July 13–17, 2013
3
Going Green with Portland!
With memories of a very successful meeting in Portland in the summer 2010, the American Association
of Physics Teachers will be returning to Portland for its Summer Meeting July 13-17, 2013. The theme for
this meeting is “Going Green with Portland.” Portland State University will be host to our AAPT work-
shops conducted during the first two days of the meeting. The AAPT Two-Year College Community will
host a one-day Tandem Meeting preceding the AAPT meeting. In addition, the AAPT meeting will host
a High School Teachers Day.
Our 18 area committees have organized a Portland program rich in sessions and workshops, which
address a diversity of topics and interests for our group of physics teachers ranging from pre-college
through research universities. I mention here just a few: the teaching of online courses, the authoring of
interactive textbooks, the Next Generation Science Education Standards, best practices in educational
technology, research in math education and education research at the boundary between biology and
physics, green labs and activities, and a role-playing workshop on the Pluto Debate. A special event with
invited panelists will celebrate the 50th anniversary of
The Physics Teacher
.
During the past year, the physics education community and AAPT lost one of our leaders, Robert G.
Fuller, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln. We will pause to remember and honor some of his many contribu-
tions during the Robert G. Fuller Memorial Session.
Dr. Alan M. Nathan, Prof. Emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign will give a plenary
presentation entitled “’You Can Observe a Lot by Watching’...Yogi Berra.” Following Yogi’s advice, Dr.
Nathan will use high-speed video clips to highlight some of the interesting physics underlying the game
of baseball. The talk will focus on the subtleties of the baseball-bat collision, the intricacies of the flight of
a baseball, and many other things. Dr. Nathan will also lead a workshop, “Major League Physics – Us-
ing Baseball to Teach Physics.” Additional plenaries will be given by our award recipients and invited
scientists.
The Summer Picnic has long been considered a favorite networking activity for physics faculty and their
families. Christine and David Vernier will again sponsor an exciting evening beginning with the tradi-
tional picnic spread along a city block. The Vernier picnic of 2010 is still being talked about and this one
promises to be just as entertaining and filling. A demonstration show will follow and will be held within
a charming old theater.
I have highlighted only a few of the special events planned for our Summer 2013 meeting. In addition,
Portland has many attractions to entertain visitors, from tax-free shopping in its malls to outdoor activi-
ties such as hiking the many trails and seeing the local natural wonders.
Mary Beth Monroe
American Association of Physics Teachers
2013 Program Chair
