEM degree holders who wish to become certified to teach in their area of qualification. Inspired by the UTeach program at the University of Texas – Austin, the program at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls brings together STEM professionals from many areas of science and mathematics for an intensive one-year cohort experience. STEMteach students can seek licensure in biology, chemistry, math, computer science, environmental science, and physics. This presentation will focus on the experiences of physics degree holders in the first two cohorts of this multi-disciplinary program.
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Understanding the Apparatus
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Teaching Apparatus for Advanced Biomedical Physics Labs
- AB01
- Sun 02/19, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
by Mary Lowe,, Alex Spiro,
- Type: Invited
- For several years, we have been developing teaching apparatus pertinent tomedical applications for use in intermediate and advanced undergraduate physics labs. To understand the physics of a medical device, model apparatus need to be constructed that functions on a human scale so students can explore it with their own hands. The developers of the teaching apparatus must make decisions based on cost, the availability of parts, safety, and the most important aspects to teach. In this talk, I will describe considerations in designing some of the apparatus for our biomedical physics curricula, including gamma camera imaging, ultrasound imaging, and fiber optics for light delivery. In order for students to understand the limitations of the model apparatus, similarities and differences between the teaching apparatus and the real device used in the field must be clarified through instructional materials.
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Learning Physics by Understanding the Instruments
- AB02
- Sun 02/19, 10:30AM - 11:00AM
- by Jingbo Ye,
- Type: Invited
- Physics is advanced based on measurements (with instrumentation) and it inturn invents instruments that are not only for physics but also used in many other fields. It is especially important in the training of a student in physics to understand the apparatus, the tools he or she will use to conduct measurements. In this talk I will use a few examples and even two demos, time permits, to illustrate the importance of instrumentation in discoveries as well as in a teaching lab, and then offer my own experience in getting students to read manuals and to understand not only how to operate the instruments, but the principles the measurements are based upon, this helps the students to interpret the numbers and judge the validity of the measurements, a crucial step in learning from teaching labs and then physics.
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Experimental Teaching by PPBL: Using the Michelson Interferometer as an Example
- AB03
- Sun 02/19, 11:00AM - 11:30AM
by Jinhuan Li,, Xiaojun Wang,
- Type: Invited
- In past few years, we have reconstructed our lab training program and classroom teaching into the PPBL (Physics Problem Based Learning)-model to engage the students to be more active in learning. In this talk, the lab Michelson Interferometer will be used as an example to demonstrate how the teaching activities are carried in the PPBL-model. Michelson interferometer is one of the most popular optical interferometric systems used in optical metrology. Wavelengths, tiny displacement, thermal extension of a sample, and even the gravitational wave (Advanced LIGO) can be measured with the Michelson interferometer. Under traditional lab course arrangement, students found it difficult to understand the lab well and to operate the apparatus effectively. In the PPBL-model, students pay much more attention to the apparatus under the guidance of heuristic questions, such as when is the compensating plate necessary, what will be results if the reflection of the beam-splitter is not 50%. Our experience shows that the PPBL-model provides students not only a more solid training of lab skills, but also improvement in problem solving and critical reasoning.
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Electronics Labs and Apparatus Limitations
- AB04
- Sun 02/19, 11:30AM - 11:40AM
- by Satinder Sidhu,
- Type: Contributed
- Labs associated with an electronics course are an ideal venue for imparting lessons about equipment characteristics that can prove frustrating to the unwary user. Although formal error analysis is not usually associated with these labs, they can serve as real eye-openers about the discrepancies between the ideal world of theoretical models and the real one of measurements made with the simplest of bench apparatus. Lessons learned here—taught early and often—will stay with the budding experimentalist as well as the casual user as they move on to dealing with more complex equipment and systems. Examples of some short introductory experiments will be presented to illustrate these ideas.
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Taming the Cavendish Balance
- AB05
- Sun 02/19, 11:40AM - 11:50AM
- by Peter Bennett,
- Type: Contributed
- The Cavendish Balance is a beautiful experiment that is often done in college lab courses for physics majors. This experiment uses a torsion balance to measure the force of gravity between kG spheres a few cm apart to determine a value for “big G”, the gravitational force constant. The concept is relatively simple, but the presence of noise or background effects presents a significant challenge for an accurate measurement. We describe our solutions to mitigate several sources of “noise” including: vibrations, temperature, wind, and capacitance. Using a Tel-Atomic apparatus, with modest adjustments, we are able to reduce or control such effects, to yield a value for G that is good to a few percent.
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Beach Ball Physis
- AB06
- Sun 02/19, 11:50AM - 12:00PM
by Michael Gallis,, Ryan Vidal,
- Type: Contributed
- When discussing how to throw a wicked curve ball, “Bend it Like Beckham” or just those falling objects that don’t keep up, beach balls provide a convenient mechanism to explore the non-ideal features that can arise in projectile motion. A beach ball’s motion can be understood in terms of weight, drag, buoyancy and the Magnus effect. This presentation shows some ways the motion of a beach ball in introductory mechanics labs, both as a departure from ideal free fall behavior and as a detailed exploration of friction and drag. Several short demonstration videos of beach balls in flight will also be shown. An interactive 3D simulation of beach ball trajectories which illustrates the roles of the various forces in the ball’s projectile motion will also be demonstrated. This presentation makes use of the Tracker video analysis program and the Easy JavaScript Simulations package, both from Open Source Physics (www.opensourcephysics.org).
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Video of the week
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Video of the week
- GF
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
- by Sam Sampere
- Type: Panel
- Attempts to bring classical and contemporary physics into the public view can be accomplished by creating interesting videos and publishing them in various online formats. Creating good content, stories, and publicizing your efforts can be quite challenging. Please bring your questions and thoughts and contribute to this panel discussion. The panelists are composed of those who successfully attempted this feat. Learn from them and you can perhaps circumvent some pitfalls.
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Work/Life Balance
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Work/Life Balance
- GD
- Tue 02/21, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
- by Anne Cox
- Type: Panel
- How do you try to maintain a balance between your professional and personal life? What type of challenges do you face: The two-body problem? Multi-generational care-giving? Finding time for yourself? The panelist will first share their stories: both challenges and ways they have addressed these challenges. Then, we will open the floor to questions and discussion between the panelists and audience-participants. Come and learn new ways to think about this issue and contribute your strategies for finding balance.
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