WM19 Program
Sessions, Panels, Posters, Plenaries, Committee Meetings, and Special Events
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Posters
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Assessment Practices in Introductory Courses for the Life Sciences
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Successful Online Astronomy Labs
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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
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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.
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The Living Physics Course: New Ideas and Old Tricks
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Nurturing Student Inquiry in the Introductory Physics for Life Science Course
- HE03
- Tue 01/15, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Nancy Beverly
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Lecture/Classroom
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Kinesthetic Graphing of Position, Velocity and Acceleration
- PST1A01
- Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
- by Bradley Gearhart
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Circuit Simulations to Teach the Hodgkin-Huxley Membrane Potential Model
- PST1A04
- Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
- by Mickey Kutzner
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Scripted Tutorials to Guide Troubleshooting Skills
- PST1A06
- Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
- by Duane Pontius
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Other Poster
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Induction Motor Demo for STEM Outreach
- PST1B03
- Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
- by Daniel Huerta
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Record of Rheology: Documenting Past Bingham Medal Winners
- PST1B04
- Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
- by Mikayla Cleaver*
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Technologies
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Deepening Physics Understanding with Types and Higher-order Functions
- PST1C01
- Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
- by Scott Walck
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Science for the Modern World
- PST1C02
- Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
- by Donald Franklin
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Astronomy Poster
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Updates to the Astronomy4Kids Online Video Education Outreach Program
- PST1D02
- Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
- by Richard Pearson
- Type: Poster
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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 .
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Physics Education Research I
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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
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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.
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Updating the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory for Postsecondary Physics Instructors
- PST1E05
- Mon 01/14, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
- by Jacquelyn Chini
- Type: Poster
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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.
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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
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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.
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Teacher Training/Enhancement
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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
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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.
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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
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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!
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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
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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.
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Labs/Apparatus
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How to Develop an Assessment Plan for Upper-Level Lab Courses
- PST2B03
- Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
- by Patricia Allen
- Type: Poster
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"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.
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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
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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.
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Pre-college/Informal and Outreach
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PhysicsWOOT: Where High School Students Explore Olympiad Problem Solving Online
- PST2C03
- Mon 01/14, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
- by Mark Eichenlaub
- Type: Poster
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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!
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Physics Education Research II
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Investigating Students' Understanding of the Inverse Square Law
- PST2D06
- Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
- by Rabindra Bajracharya
- Type: Poster
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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.
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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
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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.
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Mindset and Sensemaking in Courses for Elementary Education Majors
- PST2D08
- Mon 01/14, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
- by Matthew Perkins Coppola
- Type: Poster
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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.
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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
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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.
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Post-deadline Posters
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A Polarization Optics Laboratory for Computational Analysis of Collagen Fibers
- PST3A01
- Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM
- by Sarah Erickson-Bhatt
- Type: Poster
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Student Responses to University Flipped Physics Classes with Feedback Quizzes
- PST3A11
- Tue 01/15, 2:30PM - 3:15PM
- by Roberto Ramos
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Other Poster
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Deficiencies and Amendments in Newton's Laws of Motion
- PSTB06
- Mon 01/14, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
- by Amritpal Nafria
- Type: Poster
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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.
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SPS Undergraduate Research and Outreach Poster Session
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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
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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.
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Breaking Barriers through Untold Stories
- SPS05
- Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
- by Stephanie Marie
- Type: Poster
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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.
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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
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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.
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Who Can Change Physics Education?
- SPS09
- Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
- by Krystina Williamson
- Type: Poster
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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.
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Resolving the Problem of Excess GRB's at Low Redshift
- SPS10
- Sat 01/12, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
- by Cecilia Ratke
- Type: Poster
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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.
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