eNNOUNCER February 2015

Mary Elizabeth Mogge Becomes the 80th AAPT President

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. Read more »

Special Resolution Vote at Membership Meeting

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.

2014 Area Committee of the Year

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

A Study of Light: In Celebration of The International Year of Light

AAPT members have access to this new resource comprised of articles on light that were previously printed in the American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher and edited by Chris Chiaverina.
Additionaly, as a member society of the American Institute of Physics members can enjoy the information and photos in celebration of light shared in the Emilio Segre Visual Archives.

Membership Connections

AAPT is pleased to provide a set of membership referral materials to help you encourage a college to become a member. As Dan Schroeder, a life member put it, "the main reason to be a member of AAPT is to support all of the great work accomplished by the Association." Additionally, membership connects you with a world of physics educators who are working to enlighten society through excellence in K-20 teaching. You can find the new member referral poster, pass along card, and bookmark online in the Membership Recruitment Kit. To request printed copies to share with colleagues, email aaptmembership@aapt.org.

2015 AAPT Winter Meeting Follow-up

Exhibit Hall Passport
Hallie Stidham (High Point University)

AAPT Fitness Challenge
Jacob Brooks (High Point University)
Bryan Crump (Oakland Christian School)
James McLean (SUNY - Geneseo)
Sam Sampere (Syracuse University)

Thank you to everyone who joined us in San Diego for fours days of programming. Huge thanks to those who have already taken the attendee survey. If you have not done so, please take a few moments to complete it.

Abstracts for the 2015 AAPT Summer Meeting will be accepted January 21 - February 25. Learn more »

Recommendations for Undergraduate Physics Lab Curriculum

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 more »

2015 AAPT PhysicsBowl Registration Open!

The deadline for registration is March 9 for the 2015 AAPT PhysicsBowl taking place April 1 - April 17, 2015. Read more online.

AAPT's Ementoring Webinar Series

The 2015 Ementoring webinar Series:

January 12 - SimBucket with SimBucket developer Chris Bruce (recording available)

February 9 - Modeling Method of Instruction in Physics with Colleen Megowan-Romanowiscz, CEO of the American Modeling Teachers Association

March 9 - Interactive Lecture Demonstrations with author David Sokoloff

April 13 - Physics Classroom with developer Tom Henderson

May 11 - Technology Integration with high school teacher Dolores Gende

If you are interested in becoming an AAPT e-mentor or a mentee and participating in these webinars, please do not hesitate to contact Rebecca Vieyra at ementoring@aapt.org.

Fact-checking Bill Belichick's Claim About 'Deflategate'

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a self-declared non-scientist, held a pre-Superbowl news conference where he attempted to explain why a football inflated indoors would lose pressure after being used outside. Enter Robert Hilborn of the American Association of Physics Teachers. The Harvard-trained physicist showed in detail how a law of physics, the ideal gas law, applied to the Patriot's footballs. When a gas cools, it contracts. The ideal gas law helps us put numbers to that relationship between pressure and temperature. Read more online.

Save the Date

SM15 - Summer Meeting abstracts are open.

The next Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop will be held in College Park, MD June 22-25, 2015. Participants are nominated by their department chairs. The nomination form can be found here.

AAPT Statement on High School Physics Courses

The AAPT Executive Board has adopted a statement about the desired characteristics of high school courses aimed at preparing students for STEM-related work in colleges and universities. The full text of the statement can be found here.

Survey on Understanding Part-Time Online Instructors

Part-time college and university instructors who teach online are encouraged to complete a survey focused on "Understanding Part-time Online Instructors". The survey is available here. The number of part-time online instructors is growing across the globe. Yet there is a large gap in the academic literature regarding the current characteristics of part-time online instructors. A research program is trying to close that gap through the use of an online survey. For example, what are the demographic characteristics of, reasons for teaching, and amount of teaching done by the the part-time online instructors? Are there distinct profiles or types of part-time online instructors that can be identified? If so, what art they? The results of the survey will help shape AAPT's design of professional development opportunities for part-time instructors.

Set Your Physics Today Preferences

AIPP, publisher of Physics Today makes this publication available as part of your AAPT membership. With their recent change in vendors, members may now choose to receive print or digital copies of Physics Today at no additional cost. You will continue to have online to Physics Today. Read how to set your preferences.

James Stankevitz, January's WWEA Educator Spotlight

The Wheaton Warrenville Education Association (WWEA) recognized AAPT member, James Stankevitz, a 20 year Science educator at Wheaton Warrenville South High School in District 200 with 38 years of teaching experience. Read more »

NSF Seeks Director for Division of Undergraduate Education

A permanent full-time program director position in physics is available in the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education. The ideal candidate will have expertise in physics, physics undergraduate education, and knowledge of physics education research. The application deadline is February 23, 2015. Further information is available at www.usajobs.gov.

American Institute of Physics CEO Search

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 positiion posting on the AIP.org website.

National Teaching Assistant Workshop

Mobilizing the Forgotten Army: Preparing TAs for Leadership in STEM Education
Physics departments are invited to send a team to a national workshop on physics and chemistry graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Sponsored by Research Corporation for Science Advancement and co-sponsored by the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, and the American Association of Physics Teachers, the workshop offers the opportunity for a small group of departmental teams to interact together with colleagues who have expertize in supporting GTAs in physics and chemistry.
Date: May 27-29, 2015
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Who: Departmental teams consisting of one "mentor/master" TA and one faculty member.
Nomination deadline: February 13, 2015.
Online nomination form and additional information.

Meggers Project Award

The William F. and Edith R. Meggers Project Award of the American Institute of Physics is a biennial award designed to fund projects for the improvement of high-school physics teaching in the United States.  The Award was made possible by an endowment created by the gift of a stamp and coin collection from William F. and Edith R. Meggers to the American Institute of Physics. Application submission deadline: March 31, 2015

Your Smartphone Can Do Physics

That smartphone you carry around in your pocket all day is a pretty versatile lab assistant. It is packed with internal senors that measure everything from acceleration to sound volume to magnetic field strength. Read more »

NY Times: Games Played by the Laws of Physics

While games like Angry Birds may seem to have little to do with physics, many make use of the laws of motion, materials science and gravity. In a recent column, Kit Eaton reviewed several physics games, finding them to be fun and educational. Read more »

Summer 2015 Workshops

The American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) has posted their Summer 2015 workshops. Workshops are scheduled for the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. Internationally in Hong Kong. The information is subject to change so check the site every so often to see if now your state offers a Modeling™ workshop!

2015 SPS Scholarships

2015 SPS Scholarships — Applications due February 15
Each year, SPS awards scholarships to undergraduate physics students recognizing academic achievement and SPS participation. Special scholarships are available for leadership, financial need, two-year college attendees, future teachers, and students from groups that are underrepresented in physics and engineering.

Free Webinar on the Job Interview Process

Discover what, as a scientist, you need to know and do through out the interview process to demonstrate your value to the hiring institution and land the job! Register Now for this free event, being held on February 4, 2015 at 2 pm ET and co-sponsored by AAPT.

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.

Jobs Announcements from the Career Center

Instructor in Physics
Phillips Academy
http://jobs.aapt.org/jobs/6770908

Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Engineering/Physics
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
http://jobs.aapt.org/jobs/6773683

The Physics Teacher Education Coalition: The 5+ Club

PhysTEC recognizes the following institutions for graduating 5 or more well-prepared physics teachers in the last three years. They are national leaders in addressing the severe nationwide shortage of secondary physics teachers.

2013 - 2014
Brigham Young University (17), The College of New Jersey (9), University of Minnesota (7), University of Arkansas (7), Stony Brook University (7), Brigham Young University, Idaho (7), Illinois State University (7), Georgia State University (6), Rutgers University (6), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (5), Kennesaw State University (5)

2012 - 2013
University of Minnesota (9), SUNY, Geneseo (8), Michigan State University (7), University of Colorado, Boulder (6), SUNY, Oneonta (6), Rutgers University (6), Virginia Tech University (5)

2011 - 2012
SUNY, Buffalo State (10), University of Minnesota (6), Rutgers University (6), University of Cincinnati (5), University of Texas at Austin (5)

PhysTEC is led by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the American Physical Society (APS).

2015 PhysTEC Conference (Feb.  5-7) Register Now

The PhysTEC will feature talks by national leaders, networking, workshops, and a pre-conference half-day introductory workshop on Learning Assistants. The fee for the conference is $170 for PhysTEC members and $325 for non-members. The Learning Assistant workshop is an additional $45 fee. Faculty from minority-serving institutions are eligible to apply for travel grants.

2015 Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program Workshop (Feb. 6-8) Register Now

The workshop will assist departments in developing strategies for increasing enrollment of physics majors. Participants will analyze their current departmental situation and decide how to take actions that will help them sustainably achieve their goals. Departments are encouraged to send teams of two or more faculty for maximum effectiveness. The fee for the workshop is $250 with a $100 discount for PhysTEC Conferences attendees.

Modeling Workshops Nationwide

Fifty Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry, physical science, and biology will be offered in summer 2015, in many states. Modeling Workshops are peer-led. Modeling Instruction is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an exemplary K-12 science program. Some sites offer stipends, usually for in-state teachers. Graduate credit is available at some sites. Pre-service teachers and TYC faculty are welcome too.
More Information
Workshop Descriptions

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.

AAPT-ALPhA Award is Now Open for Nominations

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 advanced 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? The nomination process is now open.  Applications need to be completed 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 or Apply. Funding for this award, for the first five years, is provided by TeachSpin, Inc.

More from your Membership, Join your AAPT Community

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.

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:

Section News - February 2015

To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mgardner@aapt.org.

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