David Pines,winner of the 2013 John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Award died at his home in Urbana, IL. He was 93. This prestigious award was presented to Pines in recognition of his authorship of "The Many Body-Problem" and "Elementary Excitations in Solids" and the two-volume text/monograph, "The Theory of Quantum Liquids," written with Philippe Nozieres.

AAPT press release
Santa Fe Institute Memoriam
New York Times Obituary

AAPT has announced that Ximena C. Cid, Jose D'Arruda, Joy Elaine Gwinn, Warren W. Hein, and David P. Jackson will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2018 Summer Meeting in Washington, DC.

AAPT has announced that the 2018 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in K-12 Physics Teaching Award winner is Frank Noschese, a physics teacher at John Jay High School in Cross River, NY.

Bradley S. Ambrose will receive the 2018 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Washington, DC.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Clifford Victor Johnson, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, is the 2018 recipient of the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award. The lecture and award will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Washington, DC.

AAPT has announced that Kyle Forinash will receive the Robert A. Millikan Medal during the 2018 Summer Meeting in Washington, DC. This award recognizes educators who have made notable and intellectually creative contributions to the teaching of physics.

Please be advised that AAPT internet addresses were changed recently. This change may impact delivery of AAPT mail listserve messages as your recipients' mail servers may not trust mail sent from the new server address. Please advise your colleagues (through web site or print) to check for AAPT mail in their spam folder and mark the messages as "Not Spam", or add rules to their mailbox filter that allow delivery of email sent from mail.aapt.org[208.76.207.148]. Gradually the trust of the new mail server address will increase over time and this issue will recede.

The AAPT and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) seek applicants for this recently-funded fellowship, supported by the AIP Venture Partnership Fund. The purpose of this fellowship is to engage current and recent K-12 classroom teachers of physics and physical science (including elementary teachers) as agents of change in physics education. Funding will be provided for travel, meals, and accommodations necessary for two summer workshops in Washington, DC. Apply by February 28.

Teachers of Physics First courses are invited to join the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), and Bootstrap's Pyret team for a 2-week professional development workshop in Chicago from July 9-20, 2018. This training workshop will introduce physics teachers to computational modeling as one of many ways to represent and deepen understanding about physics concepts, alongside more traditional representations such as graphs, equations, diagrams, and verbal descriptions. Funding available for commuters as well as participants nation-wide. No prior experience in programming or Modeling Instruction is required to participate in this workshop. Apply by February 28.

Dr. Moloney becomes the ninth CEO of the American Institute of Physics. Previously he was the Director for Space and Aeronautics at the Space Studies Board (SSB) and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Prior to his service at the Academies, Dr. Moloney was a foreign service officer for the Irish government for seven years, serving at the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Irish Mission to the United Nations in New York. An experimental physicist by training, he holds a doctorate from the University of Dublin, Trinity College in Ireland.

College Park, Maryland, January 9, 2018. With the end of the 2018 Winter Meeting in San Diego, California, the AAPT Board of Directors saw many changes with members of the Presidential chain rotating and newly elected officers taking on their new positions.

During the 2018 Winter Meeting in San Diego, California, the presidential gavel was presented to Gordon P. Ramsey. He will serve as president of the American Association of Physics Teachers for the coming year. Ramsey, Professor of Physics at Loyola University, Chicago, has previously served on the AAPT Board of Directors as President-elect and Vice President. From 2007-2010 he served at the At-Large Representative for 4-year College Members on the Executive Board.

The AAPT Board of Directors has announced the resignation of Steve Turley as Treasurer and the appointment of Tom O'Kuma to serve as Treasurer until the next election. AAPT congratulates Steve Turley on his new position with the National Science Foundation. We extend our gratitude to Steve Turley for his past service and thank Tom O'Kuma for his acceptance of this commitment to serve.

The AAPT membership has elected the following members to serve on the AAPT Board of Directors:
Vice President: Chandralekha Singh
Member at Large (Two-Year College Rep): Arlisa Richardson
Treasurer: R. Steven Turley

Barbara L. Whitten will be the recipient of the 2018 Oersted Medal. Mark Beck will be awarded the 2018 Richtmyer Memorial Lecture. Mehran Kardar will be presented the 2018 John David Jackson Award for Excellence in Graduate Physics Education

Jon Anderson, physics teacher at Centennial High School, Circle Pine, MN has been appointed as the new AAPT PhysicsBowl Coordinator effective immediately. Myra West, Emeritus Professor, Kent State University, is the Associate Coordinator.

A special AAPT symposium was held at the GIREP/ICPE/EPEC conference on July 4, 2017, at Dublin City University, Dubin, Ireland. Participants included Eric Mazur, Harvard University, Andrew Gavrin, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Mats Selen, University of Illinois, and Ralf Widenhorn, Portland State University. David Sokoloff, University of Oregon, served a Session Chair.

Abstract: There is ample research evidence to conclude that the lecture model of physics education is flawed. Education is a two-step process: (1) information transfer, and (2) making sense of and assimilating that information. Flipping the classroom transforms the process so that (1) largely takes place outside, before class, and classroom activities are designed for (2) to take place in class. New strategies have been developed for students’ at-home preparation, while various active learning and assessment strategies have dramatically changed the classroom environment. This symposium will explore the rationales for flipping the classroom, strategies for both at-home and in-class student work in a flipped classroom, and research on the effectiveness of flipped classroom environments.

To view this symposium use this link to YouTube.

The United States Physics Team ranked eighth place out of 88 countries at the 48th International Physics Olympiad that was held in Yogya, Indonesia, July 16-24, 2017.

We are looking forward to the upcoming AAPT meeting in Northern Kentucky.  As you begin your preparations to travel, we want to reach out to all AAPT attendees, particularly those participants coming from California.

In June, 2017, the California Attorney General issued a ban on state-supported travel to the states of Texas, Alabama, South Dakota and Kentucky in response to legislation passed in those states regarding religious freedom and related issues.  In Kentucky, Senate Bill 17 was enacted in March 2017 to permit student religious and political organizations in public schools and publically-supported colleges and universities to be free from discrimination as they express religious or political viewpoints and establish organizational procedures and membership rules. The bill would allow student religious and political organizations equal access to public forums.

The California attorney general and the Human Rights Campaign have interpreted this Kentucky law as allowing for publically-supported discrimination in violation of one’s civil liberties, particularly those of our friends in the LGBTQ community.

We want to assure you that AAPT is working with the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau to make certain that all attendees at the AAPT meeting feel welcome and that the meeting is conducted in full regard to AAPT's statements and practices concerning diversity and inclusion. Eric Summe, President and CEO of MeetNKY, has written to AAPT affirming that "Northern Kentucky is welcoming to everyone and we take great pride in being a destination where all are respected and valued.  Northern KY supports diversity and inclusion of all people and we live these principles in everything we do. We’re very excited and look forward to serving you later this month."

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2017 Traveling Team at the 48th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held July 16–24, 2017 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia..

AAPT upgraded its online services portal to a new platform.

Please note that the Early Bird registration deadline for AAPT’s 2017 Summer Meeting has been extended to June 30 to accommodate the service outage during the upgrade to the new platform. An FAQ page for the portal upgrade is available on aapt.org. We welcome feedback from you about the new portal and how it might be improved. Feedback about the upgraded portal may be sent to membership@aapt.org.

America's brightest emerging physicists will arrive at Physics Boot Camp this week. They come from California, Florida, India, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. There are high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Five of them are returning as second time members of the United States Physics Team.

Results for the 2017 AAPT PhysicsBowl Contest have been posted. Check Results Here!

This spring AAPT will be switching its AAPT Services Portal to a new platform. The change will simplify operations such as signing up for membership, renewing your membership, registering for national meetings, making purchases with the Physics Store, updating your account information, and, of course, donating to AAPT. This new portal has been built to work on all platforms (mobile, tablet, or desktop). Look for more information from AAPT in the weeks to come.

The Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT will be presented to Joseph Kozminski, Duane Merrell, Paul Stanley, Toni Sauncy, and William Reitz during the 2017 Summer Meeting in Cincinatti.

The 2017 AAPT Fellows Awardees have been announced.

On March 29th, the Board of Directors of AAPT voted to partner with the "March for Science" organization to advocate for science and science education.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2017 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in K-12 Physics Teaching Award winner is J. Mark Schober, a science teacher at Trinity School in New York City.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that John C. Brown, University of Glasgow Scotland, School of Physics and Astronomy, is the 2017 recipient of the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award.

AAPT has announced that Kenneth Heller will receive the Robert A. Millikan Medal during the 2017 Summer Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Cindy Schwarz will receive the 2017 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching.

The AAPT/ALPhA Award recognizes outstanding work in the development of an advanced laboratory apparatus/experiment by an undergraduate physics student at his/her home institution within the United States.

If we want to promote innovation, we must support teachers. It is hard to think of a more urgent priority for the country and planet than...

The National PhysTEC Teacher of the Year is Alexandra (Solender) Boyd from Elon University who is currently teaching at Holly Springs High School in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

AAPT joined 151 other societies in signing a letter to President Trump about the executive order on immigration and visas he signed on Friday.

AAPT has joined other associations in an advocacy open letter to the Trump Transition Team for Education.

The new Scitation website will go live Monday December 12, 2016 at 8:00 pm EST.

In a press release dated December 5, 2016, the White House has recognized AAPT and its collaborators for work on the integration of computational modeling and physics.

This weekend, a total of sixteen physics educators will meet at the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). Selected by a committee that include representatives from the AAPT, the American Modeling Teachers Association, and the Physics Teacher Education Coalition, these teachers were named AAPT Physics Master Teacher Leaders. This group includes teachers from around the nation, and includes active elementary and secondary teachers of physics, pre-service teacher educators, and school administrators.

AAPT joins the Southern Ohio Section and The Ohio State University - Marion in honoring the life of professor, Dr. Gordon J. Aubrecht, II.

Attention online journal subscribers. AAPT, in partnership with AIP is working to improve your online journal access through the Scitation website to give you a better reading and researching experience. Soon, the American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher will have a new design and enhanced navigation on your computer, tablet, and phone. Expect more announcements about these big changes soon. You will start seeing the changes in December 2016.

AAPT has announced that Richard Gelderman will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2017 Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

AAPT has announced that Ernest R. Behringer will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2017 Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

AAPT has announced that Ann M. Robinson will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2017 Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

AAPT has announced that Kenneth S. Krane will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2017 Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

AAPT has announced that Sharon Kirby will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2017 Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

The following members have been elected to serve on the AAPT Board of Directors:
Vice President: Mel Sabella
At Large High School Representative: Daniel Crowe
Secretary: Wolfgang Christian

The American Institute of Physics (AIP), a federation of physical science societies organized as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership corporation, is seeking a Chair of its Board of Directors.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced that Richard Price will assume the position of Editor for the American Journal of Physics (AJP) in 2017.

The Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP), has assembled a new report, entitled Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers, which assesses the employment landscape that physics bachelor's degree recipients are entering and makes recommendations on how physics departments can better prepare physics students for diverse employment.

Articles, information, stories, images and other resources related to topological phases of matter and topological phase transitions are now available online. Related articles from AIP member societies are also listed.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Jay M. Pasachoff has been selected to receive the 2017 Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award. Pasachoff is recognized with the award for outstanding contributions to physics and effectively communicating those contributions to physics educators.

Jan Tobochnik has been named as the 2017 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The Medal will be awarded at a Ceremonial Session of the 2017 AAPT Winter Meeting, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Oersted Medal recognizes his outstanding, widespread, and lasting impact on the teaching of physics through his contributions to the use of computer simulations to motivate active learning.

The National Science Foundation announced that it has awarded the American Association of Physics Teachers a nearly $1.25 million grant to help teachers effectively plan and implement classroom instruction in algebra-based Physics First courses that integrates computational thinking through two existing research-based approaches - Modeling Instruction for physics and Bootstrap for computational modeling. Working with Physics First teachers will allow this project to impact student populations which will be demographically more diverse than students historically enrolled in standalone computer science courses or upper-grade physics courses.

Seven AAPT members will be honored later this summer as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion, and are invited to Washington, DC, for an awards ceremony, as well educational and celebratory events, and visits with members of the Administration.

The 2016 AAPT Fellows Awardees have been announced. The criterion for selection of Fellows is exceptional contribution to AAPT’s mission, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching. Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one's professional peers. Any AAPT member who has maintained an active membership for at least 7 years is eligible for nomination for Fellowship. Nominations are evaluated by the AAPT Awards committee and approved by the AAPT Board of Directors.

Out of the ninety participating counties, the U.S. tied for 7th on the medal count, with two gold and three silver medals. The team ranked fifth on the point count, after China, Taiwan, Korea, and Russia.

The AAPT - including representatives from the AAPT Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRA), American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), and the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) - selected 17 outstanding leaders in K-12 physics education for the Physics Master Teacher Leader Taskforce.

You may have read recently in the June 2016 Physics Today (pp. 30-32) and in the news about harassment issues at professional society meetings. In light of these discussions, the AAPT Board of Directors and Executive Office affirms that the Association expects the highest level of professional behavior of everyone at its meetings and events. We all want AAPT meetings and workshops to be productive and welcoming for all and that means we all need to treat each other with respect and dignity. If you experience any unethical behavior or see such behavior directed towards someone else at the meeting, you may report that behavior to one of the AAPT staff so that appropriate action can be taken. AAPT will soon release a formal Code of Conduct and lay out the details of procedures to be followed in case violations of that Code are reported.

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2016 Traveling Team at the 47th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held July 10 –18, 2016 in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

This month, the AAPT announces plans to create a Physics Master Teacher Leader (PhysicsMTL) Taskforce. This one-year recognition and leadership opportunity is a call to bring together the "best of best" of K-12 teachers of physics to create a new set of aspirational and coherent professional development and leadership models for the K-12 physics education community. Apply to http://goo.gl/forms/ZUYZeIBM8sHVzrHI3. Contact Rebecca Vieyra, K-12 Program Manager, for questions: rvieyra@aapt.org

John David Jackson, whose landmark textbook, Classical Electrodynamics, has been a central part of graduate education for more than half a century, died on May 20, 2016, in Lansing, Michigan, at the age of 91. He was a meticulous scholar, a wise counselor, a tireless advocate for human rights and academic freedom, and a pillar of the international particle physics community. His theoretical research was characterized by uncommon insight and a deep engagement with experiment.

For Jackson's brief memoir click on the "Read more" link below. AAPT's obituary for Jackson can be found at our In Memoriam page.

America's brightest emerging physicists will arrive at Physics Boot Camp this week. They come from Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. There are high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Four of them are returning as second time members of the United States Physics Team.

Results for the 2016 AAPT PhysicsBowl Contest have been posted. Check Results Here!

AAPT has announced that the Summer 2016 recipients of the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguised Service to AAPT will be awarded to Stephen Kanim, Kevin Lee, Dan MacIsaac, Mel Sabella, and Kathleen Falconer

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced that it was selected, in partnership with lead organization STEMteachersNYC, and the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), to receive a $195,000 grant from 100Kin10. The grant will fund equip physics teachers with the skills and curriculum needed to integrate computational thinking into their classrooms with leaders from the Bootstrap project.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Margaret Wertheim founder of the Institute For Figuring, is the 2016 recipient of the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award. The award will be presented during the 2016 Summer Meeting in Sacramento, CA.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2016 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in K-12 Physics Teaching Award winner is Tom Erekson, a physics teacher from Lone Peak High School, Highland UT. The award will be presented during the 2016 Summer Meeting in Sacramento, CA.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Andy Gavrin will receive the 2016 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching during the 2016 Summer Meeting in Sacramento, CA.

AAPT has announced that Stephen M. Pompea will receive the Robert A. Millikan Medal during the 2016 Summer Meeting in Sacramento, CA. This award recognizes educators who have made notable and intellectually creative contributions to the teaching of physics.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first publication of Albert Einstein's prediction of the existence of gravitational waves. With interest in this topic piqued by the centennial, scientists from the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and international partners will discuss their ongoing efforts to observe gravitational waves.
LIGO Website

Live Webcast - Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. 10:30 AM EST

On December 22, 2015, the White House announced that Shirley Ann Jackson was named a National Medal of Science recipient. In 2001, she was named the recipient of AAPT’s Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award.

The AAPT membership has voted in favor of changing the Association governance and has adopted the new By-Laws.

Additionally, the following members have been elected to serve on the AAPT Executive Board:
Vice President: Gordon Ramsey
Member at Large (Four-Year College Rep): Karen Jo Matsler
Treasurer: R. Steven Turley

AAPT has announced that Karl Mamola has received the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2016 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

AAPT has announced that David Weaver has received the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2016 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

AAPT has announced that Gay Stewart will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2016 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

AAPT has announced that Michael Faleski has received the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2016 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

AAPT has announced that Marina Milner-Bolotin will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2016 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The American Association of Physics Teachers congratulates the winners of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, Takaaki Kajita at The University of Tokyo and Arthur B. McDonald at Queen’s University "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass"

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Derek Muller has been selected to receive the 2016 Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award. Muller is recognized with the award for outstanding contributions to physics and effectively communicating those contributions to physics educators.

John W. Belcher has been named as the 2016 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).

The Awards Committee has announced that twelve nominees will receive the 2015 "Fuller Memberships.

The United States Physics Team tied for second place at the 46th International Physics Olympiad that was held in Mumbai India, July 5 -12, 2015.

Seven AAPT members will be honored later this summer as the 2015 recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2015 Traveling Team at the 46th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held July 5 –12, 2015 in Mumbai, India.

Super Balls are toys beloved by children because of their extraordinary ability to bounce. Physicists love them for exactly the same reason.

"Physicists love it because it has interesting physical properties," said Rod Cross, retired professor of physics at the University of Sydney in Australia, whose latest paper on Super Balls appears in the American Journal of Physics. His research also demonstrated the odd way all balls roll.

May 21, 2015, Washington, D.C. – The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced today that it has selected applied physicist Robert G.W. Brown as its new Chief Executive Officer.

The American Journal of Physics invites submissions for a special theme issue focused on Relativity and Gravitation: Contemporary Research and Teaching of Einstein's Physics.

Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, "Do We Live in the Matrix?", featuring a segment concentrated on the research of S. James Gates on adinkras in supersymmetry, will air on the Science Channel, Wednesday, May 20, 10:00 PM, check local listings.

(AIP Inside Science Currents Blog - May 12) - Tuesday evening's deadly derailment that sent an Amtrak Northeast Regional train careening off its tracks has many people asking how such a tragedy could happen. On a purely physical level, the train's derailment due to excessive speed can be understood in terms of Newton's first law of motion.

AAPT has announced the 2015 U.S. Physics Team and has posted its schedule for this year.

The AAPT Fellows for 2015 are Frank Cascarano, Anthony Escuadro, Paul J. Heafner, William T. Waggoner, and Paul Williams. The new Fellows will be recognized during the Summer Meeting in College Park, Maryland.

AAPT has announced that the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT will be awarded to Kathleen Harper, Jill Marshall, Marie Plumb, Scott Schultz, and Albert Thompson during the 2015 Summer Meeting in College Park, Maryland.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2014 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching Award winner is Gillian Winters, a New York State Master Teacher and high school physics teacher from St James, New York.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that David A. Weintraub of the Vanderbilt University Department of Physics and Astronomy, is the 2015 recipient of the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Dwain Desbien will receive the 2015 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching.

AAPT has announced that Robert A. Morse will receive the Robert A. Millikan Medal during the 2015 Summer Meeting in College Park, MD. This award recognizes educators who have made notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics.

The abstract submission deadline for the 2015 AAPT Summer Meeting in College Park has been extended until midnight March 1, 2015 PST.

AAPT will join forces with the National Society of Black Physicists during their 2015 Conference: Re-Visioning the Future of Scientific Leadership, at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel February 25-28.

Unless you have been out of the country for the past few weeks, you certainly know that a major controversy has arisen concerning the purported under-inflation of footballs used in the January 18, 2015 American Football Conference championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. AAPT invites physics teachers and students to join in a crowd-sourcing challenge.

The Laboratory Goals Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Committee on Laboratories, has reviewed the state of the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum and related physics education research on the physics laboratory and has made recommendations that foster the development of many key 21st century skills and competencies. Read the new recommendations.

The American Institute of Physics is searching for a new CEO. The ideal candidate will be a strategic, visionary, and an innovative leader, with a minimum of 10 years of relevant senior executive level leadership experience.

See the complete position posting on the AIP.org website.

The Committee on History and Philosophy of Physics has been selected as the 2014 AAPT Area Committee of the year.

The American Association of Physics Teachers announced that Dr. Mary Elizabeth Mogge has assumed the role of AAPT President, becoming the 80th physics educator to fill the role.

At a special meeting of the AAPT membership attendees voted to approve a resolution to allow AAPT to base results of elections held electronically on an affirmative majority of those voting and to update AAPT ‘s Certificate of Incorporation to be in compliance with New York State law.

AAPT, represented by Executive Officer, Beth A. Cunningham, joined President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President Biden along with hundreds of college presidents and other higher education leaders to announce new actions to help more students prepare for and graduate from college.

Rush Holt, a physicist, educator, eight-term Democratic member of Congress, and Life Member of AAPT, has been named the new CEO of AAAS. During his years in congress, Holt has been a strong supporter of the U.S. Physics Team, making time to meet with team members during their training for the International Physics Olympiad.

On November 11, the White House announced the 2014 recipients of the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor in the United States. Millie Dresselhaus, former recipient of the Oersted Medal, is among the diverse group of recipients who are recognized for making "extraordinary contributions to our country and the world." Millie will be honored in a White House ceremony with other luminaries, including Isabel Allende, Tom Brokaw, Ethel Kennedy, Meryl Streep, and Stevie Wonder, on November 24.

The AAPT membership has elected the following to serve on the AAPT Executive Board:
Vice President: George Amann
Member at Large (TYC): Sherry Savrda
Secretary: Wolfgang Christian

AAPT has announced that the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT will be awarded to David M. Cook, Andrew Gavrin, Elizabeth Holsenbeck, and Elisha Huggins during the 2015 Winter Meeting in San Diego, California.

In celebration of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, AAPT presents this resource for members to use in teaching about the physics behind the Nobel Prize.

This new video produced by AAPT, APS, and SPS shares the stories and words of wisdom and encouragement from many women in physics from around the world. Feel free to distributed the video to your colleagues and women who are considering a career in physics. Click the read more link below to view the video.

Karl C. Mamola has been named as the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The medal will be awarded at a Ceremonial Session of the 2015 AAPT Winter Meeting in San Diego, California, in recognition of his significant contributions to physics education through his roles as editor of The Physics Teacher and as mentor for students, prospective authors, column editors, reviewers, and others.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) is searching for a new Resource Letters Editor to begin duties following the Winter 2015 AAPT meeting in San Diego. Applications and nominations should be sent to Jan Tobochnik at jant@kzoo.edu. Applications should include a cover letter, a cv, and the names and email addresses of three references. Applications will receive full consideration if received by October 15, 2014.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the Melba Newell Phillips Medal has been awarded to Thomas L. O'Kuma, Physics Faculty, Lee College, Baytown, Texas, in recognition of his creative leadership and dedicated service that have resulted in exceptional contributions within AAPT.

Danielle Spaete and Rebecca Vieyra have agreed to serve as eMentor Co-Coodinators starting in September. Both have many years of experience teaching high school physics. In addition, both have been active in AAPT, PTRA, and as mentors. Al Thompson has served as the first eMentor Coordinator since the start of the program in 2011. We thank Al for his leadership and welcome Danielle and Rebecca in their new roles.

The election of officers for the AAPT Executive Board will take place between September 17 and November 4. Members will receive instruction through email or, if no email is on file, through the mail to help you vote electronically. Those elected will take office at the close of the 2015 Winter Meeting.

The International Commission on Physics Education has announced that the winner of the 2014 ICPE Medal for outstanding contributions to physics education is Professor Cedric Linder of Uppsala University, Sweden.

The award recognizes Professor Linder's outstanding contributions to physics education research. His work has been notable for its range, depth and impact, as well for its international scope. Through his work Cedric Linder has helped to change the way in which physics is taught by enabling colleagues to appreciate the learning experience of students. He has influenced lives by opening up physics to many disadvantaged students, and he has added new theoretical insights and methodological approaches to the practice of physics education research.

The full citation for Professor Linder is available (click read more below).

AIP has just released the results from the 2012-13 Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers.

The top U.S. physics students scored three gold medals and two silver medals at the 45th International Physics Olympiad (IPHO), held this year from July 13 - 21 in Astana, Kazakhstan where the best high school physics students from 86 countries competed.

Follow the team on Flickr.

During the period July1-10, 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.

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.

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).

The American Association of Physics Teachers has posted the results, solutions, and certificates for the 2014 PhysicsBowl.

The Minerva Project has announced that the first Minerva Prize for Advancements in Education--which comes with a $500K check--will be awarded to Dr. Eric Mazur, the Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics and Area Dean for Applied Physics at Harvard University. An AAPT member, Dr. Mazur is well know to our members and New Faculty Workshop attendees.

Nineteen students from across the U.S. have emerged through a rigorous exam process that began last January with approximately 4,277 students who participated in the Fnet=ma exam to become the 2014 U.S. Physics Team.

Teacher Appreciation Week is a nationally celebrated event that honors teachers who make a difference for kids every day.

You can participate by sharing a photo and thank you note that honors your "best teacher ever." It could be a family member, a friend, or a teacher they had as a child. Upon submission, you will receive a stamped photo in return to share with their networks and with the teacher they honored. Teach for America will compile these testimonials into a powerful visual quilt on their website and roll the stories up into a final video: the world's largest thank you card for teachers.

AAPT is offering a special Teacher Appreciation Week discount in The Physics Store. Simply click "Enter Vouchers" before you check out, enter the Promotion Code, TAP14, and save 10 percent on your total order.

Physics is fundamental to understanding how amusement park rides operate. As a participating sponsor of Physics Day at Six Flags in Maryland, AAPT provides volunteers, and holds events that support student learning. The 2014 Physics Day at Six Flags is Friday, May 2.

The national office of AAPT joins the New York section of AAPT in mourning the death of John D. FitzGibbons. John was an active member of the New York section of AAPT and a Physics Teaching Resource Agent.

The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) project is soliciting proposals for new sites. There will be an interactive webinar on the PhysTEC solicitation at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 22. To register for the webinar, view it at a later time or find proposal information, go to www.phystec.org/solicitation.

Initial comprehensive site proposals are due May 12; full proposals (if invited) will be due September 8; and funding begins August 2015.

Recruiting grants are also available. Proposals are due June 5, with funding to begin September 2014.

AAPT has announced that the Summer 2014 recipients of the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguised Service to AAPT will be awarded to Paul (Joe) Heafner, Dyan Jones, Martha Lietz, and Evelyn Restivo.

The American Association of Physics Teachers has announced the publication of "Women in Physics: A collection of reprints in honor of Melba Newell Phillips".

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2014 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching Award winner is Bradford Hill, a high school physics teacher from Beaverton, Oregon.

AAPT has announced that Eugenia Etkina will receive the 2014 Robert A. Millikan Medal during the 2014 Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, MN.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Donald W. Olson is the 2014 recipient of the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award. This award recognizes educators who have made notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. The lecture and award will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Minneapolis, MN.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood will share the 2014 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching.

AAPT joins Rensselear Polytechnic Insitute, the physics community, and the family in mourning the death of Dr. Robert Resnick. Dr. Resnick was the 1974 recipient of the Oersted Medal and served as President of AAPT from 1986-87 and 1988-89.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has announced the establishment of an AAPT Fellowship Program.

The American Association of Physics Teachers announced today that Steven Iona has assumed the role of AAPT President.

Governor Rick Scott declared, in an official proclamation, that the upcoming week of January 4-11, 2013 will be "Physics Education Week" in Florida.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, AAPT is making Nobel Laureate Luis W. Alvarez's report, "A physicist examines the Kennedy assassination film," about the physics of the Zapruder film freely available to the public.

AAPT congratulates Steven Pollock, Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year and Gintaras Duda, Outstanding Master's Universities and Colleges Professor of the Year. Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the awards recognize professors for their influence on teaching and commitment to undergraduate students.

The AAPT membership has elected the following to serve on the AAPT Executive Board:
for President: Steve Iona
for Vice-President: Janelle Bailey
for Treasurer: Steve Turley
for HS Representative: Jan Mader

AAPT has announced that the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT will be awarded to Jan Mader, Taha Mzoughi, Gabe Spalding, and Lee Trampleasure at the 2014 Winter Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

The new and improved Scitation platform will launch soon. This change will require you to re-register for Table of Content alerts for this and other publications. In addition to standard TOC alerts, you will also be able to sign up for Topic-specific alerts to stay up-to-date with the latest research in your fields of interest. Complete details on the new Scitation and instructions on how to sign up will be coming soon.

Dean Zollman has been named as the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Professor Sir Michael Victory Berry, has been selected to receive the 2014 Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award.

The family of Mary Beth Monroe wishes to thank everyone for the flower arrangements sent to the funeral as well as all the support they have received.

The election of officers for the AAPT Executive Board will take place between September 17 and November 4. With the opening in the AAPT presidential chain created by the passing of AAPT President Elect Mary Beth Monroe, the Executive Board authorized the Nominating Committee to find candidates for a special election to fill the position of President. Members will receive instruction through email or, if no email is on file, through the mail to help you vote electronically. Those elected will take office at the close of the 2014 Winter Meeting.

AAPT joins the University of Colorado - Boulder and family of Al Bartlett, past AAPT President, in mourning his death.

AAPT joins the Texas Section and family of Mary Beth Monroe, AAPT President Elect, in mourning her death.

The top US physics students scored three gold medals and two silver medals at the 44th International Physics Olympiad (IPHO), held this year from July 7 - 15 in Copenhagen Denmark where the best high school physics students from 83 countries competed.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has granted the Texas Physics Consortium, a group of Texas Physics Departments, permission to offer a joint BS degree in physics.

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2013 Traveling Team at the 44th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from July 7 to 15.

AAPT has announced the appointment of Gary Dane White as the new editor for The Physics Teacher (TPT). White, currently on leave from the American Institute of Physics as a program director at the National Science Foundation, will start as the new TPT editor on August 1, 2013.

The recipients of the 2012 Barbara Lotze Scholarships for Future Teachers are Margarita Apolo Esteban, Kristin Rene Holz, Rebecca Kristine Napolitano, and Elizabeth Noel Olson.

The Society for Science & the Public, in partnership with the Intel Foundation, announced the Special Award Organization winners of the Intel ISEF 2013. Student winners are ninth through twelfth graders who earned the right to compete at the Intel ISEF 2013 by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state or national science fair. See the AAPT/APS winners by clicking on the link "Special Award Organization Winners" at the website www.societyforscience.org/isef/.

When it comes to physics, the United States still trains some of the world's best high school physics students. Those students comprising the 2013 U.S. Physics Team will be training and competing in College Park, MD, next month as they prepare for the 44th International Physics Olympiad this July in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The PhysTEC program was highlighted in the FY 2014 National Science Foundation Budget Request to Congress. The program is recognized for the success of member institutions that graduate about 300 high-school physics teachers per year, addressing a significant fraction of the growing national need for 1400 new physics teachers per year. See page 14 in the document linked below.

AAPT is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 PhysicsBowl.

Google gave AAPT member and physics teacher, Andrew Vanden Heuvel, the opportunity to teach a once-in-a-lifetime physics lesson directly from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

AAPT joins the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Michigan Section of AAPT in honoring the lifetime contributions of Paul W. Zitzewitz to the physics education community, the Dearborn arts community and his family.

AAPT has announced that Bob Powell will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT during the 2013 Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

AAPT joins the North Carolina Section and the employees of WebAssign in this recognition of John Risley who passed away at home after battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer for 6 months. He joined the physics faculty at North Carolina State University in 1976 and spent the first part of his career doing research in atomic physics and the second part of his career in physics education.

AAPT has announced that Daniel H. Phelps will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT during the 2013 Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon.Phelps is a retired physics teacher, having taught physics at the University of British Columbia, St. Georges School and Columbia College.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2013 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching Award winner is Thomas F. Haff, a high school physics teacher from Seattle, Washington. This award is in recognition of contributions to pre-college physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students. The award will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today Michael Jackson is the recipient of 2013 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching. This award is given in recognition of contributions to undergraduate physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students. The award will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

The Melba Newell Phillips Medal has been awarded to Lillian C. McDermott, Ph.D., Professor of Physics at the University of Washington, in recognition of her creative leadership and dedicated service that have resulted in exceptional contributions within AAPT. The Medal will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Harvey Gould is the 2013 recipient of the Robert A. Millikan Medal. This award recognizes educators who have made notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. The Medal will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

On February 1, 2013, Sylvester James 'Jim' Gates Jr. will receive the National Medal of Science in a ceremony webcast live at 2 pm.

On January 9, 2013, Gay Stewart assumed the role of AAPT President.

Research Media LTD is Europe's leading portal for scientific dissemination. In the interview she describes the Association's latest initiatives to engage the next generation and to promote physics as well as other science disciplines to all.

"The Physics Front" has been selected as the Linksgiving.com "Weekly Link Award" winner for the week of December 16 - 22, 2012. Online since 2001, Linksgiving.com is a high quality directory of user-submitted links to the most interesting and useful Web sites (in English, German and Italian language).

Click here for a the listing at Linksgiving.com. Description: Provides high quality resources tailored for the teaching of high school physics and physical sciences.

The criterion for election is exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise; e.g., outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics, or significant contributions to physics education. Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one's professional peers. Congratulations, David.

We offer congratulations to the following: Mary Mogge, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, has been elected as Vice President. Wolfgang Christian, Davidson College, has been elected as Secretary. Aaron Titus, High Point University, has been elected as At-Large Four-Year College Representative. They will join the AAPT Executive Board following the Winter Meeting 2013 in New Orleans, LA.

AAPT joins the Ohio Section and Kenyon College in mourning the passing of Franklin Miller Jr. He received the 1970 Millikan Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers for "creative teaching of physics".

The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) is requesting proposals for new sites. The deadline for submitting an initial proposal is October 26. The Request for Proposals (RFP) is available at www.phystec.org/solicitation.

A. James Mallmann, Stan Micklavzina, and Sarah "Sam" McKagan to receive 2013 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT.

AAPT has named David Pines as the 2013 John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Award recipient.

Edward Frederick (Joe) Redish has been named the 2013 recipient of the prestigious Oersted Medal.

The 2012 AAPT Executive Board election is scheduled to begin on September 17. Candidate information will be included with emails sent to members but you can review them in advance. This is an electronic election. If you don't currently have an email address in your record, please add it as soon as possible so you can receive notification by email.

AAPT invites applications, inquires, and nominations for the position of Editor of The Physics Teacher (TPT), with an appointment to begin in the summer 2013. TPT is a prestigious journal/magazine dedicated to the advancement of physics teaching at the high school and introductory college/university levels. The editor has full responsibility for the content of the journal.

The winners of the 2012 AAPT Apparatus Competition were announced at the AAPT summer meeting in Philadelphia. The winning entries can be seen here.

The winners of the 2012 AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest were announced at the AAPT summer meeting in Philadelphia. First, Second, and Third place winners as well as an Honorable Mention for both natural and contrived catagories have been selected. The winners and top 100 photos have been posted on AAPT's website.

Nima Arkani Hamad, was already scheduled to talk on "Space-Time, Quantum Mechanics, and the Large Hadron Collider" when he received word that he was one of 9 recipients to share the $27 million Fundamental Physics Prize, established by Yuri Milner. Attendees at the AAPT Summer Meeting were spreading the news as they gathered to meet the $3,000,000 prize winner.  The New York Times had this to say. The Atlantic had this to say. Click below for the Philadelphia Inquirer article.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has proclaimed July 29-August 4, 2012 Physics Education Week. AAPT members and physics educators from around the world will meet in Philadelphia during the week to "advance and enhance our quality of life" through physics education.

Eric Schneider, Allan Sadun, and Kevin Zhou earned gold medals Jeffrey Cai, and Jeffrey Yan earned silver medals at the 2012 International Physics Olympiad in Estonia. China and Taiwan tied for first place with 5 gold medals, Singapore was second with 4 gold Medals, the USA, Korea, and Russia tied with 3 gold and 2 silver.

AAPT member, Dr. Charles Henderson has been appointed senior editor of the journal, "Physical Review Special Topics-Physics Education Research." This is the top international journal in the field of physics education research. Henderson is associate professor of physics and science education at Western Michigan University.

Dr. Sarah Formica, associate professor of physics at North Georgia College & State University, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair.

On June 11 President Obama named 97 mathematics and science teachers as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The 2011 award winners include AAPT members, Dean Baird (Sacramento, CA); Stacy McCormack (Mishawaka, IN who is also recipient of the 2011 Paul W. Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in Pre-College Teaching); Joshua Underwood (Mount Olivet, KY); Barry Hopkins (Severna Park, MD); Donald Pata (Grosse Point Woods, MI); Francesco Neal-Noschese (Cross River, NY); Holly Sullivan (Lugoff, SC); and Paul Kuhlman (Avon, SD).

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2012 Traveling Team at the 43rd International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held in Estonia, from July 15 to 24.

For most living humans June 5, 2012 will be their last chance to see Venus cross in front of the Sun, to share the fascination felt by astronomers in past centuries, and to appreciate their observations and measurements. It is also an occasion to organize public viewings and to participate in international projects to publicize, view, and measure the transit.

The Next Generation Science Standards by Achieve have been released for public review. The development of these standards is the first step towards more uniform standards in science. The public will only have three weeks to provide feedback on the NGSS. Achieve has a formal survey to complete by June 1st . If you are interested in preparing your responses before actually going to the survey, a PDF version of the survey is available. The survey is arranged so that you can provide feedback on all aspects of the standards - science & engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, as well as core disciplinary content - and also on different grades and grade bands.

AAPT is pleased to announce that registration for the 2012 AAPT Summer Meeting in Philadelphia, PA is now open. Early Bird registration ends June 4th. Reserve your room now! Group rate ends July 3rd.

The 2012 US Physics Team has been selected.

AAPT is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 PhysicsBowl.

The Distinguished Service Citations for the Summer Meeting in Philadelphia will be presented to Eugenia Etkina, Jose D. Garcia, and Chandralekha Singh.

AAPT has announced the receipt of a generous gift from The Physics Academic Software Publishing Organization (PASPO) to support ComPADRE.

We are sad to report the passing of Bob Fuller on Monday April 9, 2012.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2012 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching Award winner is Mark D. Greenman, a retired high school math and science teacher from Swampscott, MA. This award is in recognition of contributions to pre-college physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today Kevin Michael Lee is the recipient of 2012 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching Award. This award is given in recognition of contributions to undergraduate physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students. John Wiley & Sons is the principal source of funding for this award, through its donation to the AAPT.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Philip M. Sadler is the 2012 recipient of the Robert A. Millikan Medal. This award recognizes educators who have made notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. The Medal will be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Just as efforts to increase the number of Physics Bachelor's degrees, through programs such as SPIN-UP and New Physics and Astronomy Faculty Workshops, are proving effective (up more than 2,000 degrees since 2001) several states, notably Texas, Missouri, and Louisiana, are implementing plans to cancel undergraduate degree programs in departments that graduate small numbers of majors. AAPT is playing an active role in increasing awareness of the implications of these state actions.

The vernal equinox - the first day of spring - arrived today (March 20) at 05:14 Universal Time, or 1:14 a.m. EDT. This year spring will make its earliest arrival since the late 19th century: 1896, to be exact.

We are now accepting contributed and poster abstracts for the 2012 Summer Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

The Semi-Finalists for the US Physics Team competition have been identified. Is there a semi-finalist in your home town?

Celebrating John Glenn and the 50th anniversary of the flight of Friendship 7. On February 20, 1962 John Glenn orbited the earth three times before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

Happy Birthday Galileo!

AAAS and NSF are organizing a series of events to provide information about submitting a proposal to the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. These include: a day-long workshop on February 21 in Washington, DC at AAAS headquarters and two 90-minute webinars (3:00pm-4:30pm ET) on February 15 and 16.

A National Academies' panel will explore the framework and dimensions during a webinar on "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has announced that Jill, A. Marshall, Ph.D. has assumed the role of AAPT President. Marshall, an associate professor in the Science and Mathematics Education group and Graduate Studies Committee Chair at the University of Texas, will serve as President in 2012, and Past President in 2013.

Gay Stewart will serve as President-Elect in 2012.

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released a report today on undergraduate STEM education. One of the report's recommendations (1-1) focuses on STEM faculty workshops and recognizes (page 19) the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop, sponsored by AAPT/APS/AAS, as an example of how to train college and university faculty in enhanced teaching methods.

Graduating? Congratulations. Post your resume and search for a physics teaching position at http://careers.aapt.org/jobs/

AAPT wishes a happy holiday season to all.

An international team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have found the fastest spinning star ever discovered.

The AAPT membership has elected the following to the AAPT Executive Board.

* Vice President -- Mary Beth Monroe, Southwest Texas Junior College, Uvalde, TX

* Two-Year College Member at Large -- Paul Williams, Austin Community College, Austin, TX

* Treasurer -- Paul Zitzewitz, University of Michigan, Dearborn, MI

They will begin their terms following the AAPT Winter Meeting, February 9, 2012. Please join us in welcoming them to the Board!

The registration for the 2012 F=MA Contest will open on November 1, 2011.

The registration for the Physics Bowl Contest will open on December 1, 2011.

December 1 is the application deadline for the following scholarships and grants:
-The Frederick and Florence Bauder Endowment for the Support of Physics Teaching (Bauder Fund)
-Barbara Lotze Scholarships for Future Teachers
-The High School Physics Teacher Grant

The post deadline for 2012 Winter Meeting abstracts is December 9.

AAPT has announced that Elizabeth Chesick will receive the association's Distinguished Service Citation during the 2012 Winter Meeting in Ontario, California.

AAPT has announced that Peter Hopkinson will be recognized with the association's Distinguished Service Citation during the 2012 Winter Meeting in Ontario, California.

AAPT has announced that Jan Tobochnik will be recognized with the association's Distinguished Service Citation during the 2012 Winter Meeting in Ontario, California.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Brian Greene, Ph.D., has been selected to receive The Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award. Greene, is recognized with the Award for outstanding contributions to physics and effectively communicating those contributions to physics educators.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2012 AAPT John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Award winner is Kip Thorne. This prestigious award will be presented to Thorne at a Ceremonial Session of the 2012 AAPT Winter Meeting at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, CA.

For more than forty years Charles H. Holbrow has made significant and innovative contributions to physics education and physics research. The Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), recognizes these contributions by naming him as the 2012 recipient of this prestigious Medal.

Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Reiss share the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae.

The American Institute of Physics has made available free of charge a selection of research papers by these Nobel Laureates. To view any of these materials go to http://journals.aip.org/Nobel2011.html.

The American Physical Society (APS), in coordination with the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the APS Forum on Education (APS FEd), is conducting a search for a successor to the current Editor of Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research (PRST-PER).

The initial appointment is for three years with renewal possible after review. Salary is negotiable. The desired starting date is 1 January 2012. The APS is an equal employment opportunity employer and specially encourages applications from or nominations of women and minorities. The search is not limited to residents of the United States. Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be sent by 15 November 2011 to: Paula Heron, Search Committee Chair, edsearch-per@aps.org.

AAPT has joined a growing multi-sector movement currently composed of more than 80 partners committed to working to recruit, develop, and retain 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the coming 10 years. The movement is being led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Opportunity Equation.

AAPT today received the GuideStar Exchange Seal, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability provided by GuideStar USA, Inc., the premier source of nonprofit information.

A major physics announcement out of CERN was broadcast on September 23. The OPERA experiment at Gran Sasso has detected neutrinos that may travel faster than the speed of light. This may be one of the most important and surprising physics developments in over a hundred years. For more see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15017484.

Robert Beichner, Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University was one of three winners of the 2011 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education..

The 2011 winners are being honored for pioneering digital education approaches. As part of the award Beichner collaborated with the other prize winners, Mitchel Resnick and Julie Young, to author a white paper citing how education technology can cultivate human connections. With an introduction by Dr. Steven Paine, vice president of CTB/McGraw-Hill and the former State Superintendent of Schools in West Virginia, the paper draws on the collective insights and perspectives of the Prize winners spanning across elementary, secondary and post-secondary education.

A few months after September 11, 2001 the Director of the National Science Foundation, Rita Colwell, delivered a speech to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars entitled "Science: Before and After September 11".

The election of officers for Executive Board service beginning in 2012 will begin on September 19, 2011. Instructions on how to access the ballot and vote in this electronic election will arrive via your email box. If you don't have an email address, watch the mail for instructions on how to vote electronically! The candidate information is now online.

Nominations are open for the 2013 election. Information on positions up for the 2013 election, including a link to the Nomination Form, is available at http://aapt.org/aboutaapt/nominate.cfm.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Robert "Bob" C. Hilborn, Ph.D., has joined the National Office as Associate Executive Officer. In this role, Dr. Hilborn will work closely with Dr. Beth Cunningham, Executive Officer, to support AAPT's educational programs.

The traveling members of the US Physics team competed with 393 of the most talented young physicists on the global stage, representing 84 countries, during the 42nd International Physics Olympiad and they brought home two gold and three silver medals. The Olympiad, held July 10-17, was sponsored by the Promotion of Academic Olympiads and Development of Science Education Foundation (POSN), under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra, and Chulalongkorn University (CU), in Bangkok, Thailand.

AAPT joined over 140 organizations and universities in signing a AAAS letter that went to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee urging "strong support for the federal research and development budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and its mission to advance research across a broad spectrum of disciplines, research that has fueled American economic growth for decades." Copies were also sent to all members of the House Appropriations Committee.

See the letter and the story.

The US Physics Team is in Thailand at the International Physics Olympiad. The IPhO2011 Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be streamed live on the official website. Watch these events:

Opening Ceremony: Monday 11 July 2011 at 10.00 hrs local time (GMT+7) which is Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 11:00:00 PM (EDT).

Closing Ceremony: Sunday 17 July 2011 at 17.00 hrs local time (GMT+7) which is Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 6:00:00 AM (EDT).

AAPT has announced that David P. Jackson will assume the position of Editor for the American Journal of Physics in 2012.

AAPT is currently advertising for an Associate Executive Officer. The candidate will be involved with many aspects of AAPT including many of the grant funded programs (the New Faculty Workshop, ComPADRE, PhysTEC, etc.), monitoring state and federal policies that affect STEM education to alert membership about important legislation, communicating with appropriate bodies about AAPT's priorities on education issues, raising funds for existing and new programs, serving as AAPT's representative to other science and education associations as well as a number of other responsibilities. The position description is available on the AAPT Careers website.

In 1949 Enrico Fermi was asked to select items for a time capsule. The capsule was housed in the Research Institute at University of Chicago where Fermi worked after World War II. The time capsule has now been opened. Can you guess what was found inside the capsule?

The 2011 US Physics Team Travelers were announced as training camp came to an end. The team members who will represent the team in Bangkok, Thailand at the 42nd International Physics Olympiad are Lucy Chen, Andrew Das Sarma, Ante Qu, Eric Spieglan, and Brian Zhang with coaches Paul Stanley and Warren Turner. Read the press release.

The 2011 PhysicsBowl winners have been posted at http://aapt.org/Programs/contests/physicsbowl.cfm. Congratulations to the top students, teams, and teachers.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is the world's largest international pre-college celebration of science. The 2011 Fair was held in Los Angeles and included 1,543 student Finalists who competed for over $4 million in total awards. The Finalists came from affiliate fairs in 65 countries, regions, and territories. AAPT and APS have been active participants in ISEF for many years, sponsoring prizes and providing judges.

The AAPT/APS First Place Winner, Yimeng Shi from Beijing, China, and Honorable Mention Awardee, Benjamin Mathias Clark from Millersville, PA, were also Grand Prize Winners in this year's fair.

The members of the 2011 US Physics Team have been selected.

Hubble 21st Anniversary Photo

Awards to be presented during the AAPT Summer Meeting:
James E. Hansen - Klopsteg Memorial Award
Brian Jones - Millikan Medal
Edward Prather - Halliday and Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching
Stacy McCormack - Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in Pre-College Teaching
Andrew Isola - Distinguished Service Citation
Todd Leif - Distinguished Service Citation
John Roeder - Distinguished Service Citation
Steven Turley - Distinguished Service Citation

At its November meeting, the American Physical Society Council elected to Fellowship five members of AAPT. Congratulations to Bruce Mason, John Mateja, Jose Mestre, David Van Baak, and Gary White.

Dr. Beth Cunningham is participating in the WIP conference in South Africa. Follow her blog at http://bethacunningham.wordpress.com/

For useful up-to-date information on the Fukushima nuclear power plant and other technical information see the following links: http://mitnse.com/, http://ansnuclearcafe.org/, and http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/.

The American Physical Society announced that the AAPT Physics Teaching Resource Agents Program has been awarded the 2011 Excellence in Physics Education Award. George Amann, Lawrence Bader, Robert Clark, Jan Mader, Karen Jo Matsler, and Jim Nelson have been invited to represent PTRA and receive the award during the April 2011 APS meeting.

AAPT joined other leaders in the scientific community in writing a letter of opposition to the House continuing resolution for FY2011 (H.R. 1) that would make deep cuts to the budgets of science agencies. AAPT members are urged to take action by contacting their Congressional representatives.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has announced that an endowment has been established for the Excellence in Pre-college Teaching Award through a generous gift from Paul W. and Barbara S. Zitzewitz.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has announced that David R. Sokoloff, Ph.D. has assumed the role of AAPT President. Sokoloff, Professor of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, will serve as President in 2011, and Past President in 2012.

During the Presidential Transfer ceremony at the AAPT 2011 Winter Meeting in Jacksonville, FL, David M. Cook reported on the accomplishments of the Association during his term as President.

Dr. Cunningham was introduced by former President, Lila Adair, at the beginning of the first plenary session of the 2011 Winter meeting. The full text of Dr. Cunningham's remarks is addressed to all AAPT members.

Dr. Cunningham's Opening Remarks