AAPT Winter Meeting 2019 in Houston, TX
 

WM19 Program

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

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Posters

  • Assessment Practices in Introductory Courses for the Life Sciences
      • Assessing Self-directed Project-based Learning in the Introductory Physics for Life Science Course

      • EC04
      • Mon 01/14, 5:00PM - 5:30PM

      • by Nancy Beverly
      • Type: Poster
      • In a project-based course, with a diverse spread of self-selected life phenomena of student inquiry, competencies in larger critical skills are the common assessment denominator. Devising assessment strategies that provide timely and useful feedback to students about progress in these skills in a time-efficient manner is challenging, primarily due to the unique content and nature of student approaches in these self-directed works.
  • Astronomy Poster
      • Archaeoastronomy at Garden Creek
      • PST1D01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Mikayla Absher, Alice Wright

      • Type: Poster
      • Between the 1960s and the 2010s, archaeological fieldwork at the Garden Creek site (31Hw2, 31Hw8) in Haywood County, North Carolina revealed monumental earthworks dating to the Middle Woodland period (ca. 300 BC -- AD 600). Artifacts recovered from MoundNo. 2 and Enclosure No. 1 have been interpreted as evidence for ceremonial exchanges between communities in the Appalachian Summit and in the Ohio River Valley as part of the wider Hopewell Interaction Sphere. Ongoing assessment of the architecture of Enclosures No. 1 and 2 provide additional support for this interpretation. In this poster, we present evidence for possible solar and lunar alignments associated with Garden Creek’s enclosures, and discuss how these alignments compare to well-known archaeoastronomical patterns observed at Scioto Hopewell sites in Ohio.
      • Updates to the Astronomy4Kids Online Video Education Outreach Program
      • PST1D02
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Richard Pearson
      • Type: Poster
      • Recent research indicates significant benefits of early childhood introductions to language, mathematics, and general science concepts. Specifically, a child that is introduced to a concept at a young age is more prepared to receive it in its entirety later. Astronomy4Kids was created to bring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to the youngest learners (those under the age of eight, or those from pre-school to about second-grade). The online video series are presented in a succinct, one-on-one manner, and provide a creative learning environment for the viewers. These can be used within formal and informal education settings and hope to give young children access to an expert astronomer/scientist who can explain things simply and sincerely. We believe presenting the material in this manner will make it engaging for even the youngest scholar and available to any interested party. The videos can be freely accessed at www.astronomy4kids.net or www.youtube.com/astronomy4kids .
  • Labs/Apparatus
      • A FAN-C Exploration of RC Circuits
      • PST2B01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Robert Ekey, Brandon Mitchell

      • Type: Poster
      • Recently, small computer fans have been demonstrated to be an effective method for teaching simple resistive circuits both qualitatively [1] and quantitatively [2]. The current through the fans is related to the rotational speed of the fans and allow multiple senses to be engaged (touch, sight, and hearing). The linear relationship between the operational current and applied voltage, provides a nearly constant effective resistance for the fan. This suggests that fans can also be used to explore RC circuits both qualitatively and quantitatively, where the fans act as the resistive elements as well as the indicator. In this poster, we will demonstrate that computer fans can be used to qualitatively explore the charging and discharging times for RC circuits. By monitoring the voltage across the capacitor as a function of time, we will also show that fans can be used for qualitative RC analysis. Fans, capacitors and battery packs will be available for playing with the FAN-C circuits for those that prefer a hands-on approach.
      • How to Develop an Assessment Plan for Upper-Level Lab Courses
      • PST2B03
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Patricia Allen
      • Type: Poster
      • "AAPT Recommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum" and "Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers" offer tangible outcomes that can be adapted to individual programs and courses. However, developing or modifying an assessment plan for a course or program can be a daunting task, especially if it is the first time doing so. An overview of this author's experience with developing assessment plans consistent with AAPT/APS outcomes will be presented along with suggestions for first-time assessment coordinators. Sample rubrics and assessment timelines will also be presented.
      • Mechanics Activities with a Local Positioning System
      • PST2B05
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Cora Siebert, Paul DeStefano, Zachary Dale, Eduardo Martins, Ralf Widenhorn

      • Type: Poster
      • Using a local positioning system in conjunction with commonly used lab apparatuses can present both teachers and students with the opportunity to evolve their current introductory mechanics exercises. With the ability to collect both one- and two-dimensional position, acceleration, and rotation data, we present several activities that focus on physics fundamentals taught in introductory physics at the college and high school level. In one activity, students are presented with various motion graphs and challenged to act them out, while in another, students release objects from rest and use experimental data to compare free fall and drag models. Also shown is a brief exploration of two-dimensional collisions using “hover” disks, in which students can investigate the behavior of colliding objects.
      • Improving Student Problem Solving Skills with Interactive Multimedia Tools
      • PST2B06
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Reginald Bain, Donna Stokes

      • Type: Poster
      • This project aims to improve student success in the algebra-based introductory physics course sequence at the University of Houston, focusing primarily on the first-semester algebra-based mechanics course. Through the development of innovative multimediaresources using TopHat, our objectives include reducing DFW rates, improving student performance on exams, and, more broadly, improving students’ problem solving skills. A flipped, SCALE-UP-style version of the introductory algebra-based course has been implemented that incorporates electronic workbooks where students work through scaffolded problem sets in groups that emphasize the development of key problem solving skills. These workbooks integrate the course text, multimedia, interactive simulations, and questions. The creation of these resources is part of a broader initiative to improve the problem solving techniques used by students on computer-based exams and to compare the techniques used on electronic exams versus those used on in-class paper exams.
      • High School Physics Lab Curriculum Using Smartphones
      • PST2B02
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Sheng-Chiang Lee, Savannah Grunhard, Zain Charania

      • Type: Poster
      • The purpose of our research was to develop a low-cost and sustainable physics lab curriculum for implementation in Bibb County, GA, public high schools. The lack of sufficient funding for proper lab equipment and qualified teachers disadvantages students. The pedagogical approach of our curriculum is student-centered and inquiry-based. These activities utilize smartphone sensors in place of typical laboratory sensors. The use of existing smartphones in an educational setting serves to engage students and encourages them to explore physics in their everyday lives without adding any financial burden to school budget. We gathered data from volunteers in order to assess our curriculum and adjust it to meet students’ needs. The curriculum includes student activities (with instructor manuals) and instructions for both class demonstrations and construction of DIY apparatuses.
      • Making Something Old into Something New: Advanced Optics Light Scattering Experiments
      • PST2B04
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Toni Sauncy, Calvin Berggren, Megan Drown

      • Type: Poster
      • An old but very precise spectrometer used for introductory physics labs has been re-purposed to accommodate an advanced lab optical scattering experiment. Using an Arduino interface, a light sensing add-on and a fiber optic, relative light intensity can be obtained as a function of angle. An experiment to examine various scattering media to discern differences between Mie and Rayleigh scattering can be accomplished at a very low cost and makes use of an otherwise obsolete piece of equipment.
  • Lecture/Classroom
      • Kinesthetic Graphing of Position, Velocity and Acceleration
      • PST1A01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Bradley Gearhart
      • Type: Poster
      • Over the past seven years, teaching physics in an urban school district to diverse high school students that typically struggle in science has driven me to explore alternative ways to construct kinematic graphs. Using physical dots and arrows to mark theposition and velocity of a moving object we are able to skip quantitative data collection and construct x vs. t, v vs. t, and a vs. t graphs in the physical space of the moving object. Most notably, I have seen benefits to my ENL and Special Education students who typically struggle with multiple layers of abstraction; however, increased fluency has been seen across all student populations.
      • Assessing Team-based Learning in General Physics
      • PST1A05
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Marta Dark*, Christopher Oakley

      • Type: Poster
      • We present our assessment of team based learning activities in our algebra-based sequence for life and health science majors, General Physics. Students work in teams to complete three projects during each semester of the year long course. The project requires teams to research topics, present concepts to the class, and develop models and solutions for the project. After each project concludes, students evaluate the effectiveness of the team's effort in a reflection essay. We also present results of a student survey, which assesses student viewpoints on team-based learning overall. The majority of students rate the group work as helpful to developing their study skills, understanding of physics content, and ability to work in teams.
      • Momentum First and Gauss (nearly) Last
      • PST1A02
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Bruce Sherwood, Ruth Chabay, Aaron Titus

      • Type: Poster
      • Since fundamental physics principles are at the heart of what we want students to learn, our mechanics course is structured around the Momentum Principle, the Energy Principle, and the Angular Momentum Principle. Starting with momentum and 3D vectors establishes the centrality of these concepts, and is surprisingly easy for students. Emphasizing the atomic nature of matter, thermal physics is easily unified with mechanics. E&M starts with the field concept, and this concept remains central throughout the entire semester, even in the analysis of circuits. Gauss's law and Ampere's law are delayed to nearly the end of the semester, to a time when students have become very familiar with patterns of field in 3D space. Magnetic field is introduced very early in the semester, to provide students with a second example of a field, deepening their understanding of the field concept. See matterandinteractions.org.
      • Circuit Simulations to Teach the Hodgkin-Huxley Membrane Potential Model
      • PST1A04
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Mickey Kutzner
      • Type: Poster
      • The understanding of cell membrane resting potentials and action potential transmission in axons can be enhanced by the construction of virtual Hodgkin-Huxley circuits. Students can use the Circuit Construction Kit PhET Interactive Simulation with appropriately scaled voltage sources and resistors to simulate various membrane potentials. Virtual batteries simulate Nernst Potentials for various ion species. Adjustable resistors represent the presence of leakage channels as well as opening and closing voltage-gated ion channels.
      • Scripted Tutorials to Guide Troubleshooting Skills
      • PST1A06
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Duane Pontius
      • Type: Poster
      • We present a series of contextually rich problems in introductory mechanics for presentation to students in a tutorial setting. Each has a scripted solution that deliberately includes common students errors. Instructors present the solution during a recitation section and carefully present the work leading to the errors, thus demonstrating good problem solving work habits. The errors are “discovered” by methods commonplace to working physicists, e.g., estimation, approximation, unit checking, and examining special cases of algebraic solutions. Students then work a similar problem, and the grading rubric explicitly requires including those same steps in their own solutions. Our goal is to illustrate the utility of these practices and to motivate our students to adopt them. Physics majors are required to use these methods in advanced classes, and each major also serves one term grading tutorial solutions from the introductory course.
  • Other Poster
      • Measuring Sensitivity to Initial Conditions in Rigid Body Dynamics
      • PST1B01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Madeline Carter, Joseph Gutheinz, James Clarage

      • Type: Poster
      • Our experiment concerns the mathematical and experimental observation of a sensor-enabled parallelepipedal object in free-fall to test sensitivity to initial rotation conditions. The independent variable was the axis along which the parallelepipedal object rotates, with the expectation that the intermediate or z axis (where the lengths of the object are: x > z > y) would produce greater sensitivity to initial conditions in accordance with the interpretation of the mathematics driving the expected motion of the object. To test the predictions of theory, an experiment was devised wherein we went to the top of our university science building and did controlled drops of a Pasco Smart Cart off of a ledge along all three axes. This allowed the cart to experience free fall, drag force, and rotation along all three axes. The data were parsed and modeled using code written in Mathematica allowing for quantitative analysis of the experimental results.
      • Induction Motor Demo for STEM Outreach
      • PST1B03
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Daniel Huerta
      • Type: Poster
      • The Center for Power Optimization of Electro Thermal Systems (POETS) aims to improve power density through interdisciplinary research involving electrical, mechanical, and materials science methods. POETS also has education goals for outreach in studentsto promote interest in STEM fields and careers. To help aid in outreach at the four POETS institutions, an outreach demo involving different STEM topics was decided on by POETS administration. This demo would involve an electromagnetic phenomenon, an induction motor that shows principles such as Faraday’s Law and alternating current. To present this, information on how the motors worked, including mathematical equations and visual models, was collected, as well as how to best communicate science principles to a variety of audiences in different age groups. It was decided to use models, visual aids, and use Arduino on the demo to illustrate the magnetic field. This demo will be used at all POETS institutions for outreach.
      • Practical Method for Measuring Coefficient of Thermal Expansion Using Interferometry
      • PST1B05
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Abdallah Kiswani, Robert Bellentine, Latifah Maasarani, Sherry Savrda

      • Type: Poster
      • A basic student Michelson interferometer was used to measure the coefficient of expansion of a copper rod. The heating mechanism was a standard PASCO thermal expansion apparatus, adapted to heat without the use of steam. A similar experiment was previously described in The Physics Teacher1. In our version of the experiment, we adapted the procedure to use only equipment available at our state college. The success of our measurements demonstrated the feasibility of using interferometry in settings with limited equipment availability, such as state or community colleges.
      • 2019 AAPT-MX National Meeting
      • PST1B02
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Sergio Flores, Mario Ramirez, Maria Gonzalez

      • Type: Poster
      • The chapter Mexico of AAPT (AAPT-MX) was born in 2008, and since has organized an annual national meeting. The first in Monterrey, later in Mexico City, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Ensenada, Guanajuato, UNAM, Cancun, San Luis Potosí and celebrating the 10th anniversary in Monterrey in 2018. To the 2019 AAPT-MX meeting was selected Ciudad Juárez in the campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juarez Mexico. In this meeting we will be looking for the union of math and physics education. The meeting will be developed in December and every teacher of all educational levels in and out of Mexico are invited. The official announcement will be published in July 2019. We will be waiting all of you in Ciudad Juarez 2019 AAPT.MX meeting
      • Record of Rheology: Documenting Past Bingham Medal Winners
      • PST1B04
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Mikayla Cleaver*
      • Type: Poster
      • The year 2029 will be the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Society of Rheology. In preparation for the centenary, I have been compiling precise and engaging biographies of past Bingham Medal winners to be uploaded to the Society of Rheology webpage, as well as to the Physics History Network on the American Institute of Physics (AIP) website. I have also been promoting higher engagement with the members of the society through the use of social media via the Niels Bohr Library and Archives (NBLA) Facebook and Twitter. Why is it important to do this? Studying the history of science allows us to learn about the great men and women in science and their accomplishments that moved the scientific community forward. This project will help preserve the history of the Society of Rheology for future generations of members.
      • Deficiencies and Amendments in Newton's Laws of Motion
      • PSTB06
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Amritpal Nafria
      • Type: Poster
      • Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that laid the foundation for classical mechanics. They describe the relationship between a body and the forces acting upon it, and its motion in response to those forces. Newton's first law states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force. The second law states that the rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the force applied and the third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. This paper shows ‘F=ma’ is not a universal equation, as the role of gravity is still missing in the given convention. Moreover, ‘F=mga’ is a formula of Inertia (I=wa), i.e. Newton’s first law of motion. Formula of force is ‘F=w(v–u) or ‘F=wv’. It is also explained that how to calculate net force numerically when it is applied on wall/stationary objects and on objects moving with constant velocity. In third law, action and reaction are not always equal. It is not explained properly what action and reaction exactly are and under what circumstances or conditions ‘action and reaction are equal and vice versa’. This paper explains that action and reaction act simultaneously, both are always opposite but equal when both stay stationary. In this paper it is explained, how third law is wrongly interpreted in examples.
  • Physics Education Research I
      • Student Attitudes Towards Rubric-Based Peer-Review of Problem Solving
      • PST1E01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Andrew Bartholet, Christopher Moore

      • Type: Poster
      • We have investigated student attitudes towards rubric-based peer review of problem solving in the introductory physics course. Students in a first semester calculus-based introductory physics course participated in a Cooperative Group Problem Solving (CGPS) session and then completed individual context-rich problems as homework. A detailed problem-solving rubric based on research in expert-like problem solving was used as both a scaffold for the student and for assigning a grade. After submission of individual problems, students were randomly assigned three of their peer's work to assess using the rubric through an online learning management system. We have developed and implemented an affective inventory to measure student attitudes towards the peer-review process, rubric-based grading, and structured problem solving.
      • Team-based Instructional Change: A Model of How Teams Become Successful
      • PST1E03
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Diana Sachmpazidi, Alice Olmstead, Charles Henderson, Andrea Beach

      • Type: Poster
      • Recently there has been a shift from only supporting instructors working individually to supporting teams in working together to improve undergraduate STEM instruction. Such efforts are promising in their potential to generate not only sustainable instructional changes, but also high-quality outcomes. However, as in any collaboration, there are risks that such teams will not be as successful as planned. Literature about teams in this context is currently very limited. In this poster, we investigate the relationships between the way teams are set up, teamwork processes, and team outcomes. We highlight important aspects of how teams work together, such as shared vision, team cohesion, interpersonal processes, social interactions, and consider how these aspects shape the team outcomes. We show how this data from team members enhances our initial model of instructional change teams, and present implications for research and practice.
      • Updating the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory for Postsecondary Physics Instructors
      • PST1E05
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Jacquelyn Chini
      • Type: Poster
      • The Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory (Lombardi, Murray and Gerdes, 2011) measures faculty attitudes and actions regarding inclusive teaching across six constructs: (a) multiple means of presentation; (b) inclusive lecture strategies; (c) accommodations; (d) campus resources; (e) inclusive assessment; and (f) accessible course materials. The survey has been used with a diverse sample of instructors from multiple disciplines, institutions, institution types, and countries. However, I used the survey with a group of physics and chemistry faculty and graduate teaching assistants who had difficulty interpreting multiple items. This poster will present potentially problematic items for this group, provide possible modifications to those items, and seek colleagues’ feedback on the updated items.
      • A New Survey: Faculty Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession
      • PST1E07
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Richard Pearson, Wendy Adams, Savannah Logan

      • Type: Poster
      • Following the development of the Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession (PTaP) survey—which measures students’ interest in and view of teaching as a career—we outline our development and validation efforts pertaining to a new instrument that measures university faculty’s perceptions of teaching as a profession. We have conducted faculty interviews and collected survey responses from a range of institutions and STEM disciplines. Categorical data, preliminary results, and responses will be highlighted. This project is supported by NSF DUE-1821710.
      • Applying the Energy Conservation Principle: Two Contrasting Reasoning Frames
      • PST1E09
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Andrew Boudreaux, Luke Westbrook, Emily Borda

      • Type: Poster
      • The conservation principle is an important component of a model for energy. We have identified two frames, or approaches, that novices and experts seem to adopt when reasoning about energy conservation. The first, referred to as “system-frame” reasoning,involves defining a system, tracking energy inputs and outputs across the system boundary, and relating those transfers to an accumulation or depletion of the energy contained within the system. This approach is familiar to physics instructors and is found in many textbooks. The second approach, “energy-frame reasoning,” involves identifying some initial amount of energy and “following” that energy as it transfers and transforms in a sequence of interactions, until that energy is fully accounted for. This reasoning approach does not necessarily include a strong definition of a system. In this poster, we present examples of these reasoning approaches drawn from a set of interviews conducted with undergraduate physics majors.
      • Computational Modeling in Intro Physics: Assessing Student Learning
      • PST1E11
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Ruth Chabay, Bruce Sherwood, Aaron Titus

      • Type: Poster
      • In order to improve our instruction in computational modeling in physics, we need to assess what students have learned and identify areas where our instruction could be improved. In a calculus-based introductory physics course that integrates computational modeling, portions of our lab practical exams at the end of both first and second semester focused on computational modeling. We discuss our goals for student learning and the tasks we used to assess them, and compare the performance of students with no previous computing experience with that of experienced computer science majors.
      • The Chi Sci Scholars Program: Efforts to Develop Community for Incoming First Year and Transfer Students at an Urban Institution*

      • PST1E13
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Gabrielle Jones Hall, Jayla McClure, Kristy Mardis, Mel Sabella

      • Type: Poster
      • Ensuring that all students who want to pursue degrees and careers in science can do so is an important goal of a number of equity programs in college STEM throughout the United States. The CSU Chi Sci Scholars (CSS) program brings in ideas and activitiesfrom the Berkeley Compass Program, the Access network and other programs to support students in building science identity and creating a close knit cohort of peers. The Chi Sci Scholars program builds on the resource of community to retain and grow the number of underrepresented students entering the Physical Sciences. In this poster we focus on the efforts we have put in place to develop community within our cohort of scholars, specifically focusing on our summer program and retreat as well as our new mentoring program.
      • Student Authorship Patterns in Physics and Chemistry at PUI’s
      • PST1E02
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Birgit Mellis, Patricia Soto, Chrystal Bruce, Graciela Lacueva, Anne Wilson

      • Type: Poster
      • For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship consistent with disciplinary quality standards and an integrative learning experience. The communication of the research results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here focuses on the research experiences of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) in physics and chemistry over a time frame of 10 years. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping were used to examine how gender of research participants and discipline of study impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Our analysis indicates a small gender effect in physics, resulting in a lesser likelihood of female students to author a research outcome than male students. Gender effects on undergraduate student authorship in chemistry are not detectable.
      • Development of Resources-oriented Instructional Materials for Introductory Physics
      • PST1E04
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Lisa Goodhew, Amy Robertson, Paula Heron, Rachel Scherr

      • Type: Poster
      • Research-based instructional materials in physics have historically been informed by investigations of students’ common misunderstandings, misconceptions, or difficulties – that is, ways in which student ideas are discontinuous with canonical understandings. In our previous work, we have identified common student resources for understanding physics – ways in which student ideas are continuous with canonical understandings. We describe the development and preliminary testing of small-scale instructional materials that elicit and build upon some of these common conceptual resources. We discuss some affordances of resources-oriented instructional materials that emerge from video analysis of preliminary use of these materials in small groups of introductory physics students.
      • “Success in Physics Is Like…” – A Researcher-participant Co-analysis
      • PST1E06
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Brian Zamarripa Roman, Jacquelyn Chini

      • Type: Poster
      • Researchers and instructors tend to frame success in physics as academic achievements, such as degree attainment and high assessment scores; however, these views of success may not represent the views of marginalized groups in physics. To address this, we explore women’s metaphors of success in physics elicited during semi-structured interviews. In addressing equity issues, we implemented co-analysis to empower participants, challenge researcher biases, and provide valid interpretations of their metaphors. We present structural metaphors that emerged from the participant responses as well as the factors they attribute their success to. In this interactive poster we involve the audience in the creation and interpretation of their own metaphors to engage them in the discussion of what is success in physics and to demonstrate some of the co-analysis methods employed in our study.
      • An Exploration into Student Conceptions in Physics through Writing Activities
      • PST1E08
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30PM

      • by Robert Dalka*, Timothy McKay

      • Type: Poster
      • This study is an investigation into a series of three writing-to-learn (WTL) activities implemented throughout a full semester of an introductory physics course for engineers and scientists enrolling more than 650 students. These WTL activities involved students responding to a prompt that put them in a real world scenario with tangible questions. Each activity featured three parts; a First Draft, Peer Review, and Revised Draft. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the students’ work will be employed to develop a richer picture of a student’s evolution of understanding and possible sources of conceptual misinterpretations. Results of categorizing different modes of understanding will be presented through a topic modeling approach. The level of understanding and score students receive on these assignments will be compared to student performance in other aspects of the course.
      • Collaborative Chaining: A Proposed Mechanism for Learning in Interactive Instruction*
      • PST1E10
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Shahrzad Hesaaraki, Austin McCauley, Jessica Conn, Eleanor Close

      • Type: Poster
      • Many studies show that interactive instruction leads to greater student conceptual learning [e.g., Freeman et. al., 2014; Von Korff et al., 2016]. Fewer studies describe possible mechanisms for this increased learning. We propose that interactive learning environments facilitate "collaborative chaining": shared construction of chains of causal mechanistic reasoning leading to improved understanding by all members of the group. In our current study, we examine video records of Learning Assistant (LA) preparation sessions for evidence of collaborative chaining. In these preparation sessions, LAs work in small groups to complete the same instructional activities as introductory students. Though they have already successfully completed the course in which they assist, LAs often have more to learn, and they are highly motivated to develop their understanding and reasoning in order to be prepared for student questions. This setting can serve as a model of what good group work looks like in introductory courses.
      • Effect of Peer Review on Students’ Problem-Solving Ability Development
      • PST1E12
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Taylor Crouch, Christopher Moore

      • Type: Poster
      • We are continuing to investigate the effects of peer-review on students’ problem-solving ability in an introductory physics course. We compare the results of two groups’ pre/post-test results where one group participates in a peer-review process. Both groups received identical instruction in lecture and Collaborative Group Problem-Solving (CGPS) sections. Then, individual students would submit problem solutions online to be evaluated through a problem-solving process rubric that was used throughout the course. The treated group would be randomly assigned three students’ work to peer-review, whereas the control group would only receive instructor feedback. This experiment will compare the results from the two groups over a five-week period.
  • Physics Education Research II
      • Face and Convergent Validity of the Omaha Assessment of Problem-Solving
      • PST2D01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Mark Kruger, Chris Moore

      • Type: Poster
      • We have begun the development and validation of the Omaha Assessment of Problem-Solving (OAPS), which is a rubric for the assessment of problem-solving process in introductory physics courses. The initial rubric consisted of 12 criteria based on researchin expert-like problem-solving practice and aspects of Cooperative Group Problem Solving (CGPS) pedagogy. In contrast to recent work on problem-solving assessment for use in research and curriculum development, this rubric was specifically designed for instructor use in the assignment of grades and for student use as a scaffold. We report on the face and convergent validity of the OAPS. Specifically, preliminary face validity was measured by survey of physics faculty at the high school and college levels. Convergent validity was established by correlating scores on the OAPS with the Minnesota Assessment of Problem-Solving (MAPS), which is a research instrument for measuring expert-like problem-solving ability.
      • Student Difficulties with the Corrections to the Energy Spectrum of the Hydrogen Atom for the Intermediate Field Zeeman Effect

      • PST2D03
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Chandralekha Singh, Christof Keebaugh, Emily Marshman

      • Type: Poster
      • We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with the corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the intermediate field Zeeman effect using the degenerate perturbation theory. The investigation was carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We find that students share many common difficulties related to relevant physics concepts. In particular, students often struggled with mathematical sense-making in this context of quantum mechanics which requires interpretation of the implications of degeneracy in the unperturbed energy spectrum and how the Zeeman perturbation will impact the splitting of the energy levels. We discuss how the common difficulties often arise from the fact that applying linear algebra concepts correctly in this context with degeneracy in the energy spectrum is challenging for students.
      • Improving Student Understanding of the Many-Particle Hamiltonian and Stationary-State Wavefunction for Non-interacting Identical Particles

      • PST2D05
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Chandralekha Singh, Christof Keebaugh, Emily Marshman

      • Type: Poster
      • We discuss an investigation of upper-level and graduate students' difficulties with fundamental concepts involving a system of identical particles. The investigation was carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering free-response andmultiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We find that students share many common difficulties related to these concepts. We describe how the research on student difficulties was used as a guide to develop and evaluate a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) which strives to help students develop a functional understanding of these concepts. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Is There a Gender Gap in Performance in Introductory Physics Courses?
      • PST2D07
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Matthew Dew, Fu-Anne Wang, Jonathan Perry, Tatiana Erukhimova, William Bassichis

      • Type: Poster
      • Previous studies have shown evidence of a gender gap in performance in introductory physics courses for conceptual assessments, course grades, exams, and homework. It is not currently know, however, whether the gender gap for in-course tasks are a transient or persistent effect over a whole term. This study explores potential factors between gender and performance in the calculus-based introductory physics course sequence at Texas A&M University for multiple faculty who taught between 2008-2016. Investigation of these potential factors is done using analysis of variance, regression, and other statistical methods. By examining the performance of students during the entire term, we may better understand the gender gap in introductory physics.
      • Statistical Analysis of Factors Impacting Success in Interactive Introductory Physics
      • PST2D09
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Jean-Michel Mailloux-Huberdeau*, Eleanor Close, David Donnelly

      • Type: Poster
      • The Texas State University physics department transitioned from lecture based classes to group-based active engagement in 2012. We have administered the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) in introductory calculus-based mechanics courses since spring 2011 in order to study learning gains across instructional methods and student groups. In this study we use multivariate linear regression to understand how different factors affect a student’s FCI post-score, including pre-score (incoming knowledge), instructor experience, student gender, and student ethnicity. Our preliminary analysis suggests that both instructional method and instructor experience are positively related to student learning gains, and underserved students (females and underrepresented minorities) in our courses have lower pre-scores on average than overserved students but similar learning gains.
      • How Do Student Groups Design Their Own Methods in Lab?
      • PST2D11
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Luke Conlin, Chiara Carmolli

      • Type: Poster
      • Laboratories are designed to support learning of physics experimental practices. Traditionally, labs do this by guiding students through a series of experimental procedures to confirm the concepts and equations discussed in lecture. Evidence is mountingthat this traditional approach is inefficient. Recent research on quantitative inquiry labs, in which students develop their own experimental and analytical methods to answer a question, suggests that they are much more effective at developing students’ critical thinking skills. More research is needed to understand the process by which students develop these skills. In this poster, we present research on video records of student groups in quantitative inquiry labs. We analyze student discourse to demonstrate key aspects of the processes by which groups develop their own methods to collect and analyze data. This research highlights how lab groups learn to think collaboratively, creatively, and critically, in alignment with the practices of physics.
      • Where do Students Get their Ideas about What Physics Is?
      • PST2D13
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by AJ Richards, Cynthia Reynolds

      • Type: Poster
      • In a previous study investigating middle- and high-school students' attitudes towards physics, we found that most students had strong feelings (often negative) about physics, yet many of them indicated that they had never formally taken any physics courses. This made us curious about how these students developed notions about what physics is and what a physicist does. Since it appears students arrive at the secondary level with these ideas already formed, we have chosen to examine 5th- and 6th-graders' attitudes about physics. In this poster, we will present preliminary findings from this research and speculate on possible explanations and implications.
      • Impact of Combining Pre-Class Reading with Peer Instruction Using Clickers on Learning Quantum Mechanic

      • PST2D04
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Chandralekha Singh, Ryan Sayer, Emily Marshman

      • Type: Poster
      • Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) is an instructional strategy involving feedback from students on pre-lecture activities in order to design in-class activities to build on the continuing feedback from students. We investigate the effectiveness of a JiTT approach, which included in-class concept tests using clickers, in an upper-division quantum mechanics (QM) course. We analyze student performance on pre-lecture reading quizzes and in-class clicker questions answered individually and then again after group discussion and compare those performances with open-ended retention quizzes administered after all instructional activities on the same concepts. In general, compared to the reading quizzes, student performance improved when individual clicker questions were posed after lectures that focused on student difficulties found via electronic feedback. The performance on the clicker questions after group discussions following individual clicker question responses also improved, as did the performance on retention quizzes administered at a later time. We discuss some possible reasons for the improved performance at various stages, e.g., from pre-lecture reading quizzes to post-lecture clicker questions, and from individual to group clicker questions and retention quizzes.
      • Investigating Students' Understanding of the Inverse Square Law
      • PST2D06
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Rabindra Bajracharya
      • Type: Poster
      • The inverse-square law is an extremely important concept widely observed in numerous physical contexts. Various instructional strategies have been used to teach the law in physics and other fields. However, there has not been much research on student understanding of the inverse-square law. We investigated student difficulties with the multiple representations of the law, including graphical, numerical, and symbolic. We constructed two survey versions, one without any physical context and the other with various physical contexts. The questions were presented in multiple representations. We administered the surveys in several mathematics and science courses including second semester algebra- and calculus-based introductory physics. We found that students lack deep understanding of the multiple representations of the inverse-square law, specifically the graphical representation. One common difficulty students manifested was that they were unable to distinguish between the inverse-square and the inverse relationships between two variables.
      • Mindset and Sensemaking in Courses for Elementary Education Majors
      • PST2D08
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Matthew Perkins Coppola
      • Type: Poster
      • Physical science courses tailored to the needs of elementary educations majors are not new, but are new to our university. The decision was made to design a curriculum with a heavy emphasis on sensemaking. A pre- and post-test was constructed from questions on sensemaking and effort borrowed from the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and the Mindset Assessment Probe. Data were collected from five sections of the course over two semesters in an attempt to better understand how the mindset of elementary education majors impacted their ability to improve their sensemaking in approaching physics problems. Focus groups conducted after the course with groups of students provided further insights.
      • Program Identification for Determining the Informal Physics Landscape
      • PST2D10
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Dena Izadi, Issac Ward, Claudia Fracchiolla, Noah Finkelstein, Kathleen Hinko

      • Type: Poster
      • Many informal and outreach physics programs are facilitated and supported by academic institutes, such as colleges and universities, and national labs. As part of our project to determine the informal physics landscape in the United States, we developed some strategies to identify and evaluate informal physics efforts. These strategies are being tested on programs attempted in all well-known institutes in the Midwest area and we will expand our search nationwide eventually. The search started with programs our group is in direct contact with them, or those that are searchable via the internet. We categorized the potential deliverables extracted from all the programs and will use that to map the informal physics efforts in a heatmap. We invite groups to share their information directly with us and help expand our study.
      • Summer Transition Program Impacts on Science Students’ Success*
      • PST2D12
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Peter Sheldon, Sarah Sojka

      • Type: Poster
      • Randolph College instituted a recruitment and retention program boosted by two NSF S-STEM grants that has doubled the number of science majors and increased retention. Randolph College is a small, liberal arts college that produces significant numbers ofsuccessful students in the sciences. While the NSF grants have provided scholarships to two cohorts of 12 students and two cohorts of 18 students, we have exceeded our goal to recruit 24 science students into our Step Up to Physical Science and Engineering at Randolph (SUPER) program each year since 2011, and to retain those students at a higher rate. We are researching the impacts of each part of our program: scholarships, summer transition program, living & learning community, mentoring program, research and internships, and overall effects of the program. In this presentation, we will address initial data on the impact of scholarships and of the summer transition program.
      • Early Intervention and Engagement in First-Year Physics Classes
      • PST2D14
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Callie Rethman*, Jonathan Perry, Tatiana Erukhimova

      • Type: Poster
      • Introductory physics courses serve as a gateway to the majors for all STEM undergraduate students. Unfortunately, a large fraction of first-year students are either delaying their graduation or dropping out of STEM altogether because they fail to master first-year physics. At the Texas A&M University Department of Physics & Astronomy, we ran a pilot program to increase retention in introductory physics classes by boosting student engagement, motivation, and confidence. This program employs early intervention and the creation of student led learning communities. Learning communities are facilitated by recruited undergraduate physics majors who excelled in their first year courses, in active collaboration with faculty currently teaching the introductory courses. We will describe the structure of this program and results from its first term of deployment.
  • Post-deadline Posters
      • A Polarization Optics Laboratory for Computational Analysis of Collagen Fibers
      • PST3A01
      • Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM

      • by Sarah Erickson-Bhatt
      • Type: Poster
      • A liquid-crystal polarization microscope (LC-PolScope) is described which images the birefringent nature of collagen in biological tissues. Differences in density and structural organization of collagen fibers can be indicative of diseases such as cancer. The PolScope uses near circular polarized light and a liquid crystal based universal compensator to detect all fibers in all directions with very high sensitivity. Two computational packages, CT-FIRE and CurveAlign developed at the Laboratory for Optical and Computational Microscopy (LOCI), are used to extract the individual fibers and calculate the alignment and orientation. This imaging system is introduced as a laboratory exercise for an upper-level undergraduate course in optics. Through this lab, students engage in inquiry-based examination of biological tissues using principles of polarization optics.
      • Redesigning the Introductory EM Physics Laboratory Course at Kettering University using Backwards Design and Incorporating the AAPT Recommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Currciculum

      • PST3A03
      • Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM

      • by Ronald Tackett, Gregor Hassold, Helen Cothrel

      • Type: Poster
      • This poster presents the preliminary results of attitude surveys (E-CLASS - U. Colorado) given to students taking the current PHYS-225 - Electricity & Magnetism Laboratory at Kettering University as well as the beginnings of work done in redesigning the course around a set of skills-based learning outcomes and design activities to progress students toward achieving these goals. These outcomes will encourage students to: ask and answer scientific questions through experimental design and implementation; develop technical and practical laboratory skills; generate, analyze, and interpret data; incorporate uncertainty in measured values, calculated values, and graphical representations; and write effective technical reports that articulate the reasoning that connects theoretical models to laboratory activities and use appropriate style and voice. Our goals are to produce a more authentic laboratory experience through the use of open-ended activities, building reflection into assignments, and allowing students to have more of a say in what they are investigating.
      • Electrophysiology Measurement and Sense-Making in University IPLS Laboratories
      • PST3A05
      • Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM

      • by Elizabeth Mills, Natalie Rotstein, Chris Dao, Steve Mendoza, Katsushi Arisaka

      • Type: Poster
      • Colleges and universities are currently revising introductory physics for life science (IPLS) curricula to better meet student needs for improved content gains, enhanced physics attitudes, and increased abilities to apply physics concepts in life science, medical and real world experiences. Last year, UCLA piloted its revised IPLS series with life-focused textbook, human-centered laboratories, and cohesive structure between faculty, TAs, and LAs. Here, we discuss EKG & EMG human-centered applications in E&M labs, where students use Arduino circuit boards, electrodes, and open source software to measure, analyze, and make sense of their own physiology. We show our experimental setup, activity instruction, and lab objectives, discuss the human-centered perspective on electric potentials in EKG and EMG, and present preliminary assessment data. Some students appreciate this experience; other students are discontent from confusion and/or inability to relate this lab experience to lecture content. Revisions are currently running in response to student feedback.
      • Characteristics of STEM Success: Surveying Undergraduate Attributes Impacting STEM Persistence

      • PST3A07
      • Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM

      • by Kimberly Shaw, Allison Aebi, Chloe Chambers, David Rosengrant

      • Type: Poster
      • Retaining female and minority students in STEM is a continuing challenge, as these students leave the field at disproportionate rates. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at two regional comprehensive universities using questions developed to examine factors in STEM persistence. The authors then used a cross-sectional survey design and mixed-methods approach to assess the role of demographic factors and academic tenacity on student STEM persistence. Results from the surveys suggest self-efficacy and mindset vary significantly between persisters and switchers. A binomial logistic regression was performed to ascertain the effects of ethnicity, self-efficacy and mindset on the likelihood that participants persist, determining that odds of persistence are less for underrepresented ethnic groups. The odds of persisting were found to increase significantly as mindset and self-efficacy scores increased. While neither gender nor student belonging added to the regression model, there is some data to support further examination of these factors in STEM persistence.
      • Comparison of Verification versus Guided-Inquiry in Lab for Pre-Service Teachers
      • PST3A09
      • Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM

      • by Roger Key
      • Type: Poster
      • The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a three-dimensional view of science learning that includes disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. An important strand of the science and engineering practices is that students both plan and carry out investigations. As such, there is a need for new laboratory structures at the undergraduate level for future teachers. Using the knowledge integration framework, this mixed-method study investigates the pre/post physical science learning outcomes of a new guided inquiry-based laboratory curriculum compared to an existing verification-based laboratory curriculum for preservice elementary teachers (n = 98). Using additional laboratory observations and student questionnaires, findings indicate no significant difference in the disciplinary chemistry and physics items for the two treatments. However, there is a significant difference in integrated items in favor of the guided-inquiry laboratory.
      • Student Responses to University Flipped Physics Classes with Feedback Quizzes
      • PST3A11
      • Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM

      • by Roberto Ramos
      • Type: Poster
      • I present and analyze student responses to multiple physics classes in a university setting, taught in a "flipped" class format. The classes included algebra- and calculus-based introductory physics. Outside class, students viewed over 100 online video lectures prepared by this author and in some cases, by a third-party lecture package available over YouTube. Inside the class, students solved and discussed problems and conceptual issues in greater detail. A pre-class online quiz was deployed as an important source of feedback and validation. I will report on the student reactions to the feedback mechanism, student responses using data based on anonymous surveys, as well as on learning gains from pre-/post- physics diagnostic tests. The results indicate a broad mixture of responses to different lecture video packages that depend on learning styles and perceptions. Students preferred the online quizzes as a mechanism to validate their understanding. The learning gains based on FCI and CSEM surveys were significant.
      • Physics of Light and Food: Enabling a Physics Girls Camp
      • PST3A02
      • Tue 01/15, 3:15PM - 4:00PM

      • by Kristiana Ramos, Roberto Ramos

      • Type: Poster
      • The Physics Wonder Girls Camp aims to sustain girls’ interest in science during middle school years – which is when research shows girls are likely to lose interest in science. On its sixth year, the free camp has been featured on Philadelphia's ABC News and Fox News television networks, SPS Observer, Miss USA Website, and international science blogs. Two select cohorts of girls were recruited to experience four intense days of project-building, physics experiments, lab and plant tours, and conversations with women physicists. The theme of the 2018 camp is the Physics of Light and Food - featuring experiments probing the properties of light and food processing. Women from Intel Corporation, Bryn Mawr College's Physics Dept, and Puratos Corporation visited the camp. The capstone activity was a Girls' Physics Presentation to parents, teachers, and friends. We report feedback from campers, crew, and parents, from blind surveys, letters and daily debriefings.
      • What influenced the classroom behavior of Chinese science teachers
      • PST3A04
      • Tue 01/15, 3:15PM - 4:00PM

      • by yin zhang, Xin Ma, Xingkai Luo

      • Type: Poster
      • Developing critical thinking is an important goal of science education. This study investigated classroom teaching behavior of 4,002 middle school Chinese science teachers along with six aspects of critical thinking: Truth-seeking, Open-mindedness, Analyticity, Systematicity, Confidence in Reasoning, and Inquisitiveness. The data shows that Chinese science teachers have the lowest scores on open-mindedness and truth-seeking in the critical thinking survey. Critical thinking does not increase as teachers move up in rank. Teaching behavior such as evidence-based argument that cultivate critical thinking rarely occur. The results of hierarchical multiple regression show that critical thinking disposition is more important to predict inquiry-based teaching behavior compared with individual characteristics. Curiosity has had the largest and positive effect on the prediction of inquiry-based teaching behavior. Truth-seeking has had the largest and most negative effect on the prediction of duck-filling teaching behaviors.
      • Problem solving and critical thinking in introductory physics course by correct use of simple resources

      • PST3A06
      • Tue 01/15, 3:15PM - 4:00PM

      • by Susmita Hazra
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster will focus on how few simple study skills can make a big change in students learning abilities in physics courses. With adequate mathematical skills, students can still do well in physics as long as they are willing to do hard work in proper direction and want to be successful. This research contains data from a moderate size introductory physics class with 30 students. Initial survey shows a correlation in performance of open book, open notes quizzes with poor notes taking skills. The question in the quizzes involve critical thinking to connect integrated concepts in different areas of physics. Several important tips in writing notes during lecture and re-writing detail notes using class notes, textbook and other reference materials within same day after the class can help significantly in students’ learning. With having better-organized resource, it is easy to refer and understand effectively. Students participate in classroom discussion better, and show improvement of performance in quizzes involving both conceptual and numerical problems.
      • Comparative Analysis of a Redesigned Upper-Division Physics Lab.
      • PST3A08
      • Tue 01/15, 3:15PM - 4:00PM

      • by Charles Ramey, Beth Thacker, Dimitri Dounas-Frazer

      • Type: Poster
      • Communication is an important skill in all fields of STEAM, including physics lab courses. At Texas Tech University, we have recently redesigned the Modern Physics Lab to develop students’ written communication competence, among other goals. To supportstudents’ writing skills, we implemented the activity Letters Home in the lab, and conducted a case study of 6 students to characterize the impact of a transformed laboratory. We used the AAPT guidelines to inform our development of an a priori coding scheme with 8 unique categories that highlight learning outcomes. We also used a linguistic software called LIWC to assess the data’s language variables. From our analysis, we found the coding scheme characterizes the dimensions of scientific communication that is suggest by AAPT, and that there are structural and content similarities between the letters and lab reports.
      • STEM Courses: Online vs. Hybrid vs. In-Person
      • PST3A10
      • Tue 01/15, 3:15PM - 4:00PM

      • by Eddie Red, Wesley Sims

      • Type: Poster
      • In an effort to address the need for expanded curriculum delivery methods, make course content more readily available, and reduce course costs, online courses have emerged as a leading option for universities as compared to traditional in-person courses. However, there are growing concerns among faculty and administrators as to whether online courses can foster true learning and academic success in STEM courses. At Morehouse College, an introductory STEM course served as a pilot course to test the feasibility of developing an “online” environment that nurtured student academic development and improved success rates in STEM courses. In this study, a comparison is made between a traditional in-person, a hybrid, and a fully online STEM course. Each course version was identical in structure and content. The only true varying factor was in the delivery of course content. Results are shown demonstrating which delivery method may be better suited for STEM courses.
      • TA Beliefs About Computation in the Physics Classroom
      • PST3A12
      • Tue 01/15, 3:15PM - 4:00PM

      • by Thomas Finzell, Sameer Barretto

      • Type: Poster
      • Computation has become a fundamental pillar of science; despite this, it is a topic that few in the STEM community explicitly teach to their students. To get a better understanding of what factors influence the opinions of physics instructors regarding computation, we probe the views of graduate student Teaching Assistants regarding their history with computation, and how that has influenced their beliefs about the utility of computation in teaching physics.
  • Pre-college/Informal and Outreach
      • The Effects of a Citizen-Science Program - The Pulsar Search Collaboratory
      • PST2C01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by John Stewart, Kathryn Williamson, Cabot Zabriskie

      • Type: Poster
      • The Pulsar Search Collaboratory is a citizen-science program to engage middle and high school student in radio astronomy. The project reserves a set of radio astronomy data for the students that has not been examined by scientists. The students receive online training in radio astronomy, pulsar science, and the identification of pulsars. The students then examine plots of radio astronomy data to determine whether the data represents an unknown pulsar. Over 2 million pulsar plots have been scored resulting in the discovery of eight new pulsars; a significant scientific discovery. Students and participating teachers are eligible to be invited to summer camp at the Green Bank Observatory home to the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope.
      • PhysicsWOOT: Where High School Students Explore Olympiad Problem Solving Online
      • PST2C03
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Mark Eichenlaub
      • Type: Poster
      • Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) presents Physics Worldwide Online Olympiad Training (PhysicsWOOT). In PhysicsWOOT, high school students from around the world meet online to prepare for competitions including the F=ma exam, the US Physics Olympiad (USAPhO),and the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). Building on the success of WOOT, the AoPS math olympiad preparation course, PhysicsWOOT builds a community of problem-solvers using live, interactive classes in the Art of Problem Solving online classroom and message board discussions of challenge problems and practice exams. Students interact directly with a teacher, teaching assistants, and each other while solving progressively more-challenging problems from a broad calculus-based physics curriculum. PhysicsWOOT creates a place for kids who love thinking about hard problems to meet each other and share the excitement of tough challenges. Here, we present the goals, implementation, and early results of the PhysicsWOOT program, and invite you to try out some of our challenging problems!
      • Using Fractal Music in Educational Performances
      • PST2C02
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Timothy McCaskey, Luis Nasser

      • Type: Poster
      • A previous poster [1] showed ways in which we have composed music where the forms of each piece are based on fractals, astronomy, and cellular automata. We have worked on producing studio versions of this material, where in some cases, we modified the original compositions to make them more pleasing to perform and listen to. More importantly, we discuss ways this music can be used for outreach to various audiences. We will focus on developing a combined lecture/concert format where mini-lectures can introduce the math and science used before each song. We can also present the pieces in an audiovisual format without breaks for lecture where a background movie artistically relates to the underlying concepts.
  • SPS Undergraduate Research and Outreach Poster Session
      • A Low-Cost Leaning-Ladder Experiment
      • SPS01
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Adrian Palmer, Joshua Yount, Perry Tompkins

      • Type: Poster
      • This presentation demonstrates an experiment of the classic static equilibrium problem of a ladder leaning against a wall. This experiment was completed in a low-budget laboratory setting, using the principles of static equilibrium. Since static frictionis very difficult to measure, we removed friction as much as possible from this experiment using inexpensive skateboards. This allowed us to focus on measurable forces in the solution and the experiment.
      • An Acoustic Analogy to Defects in Quantum Band Formation
      • SPS02
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Raphael Francisco, Todd Timberlake, Shawn Hilbert

      • Type: Poster
      • The electrons in a solid are restricted to specific energy levels which are grouped together into bands. Between these bands are forbidden ranges of energy, or band gaps. Impurities can be introduced into a pure solid, creating defects which allow new energy levels to exist within these gaps; this process, known as doping, is used to create semiconductors. We have constructed an acoustic analogy to defects in a solid. Our apparatus involves multiple PVC pipe sections coupled together, each acting as an atom. Each section is separated by a holed disk. A function generator sweeps a range of frequencies, which are played through a speaker inside the pipe apparatus. A microphone records the resulting amplitudes of each frequency, and the resonance frequencies form into bands. Varying the sizes of the holes in the disks causes resonant frequencies to appear between the bands, effectively representing band defects.
      • An Overview of Hand Held Sun Photometer Measurements of Atmospheric Aerosols in New Orleans, Louisiana: A Case Study of the Xavier University Study Site

      • SPS03
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Morewell Gasseller, Maryssa Bradley

      • Type: Poster
      • Aerosol optical depth (AOT) was measured at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA, 29.96? N, 90.11° W and 3m above sea level) using a GLOBE hand-held sun photometer. The measurements were done at two different wavelengths, 505nm and 625nm. The measured values were used to extrapolate the AOT values for wavelengths 667nm, 551nm, 532nm and 490nm at the XULA site. The measured and calculated AOT values were then compared with values from the nearest AERONET station at Wave CIS Site 6 in the Gulf of Mexico (AERONET, 28.87? N, 90.48° W and 33m above sea level). In this study we tracked the annual and daily variations of AOT for a 12-month period from September 2017 to August 2018.
      • Applying Various Curves for Sheer to Percolation Model of Galaxy Formation
      • SPS04
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Jared Mooney, Truong Le

      • Type: Poster
      • This project strives to expand on Percolation and Galaxies (eg. L. S. Schulman & P. E. Seiden), by recreating the model they presented, and by expanding upon their model to account for curves for sheer. A modernization of the original coding will be the first part of the process, allowing for the expansion of the fixed velocity model to be easily adapted to a model that then account for sheer curves. After the model has been complied and modernized, various galactic sheer curves can initialized with the base parameters of the galaxy, and from this, we can compare the model to observed galaxies, and test for the validity of the model.
      • Breaking Barriers through Untold Stories
      • SPS05
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Stephanie Marie
      • Type: Poster
      • To increase diversity in science is a monumental task requiring many perspectives on the challenge. One way the American Institute of Physics is contributing to increased diversity in physics is through the resources at the Center for History of Physics and Niels Bohr Library & Archives. Working with Greg Good, I spent summer 2018 learning the untold stories of people from underrepresented groups in physics, and wove their lives and work into lesson plans which high school teachers can implement. Focusing on the Latinx, Native American, and LGBT+ communities, I developed six unique lesson plans dedicated to elevating the stories of these communities. They are accessible online at history.aip.org/teaching-guides. This poster provides an overview of the 56 total lesson plans with a closer look at my contributions. A greater diversity of young people can now find a likeness of themselves among accomplished scientists and engineers.
      • Developing Student Notebook Practices in the Introductory Lab
      • SPS06
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Michael Zwartz, Joseph Kozminski

      • Type: Poster
      • Though keeping a good laboratory notebook is a critical skill in graduate school and industry, studies have shown that undergraduate physics students often do not receive adequate training in this skill. According to the AAPT Recommendations on the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum Laboratory, keeping a laboratory notebook is an efficient means of documenting and communicating one’s work in the lab, and this skill should be developed starting at the introductory level. Using pre- and post-laboratory surveys, this study examines how students use lab notebooks, how they learned notebook practices, and how their attitudes toward keeping a notebook change throughout the three semester introductory calculus-based physics sequence. A preliminary analysis of what methods of training are most beneficial in developing students’ notebook practices and their attitudes about keeping a laboratory notebook will be presented.
      • Martial Arts: Force and Impulse
      • SPS07
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Audrey Burch, Charles Lane

      • Type: Poster
      • In this experiment, we analyze force and impulse related to punches to evaluate three separate components that make up a punch. We broke down the punch to arm extension, torso rotation, and forward step. Around 30 young adult subjects punched a shoulder level force plate mounted to a punching bag structure. The tests evaluate to what extent force and impulse hold consistent between the added components and full out punch.
      • Mechanics Activities with a Local Positioning System
      • SPS08
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Cora Siebert, Paul DeStefano, Zachary Dale, Eduardo Martins, Ralf Widenhorn

      • Type: Poster
      • Using a local positioning system in conjunction with commonly used lab apparatuses can present both teachers and students with the opportunity to evolve their current introductory mechanics exercises. With the ability to collect both one- and two-dimensional position, acceleration, and rotation data, we present several activities that focus on physics fundamentals taught in introductory physics at the college and high school level. In one activity, students are presented with various motion graphs and challenged to act them out, while in another, students release objects from rest and use experimental data to compare free fall and drag models. Also shown is a brief exploration of two-dimensional collisions using “hover” disks, in which students can investigate the behavior of colliding objects.
      • Who Can Change Physics Education?
      • SPS09
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Krystina Williamson
      • Type: Poster
      • Teachers and students can feel powerless when it comes to their capability to change physics education. However, through my internship at AAPT, I’ve witnessed teachers and students changing physics education in their classrooms, through local policy and through research. I experienced, cultivated and participated in education policy, (through the AAPT/AIP Master Teacher Policy Fellows), education technology (through the Computational Modeling Workshop in Physics First), and education research (through Step Up 4 Women). During this internship, I not only learned how to become a strong teacher, but also how to better advocate for myself, my students, and my physics community. I look forward to applying the skills and knowledge I have gained through this internship towards future grant projects, future outreach programs and workshops, and future initiatives at my college to support physics students and physics faculty.
      • Resolving the Problem of Excess GRB's at Low Redshift
      • SPS10
      • Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM

      • by Cecilia Ratke
      • Type: Poster
      • Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are extremely energetic bursts that last from milliseconds to hours. They are divided into two categories based on duration: short and long GRBs. Long GRBs generally result from the death of massive stars, implying that GRB activity should have a correlation with star formation rate. Le & Mehta (2017) show that such a relationship is possible, and their analysis also indicates that an excess of LGRBs exist below a redshift of 2. Current observations using two different methods have indicated a tension between the value of the Hubble constant H0. Our model of GRB redshift distribution relies on the distribution of GRB formation rate at different redshifts, the shape of the power-law spectrum, the gamma-ray energy release, and the Hubble constant. In this research, we seek to explain the excess of LGRB by exploring some of the above constraints and will present our findings at this meeting.
  • Successful Online Astronomy Labs
      • Discovering Physical Properties and Evolution of Asteroids using Large Data Sets in the Classroom

      • GF03
      • Tue 01/15, 9:30AM - 10:00AM

      • by Jordan Steckloff, Rebecca Lindell, Steven Dail

      • Type: Poster
      • Modern astronomy has produced large data sets of small planetary body behavior, which exhibit gravitational and circular motion under ideal (i.e. frictionless) conditions. Modern high school students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Physics courses are already familiar with the software and skills needed to manipulate these large data sets. Here we present an inquiry-based classroom activity in which students use Microsoft Excel to manipulate the Minor Planet Center’s most recent light curve-based asteroid data set. The students use Excel to plot different variables within the data set against one another, and look for obvious trends (size vs. spin rate). This pair of variables shows that asteroid spin rates pile up at a period of ~2.2 hours, but seldom spin faster. The students then determine that this spin barrier is the result of a critical spin rate above which gravity fails to hold the asteroid together.
      • Incorporating Exoplanet Radial Velocity Detections to Teach Simple Harmonic Motion
      • GF04
      • Tue 01/15, 9:30AM - 10:00AM

      • by Jordan Steckloff, Rebecca Lindell

      • Type: Poster
      • All planets and stars orbit about their mutual center of mass (barycenter). Although, most planetary systems cannot be directly imaged using current technologies, the orbital motion of the host star induces a detectable doppler shift in its emitted light. Because the star’s circular motion is generally unresolvable, its motion instead appears to be a mass undergoing simple harmonic motion along the line of the observer. Thus, this radial velocity method (RVM) of detecting exoplanets is an excellent method to be understood as a simple harmonic oscillator. However, whereas most harmonic oscillators are understood by detecting the change in their position, the RVM instead directly detects the velocity of the oscillator. We describe how the mass and orbital radius of the orbiting planet can be determined by measuring the harmonic velocity of the star, and understanding the forces that contribute to its acceleration. Suggestions for instruction will also be provided.
  • Teacher Training/Enhancement
      • OnRamps Physics: Enhancing Physics Education for Diverse Students in Texas
      • PST2A05
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30AM - 9:15PM

      • by Jonathan Perry, Jason Dowd, Elyse Zimmer, Jennifer Porter

      • Type: Poster
      • OnRamps is an innovative dual-enrollment and professional development program in which UT-Austin faculty, learning specialists, and experts in college success partner with Texas high school (HS) districts for students to authentically experience university courses. Physics 1 is in its third year of implementation, and Physics 2 is in its second year; in this brief time, the courses have grown from a pilot program of 16 HS instructors and approximately 500 students to a current cohort of nearly 150 instructors and almost 6000 students across Texas. As the program continues to grow, we look back on previous years to determine (1) how we have created a pathway for students to experience college Physics content and pedagogy aligned to the expectations of leading universities and (2) lessons learned regarding enhancements that have the most impact.
      • Adapting NASA Curricular Materials to Support New Nebraska Standards in Physics
      • PST2A01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Maggie Reed, Christopher Moore

      • Type: Poster
      • This project utilized pre-existing NASA Office of Education educator resources and curricular materials within graduate-level coursework for in-service physics teachers. Specifically, in-service teachers used the American Museum of Natural History’s “Five Tools and Processes for Translating the NGSS Into Instruction and Classroom Assessment” and research on multiple representations in physics to adapt these curricular materials to meet Nebraska’s new College and Career Ready Standards for Science (NCCRSS) and current research on student learning through physics representations. We have used the Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) rubric to assess adapted materials and we report on changes in participant beliefs using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS-Phys).
      • Integrating Computation: What’s New from PICUP*
      • PST2A03
      • Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

      • by Larry Engelhardt, Marie Lopez del Puerto, Danny Caballero, Kelly Roos, Norman Chonacky

      • Type: Poster
      • The purpose of this poster is to provide some updates about exciting opportunities that are available to you from "PICUP" (the "Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics"). These opportunities include week-long workshops during the summer, single-day workshops at AAPT meetings and at various locations around the country, and editable curricular materials that can be downloaded from the PICUP Collection of the ComPADRE Digital Library: www.compadre.org/PICUP. Do you already integrate computation into your courses? If so, you should submit your materials for publication in the PICUP Collection, which gives you the opportunity to both (1) contribute to the broader physics community, and (2) get some peer-reviewed publications in the process!
      • New Approach to Physics Education Professional Development: Online Mini-courses
      • PST2A02
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Rebecca Lindell, Joseph Kosminiski, Rebecca Rosenblatt, Ethan Stanley, Raymond Zich

      • Type: Poster
      • The face of higher education is changing and many faculty are struggling to keep up. While many faculty seek to improve their teaching, they are limited in their professional development opportunities. Often they can work with their office of instructional excellence, but many of these offices are unaware of the unique learning situations within the STEM fields. Faculty must seek the professional development outside the university, which often increases the cost of said professional development. As an alternative, we have created an online mini course offered through The Course Networking platform (http://www.thecn.com). This course meets once a week and faculty work through assignments, reading and activities guided by the facilitator leading to the completion of a project related to the theme of the mini-course. In this poster, we discuss the positives and negatives of such a course, as well as provide an example of one such mini-course.
      • Effectiveness of Mitchell Institute Physics Enhancement Program for Teacher Development
      • PST2A04
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Fu-Anne Wang*, Matthew Dew, Jonathan Perry, Tatiana Erukhimova

      • Type: Poster
      • The Mitchell Institute Physics Enhancement Program (MIPEP) is a two-week professional development program for in-service high school physics teachers with a limited background in the subject area. Typically, teachers in the program have had 0-8 credit hours of college-level physics courses. The MIPEP curriculum is taught by Texas A&M University faculty from the Department of Physics & Astronomy along with two master high school physics teachers. MIPEP, which started in 2012, includes two weeks of intense training in both subject matter and implementation. Content and materials used in the program are informed by the Physics TEKS requirements. A detailed assessment of teacher knowledge and confidence was performed for each cohort. Analysis of pre and post-program evaluations will be presented to comment on the effectiveness of the program. Data from a recent follow-up survey will be assessed to evaluate the long-term effects of MIPEP.
      • Good Vibrations: Using the Acoustic Guitar to Teach Physics Concepts
      • PST2A06
      • Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

      • by Debbie French, Richard French, Sean Hauze, Doug Hunt, Thomas Singer

      • Type: Poster
      • The NSF-Funded, “STEM Guitar Project” has been training teachers for the past 10 years on the construction of solid-body electric guitars and how to use the guitar as a tool to teach interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). New workshops training teachers in the construction of acoustic guitars will be available this summer. New curriculum materials have been developed to accompany the new instrumentation. This poster showcases the new curriculum materials which use the acoustic guitar as a vehicle to teach integrated STEM lessons that are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. These curriculum materials can be adapted to a variety of grade levels and subject areas. Particular emphasis, however, is placed on STEM lessons with physics connections.
  • Technologies
      • Deepening Physics Understanding with Types and Higher-order Functions
      • PST1C01
      • Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM

      • by Scott Walck
      • Type: Poster
      • We show how a typed functional programming language can be used for a course in computational physics or to provide a computational component in introductory or upper-level physics courses. A language with types and higher-order functions (such as the functional programming language Haskell) is particularly well-suited to express the ideas of basic theoretical physics. The fundamental notions of mechanics, waves, electromagnetic theory, and quantum mechanics find commonality in the ideas of state and state update. A language with a rich set of types allows the clear specification of the state of a physical system by a type. A language with higher-order functions allows one to concisely and elegantly express ideas such as numerical integration and the Euler method. Asking students to express the ideas of theoretical physics in such a language and to solve problems using this language can deepen their insight and understanding of physics. We give examples of student assignments ranging from solving a mechanics problem to expressing the Biot-Savart law to animating the state of a qubit.
      • Science for the Modern World
      • PST1C02
      • Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM

      • by Donald Franklin
      • Type: Poster
      • Using existing ebooks, build a syllabus that reflects your syllabus. Now because of having online textbooks, you can design a course and have a "text" that your students can use, with no or very little, cost. My model is designed for Pre Med students, sothe course uses Nuclear Physics as the first Chapter. The ebook is available to use at Openstax.college. You can design any course syllabus without having multiple texts for your students to buy in cooperation with your IT team at your school.
  • The Living Physics Course: New Ideas and Old Tricks
      • Nurturing Student Inquiry in the Introductory Physics for Life Science Course
      • HE03
      • Tue 01/15, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

      • by Nancy Beverly
      • Type: Poster
      • In the project-based course at Mercy College, students consistently explore their own inquiries about the life phenomena of interest to them, sustaining that inquiry with modeling and quantitative analysis to make inferences regarding the phenomena. Theypose their own questions, get their own data, and solve their own problems in mini-project homework assignments that lead to a semester-long project. Strategies to nurture this inquiry include starting with a larger, human inquiry for which a personal motivation is required. Narrowing this larger inquiry to the possible underlying physical mechanisms is key. Framing the inquiry in terms of comparison eases making quantitative analysis meaningful.
      • Teaching of Physics in Criminalistics: A Practical Approach to Collisions
      • HE04
      • Tue 01/15, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

      • by Mario Ramirez Diaz, José Bustamante Benítez, Isaias Miranda Viramontes

      • Type: Poster
      • This proposal shows the results of applying a teaching strategy based on the 4MAT system, this time having an experimental variant, in order that the students of the degrees related to the forensic sciences and Criminalistics, visualize the importance that Physics has in its professional development and as one of these applications is the explanation of the phenomena that can be observed during a vehicular collision and how this explanation serves to reconstruct a criminal act committed by the driving of a vehicle. The experimental group in which this system was applied was based on students from the second to the eighth semester of the degree in criminology, thus relating the system to the real problem faced by these students during their professional lifetime. For each proposed teaching activity, an evidence of learning was requested, students would demonstrate their ability to understand and solve problems.

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