22
Portland
Free Commercial Workshops
CW01: Perimeter Institute: Beyond the Atom: Particle
Physics
Location: Galleria III
Date: Monday, July 15
Time: 9–10 a.m.
Sponsor: Perimeter Institute
Leader: Damian Pope
On July 4, 2012, researchers at CERN announced the discovery of a new
particle. This announcement was the culmination of decades of work and
billions of dollars invested in the Large Hadron Collider. It is the latest step
in our journey toward understanding the fundamental building blocks
of our universe. Come explore Beyond the Atom, a classroom resource
designed by educators in collaboration with researchers from Perimeter
Institute and CERN to introduce high school students to some of the fun-
damental ideas in particle physics. Participate in activities that engage your
students in the journey from Rutherford scattering through to the LHC.
CW02: WebAssign: Using Online Homework to Achieve
Your Pedagogical Goals
Location: Galleria I
Date: Monday, July 15
Time: 9–10 a.m.
Sponsor: WebAssign
Leader: Matt Kohlmyer
Since 1997, WebAssign has been the online homework system of choice
for the introductory physics lecture courses. Through our partnerships
with every major publisher, WebAssign supports more than 160 introduc-
tory physics textbooks with precoded, assignable questions, and advanced
learning tools. In addition to textbook-specific questions and resources,
WebAssign has question collections authored by experienced physics edu-
cators, designed to strengthen student skills and conceptual understand-
ing. Learn about research-based additional resource collections (free to
WebAssign adopters) that stress physics education research principles. We
will also introduce a new question collection that features both feedback
designed to address student misconceptions; tutorials designed to step
students through complex problems and concepts; and a personal study
plan designed to improve students’ prerequisite math skills.
CW03: Perimeter Institute: Classroom Activities for Dark
Matter
Location: Galleria III
Date: Monday, July 15
Time: 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Sponsor: Perimeter Institute
Leader: Damian Pope
Are you looking for ways to connect your students with current phys-
ics research? Join us as we use a standard uniform circular motion lab
to introduce students to dark matter. Learn about the latest theories and
find out what experimental results are telling us about this mysterious
phenomenon. Come explore the Mystery of Dark Matter, a classroom
resource designed by educators in collaboration with Perimeter Institute
researchers. See how high school physics concepts reveal the need for dark
matter. Gain insight into the process of science as you listen to researchers
discussing whether dark matter actually exists, what it might be, and how it
could be detected.
CW04: PASCO scientific: A New Era for Computerized
Physics Labs
Location: Pavilion West
Date: Monday, July 15
Time: 12–1 p.m.
Sponsor: PASCO scientific
Leaders: Ann Hanks and Jon Hanks
Join us to see how PASCO Capstone software can revolutionize how you
do labs. You have to try it to believe it and now is your chance! As you
build your own PASCO Capstone electronic workbook from scratch, you
will see the great advantages of having an “undo” operation, taking sample
data within the workbook while writing the lab, and being able to add on
extras like video analysis. Whether you use DataStudio or another type
of interfacing software or have never used any interfacing before, you will
benefit from this workshop. We will also have hands-on demonstrations
of the new 850 Universal Interface which is called “Universal” because it
works with all types of PASCO sensors (both the blue PASPORT and the
black ScienceWorkshop sensors). One workshop participant will win a free
PASCO Capstone Site License.
CW05: Pearson: Eugenia Etkina
Location: Pavilion East
Date: Monday, July 15
Time: 12–1 p.m.
Sponsor: Pearson Education
Leader: Eugenia Etkina
Eugenia Etkina (Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education—GSE)
was born and educated in Russia, where she was awarded her PhD in
Physics Education from Moscow State Pedagogical University. She has 30
years of physics teaching experience (teaching middle school, high school,
and university physics). In 1993 she developed a system in which students
learn physics using processes that mirror scientific practice. That approach
was enriched when she began collaborating with Alan Van Heuvelen in
2000 and now is known as Investigative Science Learning Environment
(ISLE). Since 2000, Professors Etkina and Van Heuvelen have developed
curricula based on ISLE, conducted over 60 workshops for physics instruc-
tors, and published
The Active Learning Guide
. Please join Dr. Etkina for a
discussion on the ISLE method and how it can be put into practice in your
classroom using the new textbook,
College Physics
, by Etkina, Gentile, and
van Heuvelen.
CW06: Perimeter Institute: Curved Spacetime and the
Global Positioning System
Location: Galleria III
Date: Tuesday, July 16
Time: 9:30–10:30 a.m.
Sponsor: Perimeter Institute
Leader: Damian Pope
What is Gravity? Newton pictured gravity as an invisible force while Ein-
stein pictured it as the curving of spacetime. Does it matter which model
we use? Are there any predictions that determine which model is better?
The Revolutions in Science classroom resource was designed by educators
in collaboration with Perimeter Institute researchers to engage high school
students in the process of building scientific models. In this workshop, we
consider models for gravity and explore Einstein’s curved spacetime model
for gravity using masking tape and balloons. We will discover that Newton
was wrong and that Einstein’s model predicts time dilation which is veri-
fied daily by the Global Positioning System. The Global Positioning System
(GPS) is a technology used by millions of people. The GPS & Relativity
resource will introduce the basic operation of the GPS and will discuss how
relativistic time dilation plays a vital role in every position calculation.
CW07: Physics2000.com
Location: Galleria I
Date: Tuesday, July 16
Time: 9:30–10:30 a.m.
Sponsor: Physics2000.com
Leader: Elisha Huggins
Come to the popular Physics2000 workshop where you learn how to in-
clude 20th century physics in the basic Introductory Physics course.
