July 13–17, 2013
21
First time at an AAPT meeting?
•
Being at your first National Meeting can be a lonely
experience if you don’t know anyone. AAPT members
are friendly people, so do not hesitate to introduce
yourself to others in sessions and in the hallways. It
is fun and rewarding to establish a network of other
physics teachers with whom you can talk and share
experiences. This is especially true during lunch and
dinner.
•
Area Committee meetings are not only for members
of the committee, but also for friends of the commit-
tee. You are welcome to attend any Area Committee
meeting. You should be able to find one or two com-
mittees that match your interests. Their meeting times
are listed on page 20 in this guide. Area Committee
meetings are often relatively small and are a great
place to meet other people with interests similar to
yours.
•
Be sure to attend the First Timers’ Gathering from
7–8 a.m. on Monday in Skyline III. It is a wonderful
way to learn more about the meeting and about AAPT.
• You can still sign up for the annual 5K Fun Run/Walk
on Tuesday morning. We will run along the river and
see a lot of Portland sights.
•
Awards and other plenary sessions have distinguished
speakers and are especially recommended. Invited
speakers are experts in their fields and will have half
an hour or more to discuss their subjects in some
depth. Posters will be up all day and presenters will be
available during the times indicated in the schedule.
Contributed papers summarize work the presenters
have been doing. You are encouraged to talk to pre-
senters at the poster sessions or after the contributed
paper sessions to gain more information about topics
of interest to you. Informal discussion among those
interested in the announced topic typically will follow
a panel presentation, and crackerbarrels are entirely
devoted to such discussions.
• Be sure to make time to visit the exhibits in the Exhibit
Hall. This is a great place to learn what textbooks and
equipment are available in physics education.
Welcome to the 2013 AAPT Summer Meeting in Portland! Everyone at AAPT hopes you fulfill all the
goals you have for attending this meeting. To help you plan your meeting activities, the following
information and suggestions have been developed.
