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eNNOUNCER June 2012
Summer Meeting 2012
Physics: The Experimental Core
Early-bird registration ends Monday, June 4. Make your plans now to attend the 2012 AAPT Summer Meeting being held July 28 - August 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  home of the first great American experimental physicist, Ben Franklin. The theme of the conference is "Physics: The Experimental Core" and will feature networking opportunities, workshops and presentations by leaders in physics education.
Join us on Monday, July 30 for High School Physics Teacher’s Day, with a special rate available for first time High School Teachers.
Pre and post-conference events include:
Post-deadline abstracts are being accepted until June 15.
Registration is now open for early bird discount until June 4.
Save the Date:
Winter Meeting 2013, January 5-9 (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Summer Meeting 2013, July 13-17 (Portland, Oregon)
AIP Endorses Letter Urging Congress to Consider STEM Education a National Priority
The American Institute of Physics, along with four of its Member Societies, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Physical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Astronomical Society endorsed a letter sent by the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Coalition to Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Harold Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Members Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Norman Dicks (D-WA) of the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations. The letter strongly urges that STEM education be considered a national priority in the budgets for the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies "engaged in providing resources for educators, students and researchers."
Call for AAPT Awards Nominations
Recognize excellence in physics education! The Awards Committee is seeking nominations for all of our awards, citations, and medals. AAPT members are urged to review the descriptions on the AAPT website and then, following instructions, to nominate individuals who should be considered for any of these awards. Nominations remain active for five years.
High School Physics Photo Contest
The High School Physics Photo Contest is closed for 2012. Judging will take place during the Summer Meeting. Watch our website for information about the winning entries.
Is Your Membership Up-to-date?
It may be time to renew and ensure continuity of your benefits, services and valuable AAPT journal content. Log into your member record at AAPT.org, using your ID and password. You can verify your status from your profile page and use the link provided there to renew. If you have any questions, or concerns or need further assistance, feel free to contact Member Services at 301-209-3333, or by e-mail at membership@aapt.org.
Graduating this Spring?
Congratulations! Post your resume at the AAPT Career Center.
Looking to recruit a talented recent graduate? Register with the AAPT Career Center.
Physics Education Research (PER)
PER was developed with you, the physics educator, in mind. PER provides ample resources for high school and college physics faculty to better prepare themselves for teaching in today’s evolving classroom. The PER User’s Guide is offered at no cost and equips individuals with essential techniques including guided instructions, implementation methods, common teaching strategies, as well as step-by-step troubleshooting tips. As a result, educators increase retention rates among their students by providing them with a better understanding and enabling them to grasp difficult concepts. Students find it beneficial because the lessons keep them interested in science, with the hope they will one day consider a career in education.
Don’t forget, it’s completely free to access the PER User’s Guide, register today!
Apparatus Competition
The Apparatus Competition was established to recognize, reward, and publicize worthwhile contributions to physics teaching through demonstration and experiment. The Competition is held annually during AAPT's summer meeting and is open to all members. Complete entry materials are due June 15, 2012. More information
 The Physics Educator
Earlier this year AAPT introduced an online, members-only site called The Physics Educator (TPE). TPE's mission is to promote interest in and the advancement of physics education at all levels. At members request new features have been added including a rating system, a forum, and more. Further suggestions are welcome. Login and try it out.
The Physics Careers Resource is designed to provide information about physics careers and physicists to students and those that advise and mentor students. While some resources for teachers and professors are new, much of the information has been collected from professional society and government resources into a single location. Wherever possible, the links to original sources are included in order to enable the user to find more detailed information.
The website is organized in two main sections: audience-based information and general facts and resources. The audience-based information sections provide information relevant for student, educator and parent audiences. The student sections offer suggested activities that students can engage in to help prepare them for further study in physics. The educator section provides information and resources they can use to help get information about physics, physicists and the wide variety of physics career paths to the students. The parent section provides information that will help them assist their child as they navigate the educational path towards a career in physics.
Section News
SCAAPT Physics Student Video Contest Results
The results of SCAAPT's 1st Annual Physics Student Video Contest are in. The judges selected the overall winner from the 33 entries submitted: Dennis B. of Rancho Cucamonga High School. Dennis has received a $500 award and his teacher, Ms. Karen Gerdes has received a $50 Amazon Gift Card.
Winning Video
Contest Details
All Videos
To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mgardner@aapt.org. See the December 2011 Section News.
Summer Introductory Mechanics Course with optional AAPT CEU Transcript
Registration is open for a free online MIT-level course in Introductory Newtonian Mechanics targeting physics teachers is being given this summer by MIT professor David Pritchard and his education research group, RELATE. The course will enable participants to improve both their conceptual overview and problem-solving skills in mechanics. Teachers (and others) can explore the online materials and machine-graded homework, and consider assigning our course or parts of it to their students using the free LON-CAPA class management network. The course runs June 15- Aug 27, 2012 with the first quiz due June 29. Individuals who complete the course will receive a letter of completion from Pritchard, and will be invited to obtain a "CEU Transcript" by AAPT for obtaining Continuing Education Units. Click here for more information, or email RelateMIT@gmail.com or - Prof. David Pritchard dpritch@mit.edu.
Leveraging Uncertainty: Toward a New Generation of Undergraduate Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research will host "Leveraging Uncertainty: Toward a New Generation of Undergraduate Research" at The College of New Jersey on June 23-26, 2012. This conference brings together faculty, administrators, policy makers, representatives of funding agencies and other stakeholders with an interest in doing and promoting undergraduate research. I believe that you and your members will be inspired by this year’s panels, posters and plenaries, including a keynote presentation by Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12), a long time supporter of STEM Education and Undergraduate Research, and CUR’s 2011 Honorary Fellow.
Information and registration.
Five-year Strategic Plan from the Office of Science and Technology Policy
OSTP is putting together a five-year strategic plan to guide all federal investment in STEM education. They have just posted the design principles section of the Strategic Plan and it is currently out for public comment. Read more and comment. The deadline for commenting is June 15.
World Conference on Physics Education
The World Conference on Physics Education (WCPE) will be held in Istanbul, 1-6 July 2012.
Visit the website.
124th Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
August 4-8, 2012 in Tucson Arizona
This conference features "Communicating Science: an Education and Public Outreach Symposium" (August 6-8).
Find out more.
Next Generation Science Standards
To everyone who took time to review and comment on the Next Generation Science Standards, thank you. Watch the AAPT website for updates on AAPT's involvement on these evolving standards.
Nominations Open for APS Excellence in Physics Education Award
This award recognizes and honors a team, group of collaborating individuals, or an exceptional single individual, who has exhibited a sustained commitment to excellence in physics education. The application deadline is July 1, 2012. Please consider nominating outstanding candidates, including your own group.
Get details.
Teacher's Day at QuarkMatter 2012
You are invited to participate in an afternoon workshop as part of the education outreach activities of the Quark Matter 2012 conference being held in Washington, DC. The program will focus on the physics of smallest constituents of matter - the quarks and the gluons that hold them together.
Contact Prof. Alice Mignerey at mignerey@umd.edu for further information and to register to participate. Continuing Education Credit may be obtained through the APS with additional on-line activities.
Read more.
The National Research Center for College & University Admissions™ (NRCCUA®)
NRCCUA operates the nation’s largest college and career planning program, My College Options. NRCCUA is a non-profit educational research organization based in Lee’s Summit, MO. For 40 years, NRCCUA has conducted the largest nationwide survey of high school students, which serves as a communications link between college-bound high school students and public and private colleges and universities. More information.
STEM Hot Topics: Subscribe to the STEM daily news aggregator.
Are you SETforJOBS? Find out by joining at www.setforjobs.org.
U.S. News STEM Solutions A Leadership Summit, June 27-29 in Dallas, Texas. More information. Please include the registration code: NRCCUA040.
2012 Modeling Workshops
Fifty Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry, and/or physical science will be held in summer 2012 at sites in approximately 20 states. Modeling Workshops are peer-led. Content is reorganized around basic models to increase its structural coherence. Participants are supplied with a complete set of course materials and work through activities alternately in the roles of student or teacher, as they practice techniques of guided inquiry and cooperative learning.
Modeling Instruction is one of two K-12 science programs designated by the U.S. Department of Education as EXEMPLARY. Some sites have stipends, usually for in-state teachers. Graduate credit is available at most sites. Pre-service teachers are welcome at most sites. Read online.
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Note on External Links
Links to non-AAPT sites are intended as a service to readers interested in AAPT, physics, and education. These links do not reflect an endorsement of any content or product. Also, due to the evolving nature of websites, some external links referenced in the eNNOUNCER may expire over time.
Thanks for your readership and your support of AAPT.
© 2012, American Association of Physics Teachers
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