eNNOUNCER July 2014

                   

2014 U.S. Physics Team Travelers Heading to IPHO IMG_7116_400x256

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2014 Traveling Team at the 45th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held July 13-21, 2014 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

      

AAPT 2014 Summer Meeting Hill

The 2014 AAPT Summer Meeting.
The Summer Meeting is just shy of a month away. We hope you will join us at the University of Minnesota from July 26-30, 2014. 

The Plenary Speakers include:

James Kakalios, Taylor Distinquished Professor at University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy will speak on the "Uncanny Physics of Superhero Comic Books".

Roger Rusack, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota will speak on the "Physics at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, the Past, the Present and the Future".

Lucy Fortson, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota will discuss the "Explorations in the Cosmic Frontier: Shedding Light on the Dark?".

Dan Cronin-Hennessy, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota will address "The Turn of the Screw: A Chilling Ghost Story of Nature's Most Unusual Fermion".

Don't forget to also register for workshops and special events here.  Register today!

The program app for the 2014 AAPT Summer Meeting will soon be live. Stay tuned — we'll let you know when the app is ready to download.
There are several ways you can use the app to enhance your meeting experience.

  • Access the event schedule anytime and customize your agenda.
  • Check out the exhibitors and locate their booths easily.
  • Get important updates and exciting offers through the app.
  • See who's attending the meeting and share contact information.                    

Need a wheelchair or scooter during the conference?
You can rent one from the Mobility Shop. Quantities are limited, so don't delay and 48 hour notice is needed.  A scooter or wheelchair will be delivered to your hotel.
Rental Frees:

  • $50 per day for motorized scooter or wheelchair.
  • $20 per day for manual wheelchair.
  • Minimum order is $100
Call 888-404-5554 to reserve your scooter or wheelchair!

T-Shirt Design Contest
Congratulations to AAPT member Walter L. Trikosko of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas for his winning design.  We received many wonderful entries but his creative design was selected as the winner.  We will be turning his design into a t-shirt to be sold during the summer meeting. Proceeds will go to support the AAPT Student Fund.

Instagram Contest
This year we are excited to present something new to Summer Meeting registrants.  We're hosting our first Instagram Contest, a Scavenger Hunt to be exact, and invite you to participate for a chance to win amazing prizes.  Follow us on Instagram.
Learn more about the Instagram Scavenger Hunt, here.

Social Media @#AAPTSM14
   There are many ways to keep up with all of the updates leading up to the 2014 AAPT Summer Meeting.  We encourage you to get ahead of the curve by adding AAPT's social media channels to your networks today.
Here are some of the ways you can start engaging today!


  Make sure to tweet and post messages on Facebook so your colleagues and friends can join in the fun too.

DoMore24
Huge thank you to the members who donated to our DoMore24, 24-hour fundraising campaign hosted by the United Way on June 19th. Over $3,700 in online donations came in and will go directly to support AAPT's Annual Fund.  It's not too late for you to do more!  For more information about donating to AAPT, click here.

Amazon Smile
Donating to AAPT just got a little easier! Simply visit http://bit.ly/AAPTAMZ and confirm you'd like a percentage of your Amazon.com purchases to go to AAPT. From then on, AAPT will receive a small donation from each of your purchases whether it's text books, electronics, clothing, or groceries, every purchase will support AAPT. Start shopping today!

Women in Physics Book Now Available

Women in Physics: A collection of reprints in honor of Melba Newell Phillips, is now available.  The collection includes eighteen articles on women in physics, presented in four parts:

  • Gender Issues in Physics and Physics Education

  • Gender-related Physics Education Research

  • Biographical Articles

  • Analysis of the Role of Women in Science

Articles are reprinted from the American Journal of Physics, The Physics Teacher, Physics Today, and Physical Review Special Topics.  Proceeds from the sales will support the endowment of the Melba Newell Phillips Medal.

Order your copy at The Physics Store

Journal Service Impact Notice

During the period July 1-10, AIPP will be migrating to a new service provider.  Since AIPP is the provider for access to American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher, members and institutions may notice some problem with impacted features.  New members and institutions will not be able to access the journals until July 11.

 

AIP/SPS Career Pathways Workshop

At the AAPT Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, AIP/SPS will be giving a workshop on career pathways.  Look for the title T01: Not Everyone Wants to go to Graduate School: How to be an Effective Mentor for "the other 40%" in the program. This workshop will be presented on Saturday, July 26, at 9:00 - 12:00 p.m.

SPECIAL NOTE: All participants in this workshop will be reimbursed for the cost of the workshop along with a $100 travel stipend, based on a first-come, first-served basis.  Organizers will accommodate as many participants as possible based on the space available.  If you have any questions, please contact Toni Sauncy(tsauncy@aip.org) or Kendra Redmond (kredmond@aip.org).

                                 

CSULB Physics and Astronomy Department Tops National Ranking

As a "matter" of fact, the Physics and Astronomy Department at Cal State Long Beach ranks at the top of 62 departments in the United States that offer a master's as their highest physics degree.  Since 2010, the department has partnered with the Physics Teacher Education Coalition Project (PhysTEC) to increase the number of qualified high school physics teachers. Read more »

                                

Call for Award Nominations

Do you know a colleague who should be recognized for excellence in physics and physics education?

The AAPT Awards Committee invites nominations for all of AAPT's awards, citations, and medals http://www.aapt.org/Programs/awards/. Nominations received by July 16 will be considered at the upcoming Summer Meeting for awards to be presented at the 2015 Winter Meeting.

                                                                         

Global Teacher Prize

Do you know a teacher worthy of recognition and celebration? Help find one exceptional educator who deserves to be recognized around the world.

The Global Teacher Prize is an annual one million dollar award from the Varkey GEMS Foundation to be given to a super-special teacher.  One innovative and caring teacher who has made an inspirational impact on their students and their community will receive the reward of a lifetime. If you're a teacher, you can apply today. If you know a teacher who deserves to win the Global Teacher Prize, you can nominate a teacher. Read more »

                   

Help Develop a Free Game for Teachers and Students

The National Research Council is developing a short, online game for students and teachers to illustrate the connections between basic materials science research and consumer products.  To ensure the game is effective in the classroom, they are seeking input from several current secondary school science teachers.  Modest compensation will be provided.  To learn more, contact Beth Cunningham (eo@aapt.org) by July 11th.

                   

Assistance Introducing History to the Physics Classroom

This summer, the Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics is producing materials to help teachers introduce lessons on the stories of African Americans in the history of the physical sciences.  The team producing this Teachers Guide, which will be a resource for both history and science teachers and adhere to the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, is looking for advice on the best way to incorporate history into the science classroom.  If you have advice on creating lesson plans and resources that will make if easier for physics teachers to introduce history into their curriculum, please share it with the AAPT Executive Office (eo@aapt.org).

                   

Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs

The American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physicial Society are pleased to announce the formation of the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP). Read more »

                   

American Journal of Physics as ePUB

The May AJP theme issue, The Intersection of Biology and Physics is now available as an ePub in The Physics Store. It is free for AAPT members but you will be asked to help us evaluate this format by participating in a short survey this summer.

                      

Increase Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Do you or does your department have a practice, funding strategy, internship placement strategy, or course with research embedded in it that, if adopted by other physics or astronomy departments, would help increase the number of undergraduate research opportunities? AAPT along with the Council on Undergraduate Research, the American Physical Society, and the Society of Physics Students are collecting articles that will be published on-line to serve as a resource to departments, faculty, and students as they work to meet the challenge put before the community that all undergraduate physics and astronomy majors at all colleges be provided with a research experience. AAPT’s statement on research experiences for undergraduates is available on our website. We invite you to submit an article for publication in this new resource that highlights any practice that encourages, leads to increases in, or enhances research experiences for undergraduates. We strongly encourage faculty members at two-year colleges to consider submitting a highlight.  Please contact Executive Officer Beth Cunningham (eo@aapt.org) for more information.

                   

2014 AAPT/PTRA Trainer Institute

nts Trainer Institute will be held July 23-26, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota just prior to the national AAPT Summer Meeting.  The meeting will begin at 6 PM on Wednesday, July 23 at the Courtyard Marriott (room TBD).  The agenda is being finalized, but will include the following: updates on STEM probes and technology from Vernier, PASCO, and TI, recently developed Perimeter modules, and revision/development of PTRA topics to modules integrating technology, engineering, and math, as well as adaptations for elementary and middle school. Read more »

                   

AAPT-ALPhA Award

AAPT and ALPhA (Advanced Laboratory Physics Association) have announced the AAPT/ALPhA Award for undergraduate physics students who have executed, mastered, and left as a legacy for future students an advance laboratory experiment. Do you have a student (or team of students) who might be interested in taking up the challenge to build an experiment new to their own department and possibly receive national recognition, attend a national AAPT meeting, present an invited talk, and receive a check for $4,000? Nominations for this award must be submitted, with extensive documentation, by September 1, 2015. If qualified candidates are proposed, we anticipate presenting the first award at the 2016 AAPT Winter Meeting in New Orleans. Read more. Funding for this award, for the first five years, is provided by TeachSpin, Inc.

2015-2016 Fulbright Scholar competition

The Fulbright Scholar competition for academic year 2015-2016 launched last month, and Spain is offering an award in Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics. More information about the Fulbright Scholar Program can be found at www.cies.org and the complete catalog of awards can be accessed online at http://catalog.cies.org/.  The current competition will close on August 1, 2014.

STEaM Photography Show and Competition

Science & History will host a photo art exhibit that invites members of the community to share their photographic talent and eye for everything that is science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEaM).

Any individual, from a professional photographer to a student with a camera phone, may submit a photograph to this competition/exhibition with the hope to not only win a cash prize but to also have their work on display in a nationally accredited, Smithsonian affiliated museum. Each entry fee is $15, and there is no limit to the amount of entries an individual can submit. All winning entries will debut at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History from November 8, 2014, through January 4, 2015. Entries are now being accepted online through August 29, 2014 at nuclearmuseum.org »

                     

Middle and High School Physical Science Opportunity

Science assessment writers who have knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards are being sought. Ideally, item writers will have familiarity in the middle school and high school grades, some teaching/classroom experience, and understand the new science standards.  If you have expertise in creating assessment items and would like an opportunity to work as a freelancer, please contact Michael Comer, Editorial Director Math and Science, Victory Productions or call 508-798-6223.

2014  International Year of Crystallography

The International Year of Crystallography 2014 (IYCr2014) commemorates not only the centennial of X-ray diffraction, which allowed the detailed study of crystalline material, but also the 400th anniversary of Kepler’s observation in 1611 of the symmetrical form of ice crystals, which began the wider study of the role of symmetry in matter.  Links to posters and other promotional materials and resources are available on the IYCR website. Read more »

                                       

Modeling Workshops Nationwide

Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry,  physical science, and biology will be offered this summer. Modeling Workshops are peer-led. Modeling Instruction is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an Exemplary K-12 science program. More Information » and Workshop descriptions »

                       

ASU Modeling Workshops in Physics and Chemistry

Four Modeling Workshop (July 7-25) for high school physics, chemistry, and physical science teachers nationwide are offered by Arizona State University in Tempe. The program can lead to a Master of Natural Science degree. Low-cost family housing is available.  More Information »

More from your Membership!

Did you know that you can connect with your collegues by joining an AAPT Email Discussion List?   There are more than 20 different lists/communities available. Find the list that matches your career interests at  http://www.aapt.org/Resources/lists.cfm.  Contact your Member Services  Department at 301-209-3333, or  by e-mail at membership@aapt.org if  you need assistance, or have further questions.

Career Learning Center

Professional development is a work in progress, and constantly gaining new skills and knowledge is essential to the success of any career. The latest enhancement to the AAPT Career Center - the Career Learning Center - is a career-guidance companion to searching the latest science teaching jobs. Equipped with four career-centric seminars, the AAPT Career Learning Center is a user-friendly virtual platform that satisfies the professional needs of AAPT members at all points on the career spectrum.
This helpful content is ONLY available to registered users with the AAPT Career Center, a free job seeker service provided by AAPT. Quickly login or create your job seeker account, and take control of your future by building a stronger presence among our industry's top employers.

Free Internship Job Posting on AAPT Career Center

AAPT has an online jobsite that offers free 60-day internship job postings.  To post internships online at AAPT visit http://jobs.aapt.org/. Locate the best fit for your organization by reaching the future of the science community – AAPT members. Valid intern-level opportunities are defined as limited-term (up to 12 weeks) employment for current undergraduates or recent bachelor degree recipients with financial compensation (if any) in the form of a modest salary or stipend. "Internship" Job Level must be selected when posting to access this offer.


Social Media @ AAPT

AAPT wants to connect with you on social media! Stay abreast of the latest AAPT and physics-related news. We invite you to like us, follow us, connect with us, and pin us. You can find us here:
                        facebook twitter LinkedIn Googleplus pinterest YouTube flickr


                    

ComPADRE

SPS and ComPADRE Undergraduate Research Database

The SPS and ComPADRE partner each year to make availiable a list of research opportunities and internships for undergraduate students.  This year there are more than 150 research sites from across the country and around the world.  We encourage you to direct your students to the database.  Deadlines for applications are approaching.

ComPADRE Digital Library

The ComPADRE Digital Library is a network of free online resource collections supporting faculty, students, and teachers in Physics and Astronomy Education.

Each ComPADRE collection contains a catalog of materials for teaching and learning that are selected by the editors for the target user community.  The collections also provide information resources and community collaboration tools to support the needs of our users, usually in collaboration with partner physics and astronomy education projects.


Section News

Time and date for Section Officers Exchange & Section Representatives Meeting
Sunday, July 27 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the 2014 Summer Meeting


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© 2014, American Association of Physics Teachers

In this issue

 

Featured Journal Articles

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American Journal of Physics

Transforming the preparation of physics teachers
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