eNNOUNCER February 2019
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AAPT News
Letter from AAPT Leadership
For many of us, AAPT has been our professional home for many years. Our community, which includes undergraduate and graduate students and instructors who teach students at all levels, is unique among professional organizations and continues to be a vibrant source of ideas, programs, and activities that serve our fundamental goal of ensuring the "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." While the fundamental goal has not changed since 1930, the way we, as AAPT members, think about and address this goal is constantly evolving as our world changes and the values of our membership shifts. Read more
2018 AAPT-ALPhA Award Winner
The 2018 AAPT-ALPhA Award winner is Natalie Ferris (Dickinson College). Her advisors are David Jackson and Brett Pearson. She will be presented the award at SM19. Additional information about Natalie and her project will be available prior to SM19.
2018 AAPT Area Committee of the Year
The 2018 Area committee of the Year is: The Committee on Research in Physics Education (RiPE). Included among RiPE's notable work and efforts: developing the online application process and guidelines for accepting sessions and workshops, development of creative session formats and development of a newsletter for PERTG and RiPE Communities, thinking critically about RiPE vs. PERTG/PERLOC goals and aligning RiPE goals with the AAPT strategic goals, interactive committee meetings and discussion, development and dissemination of a social activities survey, and the development of new categories for PER submissions.
2019 Winter Meeting Highlights
A joint meeting with the National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP), the plenaries, sessions, tutorials and workshops covered a wide range of interests and levels from the novice to the experienced teacher. NSHP sessions included “PER in Latin America and at Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the U.S. and Physics at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs): Challenges and Opportunities.
The headquarters hotel for the 2019 Winter Meeting was the Westin Galleria and the Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria. The University of Houston was host to workshops on Saturday and Sunday with selections ranging from “STEP UP 4 Women” to “Integrating NGSS Practices with the Physics Through Evidence—Empowerment Through Reasoning Suite” and included a full day field trip to the Space Center Houston that took participants to unique historical locations and exposed them to the history of space exploration, including the history of the USA space program. Commercial Workshops were hosted by PASCO Scientific, Expert TA, Perimeter Institute, Pearson, and Vernier. Read more
2019 AAPT Summer Meeting
Join us at the 2019 AAPT Summer Meeting in Provo, Utah July 20-24. Surround yourself with Physics Educators from around the globe and develop and strengthen professional connections. Hear from internationally known plenary speakers, attend sessions, workshops and special activities designed with you mind. Don't miss this opportunity to share your expertise and learn from and network with leaders in the field. Check the AAPT website for more information as it becomes available.
SM19 Abstract Submissions
AAPT is now accepting abstracts for speaking and poster engagements at the 2019 AAPT Summer Meeting. The first priority deadline is February 28, 2019. Anything received after this date will be considered post-deadline and scheduled in the last session on the last day of the meeting. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to present your research and share your teaching methods with other physics educators from around the globe.
Click here to view the SM19 "Call for Papers"
Click here to submit an abstract
Sponsorship and Digital Advertising Opportunities
AAPT’s summer meeting is expected to draw over 1,200 physics educators from around the globe. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your company stand ahead of the rest. Click here for some exciting opportunities.
eAlliances: Uniting Isolated Women Physicists and Astronomers
Everyone needs mentors, but how do you find other women physicists who understand your experience-- as the only Hispanic in the department, the only PER researcher, the only full-time physicist at your TYC, the only one who brings a newborn in a sling to department meetings? Join eAlliances, an NSF-sponsored faculty development project for women physics faculty, and become part of a peer-mentoring alliance with other women who share many of your same experiences.
Why me?
• Connect with other women physicists and astronomers
• Get and give advice and affirmation
• Gather a variety of insights to help you address professional issues
• Address work-life balance issues
• Receive encouragement and support in achieving your goals
This is professional development for your career stage: whether you are teaching your first or hundredth section of intro physics; mentoring your first or hundredth research associate, or leading your first or hundredth committee meeting. Someone else has a similar experience and can share insights, frustrations, and successes.
To join: Register at eAlliances.aapt.org
Recruit STEM Interns from the Best Job Sites for FREE!
The AAPT Career Center offers no-cost postings to employers recruiting seasonal interns. Locate the best fit for your organization by reaching the future of the science community - the AAPT membership, as well as the members and student members of the American Physical Society (APS Physics), AVS Science and Technology, and the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma.
Get the word out! Your posting will also appear on the Physics Today Jobs site, which when combined with the job sites of the organizations mentioned above forms the ultimate online science, engineering, and computing career network, ensuring maximum relevant visibility for your internship. Visit https://jobs.aapt.org/employers/ to get posting!
AAPT Books Program - Calling All Authors!
We are interested in hearing from authors who desire to publish books in the areas of physics content, the history and philosophy of physics, physics education research, and the application of pedagogical techniques in physics. Book topics must fit within the AAPT mission of “enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching.” We have prepared guidelines to help us evaluate prospective book ideas as we seek a publisher. If you are interested in authoring an AAPT book, please review the guidelines and consider submitting a proposal. Send questions about authoring an AAPT book to eo@aapt.org.
AAPT Programs
Support the U.S. Physics Team - Donate Now
Each year AAPT sponsors a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad Competition. The mission of the U.S. Physics Team Program is to promote and demonstrate academic excellence through preparation for and participation in the International Physics Olympiad. AAPT is responsible for recruiting, selecting and training teams each year to compete in the International Physics Olympiad Competition. Your contribution is needed to support these high school students as they prepare to represent the U.S. internationally. Donate now!
2019 AAPT PhysicsBowl Registration Open!
Registration deadline is February 25, 2019 for the 2019 AAPT PhysicsBowl Contest taking place March 27 - April 12, 2019. Read more
PICUP Workshop on Integrating Computation into Undergraduate Physics Courses: July 8-14, 2019
The Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP), an informal group of physics faculty from around the country, is committed to building a community of STEM educators dedicated to integrating computation into the undergraduate curriculum. Towards this end, PICUP invites all physics faculty to consider attending the Summer Faculty Development Workshop to be held on the campus of the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, from Monday, July 8 through Sunday, July 14, 2019. The purpose of this week-long workshop is to guide participants in developing their own computational educational materials, and in formulating a plan for implementing these materials in their upcoming courses. If you apply before April 1st, the registration fee is only $100, which covers all housing and meal costs for the entire week! There may also be some limited funding for round-trip travel to River Falls. If you do not have experience with computational methods and programming languages, you are invited to also come for a day-long series of tutorial sessions on Tuesday, July 9th, that will introduce you to the fundamentals of using a computer to solve basic physics problems. These tutorials are intended to get you up to speed on programming and computational basics so that you can confidently participate in the main workshop that will commence on the morning of Wednesday, July 10 and ends on Sunday, July 14. Go to www.compadre.org/picup/ for more details on this workshop and other PICUP events.
Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop
The next Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop will be held June 24-27, 2019 in College Park, MD. This NSF-funded project now reaches about 50% of the new tenure-track hires in physics and astronomy in the U.S. Department chairs are invited to nominate their new tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty members and lecturers at www.aapt.org/Conferences/newfaculty. Workshop space is limited. Preference will be given to nominations received before February 24, 2019. Click here for more information about the workshops.
Physics and Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistants National Workshop
May 29-31, 2019
Department Chairs can send a team to the National Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Workshop for physics and chemistry departments, held May 29-31, 2019 at Georgia Tech. Lodging & meals covered for accepted departmental teams (1 GTA + 1 faculty). Application deadline: 22 Feb 2019. Click here for more info.
AAPT Membership
AAPT Member Spotlight
Randy Knight
California Polytechnic State Univetrsity
San Luis Obispo, California
Read More
Membership Renewal
We appreciate our community of members, and we are here to serve you. If you have any difficulties renewing your membership or have any membership-related questions, please do not hesitate to contact us in the Membership Department at 301.209.3333 or membership@aapt.org.
Discounts Are Coming!
Beginning this month, AAPT members can take advantage of major discounts at retailers such as Hertz, Office Depot/Office Max and HotelEngine.com. You save a percentage of your bill and a portion of the proceeds helps to support AAPT as well! We will be launching the program in the coming weeks, so be sure to check the Member Discounts Program page for details.
Applications Now Being Accepted for Jossem Fund Grants
Applications are currently being accepted for the E. Leonard Jossem Fund. The E. Leonard (Len) Jossem International Education Fund provides grants to individuals in support of international programs dealing with teaching and learning of physics. The fund will be available for two different categories:
• Collaborations between U.S. and developing countries. Funding should facilitate interactions and exchanges of ideas between U.S. physics educators and/or students and those in developing countries.
• International meetings and conferences focused on physics education. Meetings and conferences should involve direct contact between physics educators and furnish the interactions that stimulate new ideas and lasting collaborations. Students and faculty with limited resources can apply for funding to attend international meetings and conferences.
The Jossem Fund invites applications from physics educators who are AAPT members at any academic stage or rank. Only AAPT members may apply. Awards will range from $200 to $2,000. Applications must be received by late spring or early summer (deadline is the same as the Special Projects Fund) for consideration during the 2018 fiscal year. Applications will be reviewed by the Special Projects and Philanthropy Committee. Click here for more information.
Teachers and Faculty Who Have Tutored Physics?
The AAPT Committee on the Interests of Senior Physicists (CISP) is considering organizing sessions or workshops on tutoring in physics and astronomy. We think that such sessions would be of particular interest to physics teachers looking for post-retirement occupations.
Do you know teacher or faculty member who has tutored physics at any level? If so, please send their names and email addresses to Charlie Holbrow, Chair of CISP (chholbrow@gmail.com). CISP would like to get in contact with them and learn about their experiences and explore how we might share these with interested colleagues.
The possibilities for tutoring online either on your own or through some online agency are of particular interest, but there are useful things to say about any sort of tutoring. CISP wants to gather information about all modes of tutoring physics and make the information widely available.
Support New Teachers!
Are you interested in the ways you can 'pay it forward'? Have thought about how you can truly impact the future? Consider supporting the next generation of physics teachers with your tax deductible donation to the AAPT New Teacher Fund. Your generosity helps to provide professional development opportunities to new, and early career educators, with a membership in AAPT. Proceeds from this fund underwrite much of the cost of membership dues and, enables us to expand our outreach efforts.
PhysTEC Conference
Register now for March 2-3, 2019!
The Physics Teacher Education Coalition Conference is the nation’s largest meeting dedicated to the education of future physics teachers. It features workshops on best practices, panel discussions by national leaders, and excellent networking opportunities for physics teacher educators. Registration deadline: February 15. Register now
Become a STEP UP 4 Women Ambassador!
APS & AAPT are looking for teacher leaders interested in working with a national group to help train other teachers in STEP UP 4 Women lessons and resources. Participants will attend an Ambassador Cohort Summit at the AAPT Summer 2019 meeting in Provo Utah to meet their fellow Ambassadors. Together they will help introduce hundreds of teachers to the STEP UP resources throughout the year, reflect as a cohort, and provide vital feedback to the STEP UP program partners. Ambassadors will earn a $1000 stipend and recognition for their year term. Read more about program requirements and apply by February 1st. Learn more
Call for Award Nominations
The AAPT Awards Committee invites nominations for all of AAPT awards, citations, and medals. We are particularly interested in nominations for AAPT Fellows and for the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT.
Free Individual Membership in the Council on Undergraduate Research for Faculty in Institutions with Enhanced Membership
We wanted to bring to your attention that one of AAPT’s frequent collaborative organizations, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has an enhanced institutional member category. For a list of CUR’s enhanced members, please see this webpage. If you, and other faculty, administrators, and students are at a CUR enhanced member institution, your individual membership is FREE. All you need to do is to sign-up, remembering to choose the division of physics and astronomy as your “home” in CUR. CUR’s physics and astronomy division is very active, and more members would be welcome!
Please refer to the Membership Tab of the CUR website (https://www.cur.org)) hover over “Become a Member”, select the Individual Membership Online Application, and select your institution’s name from the dropdown list. A “pop up” message will announce that you have added onto the Enhanced Membership, click OK and complete the application form. Thanks for sharing this great opportunity to connect with CUR with your colleagues in physics and/or astronomy departments.
Infusing Engineering into the Science Classroom
Join other teachers seeking to integrate engineering into their science classroom with this unique professional development opportunity. Headed by AAPT/AIP Master Teacher Policy fellows Matthew Peterie and Andrew Edmondson, you will learn from experienced and skillful teachers. The cost will be $385 for individual attendee which includes your registration for the year long program and meals for the two days at Olathe Northwest. If a group of teachers from a building or district would like to attend, reduced pricing is available. After registering your team by completing the form below, subsequent correspondence will make arrangements for payment. Sign up here
Barbara Lotze Memoriam
Born January 4, 1924 in Mezokovesd, Hungary, Barbara moved to Budapest with her family at the age of ten. In 1956 she was awarded a diploma in applied mathematics with honors from Eötvös Lorand University of Sciences. She fled Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution and spent time in a refugee camp in Austria before receiving a Rockefeller Foundation Grant to enroll as a doctoral candidate in mathematics at Innsbruck University, where she was granted a PhD in mathematics and theoretical physics in 1961. She married her late husband, Dieter Lotze, in 1958, and they immigrated to the United States in 1961, both accepting jobs at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, and becoming naturalized citizens in 1967. Lotze was offered an Assistant Professorship in the Physics Department at Allegheny College in 1963, and became a Professor Emeritus of Physics, chair of the department from 1981-1984. She continued teaching until her retirement in 1990. Lotze, whose Endowment for the Advancement of Physics Education in the United States, funds the Barbara Lotze Scholarship passed away on January 17, 2019. Read more
In the News
JavaScript Physlet Physics Now Available
The new JavaScript edition of Physlet Physics is now available from the Open Source Physics ComPADRE Collection. The original functionality and interactivity of Physlets is maintained and all 800+ Illustrations, Explorations, and Problems are mobile friendly and ready-to-use by students without installing any additional plug-in. Try them out on AAPT-ComPADRE at: www.compadre.org/physlets/
Student Research Foundation
Please help us to identify strategies to close the gap between STEM supply and STEM demand. If you receive a package of surveys by mail, please complete them. If you have not yet received a mailed survey package from The Research Consortium on STEM Career Pathways, please ensure that you and your students are included by filling out this simple online form or by emailing info@studentresearchfoundation.org. Thank you for participating!
To the GIREP members and sympathizers
GIREP is working on improving even more the quality of Teaching and Learning Physics with different initiatives with the goal to support the production of research results, studies and in general teaching proposals based on PER. Contributing to this goal are the excellent Conferences and Seminars, organized more and more in collaboration with other bodies, the very active and qualified GTGs instituted in the last years and the contracts with the Springer and IOP for ISI books of selected papers. Content research, design based research and integration of research with practice is characterizing the GIREP members and sympathizers. Read More
Active Learning in Introductory Physics Courses: Research-Based Strategies that Improve Student Learning
Designed for those who teach introductory physics at universities, colleges and high schools. Graduate credit will be available through the University of Oregon.
Instructors: David Sokoloff, University of Oregon and Ronald Thornton, Tufts University
Participants will be introduced to research-validated, classroom-tested strategies for each component of the introductory course that have been demonstrated to improve learning. These include Interactive Lecture Demonstration (ILDs), RealTime Physics (RTP) labs, Collaborative Problem-Solving Tutorials, Workshop Physics (WP), Physics with Video Analysis (PVA), and related online video analysis exercises. The course will also include the use of video analysis to identify analytic functions describing real data. Read more
APS 2019 Excellence in Physics Education Award Recipients
The 2019 award recognizes the Learning Assistance Program at U of Colorado Boulder. Three of the recipients are AAPT members.
The award is to recognize and honor a team or group of individuals (such as a collaboration) or, exceptionally, a single individual, who have exhibited a sustained commitment to excellence in physics education. The award, presented annually, consists of a $5,000 monetary award, a certificate citing the achievements of the group or individual, and an allowance for travel expenses to the APS April Meeting where the award is presented.
Recipients: Laurie S. Langdon, University of Colorado, Boulder Richard McCray, University of Colorado, Boulder Steven Iona, University of Colorado, Boulder / University of Denver, (AAPT) Steven Pollock, University of Colorado, Boulder, (AAPT) Valerie K. Otero, University of Colorado, Boulder, (AAPT)
CPEP Award for Excellence in Teaching Contemporary Physics
The Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP) has established the International CPEP Award for Excellence in Teaching Contemporary Physics to recognize an educator working with high school or middle school students, who has made outstanding achievements in teaching contemporary physics topics. Contemporary physics topics include, but are not limited to, particle physics, nuclear physics, plasma physics, cosmology, fusion physics, and gravitational waves. Please see www.CPEPphysics.org for more details on these topics. Click here for more information.
Melba Phillips Papers Now Online
The Niels Bohr Library & Archives (NBLA) at the American Institute of Physics has digitized the papers of physicist and physics educator Melba Phillips. The whole collection is now accessible to the public in NBLA’s online repository here. Click here to read a brief biography of Phillips and to learn about some of the interesting items in the collection.
Career Toolbox for Undergraduates
The Careers Toolbox for Undergraduate Physics Students is a set of tools and exercises designed to help undergraduate physics students prepare to enter the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. Tools range from exploring the common job titles of physics bachelor's to preparing for interviews, and are all geared specifically for physics students. This resource is brought to you by the American Institute of Physics and the Society of Physics Students. The 4th Edition is now ready for use.
Science Friday's Educate
My name is Brian Soash and I am Science Friday's Educator Community Leader. I wanted to reach out to you regarding our Educator Collaborative Program, which is currently accepting applications. We'd love if AAPT teachers would apply this year.
As part of the program, the teachers selected will work with myself and the rest of the Science Friday team to create their own free educator resource for other educators. This resource will be published on Science Friday's Educate page where the teacher will receive author credit, a $500 honorarium for their work, professional development about education resource creation, work with a network of outstanding educators as awesome as they are, Science Friday swag, and recognition for their completion of this highly competitive program. I hope you'll consider passing this on to your educators! Applications are due Friday, January 4th.
Help students find the right grad program. Tell them about GradSchoolShopper.com
Advise your students to check out GradSchoolShopper.com, the most complete directory of graduate programs in the physical sciences. New 2019 departmental data is now available! Students headed for graduate school can use this FREE service to search by degree programs, admission deadlines, research specialties, faculty profiles, GRE requirements, and more! If your program isn’t listed, contact us to find out how to have it included.
Highly Trained STEM Teachers Needed to Boost America's Global Competitiveness, According to New Study
The United States' global competitiveness is at risk as the nation confronts persistent shortages of STEM teachers. More than half of all high school physics teachers lacked certification in the discipline in 2012, for example. As a result, students who are interested in STEM careers find themselves ill prepared to compete in an increasingly highly technical workforce.
A new study by the American Physical Society, in collaboration with the American Chemical Society, Computing Research Association, and Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership, addresses the reasons why STEM students shy away from teaching as a career and offers ways to counter the trend. Download the full report at www.aps.org/policy/reports.
American Modeling Teachers Association
During the 2018 summer, almost 800 teachers attended one of the 49 Modeling Workshops, held in 14 different states. Plans are currently being made for the 2019 season, in which we hope to have workshops in Physics (mechanics, E&M, waves, computational Modeling: Physics First, light and sound), chemistry (first and second semester), biology, physical science and workshops for middle school teachers. The workshop information will be made available in the spring on the website.
Contact Wendy wendy@modelinginstruction.org.
Face to Face Modeling Workshops
The 2019 face-to-face Modeling Workshops Cognition and Instruction in STEM, are posted on the website as we receive the information. Workshops have been planned for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts and Ohio. Workshops are scheduled for physics, chemistry, biology, middle school and physical science. Click here for details.Arizona State University Master of Natural Science Degree in Physics for Teachers
Arizona State University has an interdisciplinary Master of Natural Science (MNS) degree in physics for high school and two-year college teachers. Courses are in summer, and the degree is founded on Modeling Instruction. Teachers in 15 western states can apply for IN-STATE tuition; the deadline is APRIL 1.
For more details click here .
Ask for information click here.
NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 Program Is Accepting Proposals
The National Science Foundation invites proposals to the Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (Mid-scale RI-1) program. Within Mid-scale RI-1, proposers may submit two types of projects, “Implementation” and “Design”. Design and Implementation projects may comprise any combination of equipment, infrastructure, computational hardware and software, and necessary commissioning. Design includes planning (preliminary and final design) of research infrastructure with an anticipated total project cost that is appropriate for future Mid-scale RI-1, Mid-scale RI-2 or MREFC-class investments. Mid-scale RI-1 uses an inclusive definition of implementation, which can include traditional stand-alone construction or acquisition and can include a degree of advanced development leading immediately to final system acquisition and/or construction. Mid-scale RI-1 "Implementation" projects must directly enable advances in fundamental science, engineering or science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education research in one or more of the research domains supported by NSF. Implementation projects may support new or upgraded research infrastructure. For more information click here
Physics Careers
Jobs Announcements from the Career Center
Laboratory Co-Director - Assistant Teaching Professor - Physics
University of Notre Dame / Department of Physics
Click here for job description.
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Graduate Fellowships
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Click here for job description.
Visiting Assistant Professor – Department of Physics & Astronomy Job Number: 10753
WVU Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Click here for job description.
More Physics Resources
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Section News
Please submit your Section Report for the AAPT Section News. To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mhall@aapt.org. See the Spring 2018 Section News.
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