• AAPT
  • Programs
  • Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs

Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs

For Immediate Release

College Park, MD, May 27, 2014—The American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physical Society are pleased to announce the formation of the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP), which is charged with engaging the physics community to develop a report that answers the question “What skills and knowledge should the next generation of undergraduate physics degree holders possess to be well prepared for a diverse set of careers?” By providing guidelines and recommendations on content, pedagogy, professional skills and student engagement, the report will give physics departments across the county a blueprint for enhancing their undergraduate programs.

J-TUPP will be led by Professors Paula Heron (University of Washington) and Laurie McNeil (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill).  The other members of J-TUPP are Douglas Arion (Carthage College), J.D. Garcia (University of Arizona), S. James Gates (University of Maryland-College Park), Elizabeth McCormack (Bryn Mawr College), Duncan Moore (University of Rochester), Helen Quinn (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center), Quinton Williams (Jackson State University), and Lawrence Woolf (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems).  The group will seek input from physicists (including physics students) in academe, national laboratories and business and industry, and professionals in other STEM disciplines that employ physics graduates and whose students take physics courses.  J-TUPP expects to finish its report by mid-2016.

About AAPT
AAPT is an organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax)