Program

Sessions, Panels, Posters, Plenaries, Committee Meetings, and Special Events

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Posters

  • Astronomy Poster

      • American Eclipse Project (AEP)

      • PST2A01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by William Dittrich
      • Type: Poster
      • A recreation of Eddington's Classic Experiment measuring gravitational deflection of light is being planned for the eclipse path across America in 2017. While Einstein published his General Theory in 1915, it was not until Aug. 21, 1917. that the first attempt to verify gravitational lensing was undertaken at an observatory in India. This first attempt was a failure, measuring the deflection of light from the bright star Regulus without an eclipse was most ambitious. 100 years later Regulus once again is near the limb of the sun and this time it occurs during the eclipse crossing America. Universities and Space Grant Consortia are partnering with Oregon State University to offer the amazing opportunity for hundreds of students to perform a recreation of one of the few most important experiments in physics and astronomy from the 20th century. This is a discussion telling the story of the American Eclipse Project.
      • Cosmological Parameter Estimation from CMB Data for Undergrads*

      • PST2A03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Daniel Smith Jr
      • Type: Poster
      • Cosmology has become, over the last several years, a precise science due to Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data from the WMAP and Planck missions. Extracting early universe physics from that data has, however, been largely left to experts, but that need not be the case. Analyses of CMB data suitable for undergrad physics majors will be presented. For example, CMB data can be used in conjunction with theoretical curves generated by NASA's CAMB Web Interface tool to determine the curvature parameter. Also, the matter parameter can be approximated by fitting the peaks of the CMB power spectrum to theoretical approximations in previous literature. *Supported by NSF PAARE AST-0750814
      • pyro: A Teaching Code for Computational Astrophysical Hydrodynamics

      • PST2A05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Michael Zingale
      • Type: Poster
      • We describe pyro: a python-based, freely-available hydrodynamics code to aid students in learning the computational hydrodynamics methods widely used in astrophysics. pyro is written with simplicity and learning in mind and intended to allow students to experiment with various methods popular in the field, including linear advection, compressible, incompressible, and low Mach number hydrodynamics, multigrid, and diffusion in a finite-volume framework.
      • Bringing Large Asteroid Data Sets into the Classroom

      • PST2A02
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jordan Steckloff, Steven Dail, Rebecca Lindell

      • Type: Poster
      • Elementary Mechanics is typically motivated with examples on the Earth that are familiar to students. However, such examples are subject to nonideal conditions (e.g. air drag, rolling friction, noninertial reference frames), and their use may unintentionally reinforce incorrect schema that students have on their underlying physical processes (e.g. moving objects naturally come to rest without a driving force). In this talk we present a motivation for gravitation and circular motion using the Minor Planet Center’s most recent published dataset of asteroid spin periods and radii, which are obtained from asteroid light curve studies. Asteroid motion is not subject to friction, which complicates the understanding of Newton’s laws on the Earth. Additionally, students are typically unfamiliar with asteroid mechanics and therefore possess fewer preconceived notions of how asteroids should behave.
      • Introductory Astronomy Laboratory Visual Back and Camera Upgrade

      • PST2A04
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Mariah Birchard, Faith Montgomery, Zachary Pruett, Kaitlyn Smith, David Sitar

      • Type: Poster
      • A positive introductory astronomy lab experience is essential for drawing in new prospective majors and promoting an open attitude towards science for general education students. In order to provide students with a more engaging learning experience, we are in the process of upgrading the Rankin GoTo Laboratory. Two “piggybacked” refracting telescopes; an 80mm Explore Scientific apochromatic refractor with a 480mm focal length, and an 80mm Lunt achromatic refractor with a 560mm focal length, were tested on top of an 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (SCT). An SBIG STF-8300C CCD camera was included in the imaging experiment. The CCD has built-in color capabilities and is 17.96x13.52mm, a significant upgrade from our current black and white cameras with a 4x5mm CCD size. The SCT was also tested with the SBIG camera. All telescopes were tested to find the most effective and user-friendly imaging setup. The SCT demonstrated best results.
      • Publishing Pathways in the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education

      • PST2A06
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Timothy Slater
      • Type: Poster
      • Filling a needed scholarly publishing avenue for astronomy education researchers and earth science education researchers, the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education– JAESE published its first volume and issue in 2014. JAESE is a scholarly, peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original discipline-based education research and evaluation, with an emphasis of significant scientific results derived from ethical observations and systematic experimentation in science education and evaluation. International in scope, JAESE aims to publish the highest quality and timely articles from discipline-based education research that advance understanding of astronomy and earth sciences education and are likely to have a significant impact on the discipline or on policy. JAESE uses an open-access publishing model and articles appear online in GoogleScholar and in catalogs of 440,000 libraries that index online journals. Rather than paid for by library subscriptions or by society membership dues, the annual budget is covered by page-charges paid by individual authors, their institutions, grants or donors: This approach is common in scientific journals, but is relatively uncommon in education journals. http://www.JAESE.org
  • Labs/Apparatus

      • A Simple Technique for Effectively Studying Near-field Diffraction*

      • PST2B01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by John Noe
      • Type: Poster
      • As described in a separate talk at this meeting, the Laser Teaching Centerat Stony Brook University is a unique educational environment in which students (mostly new to research) create and document novel hands-on optics-related projects in collaboration with a mentor. In this poster we describe one such recent project by a freshman undergraduate (Max Stanley) that could easily be adapted to more traditional laboratory instruction at minimal expense. Max investigated Fresnel diffraction by a 0.5-mm diameter circular aperture illuminated by a HeNe laser. Highly magnified patterns were projected on to a 2-meter distant viewing screen with a 10x microscope objective mounted on a translation stage. Measured lens positions for a sequence of bright- and dark-centered patterns were in excellent agreement with Fresnel theory. *We thank Martin G. Cohen for conversations related to this project.
      • Developing NGSS Practices Through a Series of iIquiry Labs

      • PST2B03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Nathan Carle
      • Type: Poster
      • Students often struggle with the eight Next Generation Science Standards practices. This session will describe a series of lab investigations that build explicit teaching of the NGSS practices into the high school physics classroom. I will highlight several inexpensive labs and supporting materials that are used to help teach the practices while students apply their knowledge of kinematics, propose a model for electromagnetism, and draw conclusions about sound.
      • Effectiveness of IOLabs in Enhancing Student Understanding of Introductory Physics

      • PST2B05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Eric Martell
      • Type: Poster
      • IOLabs are portable wireless data acquisition systems which interface witha PC/Mac using a USB dongle from up to 100 ft away. The most recent version of the IOLab contains more than 20 sensors or inputs, including a 3D accelerometer, a 3D magnetometer, a 3D gyroscope, wheels that record position, velocity, and acceleration, a force probe, and both analog and digital inputs. We have investigated the effectiveness of using IOLabs to teach Newton’s third law as well as to better connect in-class instruction with real-world physics applications. Preliminary results indicate that a 20-minute lesson with the IOLabs produces a statistically significant effect on understanding of Newton’s third law. Also, there is a potential signal of IOLabs helping students, especially female students, develop expert-like perspectives on physics, as measured by the CLASS, but further investigation is necessary due to small sample sizes.
      • Microcontroller-based Mechanical Chaotic Oscillator

      • PST2B07
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Eric Ayars, Brandon Thacker

      • Type: Poster
      • We have built a microcontroller-based mechanical chaotic oscillator suitable for Advanced Lab use that allows complete control of all system parameters including drive frequency, drive amplitude, static field, rotational inertia, and damping parameter. The onboard microcontroller synthesizes the drive signal, tracks position and time, and reports at synchronized intervals suitable for generation of multiple Poincare plots over an entire drive cycle. Control and communication is managed via USB through IEEE 488.2-compatible commands, making the instrument easily usable with LabVIEW or any other serial-capable language. The instrument can be constructed inexpensively with tools and construction techniques readily available to advanced undergraduates in physics.
      • Physics of Stringed Instruments: Experimenting in the Classroom

      • PST2B09
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Katarzyna Pomian
      • Type: Poster
      • We analyzed 12 different stringed instruments using a variety of complimentary experimental methods. We gathered string spectral analysis of sound waves when strings were plucked at different locations. We studied the instruments’ body resonances at different frequencies using Chladni patterns which allowed us to visually view the standing waves within the instruments’ bodies. Finally, we took high-speed videos of the strings. We captured string vibrations and analyzed them to find the effective decay constants. Correlations between the string resonances, body resonance data, and high-speed video data were made. We used a variety of different approaches and conducted a cross examination of all the different string instruments to determine the dependence of the timbre of stringed instruments on their body shape. The experimental methods we used could be adapted into the laboratory and the results can be used to study waves in the classroom at all levels in a practical way.
      • Using Slinkies to Explore More Wave Propertiers

      • PST2B11
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Taha Mzoughi
      • Type: Poster
      • By combining slinkies, wave properties like transmission, reflection, and speed can be investigated. The poster will provide information about the setup, example data and information about how to use video analysis to collect such data.
      • Developing Experimental Skills in a First-Year Thermal Physics Course

      • PST2B02
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Mary Ann Klassen, Peter Collings

      • Type: Poster
      • Many of us are daunted by the prospect of developing entirely new lab curricula. At Swarthmore College, we took a first step by adapting existing experiments so they explicitly teach laboratory skills. We describe our experience with this adapted lab curriculum for our first-year thermal physics course. Experiments were modified to allow students time to design their own procedure and to promote good laboratory habits like error estimation and record-keeping.
      • Diamond Explorations: Nitrogen Vacancy Magnetometry, Thermal Conductivity & Refractive Index

      • PST2B04
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Joshua Bridger
      • Type: Poster
      • High school physics lab curriculum seldom introduces students to material science or contemporary research. In an effort to provide such enrichment for Advanced Placement Physics students, three exploratory investigations were developed. Two are explorations of physical properties of diamonds: index of refraction and thermal conductivity. One is an exploration of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers in diamonds and the construction and testing of a diamond magnetometer using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). The three-lab sequence encourages original experimental design and exposes students to contemporary research practices, materials and equipment.
      • Light Source for Optics Labs

      • PST2B06
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Steven Daniels
      • Type: Poster
      • Light sources for optical rails or other optics experiments have a long history of use in education. These sources are often based on small wattage bulbs in metal cases with a translucent front that has a printed object on the surface. These are generally available but can be costly and have other problems. An LED version of this technology has been developed with significant advantages. We report on a cheaper, low temperature, intense, and adaptable optics light source that has been implemented into our introductory labs with success.
      • Photogates, Piezos, and Arduinos

      • PST2B08
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Marc 'Zeke' Kossover
      • Type: Poster
      • An Arduino's precision clock allows its use for inexpensive motion timing.See how to build an inexpensive photogate using mostly off the shelf components, a drop timer that can measure g to better than a percent, and a marble launcher that easily lets you measure time of flight.
      • Providing Research Experience in the Advance Student Lab

      • PST2B10
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Nina Abramzon, Peter Siegel

      • Type: Poster
      • We report on our experiences in implementing experiments using state-of-the-art spectroscopy research equipment into the advance laboratory course. Students were exposed to a laboratory experience that very closely resembles real-life research by performing the following activities: determining the activity of a salt substitute purchased in a local store, measuring the radioactive isotopes in an environmental sample, and measuring spectra of helium and hydrogen sources using an optical emission spectrometer and comparing the helium wavelengths to those of hydrogen to identify the transitions. The experimental design elements will be presented in detail together with assessment of student learning and student attitudes.
      • Systematic Errors in Intro Lab Video Analysis

      • PST2B12
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by John Zwart, Kayt Frisch, Tim Martin

      • Type: Poster
      • In video analysis lab experiments, students frequently find large discrepancies between results based on self-filmed videos and expected values (e.g. for g determined by a fit to projectile motion data). These differences are frequently far larger than the uncertainty calculated from their fit. Using an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera with a 4x optical zoom to record video, we investigated two possible causes of this error: the effect of placing the reference meterstick at a different object-to-camera distance and the effect of the motion of interest being in a plane not perpendicular to the camera lens. When we observed these phenomena for wide angle, normal, and telephoto focal length settings we found systematic errors as large as 40%. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for minimizing these errors.
  • Lecture/Classroom

      • A College-Wide Program for Active-Learning in STEM (PALS)

      • PST1B01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Kristine Lui
      • Type: Poster
      • Faculty members may feel isolated from their colleagues when trying new strategies to engage students in the classroom. Sustaining active-learning strategies in spite of complaints from students (and sometimes other faculty and administrators) requires a supportive and dynamic community. Faculty PALS creates a cohort of faculty to share ideas, approaches, and experiences in student-oriented STEM classrooms, where participants from multiple campuses are committed to participate for one year. In this poster, I describe the structure and implementation of Faculty PALS, and share lessons learned thus far. Faculty PALS was inspired by the Two-Year-College New Faculty Experience. Sample activities developed by past participants may be shared. This project, now in its fourth year, is supported by NSF DUE-1161231.
      • Field Day at the Rec: Working Out with Physics of the Human Body

      • PST1B03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Chadwick Young, Kaisa Young, Gavin Buxton, Armand Buzzelli

      • Type: Poster
      • Students in allied health fields often are required to take an introductory survey of physics. These courses cover all major areas and focus on applications of physics in the function and care of the human body. As a final field trip, students in the course may complete activities at the university’s recreation center. These activities—e.g., torques for the plate-loaded inclined bench press or the hack squat as an inclined plane—highlight particular topics covered in the course and show how these principles are involved in the various exercises and equipment at the recreation center.
      • Formative Evaluation of the Conversion to SCALE-UP at Miami University

      • PST1B05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Jennifer Blue
      • Type: Poster
      • The Department of Physics at Miami University moved to a new building in the fall of 2014. We seized this opportunity and designed ourselves large, flat classrooms. This means we can teach our algebra-based and calculus-based introductory courses in the SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Activities for Large-Enrollment Undergraduate Programs) model. These courses had, before our move, been taught in a traditional way, as separate lecture (in an auditorium) and lab courses. Students have not all been successful. We had known that we should incorporate active learning into these courses to help the students learn better, but it was hard to do so in our tiered lecture classrooms. After years of preparation, we started teaching SCALE-UP physics. I will present preliminary results – how was our transition?
      • Ortmann and the Physical Forms of Sound

      • PST1B07
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Jeffrey Groff, David Gonzol

      • Type: Poster
      • The work of former Peabody Conservatory of Music Director Otto Rudolph Ortmann is little known among physicists. However, his theory of the nature of music (1922) advanced our understanding of the physics of sound and deserves wider appreciation in the physics community. Ortmann’s theory described three attributes of sound, namely primary, secondary, and tertiary. He called the primary attribute extensity, which in turn had three forms called transtensity, intensity, and protensity that correspond to the physical characteristics of frequency, amplitude, and duration, respectively. Before Ortmann, others, including Hermann von Helmholtz, recognized the importance of frequency and amplitude to the perception of sound but none so clearly emphasized the important role duration and temporal structure play. By highlighting the important role temporal envelope has on musical sound, Ortmann was helping to lay the groundwork for the emergence of electronic synthesizers in the early 1960s in which physicists such as Robert Moog played pioneering roles. By striving to delineate more clearly and fully the primary physical attributes of musical sound from the secondary and tertiary attributes that reflect physiological responses and higher-order mental processing, Ortmann was demonstrating an objective physicist-like approach to understanding musical sound that both students of physics and music should be taught.
      • The Art and Science of Photography at UW - Fox Valley

      • PST1B09
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by John Beaver
      • Type: Poster
      • We describe an interdisciplinary course, The Art and Science of Photography (ASP), and its accompanying textbook, offered at the University of Wisconsin - Fox Valley in Menasha, WI. ASP uses photography as a point of departure to inspire students to ask fundamental questions about the nature of art, and to consider physics as part of the study of nature. In turn, fundamental aspects of art and physics are chosen in part for their direct relevance to the fundamentals of photography. ASP is offered as a 4-credit lecture/lab/studio course, and the students have a choice of registration for either art or natural-science credit. A large majority of students register for natural-science credit, and we suggest that ASP may be particularly useful as an entry point for students who view themselves as lacking ability in the sciences.
      • Flipping Over Physics: Hybrid Courses for Majors and Nonmajors

      • PSTB11
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Sharon Schleigh
      • Type: Poster
      • As university classrooms increase in student enrollment, and the calls to engage learners beyond the traditional lecture format become more prominent, instructors in undergraduate courses struggle to find effective ways to teach basic concepts. Although the flip classroom has been offered as a means of addressing these stresses in the undergraduate courses, faculty continue to concern themselves with the ability to adequately instruct for conceptual understanding, and revert back to the traditional lecture format. The hybrid classroom with an emphasis on the flip format can address these needs and stresses. This presentation offers examples of how the hybrid flip classroom looks in a large lecture hall and provides evidence that the flip course format does support student learning, can increase an interest in physics related degrees and careers, and is effective in developing conceptual understanding for both majors and non-majors.
      • Diffusion, Drug Elimination, Radioactive Decay and Osmosis for Introductory Courses

      • PST1B02
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Peter Nelson
      • Type: Poster
      • Teaching materials have been developed for introductory physics for the life sciences. They are written as self-contained self-study guides. The first chapter introduces students to using Excel using an authentic computational model of diffusion that introduces students to equilibrium as a dynamic stochastic process in the context of the oxygen cascade. Students discover that Fick’s law is a consequence of Brownian motion in an active learning exercise using a kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of their own construction. Subsequent chapters introduce students to: algorithms and computational thinking; exponential decay in drug elimination and radioactive decay; half-life and semi-log plots; finite difference methods (and calculus); the principles of scientific modeling; model validation and residual analysis; and osmosis. Analysis of published clinical data and Nobel Prize winning research is featured. Because the materials are self-contained they can be used in a flipped-classroom approach. The chapters are available for free at http://circle4.com/biophysics/chapters/
      • Using the Careers Toolbox for Undergraduate Physics Students as a Curricular Enhancement

      • PST1B04
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Toni Sauncy
      • Type: Poster
      • On average, 40% of physics undergraduate degree recipients enter the workforce with a baccalaureate degree, despite the fact that many undergraduate physics programs do not include career development as a departmental priority. Several useful career development resources aimed specifically at undergraduate physics students and faculty mentors have resulted from an NSF-funded project carried out by the Society of Physics Students and the Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics. At TLU, we have used these resources to develop an introductory-level seminar course, modify advanced courses, and develop purposeful extracurricular activities. Our goal is to enhance the overall undergraduate physics experience, while empowering the significant fraction of students who will seek employment when they graduate. Strategies for using the SPS Careers Toolbox for Undergraduate Physics Students along with the guidance in the report for physics faculty (Equipping Physics Majors for the STEM workforce) are the focus of this presentation.
      • Lessons from Three Semesters of a Physics for Humanities Course

      • PST1B06
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Deepak Iyer, Mary Emenike

      • Type: Poster
      • We report on three installations of a "Physics for humanities and social sciences" course. This was a moderate enrollment course (about 100 students) at a large public university. We will describe these three versions, the motivations, and present CLASS data (with both pre and post for two of them). We see variation in gains and losses across the three courses, and while causality is hard to establish, we speculate on the reasons based on other surveys done in the class.
      • Surface Charge in Electrostatics and Circuits

      • PST1B08
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Bruce Sherwood, Ruth Chabay

      • Type: Poster
      • In electrostatics and in circuits, charge buildups on the surfaces of conductors contribute to the electric field inside and outside of the conductors. A relaxation method based on field [1] was used to compute the surface charge distributions in 3D for a number of interesting configurations. These distributions and the associated fields can be explored interactively with a GlowScript VPython program at tinyurl.com/SurfaceCharge. The poster will highlight some of the interesting features of these charge distributions. In the calculus-based intro E&M course this interactive program can help students to acquire a deeper sense of mechanism of circuit behavior, and to unify the explanations of electrostatic and circuit phenomena.
      • Two-Stage Exams: An Effective Learning Tool?

      • PST1B10
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Kristi Concannon
      • Type: Poster
      • The process of peer instruction is crucial in helping students to identifyand confront their misconceptions and to critically apply the fundamental principles learned in lecture to different and more complex situations. In most cases, though, peer learning ends at exam time. I have recently begun implementing two-stage exams in my courses under the premise that learning can and should take place throughout the entire semester, not just in compartmentalized chunks; hence, exams can both be an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they have learned and an opportunity for students to continue to increase their understanding of the course material. In this poster, I will examine the effectiveness of the two-stage exam process for two populations: students enrolled in a physics for the life sciences course and students enrolled in a general education course.
  • Other Poster

      • A Continuing List of Climate Myths V

      • PST1C01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Gordon Aubrecht
      • Type: Poster
      • This continues my series of posters on climate myths.
      • Computational Models in Introductory Electromagnetism and Quantum Physics

      • PST1C03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Jessie Petricka
      • Type: Poster
      • Presented are a computational modules used in introductory Electromagnetism and Quantum Physics. The modules introduce different computational platforms through use of varied programs, (code/Python, symbolic/Mathematica, and LabView) and to teach concepts where those tools can be brought to bear. The concepts covered here are numerical integration via Mathematica, electrical circuit problems in Python, and the use and understanding of an oscilloscope in LabVIEW.
      • Newton Iteration-based Pi Calculation

      • PST1C05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Jason Cannon-Silber, Neal Gallagher, III, Maura Gallagher, Brandon Mayle, Nicolas Fair

      • Type: Poster
      • Detailed analysis of Newton’s method for finding a zero of sin(x) located at x = Pi, has led to our discovery of a highly efficient recursive method for computing Pi based on the convergent expression x (n+1) = x(n) + sin(xn). This recursion is derived using a geometric analysis of Newton’s method. In addition this geometric analysis proves the surprising result that for any value of x such that in the interval [Pi/2 3Pi/2] that Pi = x + arcsin(sin(x)).
      • Energy and Climate in Physics Education

      • PST1C07
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Barbra Maher Sobhani
      • Type: Poster
      • Energy and climate are hot topics and physics courses should be offered that inspire students to action. At the community college level, many freshmen students do not have the math background necessary for physics classes. A course featuring energy is a great introduction to science and physics. Red Rocks Community College developed three new physics course offerings to fill these needs. Energy Science and Technology is an introductory level, lab-based course exploring many aspects of energy and climate. Students complete a passive solar home project as well as investigate the physics of renewable energy technology. Energy for Engineers is intended to be an in-depth look at renewable energy technology for those on the engineering track. Field Studies in Energy provides opportunity for students to travel and investigate energy systems and climate issues. These courses help connect physics students with the energy and climate issues so crucial to society today.
      • Successful Research and Retention Programs in a Small Department*

      • PST1C09
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Peter Sheldon, Sarah Sojka, Katrin Schenk

      • Type: Poster
      • Randolph College has instituted a recruitment and retention program that has significantly increased the number of physical science majors. While the college has a total enrollment of 700 students, and a physics department with 2.5 faculty, we have recently consistently had 8-10 physics majors each year, and increases in all the other sciences. The number of students served by our physics classes has gone from traditionally less than 200 to nearly 400 each year. The program includes a number of recruitment and retention initiatives, and for two class years included an NSF S-STEM grant. While the grant provides scholarships to two cohorts of 12 students, we have exceeded our goal to recruit 24 students each year and to retain them at a higher rate than the college as a whole. We will discuss the initiatives and the planned changes to continue the improvements. *This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE- 1153997. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
      • Astrobiology at the Edge of Space Sparks Undergraduate Student Engagement

      • PST1C02
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Barbra Maher Sobhani
      • Type: Poster
      • Undergraduate research has sparked student engagement, creativity, and persistence in STEM at Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) though the Colorado Space Grant Consortium (COSGC). The NASA-sponsored program provides high-altitude balloon launch research opportunities (DemoSat). Our student DemoSat team designed an astrobiology project, investigating an extremophile response to edge of space conditions as analog of possible Martian biosignatures in similar exposure conditions. The team designed a unique flight package, obtained permission from the National Park Service for collection of microbial mats from Bad Water, CA, and devised an approach for studying the viability of the microbial community response to edge of space conditions using XRD, Baclight and CellRox testing. In addition to the research, they formed a student club, produced a video documenting their experience and pursued additional funding. Several team members stayed on for a second launch opportunity this summer and are now participating in RockSat-C.
      • Teaching Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism Using Differential Forms

      • PST1C04
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Dominique Mckenzie*, Jelena Begovic, Kaca Bradonjic

      • Type: Poster
      • Electricity and magnetism is traditionally taught using vector calculus, which involves complicated mathematical identities of divergence, gradient, and curl, and leaves some elements of the theory, such as the difference between electric field D and electric induction E, and the magnetic field H and the magnetic induction B, obscure. The alternative mathematical formalism of differential forms simplifies the relevant mathematics and clarifies the distinction between E and D fields, and B and H fields as different types of differential forms represent them. Furthermore, differential forms allow for illuminating visual representations of these fields. We present resources for undergraduate learning of intermediate electromagnetism with differential forms, which include a more pedagogical exposition of the existing literature and worked-out additional examples. We used 3D printing to create models of fields for various electric charge and current distributions. These resources will be available online.
      • Simulating Infrared Transmission Through a Porous Dielectric Foam

      • PST1C06
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Maxfield Torke, Edward Wollack

      • Type: Poster
      • Infrared radiation can interfere with satellite measurements by changing the temperature and thus the responsivity of sensitive components. For millimeter wavelength sensors, a simple solution to this challenge is to reject thermal infrared radiation with a thin layer of dielectric foam. The transmission of infrared radiation through a dielectric window made from porous Teflon foam was simulated and compared to experimentally measured data. This simulator serves as a tool to determine dielectric window thickness to filter by diffusely reflecting or scattering incident infrared radiation. The simulator was implemented in MATLAB using a transformation matrix method. A series of rotational lines were used in the dielectric function to fit measured absorption peaks. This program can accurately predict transmission spectra given easily measurable inputs. Once the material parameters are in hand optimization of the window geometry by simulation provides an efficient means of optimizing the desired instrument response.
      • Modified Archimedes Pi Calculation

      • PST1C08
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Maura Gallagher*, Brandon Mayle, Joshua Fair, Nicolas Fair, Jason Cannon-Silber

      • Type: Poster
      • The earliest known algorithm for computing Pi is the Archimedes method**. The circumference of a circle is estimated by the perimeter of a regular polygon. The number of sides of the polygon is recursively doubled to obtain an increasingly better estimate. We propose inscribing a circle with irregular polygons whose vertices have x-coordinates that occur at regularly spaced interval. A clever application of (30-60-90) triangle geometry permits us to compute Pi to a greater accuracy than that of Archimedes for polygons with the same number of sides. A simple Java program demonstrates our results.
      • Student Difficulties in Synthesizing Information in Scientific Inquiry*

      • PST1C10
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Kathleen Koenig, Lei Bao

      • Type: Poster
      • A windmill engineering design project, implemented in an 8th grade classroom, led students through activities focused on the cyclic process of scientific inquiry. Experiments built upon one another such that results of initial experiments were to inform the design of subsequent experiments; enabling students practice in the scientific thinking and decision making promoted in 21st Century Learning. Our research found, however, that most students treated the inquiry explorations as fragmented steps and struggled in synthesizing information to guide necessary decisions in the experimental process. Students were quick to resort to “trial and error” and appeared to have a narrow vision for addressing only those questions on the page rather than stepping back and focusing on the larger task. This presentation will include what was learned about student habits as well as their deficiencies in scientific thinking, and how curriculum might be designed to better support student learning and performance.
  • Physics Education Research

      • A Cohort Model for a Discipline-based Education Research REU Program

      • PST1A01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Warren Christensen, Jennifer Momsen

      • Type: Poster
      • Growing up STEM at North Dakota State University is one of the first REU programs in the nation to focus on discipline-based education research (DBER). For the past three years, the goal of our program has been to foster retention and recruitment of talented students to graduate programs in DBER. The program features 10 weeks of immersive research, and through a number of social and professional development activities, students build a cohort of like-minded peers and develop as scholars. Results from our first three years indicate participants were deeply engaged, motivated, and committed to their research while on campus. Several participants are matriculating into graduate programs in DBER and nearly all of our remaining participants plan to continue on to graduate programs in STEM. As the program matures, we seek to increase the diversity of our applicants and will track these students as they progress in their graduate careers and beyond.
      • Diagnoser.com: Assessment to Serve Students, Teachers, Researchers and Professional Developers

      • PST1A03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by James Minstrell
      • Type: Poster
      • Wouldn’t you like to have an assistant that would help you diagnose the problematic conceptual ideas of your students and suggest instructional activities to promote concept development? High school physics teachers in an NSF-funded MSP are using Diagnoser.com for diagnostic, formative and summative assessment and using the data to inform their decisions about addressing specific research-based misconceptions used by their students and to suggest next activities identified through research and best practice teaching. This poster will briefly describe the components of a partnership between several Alabama universities, the state of Alabama, and 70+ Alabama high school physics teachers to improve learning by students. Session participants will have access to free online assessment and instruction tools that have been shared with teacher participants. Participants will also learn about the effects teachers are having by using Diagnoser.com for formative and summative assessment.
      • Epistemological Beliefs, Scientific Reasoning Ability and Practicing Science

      • PST1A05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Shannon Willoughby, Keith Johnson

      • Type: Poster
      • We administered the Epistemological Beliefs about the Physical Sciences (EBAPS) survey as a pre-test and a post-test in Astronomy 110 for four semesters to collect baseline data, then we made reforms to the course and have continued to collect EBAPS data for three more semesters. To date we have not been able to affect students’ views about whether or not learning science is a fixed trait or something anybody can do if they practice. During the fall 2015 semester we implemented an online homework system for the first time in order to give students further opportunities to practice doing Astronomy. We also gave Lawson’s test of scientific learning during the second week of class to determine if there are correlations between scientific reasoning ability and epistemological beliefs. We will report on correlations between changes in students’ epistemological beliefs, online homework implementation, and Lawson’s test of scientific reasoning.
      • How Students Use Prior Knowledge While Constructing Understanding

      • PST1A07
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by AJ Richards, Darrick Jones, Eugenia Etkina

      • Type: Poster
      • We recorded pre-service physics teachers learning about the physics of solar cells. Using a knowledge-in-pieces theoretical framework, we analyze their interactions in order to make inferences about the elements of prior knowledge they call upon as they build understanding of how these devices function. Of special interest are the instances when a student makes a significant conceptual breakthrough. We find that students who combine different aspects of their prior knowledge in specific ways may be more likely to make breakthroughs. We will discuss what instructors can do to prime learners to combine knowledge in productive ways so they are better able to achieve these breakthroughs.
      • Increasing Student Confidence and Conceptual Change with Demonstrations

      • PST1A09
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Jeremy Tomaszewski, Doug Lombardi

      • Type: Poster
      • The study of conceptual change in science education, specifically in the realm of physics, continues to be an area of active research. Although researchers have given an appreciable amount of attention to conceptual change, there is still much that is not understood. This study seeks to explore one such area: the role confidence plays in helping or hindering conceptual change. Additionally, feedback given in the form of a classroom demonstration, rather than simply providing oral feedback, may increase students’ cognitive engagement with the material and increase learning and retention. In this study, students will be asked to pair a series of short multiple-choice questions on five Newtonian mechanics topics with a Certainty of Response Index (CRI; i.e., as a measure of confidence). Following each survey, students will be provided feedback on the correct answers. For one group of classes, written feedback of correct answers will be paired with a teacher/researcher lead discussion focused on one of the questions in the survey. The other group will receive written feedback of correct answers paired with a live demonstration mirroring the same survey question. Posttests will be given 1 day, 1 week, and 6 weeks after initial test to track confidence and conceptual change.
      • Noticing, Valuing and Using Physics Outside of the Classroom: Understanding TE in Physics*

      • PST1A11
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Leslie Atkins
      • Type: Poster
      • The author of this poster has been drawing on work by Pugh (2012) on "Transformative Experiences" (TE) -- a construct that seeks to capture whether or not students notice, value, and use science ideas outside of science class. This poster describes how TE manifests for students in a physics course that shows high instances of TE. In particular, I outline the ways in which students notice, value and use physics ideas in their everyday lives, and how curriculum might be better designed to support such experiences.
      • Situated Belonging and Self-Efficacy of Physics Students

      • PST1A14
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by John Stewart, Seth DeVore, Rachel Henderson

      • Type: Poster
      • A survey measuring students’ feelings of self-efficacy and belonging within multiple environments within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and the campus community was administered to introductory, calculus-based physics classes at a large public land-grant university. The sense of belonging and self-efficacy varied significantly between broader environments such as the institution and major to more narrow environments such as the physics class or lab group. Student self-efficacy increased significantly as one moved from the physics class to the major to the profession. Belonging was less strongly coupled to environment. Strong gender effects (p<.001) were identified; however, these were highly class and environment dependent.
      • Student Thinking Regarding Coordinate Systems in the Upper Division

      • PST1A16
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Brian Farlow, Marlene Vega, Mike Loverude, Warren Christensen

      • Type: Poster
      • As part of a broader study on the content of and student thinking within mathematics in the undergraduate physics curriculum, we report on student thinking about coordinate systems in the upper division. Early evidence suggests that upper-division physics students struggle to solve problems and answer conceptual questions requiring the use of Cartesian and non-Cartesian coordinate systems. Specifically, students have difficulty identifying the direction of unit vectors and constructing symbolic expressions for position and velocity in the plane polar coordinates. Additionally, students struggle to recognize appropriate units associated with these quantities. We report findings from one-on-one interviews that used a think aloud protocol designed to shed light on student thinking within this domain. We investigate the potential connection between student reasoning regarding Cartesian and non-Cartesian coordinates with emphasis on polar and spherical coordinate systems, and students’ ability to answer conceptual questions and solve problems requiring the use of those coordinate systems.
      • Using Metacognitive Interventions to Impact Student Problem Solving Approaches*

      • PST1A17
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Nathaniel Grosz, Mila Kryjevskaia, MacKenzie Stetzer, Andrew Boudreaux

      • Type: Poster
      • It is notoriously difficult to address persistent student difficulties that stem from intuitive ideas that are inconsistent with the formal application of physics knowledge. In many cases, students do not attempt to apply formal reasoning, and instead they rely on their “gut feelings” or intuition. Moreover, on specific types of physics tasks, students find confirmation of their intuitive ideas in formal relationships that are misinterpreted and/or misapplied. In such cases, students are particularly unlikely to question their intuition-driven responses. In this study, we designed and administered a set of metacognitive interventions in an effort to engage students more productively in formal reasoning. The impact of such interventions on student learning will be described, and the associated implications for instruction will be discussed.
      • What Does Active Learning Look Like? Characterizing Reform through Observations

      • PST1A19
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Adrienne Traxler, Beth Basista

      • Type: Poster
      • The term “active learning” encompasses a diverse collection of classroom environments. However, for research purposes, courses have often been coded using a traditional/interactive binary. Distinctions between active learning strategies, or varying implementations of the same technique, give important context for interpreting results. Learning environments may provide better or worse support for different outcomes—e.g., conceptual understanding, problem-solving skills, communicating experimental results, or formation of classroom community. At Wright State University, some sections of the introductory physics sequence have transferred to SCALE-UP classrooms, where instructors use a range of active learning strategies. Assessing this reform at a department level requires a framework of common language to describe multiple classrooms. Simultaneously, such a framework allows for a more fine-grained examination of measured conceptual gains, attitudinal shifts, and participation in classroom community. We present preliminary results using the COPUS instrument to characterize introductory physics courses at Wright State University.
      • An Exploratory Case Study of Factors that Influenced Women Persisting in an Undergraduate Physics Program

      • PST1A21
      • Mon 01/11, 8:00AM - 8:45AM
      • by Nelda Hislop
      • Type: Poster
      • The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influence women’s decision to persist in physics through their Bachelor’s degree. The representation of women in undergraduate physics remains the lowest of any scientific field, slightly ahead of engineering. The largest withdrawal of women in physics occurs by the end of the freshman year in college. Surveying women who had successfully completed the physics degree at Loyola, we identified four common factors that attract and retain women in undergraduate physics programs. All of these can be implemented in physics departments. They include creating a supportive atmosphere, cultivation of a strong sense of community with faculty and students, encouraging peer interactions in and out of the classroom, and participating in physics social events to encourage faculty-student interaction. Details of the study and its implications will be presented.
      • Development of a Fluid Dynamics Conceptual Assessment II: Questions and Test Specifications

      • PST1A02
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Dawn Meredith, Rebecca Lindell, James Vesenka

      • Type: Poster
      • We are in the process of developing a fluid dynamics Conceptual Learning Assessment Instruments (CLAIs) designed specifically to assess students’ understanding of basic fluid dynamics concepts before and after their IPLS course. In the first stage of development, we utilized a Delphi process to identify the concept domain for this CLAI. After this stage, we determined the test specifications for our CLAI. Based on the concept domain and the test specifications, we crafted a large number of open-ended questions. These open-ended questions were then distributed to a diverse population of ILPS students. These results were used to develop a series of multiple-choice questions to be part of the Fluid Dynamics CLAI. We will present the Beta version of the Fluid Dynamics CLAI. The next stage in development is field testing at a variety of institutions’ IPLS courses. If interested in participating in the national field test please contact one of the authors.
      • Effects of the IMPRESS Program on Student Metacognition

      • PST1A04
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Annie Chase, Eleanor Sayre, Mary Bridget Kustusch , Scott Franklin

      • Type: Poster
      • IMPRESS (Integrating Metacognitive Practices and Research to Ensure Student Success) is an intensive two-week program for incoming first generation or deaf / hard-of-hearing college students at Rochester Institute of Technology. The purpose of IMPRESS is to help students develop the necessary metacognitive skills needed to be successful students. Metacognition is often defined simply as “thinking about thinking.” However a more complete definition includes awareness of one's own understanding as well as the ability to regulate one’s own thought processes. The IMPRESS program used strategies for developing metacognitive skills including small group research activities focused around the theme of climate change followed by whole class discussions. Students were encouraged to reflect on their own thought process through activities including journaling and silent reflection. In this poster, I discuss the qualitative methods I used, including developing and refining a narrative, to investigate how students’ metacognition changed over a two-week period.
      • Exploring Questioning Patterns in High School Physics Classrooms

      • PST1A06
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Brianna Santangelo, AJ Richards

      • Type: Poster
      • The use of higher level questioning in classrooms helps students develop adeeper understanding of concepts and an ability to apply these concepts. However, the use of higher level questioning in high school physics classroom has yet to be explored in detail. We have applied Bloom’s revised taxonomy to categorize the type of questions asked in several high school physics classrooms. We plan to use this information and students’ scores from the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) to find a correlation between higher level questions and students’ conceptual understanding of Newtonian physics.
      • Implementing Inquiry Labs in the Introductory Physics Classroom

      • PST1A08
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Erin Sutherland, David Rosengrant

      • Type: Poster
      • This study investigates the impact of an Inquiry physics I lab on student attitudes and conceptual change. The labs were changed from “cookbook” format to inquiry labs that used the same equipment as the traditional labs. This study involves algebra-based physics I labs taught by different professors during the fall of 2015. The first set of classes was taught using the standard lab book and equipment. The other classes were taught using the reformatted labs. Both labs taught the same physics concepts. We theorized that students would understand the physics behind the labs more clearly if they had to spend more time thinking about how the labs were performed and how they related to the content of the classroom lessons and less time simply plugging in numbers and filling in the blanks. We pre and post tested both groups of students using the CLASS and a misconceptions test that was designed to focus on the material covered by the labs.
      • Investigating Novice-Like Reasoning Patterns via Eye-Tracking and Interviews*

      • PST1A10
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Catherine Miller, Mila Kryjevskaia, MacKenzie Stetzer, Erika Offerdahl, Robert Gordon

      • Type: Poster
      • Evidence suggests that many undergraduate physics students fail to build reasoning chains from fundamental principles. Instead, they often rely on intuitive reasoning strategies or they reach a quick intuitive conclusion and attempt to assemble an argument that appears to support that conclusion. In this study, we focus on the examination of novice-like reasoning patterns and on the identification of circumstances under which novices’ reasoning paths have greater potential for merging with those of experts. Multiple data streams were used. Both novices and experts were asked to answer a series of questions using an eye-tracking device. The eye-tracking session was then immediately followed by interviews in which participants were asked to articulate the reasoning approaches they used to answer the presented physics questions. Student written responses to analogous exam questions were also considered in order to gain further insight into student reasoning. *This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. REU DUE-1156974 and DUE-1431857, 1431940
      • Professional Development Through an Online Workshop*

      • PST1A12
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Raina Khatri, Charles Henderson, Renee Cole, Jeff Froyd, Courtney Stanford

      • Type: Poster
      • STEM education developers have many ideas on improving undergraduate instruction, but often these ideas fail to propagate to other educators. Our research group has worked to understand best practices in developing educational innovations with sustainable adoption by others in mind. We created resources for developers and have run in-person and online workshops to train others in our research framework. What setting worked better, and what can be improved upon? We reflect on whether our ideas have propagated to others through our dissemination efforts.
      • Revisiting the Five-Block Problem: Conceptual vs. Reasoning Difficulties*

      • PST1A13
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Cody Gette, Mila Kryjevskaia, MacKenzie Stetzer, Andrew Boudreaux, Paula Heron

      • Type: Poster
      • As part of an ongoing investigation of the development of student reasoning in physics, we have been applying the dual-process theory of reasoning in order to disentangle students’ conceptual understanding from their reasoning approaches. Previously, research on student understanding of Archimedes’ principle suggested the students did not possess the requisite conceptual understanding of hydrostatics to reason through the Five-Block Problem correctly (Loverude et al 2003). In the current study, we revisited the Five-Block Problem by applying a paired-question methodology. Specifically, a set of screening questions was designed to identify those students who possessed a robust conceptual understanding relevant to the task and those who did not. Student performance on the screening questions was then juxtaposed with that on Five-Block Problem in order to gain insight into the nature of the underlying student difficulties. Preliminary results will be presented and implications for instruction will be discussed.
      • Spinning Wheel: Reinventing and Re-visioning Rotational Kinematics

      • PST1A15
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Warren Turner
      • Type: Poster
      • Over the past several decades a great deal of thought and energy has been expended attempting to transform the way in which physics is taught. Active learning strategies making use of computer/calculator/tablet based probes have been shown to be effective across a wide range of topics. One area where this approach has been particularly fruitful is linear kinematics. Student-centered activities involving ultra-sonic motion sensors have resulted in significant achievement advances as measured using the Test of Understanding Graphs-Kinematics when compared to more traditional teaching approaches. This paper describes a parallel approach to the teaching of rotational kinematics which makes use of a rotational motion sensor. Student assessment, done using the recently developed Test of Understanding Graphs-Rotational Kinematics, will be presented. Additionally, in the activity-based version of the course material, rotational topics are interwoven throughout the discussion of kinematics, typically being introduced immediately following their linear counterpart.
      • Using RIOT Data to Understand Interactive Classroom Pedagogy

      • PST1A18
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Cassandra Paul
      • Type: Poster
      • Research has previously shown that instructors teaching the same course use extremely varied instructor-student interaction techniques. For example, some instructors may spend a significant time explaining, while others might spend more time observing and listening. How much and of what sort of this variation can we attribute to the instructor and their training, the individual student demands, and/or the curriculum? The investigation of this question could hold meaning for both instructor professional development and curriculum design experts. With data from a quasi-experimental study I examine the influence of these three factors in the context of a classroom culture model.
      • Writing Narratives to Document and Interpret “Thinking Like a Physicist”

      • PST1A20
      • Mon 01/11, 8:45AM - 9:30AM
      • by Emily Van Zee, Corinne Manogue, Tevian Dray

      • Type: Poster
      • What does it mean to “think like a physicist”? How does one learn “to think like a physicist”? How does one learn to engage students in “thinking like a physicist”? The purpose of narratives is to provide examples of facilitating “thinking like a physicist” so that interested instructors can talk and think about specific instances in which students succeed in thinking in effective ways. The data consist of videos obtained with consent of the students and instructors for ongoing recording of instruction. The writing process includes identifying incidents of interest, transcribing what the students and instructors said and did, and interviewing participants about their perceptions of what happened. A narrative includes a summary of the physics involved, an interpretation of the dialogue and actions as these occurred, and a reflection on the students’ thinking and the instructor’s ways of eliciting that thinking through engaging interactions in class and other settings. *Supported by NSF DUE 1323800
  • Post-deadline Abstracts (posters)

      • MinecraftEDU and Higher Education

      • PST3A01
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Amanda Depoian
      • Type: Poster
      • Labs were developed for college-level physics introductory courses using Minecraft. Worlds were developed in MinecraftEDU for students to perform experiments to measure constant velocity and the acceleration of gravity. In addition to the MinecraftEDU worlds, lab instructions, a pre-test and post-test, and a python inotebook to perform the line fitting and statistical analysis were developed. Two lab sections completed the labs in Minecraft while two other lab sections did the traditional labs. The results of the pre-test and post-tests, as well as any takeaways from the lab instructors or the students will be presented.
      • An Alternative Door to the Physics Lab

      • PST3A03
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Ravin Kodikara
      • Type: Poster
      • Laboratory activities are an important part of undergraduate physics course. Generally a lab manual contains multiple instructions including a brief introduction, equipment needed, the methodology, instruction to analyze data and follow-up questions. This conventional procedure is popular among faculty and students due to many reasons including the clarity of instructions, and the ability to generate accurate data and results. However, during years of direct engagement with physics labs, author of this poster has identified several drawbacks associated with the conventional procedure. For an example, a lab with detailed instructions designed to produce accurate results might not promote student’s creativity, critical thinking and/or retention. Attempting to address the above issues, at Webster University, a series of novel undergraduate physics labs were developed following an alternative approach. This poster presents several of these new labs and a comparison between the two lab procedures in terms of students’ engagement, application and retention.
      • Inquiry Instruction vs. Inquiry and Lecture Instruction for College Physics

      • PST3A05
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Cody Postupac
      • Type: Poster
      • An inquiry-based style of teaching can be more beneficial instructional strategy for students than compared to lecture. However, the time that it takes to cover the material using inquiry-based style is often the greatest concern for teachers. Consequently, a teacher using inquiry may feel pressure to move to some lecture mixed with inquiry-based instruction. This study, which is currently in the data analysis stage, was conducted using introductory physics and astronomy classes at Westminster College, under the NSF Noyce IQ Stem scholarship program. As a teacher’s assistant, I employed two different teaching styles, inquiry and a mix of lecture with inquiry, in different sections of the courses to compare the two styles. The results of the data, obtained using a pretest/posttest design will show if there are any differences in student achievement between groups.
      • Understanding Solar Motion Through Analyzing Satellite Photography

      • PST3A07
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:16PM
      • by Margaret Jensen, Shane Larson

      • Type: Poster
      • A topic often taught in introductory astronomy courses is the changing position of the Sun in the sky as a function of time of day and season. Traditionally, students often have difficulty understanding the geometry of the observed motion in the sky, due to graphical representations and visualizations that can be difficult to render and grasp. Sometimes students are asked to observe the Sun’s changing motion and record their data, but this is a long-term project requiring several months to complete. This poster outlines an activity for introductory astronomy students that takes a modern approach to this topic, namely determining the Sun’s location in the sky on a given date through the analysis of satellite images of the Earth. This activity shows that with a few simple measurements, students can solidify their understanding of annual solar motion in a more relevant, real-world context.
      • Analysis of an Electric Field Driven Charged Pendulum

      • PST3A09
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Jared Gavin
      • Type: Poster
      • The implementation of an operational amplifier in combination with a Pascobased lab apparatus will be presented as a technique for analyzing a pendulum driven by an electric field as observed with Franklin’s Bell. This experimental setup provides undergraduate physics students with a platform to investigate Coulomb force, signal detection, nonlinear dynamics, and one of the most useful electronic devices in analog circuitry. The one-way travel time between parallel plates will be approximated, measured and compared to theoretical predictions. The operational amplifier utilized in this experiment is low-cost and gives students experience in constructing their own devices that can be used to tackle more challenging measurements.
      • Progress toward the Design and Construction of a Low-cost Raman Spectrometer

      • PST3A11
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Jason Alexander, Rebecca Bloodworth, Krysten Harris, Amber Taylor, Casey Vincent

      • Type: Poster
      • Over the past two semesters, eight students from across disciplines have worked together to design and begin construction on both a tunable diode laser system and a low cost, high performance Raman spectrometer. Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique that uses laser light to excite molecular vibrations. It is used across industry, the biological, and physical sciences to characterize the behavior of molecules in ways complimentary to other spectroscopic methods. Like a fingerprint, no two molecular species have the exact same Raman spectrum. This makes it a powerful ally to visible, IR, and mass spectroscopy. Compared to commercial units with similar performance, the laser is ~1/6 the cost and the spectrometer is ~1/3 the cost. We will discuss the design parameters for these instruments as well as conducting physics research with non-physics majors.
      • Teaching argumentation in physics through citizen science: Traffic Cameras

      • PST3A13
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Matthew Perkins Coppola
      • Type: Poster
      • Citizen science is a well-established way of including non-scientists in authentic research projects in biology and astronomy. Examples in physics are sparse if non-existent. Preservice secondary science and mathematics teachers enrolled in a teaching methods course applied their knowledge of kinematics in the investigation of the safety of traffic intersections in their community. Students then researched and wrote an argumentative paper taking a position on the use of traffic cameras to police red light and speed violations. The future teachers successfully considered the model for traffic safety and developed informed positions on a topic of opinionated debate in many communities.
      • Teachers' Perceptions of Integrated STEM After A STEM Guitar Institute

      • PST3A15
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Debbie French, Richard French

      • Type: Poster
      • This study focuses on teachers’ perceptions of integrated STEM before and after participation in a week-long faculty institute where teachers built electric guitars, received training on implementing integrated STEM lessons, and developed guitar-themed STEM learning activities. Seventeen middle, high school, and community college faculty in various STEM fields participated in this institute. Teachers completed a Likert-type survey focusing on teachers’ perceived barriers of STEM implementation, level of preparation, and perceptions of integrated STEM. Teachers strongly agreed teaching integrated STEM was important. The teachers agreed their integrated STEM preparation was adequate. The teachers most commonly cited, “Lack of experience in STEM integration, insufficient background in integrated STEM, and insufficient time and support to plan for implementation” as barriers to implementing integrated STEM concepts in their classroom. These results shed light on how this particular professional development changed teachers’ perceptions of STEM and will inform the development of future workshops.
      • Viewing Gender Differences on the FCI through a Psychometric Lens

      • PST3A17
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Alexis Papak, Adrienne Traxler, Rebecca Lindell

      • Type: Poster
      • While many studies have investigated why men out-perform women on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), no study has examined it from a basic psychometric perspective. According to psychometric theory, it is essential for inventory developers to establish the fairness of the instrument for any population for which it is intended. When creating any physics instrument, the population intended is the standard physics classroom where men outnumber women four to one. When field-testing items for appropriateness, it is easy to miss any gender differences on items due this imbalance of men to women in the sample population. This study utilizes classical test theory to examine the FCI for both men and women students independently in hopes to determine the appropriateness of each item on the FCI for each gender. This poster will present results from this study as well as discuss the findings and provide implications for future study.
      • A comparison between a traditional lecture and an online version of introductory astronomy

      • PST3A19
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Gina Sorci
      • Type: Poster
      • An introductory astronomy course has been taught for many years in the traditional lecture hall fashion. The number of students usually ranges from 130 to 180. Recently our department has added an online version of the course. At our institution student teacher interaction is required for online courses so the number of students in these courses is kept low no larger than 30 in most instances. A comparison between these two types of courses will be made by looking at test, homework and quiz scores to determine student success. Student participation will also be examined by comparing several different formats such as clicker quizzes in the face to face and forums in the online course
      • High Altitude Balloon experience at RCTC; lessons learned

      • PST3A20
      • Tue 01/12, 3:30PM - 4:15PM
      • by Andrea Walker, Nate Brown, Rod Milbrandt

      • Type: Poster
      • Three community college students prepared and successfully launched a highaltitude balloon (HAB) this spring for a team project in our calculus-based physics class. This poster will discuss our experiences, including preparation, materials, cost, troubleshooting and other details along with data analysis, pictures, and ideas for improvements and extensions. The project generated a lot of excitement and interesting data and we highly recommend HAB experiments for other colleges and high schools.
      • Spin First Instructional Approach to Teaching Quantum Mechanics in Sophomore Level Modern Physics Courses

      • PST3A02
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Homeyra Sadaghiani, James Munteanu

      • Type: Poster
      • As part of ongoing research in teaching and learning quantum mechanics using the Spin First approach, we are investigating student learning of basic introductory quantum concepts in sophomore level Modern Physics courses at Cal Poly Pomona. In the Spin First approach, postulates of quantum mechanics are introduced in the context of Stern-Gerlach experiments with discrete spin-half bases. We have collected QMCA post-test data for several sophomore-level classes using either Spin First or traditional approaches in teaching quantum concepts. We will share the results and discuss the implications for instructors of introductory quantum courses.
      • Incorporating Video Games into the Physics Classroom

      • PST3A04
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by David Rosengrant, Tracey Beyer, Berkil Alexander, Philip Money

      • Type: Poster
      • Motivation is a key factor in learning. If you can “hook” students so that they are personally vested then they typically want to learn the material. One student hook is to use video games. Though physics games can at times suspend reality, they typically need to follow the laws of physics to make the game believable. Some games even provide necessary information instructors can use in their lessons. This presentation focuses on two ways you can use video games: full lessons and video game vignettes. Examples of a full lesson can be based off a video of a game or actual game play while they do a lab. A video game vignette is an alternative to the back of the book problems. It’s a short clip of a video game that is accompanied by a question that the student may need to make assumptions or extrapolations from that clip in order to answer the question.
      • Professional Development: Practice Makes Perfect

      • PST3A06
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Aaron Lee
      • Type: Poster
      • Training courses for new faculty and graduate students often focus on discussing the pedagogy literature rather than the teaching experiences of the participants. Instructors inadvertently present literature findings as “recipes for success” but fail to address how to effectively, for example, run group work activities or write strong assessments. I discuss an approach to a professional development course that emphasizes (and encourages) participants to try out different teaching techniques in their classrooms. Course time is spent discussing the successes and failures of the participants. Implementing this course over the past four years here at UC Berkeley, I have found that the graduate student participants together arrive at the same results as those found in the literature, which makes the results more memorable and applicable to their own classrooms. This poster also discusses how this course could be implemented as an informal discussion group amongst new and seasoned faculty members.
      • Legacy of the PhysTEC Grant

      • PST3A08
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Chuhee Kwon, Galen Pickett, Laura Henriques

      • Type: Poster
      • California State University, Long Beach is a legacy PhysTEC site that completed the grant in Aug. 2013. We have managed to sustain most of the components initiated with the grant. The number of paid Learning Assistants has increased from 10 during the grant to 20. Two courses initiated with the grant, early teaching experience (PHYS 390) and PCK (PHYS 491), are thriving. Monthly Demo-Sharing, bi-annual Physics Teacher Open House, and Physics Mixer events are also continuing with a healthy number of high school teachers and majors attending regularly. The PhysTEC grant has been a transformative experience for the department. We have more than tripled the number of undergraduate majors, graduated 32 bachelors and 4 masters in AY 2014-15, increased the number of students in the physics credential program, and developed several collaborative projects with the Science Education Department.
      • How to be successful in Introductory Physics despite weak math background

      • PST3A10
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Irene Guerinot
      • Type: Poster
      • Pre-health, biology, and exercise science students are required to take Physics courses at Maryville College. The vast majority of these students do not have a very strong math background and failing Introductory Physics is a strong possibility. We will discuss the modifications we made into our course delivery and context to avoid such negative outcome.
      • Shifting from Core Concepts to Integrated Topics in Astro 101

      • PST3A12
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Debbie French, Andrea Burrows, Timothy Slater

      • Type: Poster
      • This study focuses on Astro 101 students’ ability to apply core astronomy ideas such as Universal Gravitation and the Doppler effect to the broader task of calculating the amount of dark matter in a galaxy. Fifty-four undergraduate Astro 101 students participated in this study. Students received a variety of instructional methods prior to the Dark Matter activity. Sixty-nine percent of students successfully calculated the amount of Dark Matter in NGC 2742, 16% partially completed the task, and 15% submitted work that did not demonstrate sufficient understanding. Students reported they remembered basic facts (e.g., Newton’s Laws of Motion, definitions of mass, weight), personal stories of scientists, hands-on activities, and the abundance of dark matter (post only) best from this section. These results are important because 40% of Astro 101 students eventually become education majors. These encouraging results illustrate how introductory college science classes can be re-designed to include inquiry-based teaching methods.
      • Student Engagement Using “Real-life” Physics Activity

      • PST3A14
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Gideon Adu, Jason Cummins, Alex Keitt, Abraham Rotich, Ifeanyi Uche

      • Type: Poster
      • Groups of students were assigned to perform real life projectile motion playing basketball– trying to make free throws. Measurements of times, heights, distances were made in order to verify the equations for maximum height, range, and trajectory (the parabolic equation) of the projectile motion, and to determine the effect of air resistance which was neglected in classroom discussions. This activity was to evaluate student engagement outside of a classroom setting, their conceptual understanding and ability to make applications. This group will present and discuss their results.
      • Teacher and School Factors in K-12 Math and Science Learning

      • PST3A16
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by Bruce Patton, Andrew Dougherty

      • Type: Poster
      • The role of factors impacting effective student learning of core math and science content is investigated within the context of a K-12 professional development program modeled on Physics by Inquiry. A rigorous evaluation model with a quasi-experimental design is used to examine extent and depth of teacher content knowledge, teaching pedagogical knowledge and as well as relevant cognitive research. Teacher instruments include reliable and validated content diagnostics, scientific reasoning tests, MOSART assessments as well as the SEC, STEBI, OCI, and classroom observations with ICOP. Student level data involve nationally normed math and science formative assessments (NWEA MAP tests) and state math and science assessments. Examples discussed include correlation between higher order student and teacher conceptual reasoning, ANCOVA controlling for student backgrounds, item response and comparative student gain analysis of common formative assessments to inform teachers, and possible application of regression discontinuity analysis.
      • Student Responses in Interdisciplinary Physical Science and Global/Cultural Awareness Course

      • PST3A18
      • Tue 01/12, 4:15PM - 5:00PM
      • by R. Steven Turley, Brian Jackson

      • Type: Poster
      • Brigham Young University has introduced a set of General Education/Honors classes called “Unexpected Connections.” These courses explore ideas from the perspective of two different disciplines, in our case physical sciences and global/cultural awareness. Our course was taught by a physics and an English professor with the topic of time as our unifying theme. From the physical science side we discussed Newton’s Laws, Relativity, geological time, astronomical time and distance, and cosmology. On the global/cultural side we discussed time and nature in pre-modern cultures, factory time and time in modern life, viewing events from different perspectives (Rashomon, Hiroshima from a U.S. and Japanese perspective), and creation stories. We will present student reactions and insights to their experience learning from two very different disciplinary perspectives in the same class. These include student response to surveys and examples of interdisciplinary insights they shared in their informal writing and term projects.
  • Pre-college/Informal and Outreach

      • QuantumCraft -- Assessing Middle School Student Understanding

      • PST2F01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Natasha Collova, Michele McColgan

      • Type: Poster
      • A quantum mechanics world and mod was developed in Minecraft by a group ofpeople from Google, MinecraftEDU, E-line media, and CalTech. We added some crafting challenges to the world and asked middle school students to go through the world together in small groups with a leading mentor. We developed a short questionnaire on the concepts we believed the students would learn as they completed the challenges. The different challenges will be described and the survey and the results will be presented.
      • Saturday Morning Astrophysics at Purdue: A New Astronomy Outreach Program

      • PST2F02
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Matthew Wiesner, David Sederberg

      • Type: Poster
      • In January 2015 we created a new outreach program at Purdue University modeled on the highly successful Saturday Morning Physics program at Fermilab. Saturday Morning Astrophysics at Purdue (SMAP) is targeted to local students in grades 6-12. It is offered on campus one Saturday a month for one hour. Each session is divided into an introduction and a hands-on activity. During the introduction, students are taught the basics of a concept in astrophysics. During the second half of the session, students complete an activity to demonstrate how astrophysics research is done, completing tasks such as classifying stars by their spectra, building telescopes, launching model rockets and more. In this poster, we describe the sessions we have taught, students’ experiences in the program and our future goals for astronomy outreach at Purdue.
  • SPS Undergraduate Research and Outreach

      • Motion of a Ball on a Board Tilted About the Two Axes

      • SPS01
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Nick Kasle, Aaron Titus

      • Type: Poster
      • An Arduino microcontroller and accelerometer are used to control a wooden board tilted about two perpendicular axes and to control a virtual board in a VPython simulation. The Arduino and accelerometer are attached to a handheld breadboard. The tilt of the Arduino is used to tilt the board using two attached servos, with each one tilting the board about one axis. The tilt is also used to control a virtual board in VPython. The motion of a ball on the wooden board is compared to the motion of a virtual ball in VPython in order to establish the efficacy of the computational model in VPython.
      • Nonlinear Vibration Experiments: Clamped Circular Elastic Plate with Sand Loading

      • SPS02
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Eloni Avery, Sarah Erteschik, Murray Korman

      • Type: Poster
      • Experiments using a soil-plate oscillator (SPO) involve a vertical cylindrical column of granular medium (sand, soil, pebbles or even uncooked brown rice) that is supported by a thin circular elastic plate that is rigidly clamped to the bottom of a thick walled aluminum tube. The circular acrylic plate (11.4 cm diam and 3.2 mm thick) is air-backed. The soil column is driven from below by a 3-inch loudspeaker that is electrically driven by an amplified swept sinusoidal slowly varying chirp. The speaker rests on a baseplate supporting the apparatus. A small accelerometer attached to the bottom of the circular plate (at the center) is used to measure the vibration. In nonlinear tuning curve experiments the resonant frequency decreases significantly with increased amplitude – representing a softening in the nonlinear system. The unloaded plate resonance is 638 Hz, with 1 cup sand, 274 Hz, decreasing ~ 5 % with moderate drive amplitude.
      • Resistive Switch Properties of Pt/Al2O3/Nb:SrTiO3 device

      • SPS03
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Yushi Chang, Weimin Li, Yiqing Luo

      • Type: Poster
      • We report on the resistive switching in Pt/Al2O3/Nb:SrTiO3 heterostructures. The device can stablely switch its resistance between a high state and a low state driven by a reverse bias and a forward bias respectively and the high (low) resistance state is nonvolatile. The sensibility of the switch is within 10ns. However, there is always a sharp downward pinnacle at around -0.5V when applied reverse bias. This downward pinnacle appears at higher voltage as the reverse bias increases. Our experiments suggest the character of this pinnacle can be explained by the energy band structure of the heterostructure.
      • Simulations for More Efficient Wind Turbines

      • SPS04
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Mehmet Goksu, George Miller

      • Type: Poster
      • The main goal of this research is to develop a mechanism that will change with wind speed to get maximum efficiency from the wind turbine while it is operating. We will determine optimal condition to develop more efficient wind turbines using computational fluid dynamics simulations. So far we successfully made a three-dimensional model of an airfoil, applied specific boundary conditions to the flow of air, ran time-dependent simulations, and gained results of the simulation giving force, pressure, and velocity of the air along the surface of an airfoil. This research is being done in an effort to make wind power a more economically viable option and alternative to fossil fuels.
      • The Developments and Potentials of Light Carrying Orbital Angular Momentum

      • SPS05
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Heyun Tan, Xinlun Cai

      • Type: Poster
      • Application of light beam carrying orbital angular momentum, which was first mentioned by Poynting in 1909, has become a popular area in recent years. The number of essays published per year in the area of OAM has increased from 50 in 1996 to about 400 in 2014. OAM is a natural character of all helical phased beams. A light beam comprising l helical phasefronts has an infinite number of eignstate states, which can lead to a physical realization of unlimited quits accordingly. Moreover, there are a wide range of applications in optical information, quantum information system and manipulation systems. Various methods have been established to produce light with OAM, like the emitter based on 36um-sized micro-ring resonators by Cai et al. OAM is promising to dissolve many problems, but how to deal with all the potentials and challenges it brings out is a question for us all.
      • Using FORTRAN and GROMACS in Biomaterial Research*

      • SPS06
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Binaya Bajgain, Cameron Dean, Hye-Young Kim

      • Type: Poster
      • FORmula TRANslation (FORTRAN) is a fast, robust computing language specific for scientific computing. GROningen Machine for Chemical Simulations (GROMACS) is a fast, flexible and free molecular dynamics package. We have been using FORTRAN for data collection and analysis of large-scale atomistic simulation for self-assembled nanostructures of VECAR molecules in water at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. GROMACS is used in order to perform molecular dynamics simulation and also for data analysis. From our experience, FORTRAN is easy to use and comes with nice array notation. GROMACS helps us to simulate the dynamics of our research subject of a system of molecules in a controlled environment.
      • Who Gets to Ride Shotgun? Is the Rear Seat Safe?

      • SPS07
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by William Vernon, Peter Sheldon, Russell Burt , Sarah Sojka

      • Type: Poster
      • Historically, the rear seat in passenger vehicles has been safer for passengers than the front seat. However, vehicle safety advances have focused on the front row, potentially reversing this trend. We compiled data on passenger vehicle collisions between 1997 and 2013 from the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS). Across all vehicle types and impacts speeds, the incidence of severe injury was lower for passengers in the front row than passengers in the second row. However, when the data was analyzed by age, all age groups except children had a greater incidence of severe injury in the second row. For example, an adult not wearing seatbelts in the second row had 36% greater chance of severe injury than an adult not wearing seatbelts in the front row. We will discuss our findings and how they may inform vehicle safety in the future.
      • A Study on Electrical Characteristics of Photovoltaic Cells

      • SPS08
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Mehmet Goksu, Daniel Cox

      • Type: Poster
      • Renewable energy production is one of the most important topics in energy today due to increasing global energy needs and global warming. Today, as fossil fuel reserves continue to diminish, scientists try to make Photovoltaic cells a more viable and cost-effective method of generating electricity to partially fulfill the world’s energy needs. We determined the electrical characteristics of a PV cell by a variety of measurements by a variety of measurements including: Current-Voltage (I-V) characteristic curve, fill factor, internal resistance, and temperature dependence of the Power-Voltage (P-V) characteristic curve of the PV cell.
      • Acoustic Analog to Avoided Crossing of Energy Levels

      • SPS09
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Shawn Hilbert, William Newman, Alex Skinner

      • Type: Poster
      • Fundamental properties of quantum mechanics tend to be unintuitive to students new to the topic. One way to illustrate these properties is a lab demonstration, but the equipment is often too expensive or impractical. Since sound waves behave very similarly to quantum waves, acoustics is a good medium for developing analogies to demonstrate quantum properties. Here, we are presenting an acoustic analog that mimics an avoided crossing using sounds waves in PVC pipes. Experimental results are shown and progress to fitting this to a quantum system is presented.
      • Acoustic Analog to Level-Splitting Route to Band Gaps

      • SPS10
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Mitchell Crum, Marissa D'Onofrio, Shawn Hilbert

      • Type: Poster
      • Demonstrations of quantum phenomena are typically difficult. Analogs can be a valuable substitution. In time-independent situations, acoustics is mathematically equivalent to the Schrödinger equation, which makes it a good medium for such analogs. This presentation investigates an acoustic band structure that acts as an analog to an infinite square well with multiple delta well perturbations. The analog is accomplished through the use of regular sections of PVC pipes connected by variable aluminum diaphragms to allow coupling between the pipe sections. Equivalence between resonances in the acoustic system and the eigenenergies of the quantum mechanical system is examined for multiple-cavity situations. Both the acoustic system and the analytic solution of the quantum system demonstrate the same band formation for similar reflectivities and frequencies, as well as dependence of the band gap width on the hole size of the disks.
      • Apparatus for Study of Coriolis Forces

      • SPS11
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Amiras Simeonides
      • Type: Poster
      • The study of motion in non-inertial reference frames in the laboratory setting is limited by a lack of precise yet affordable apparatus for experiments. This presentation details the construction, programming, and testing of a computer-controlled apparatus that allows students to study various types of motion in inertial and non-inertial reference frames.
      • Building Strong Bodies and Minds Through Service Learning

      • SPS12
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by David Sederberg
      • Type: Poster
      • In Physic and Astronomy at Purdue, service learning is an essential component to our outreach programs. While providing authentic deliverables to the “customer,” service learning engages individuals in ways through which they are able to make meaningful contributions for the benefit of others, while at the same time developing their own knowledge and expertise in an area of personal interest or commitment. That learning may involve leadership, the communication of science related ideas and principles to the public, experience in teaching in K-12 classrooms, research, the design and creation of instructional materials and assessment, reflective practice, and acquired skills that last a lifetime.This presentation will illustrate ways in which we leverage resources made available through service learning for successful outreach programs in Physics and Astronomy.
      • Computational Study of Self-Assembly of VECAR in Water*

      • SPS14
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Bijay Shrestha, Hye-Young Kim

      • Type: Poster
      • VECAR molecule consists of variants of vitamin-E and carnosine, linked by a hydrocarbon chain. Three VECAR molecules with the hydrocarbon chain composed of 4, 13 and 22 carbons were studied. VECAR molecules are bolaamphiphilic and thus self-assemble in aqueous solution. The microscopic analysis of each self-assembly was done by calculating the radial distribution function, the angle distribution function and the atomistic density profile. Results showed that the cluster shape and the atomistic distribution within clusters depend on the chain length. We also calculated the mean square displacement of atoms in a merging process, during which a band of nitrogen was visible at the merging interface. The mean square displacement calculation provided the quantitative information of the diffusion of the nitrogens near the merging interface. Using g_energy, g_hbond and g_gyrate we also calculated the change of various energies of the system, the number of hydrogen bond and the cluster shape, respectively. *National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103424 (Kim). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Computational resources were provided by the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (http://www.loni.org).
      • Negative Differential Resistance and Characteristic Nonlinear Electromagnetic Response of a Topological Insulator

      • SPS15
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Bochen Guan, Xiao Zhang, Qinghua Lee

      • Type: Poster
      • Materials exhibiting negative differential resistance have important applications in technologies involving microwave generation, which range from motion sensing to radio astronomy. In this work, we show that negative differential resistance also generically arise in Dirac ring systems, an example of which has been experimentally observed in the surface states of Topological Insulators. This novel realization of negative differential resistance is based on a completely different physical mechanism from that of the Gunn effect, relying on the characteristic non-monotonicity of the response curve that remains robust in the presence of nonzero temperature, chemical potential, mass gap and impurity scattering. As such, it opens up new possibilities for engineering applications, such as frequency upconversion devices which are highly sought for terahertz signal generation.
      • Latitude dependence of the primary stellar wind of eta Carinae

      • SPS16
      • Sat 01/09, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Rachel Odessey
      • Type: Poster
      • The binary star Eta Carinae underwent a massive eruption in the 1840s, resulting in a huge nebula of ejected material, called the Homunculus. Despite preventing us from the direct view from the central source, the Homunculus acts like a mirror, allowing us to see the spectrum of the central binary system from different stellar latitudes. By mapping the spectrum along the nebula we are actually probing the dependence of the spectrum with stellar latitude. Our project focuses on the P Cyg absorption component of H lines mostly in the optical and near-infrared wavelengths. in order to investigate the structure of the primary stellar wind. A full spectral mapping of the entire nebula was constructed by combining multiple dithered long slit observations using the ESO/X-Shooter high-resolution spectrograph. Such mapping allowed us to assemble a data cube containing the spectrum of each position along the nebula. Preliminary analysis confirms that the primary wind indeed has a deeper absorption component at high stellar latitudes (polar region). Also, contrary to our expectations, our analysis indicates that the polar region does not seem entirely radially symmetric in terms of density, which invites further investigation into the source of these discrepancies.
  • Teacher Training/Enhancement

      • APEX Professional Development for Alabama Physics Teachers

      • PST2E01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by James Minstrell, Mohan Aggarwal

      • Type: Poster
      • APEX is an NSF-funded MSP for professional development of high school physics teachers in the state of Alabama. The five-year grant has four major components of professional development. The first and major focus is to provide opportunities for teachers to upgrade their understanding of most of the content in introductory physics. Secondly, teachers have an opportunity to learn more about the instructional implications of research on students’ misconceptions and development of conceptual understanding of physics. Third is a focus on use of technology in the teaching of physics, and finally teachers have a requirement to conduct action research on learning and teaching in their own classrooms. There are three cohorts of teachers involved, totaling over 70 teachers. Each cohort is to participate in three two-week summer sessions, during three consecutive summers. Each cohort also participates in three two-day follow-up sessions during the year.
      • Graphing Motion as a Concept Boundary in Pre-service Educators

      • PST2E03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by David Osmond
      • Type: Poster
      • Transitioning fluently between watching a movement happen and understanding how a graph of that motion can be created is an early boundary concept in physics. This project is an exploration of best practices in introducing motion-graphing, goals mastered, and the common misconceptions that are encountered in non-science majors. Two classes were trained in how to use Tracker video analysis and modeling software and subsequently shown five graphs depicting position and time. The students were tasked with video recording a team member moving in order to creating a graph of that motion. Assessment involved a written description of motion and a graph being drawn to represent that motion. Analysis of open-ended concept-based questions was used to support development of best practices for the introduction of graphing motion.
      • Using Interactive Video Technology to Support Modeling Middle School Teachers

      • PST2E05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jeffrey Hengesbach, Bradly Bostick

      • Type: Poster
      • Maricopa County Educational Services Agency (MCESA) partnered with the American Modeling Teacher’s Association (AMTA) to create a comprehensive modeling centered middle school science curriculum that meets NGSS standards. Twenty-six teachers from 10 rural school districts engaged in a three-week summer middle school modeling workshop training program in 2014, and although their experience and science backgrounds varied greatly, their students demonstrated increased enthusiasm and success through its implementation. Interactive Video Lab (IVL) technology was used to support the teachers by engaging them in research-based professional development, and providing for them timely access to pedagogical content experts for support, and by engaging them as members of a professional learning community. This paper will focus on the use of IVL technology to support rural teacher development while implementing the middle school modeling curriculum.
      • ATE Workshop for Physics Faculty

      • PST2E02
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Thomas O'Kuma, Dwain Desbien

      • Type: Poster
      • The ATE Workshop for Physics Faculty project is into its final year and has finished its 24th workshop/conference. In this poster, we will display information about the project and information about these workshops/conferences. Information concerning development of laboratory activities will also be displayed.
      • IMPACT- Caused Changes in a Rural-Surrounded High-Needs Urban School District

      • PST2E04
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Gordon Aubrecht, Bill Schmitt, Jennifer Esswein, Jessica Creamer

      • Type: Poster
      • IMPACT began over five years ago and changes have occurred in the school district's middle and high schools. This poster presents some of our results. This work supported in part by grants from the Ohio Department of Education C1457-OSCI-09-49 (2008-2009), C1667-MSP-10-410 (2009-2010), EDU01-0000006141 (2010-2011), EDU01-0000007902 (2011-2012), GRT00029161 (2012-2013), ODE-MSP-10673 (2013-2014), EDU01-0000013704 (2014-15), and ?? (2015-16).
  • Teaching Electronics in Upper Level Undergraduate Physics

      • Fitting It All into a One Semester Electronics Course

      • AF04
      • Sun 01/10, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
      • by Michele McColgan
      • Type: Poster
      • A one semester electronics course is required of students at Siena College, a liberal arts college in upstate, NY. Many students are interested in pursuing a career in engineering through our 3-2 or 4-1 engineering programs, with a number pursuing electrical engineering advanced degrees. It's a challenge to provide them with a strong foundation in analog and digital circuits, soldering, and microprocessors as well as experience using simulation tools expected of engineers. Our course will be presented and will include online resources such as CircuitLab and EveryCircuit, class activities, and labs. In addition, problems and projects using Matlab and Simulink will be included.
      • Flipping (and Scrambling) the Introductory Electronics Course

      • AF05
      • Sun 01/10, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
      • by Eric Ayars
      • Type: Poster
      • The "flipped" classroom approach, in which content presentation occurs outside of class time and class itself is used for problem-solving, has generated considerable interest in the education community. In physics teaching this approach has most often been applied to the introductory course, but it also promises potential benefit in upper-division courses such as "Electronics for Scientists" at CSU Chico. In the course of re-thinking and reorganizing material for such a flipped electronics course, it became apparent that the usual linear approach to topics in electronics could be replaced by a series of topic modules arranged in a "Tech Tree" offering multiple pathways through the material. I will be presenting preliminary work on this flipping/scrambling course redesign, in hopes that other instructors can offer helpful suggestions before I hit students with it and discover glaring problems with the approach.
      • In-phase and Quadrature Detection Circuitry for Phase Detection of Sound

      • AF06
      • Sun 01/10, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
      • by Stephen Bishop, Gary Bishop, Murray Korman

      • Type: Poster
      • An in-phase and quadrature detection circuit (I & Q) is useful in determining the relative phase difference between two sinusoidal signals. The overall circuit is made up of analog integrated circuit (IC) components using two multipliers (AD734), two op-amp ICs (OP27) for making two individual low-pass filters, an op-amp differentiator circuit (for generating a Pi/2 phase shift), and a variable phase shift op-amp circuit with flat gain for testing purposes. The circuit was designed for use with low-cost 25 kHz ultrasonic transducer elements. High school students and early high school graduates involved in a summer internship at USNA get involved in doing physics experiments and get to build circuitry. The theory involving I and Q detection required students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of op-amp circuitry along with gaining an appreciation for the physics involving wave signals that are out of phase with each other.
      • Integrating Arduino Microcontrollers into Undergraduate Electronics Laboratories

      • AF07
      • Sun 01/10, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
      • by Ryan Smith
      • Type: Poster
      • We present examples of implementation of the Arduino microcontroller into electronics course curriculum and term projects. The accessible and low-cost Arduino presents an exciting showcase of electronic phenomena. As students combine analog circuitry with the digital capabilities of the Arduino, they learn the basics of data acquisition, precision timing, digital feedback loops, and experimental control. Exposure to the microcontroller environment provides a foundation for successful experimental design and the development of industrial products.
      • Microcontrollers in the Upper Level Electronics Lab

      • AF08
      • Sun 01/10, 11:30AM - 12:00PM
      • by Steve Spicklemire
      • Type: Poster
      • We have migrated our upper-level electronics lab from a "Horowitz and Hill" based course to a series of experiments driven and monitored by microcontrollers and credit card sized computers (e.g., raspberry pi). Many of the same concepts arise (e.g., discrete components, op-amps, digital circuits) but in the context of interfacing a microcontroller with transducers, instruments and other random items we find laying about! The course culminates in an independent project developed and implemented by each student.
  • Technologies

      • 3D-Printed Physics Tactile Objects as Aids for Students with Disabilities

      • PST2D01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Steven Sahyun, Christopher Marshall, Rebecca Holzer

      • Type: Poster
      • Science is highly pictographic as the use of diagrams is fundamental to understanding of the world around us. The strong reliance on pictures may place a student who is unable to see or interpret the displayed diagram or simulation at a conceptual disadvantage. The increasing availability of 3D-printers to create objects out of polylactic acid (PLA) thermoplastics provides a novel, low-cost and easy method for fabrication and distribution of tactile manipulative objects in order to aid teaching of STEM related courses. This poster will present the initial development and techniques for creating several 3D-printable objects for learning physics to aid students with visual disabilities. We describe some initial methods of design with considerations toward tactile learning, consistent fabrication, and methods of distribution of objects that may be used at remote locations to aid teaching students with visual impairments where tactile learning aids would be of use.
      • Computation in the Undergraduate Physics Curriculum*

      • PST2D03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Marie Lopez del Puerto, Gerry Ruch, Jeff Jalkio, Marty Johnston, Paul Ohmann

      • Type: Poster
      • The University of St. Thomas Physics Department is engaged in an ambitious, collaborative project to effectively embed computation throughout the curriculum. Computational physics is introduced in the sophomore-level Applications of Modern Physics course through laboratory exercises and homework problems. Advanced skills and techniques are explored in a Computational Physics course (currently under development – to be offered Spring 2016). Computational exercises and projects in Theoretical Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, and Quantum Mechanics ensure students have continued exposure to computation, which is essential for solidifying students’ skills and enhancing their confidence in using them.
      • Instructional Designs Using Learning Glass Tchnology for Online Physics Courses

      • PST2D05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Matt Anderson, Shawn Firouzian

      • Type: Poster
      • The Learning Glass is an effective technology for undergraduate physics education as we will discuss in our contributed talk. The instructor writes on a glass screen with LED illuminated edges. A camera on the opposite side of the glass records the video and horizontally flips the image. In this poster, we share four different instructional designs we created adapting Learning Glass technology for online undergraduate physics courses. The lectures were either streamed live via rich media platforms such as Mediasite or prerecorded on YouTube high definition channels. Students’ engagements and peer instructions were prompted and facilitated via web conferencing tools such as Blackboard Collaborate for live students or Facebook page and virtual discussion boards for asynchronous participants. Students’ responses to our post-class surveys of summer 2015 showed that majority preferred live online lectures with a discussion of clicker questions every 10 to 15 minutes.
      • Making iPad Videos to Learn Physics*

      • PST2D07
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Andrew Roberts, Dan MacIsaac, David Abbot, Bradley Gearhart, Kathleen Falconer

      • Type: Poster
      • We describe the iPad video physics project at SUNY Buffalo State College, in which we used a class set of iPads to support student learning of introductory-level physics content both in traditional undergraduate courses and graduate-level courses for physics teacher preparation. The iPads were used both for traditional digital video capture and model fitting via Vernier Video Physics, and for the production of student physics content multimedia presentations via iMovie and iMotion, akin to abbreviated YouTube videos. We report student feedback, some pre- and post- standardized student conceptual learning scores (BEMA, TUG-K and FCME) for the courses, instructor comments and lessons learned.
      • Physics Bites! – Lenses

      • PST2D09
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by John Di Bartolo
      • Type: Poster
      • The purpose of the iOS app Physics Bites! is to give the user a chance to better understand certain concepts in physics by playing with tiny simulations (or “Bites”). “Lenses” is the first Physics Bites! module, with the following five simulations: Lensmaker: The user adjusts the two radii of curvature and index of refraction, and the resulting lens and its focal length are shown. One Lens: The user controls the object distance and lens focal length, and the image size and location is shown. Two Lenses: The user controls the object distance, lens focal lengths, an inter-lens distance, and the image size and location is shown. Mirror: The user controls the object distance and mirror radius of curvature, and the image size and location is shown. Interface: The user controls the object distance, interface radius of curvature, and indices of refraction, the image size and location is shown.
      • Teaching Computational Modeling: The Basics

      • PST2D11
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Ruth Chabay, Bruce Sherwood

      • Type: Poster
      • Most students in introductory physics courses have never written a computer program. This is true for many instructors as well. As interest in incorporating computational modeling into physics instruction increases, many novices, both students and instructors, are encountering computational ideas for the first time. There’s a lot to learn. What should be omitted, what should be included, and how should it be taught? We’ll describe one functional model, based on nearly two decades of experience in integrating computation into introductory physics.
      • A New App for Physics Simulations

      • PST2D02
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Sonia Tye, Byron Philhour, Neeru Khosla

      • Type: Poster
      • In collaboration with physics teachers, animators, and software developers, the nonprofit cK-12 Foundation has generated dozens of new free-to-use tablet and laptop-ready HTML5-based interactive physics simulations. Recently, we have released an app for mobile tablets that allows easy access to the simulations (which can, through the app, be accessed offline). Our goal for each simulation is to build a bridge between compelling real-world situations and the more abstract and mathematical physics descriptions. These sims are appropriate for middle school, high school, and introductory college level physics. Topical coverage is broad, from motion and mechanics to electricity & magnetism, sound and light, and modern physics. Our physics sims are based in engaging, real-world examples, big questions, a playful interactive sandbox, graphs of data, and diverse modes of instructional feedback. This poster presentation is one part of our efforts to engage in a discussion with the physics education community about how best this work can be used to facilitate both classroom-based and independent instruction, foster interest in science, challenge misconceptions, and support best practices in online learning.
      • Evaluation of SMASH*: Modern Physics App

      • PST2D04
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Tugba Yuksel, Rebecca Lindell

      • Type: Poster
      • The SMASH*: Modern Physics app debuted for the fall 2015 semester, where it was used in Purdue’s flipped modern physics course for engineers. Each week students answered a series of multiple-choice research-based conceptual questions specifically designed to help students improve their understanding of the basic concepts in the course. These questions were delivered through the students’ handheld device. Evaluation of this app and its questions utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods. Students were asked to voluntarily participate in qualitative focus groups. Conducting a psychometric analysis on the different questions and performing a primary trait analysis yielded quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of the app. Finally, students completed an end of the semester evaluation questionnaire designed to probe students’ opinions about the app. The combination the individual results from all these different evaluations, yielded an overall evaluation of the SMASH*: Modern Physics app. *Scientific Multiple-choice Assessments for Student Handhelds.
      • Integrating Computation into Existing Physics Courses*

      • PST2D06
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Marie Lopez del Puerto, Larry Engelhardt, Kelly Roos, Norman Chonacky, Marcos Caballero

      • Type: Poster
      • You know your students need computational physics skills, but how can you fit one more thing into the curriculum? By integrating computation into existing courses! Attend a summer faculty-development workshop conducted by the Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP) and receive direct, and continuing, support for the planning, design, and implementation of a computational component in your physics courses. PICUP is a national-scale community of physics faculty who are dedicated to aiding and supporting one another in this important computational education effort. This poster describes one of PICUP’s current projects. *This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under DUE IUSE grants 1524128, 1524493, 1524963, 1525062, and 1525525.
      • MIX-ing It Up: A New Microsoft PowerPoint Plugin Enriches High School Physics Instruction

      • PST2D08
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by John Weisenfeld, Jim Federico

      • Type: Poster
      • During the 2014-2015 school year, a preview (i.e. beta) technology from Microsoft called Office Mix was utilized in the author’s high school physics classroom. Mix is basically a plugin for PowerPoint which increases the interactivity of the presentation. In particular, the PowerPoint author can record their own voice, video and pen-based annotations on each slide, and upload the Mix (i.e. a Mix-enabled PowerPoint presentation) to a server where it can be accessed by students during class. Mix also allows the inclusion of video clips, the creation of polls or multiple choice or true/false questions on slides. Physics teachers will be especially interested to know that Phet simulations can be embedded in PowerPoint slides with no loss of interactivity or fidelity. Finally, metrics captured per student user when they “log in” to view the Mix that allow the teacher to get real-time and semi-real-time assessment of student engagement and understanding are discussed.
      • SMASH*: Modern Physics - Developing Questions

      • PST2D10
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Brian May, Peter Thompson, Brandon Walker, Michael Yannell, Tugba Yuksel

      • Type: Poster
      • SMASH (Scientific Multiple-choice Assessments for Student Handhelds): Modern Physics is an app designed to deliver research-based multiple-choice questions to a student’s handheld. Each question strives to test areas of conceptual difficulty in modern physics as revealed by physics education research and 40+ years of instructional experience. During the summer of 2015, a team of undergraduates who had successfully completed the course, a PER graduate student specializing in college student understanding of quantum mechanics, a PER research faculty, and the professor of the course met regularly to develop ~500 suitable questions. Each question went through a multi-stage analysis to determine their appropriateness for inclusion in the app. An overview of the design process and preliminary results from the use of SMASH: Modern Physics will be presented. A web-based version of the app can be viewed at http://cychosz.com/SMASHphysics/modern/. Downloadable Android and iPhone based versions of the app are nearing completion.
  • Upper Division and Graduate

      • Characterizing Problem Types and Problem Solving Strategies in PhD-level Research

      • PST2C01
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Benjamin Zwickl, Jarrett Vosburg, Javier Olivera, Anne Leak

      • Type: Poster
      • Problem solving is frequently cited as a skill needed in the 21st century STEM workforce, but there is limited research on types of problems encountered in the workplace and how these problems are overcome. Through a series of interviews with 10 graduate students from the physical sciences and engineering, we cataloged types of problems encountered in graduate-level research and typical approaches used to solve these problems. Using a grounded theory approach, these interviews were coded by three to five people, developing taxonomy of problems and problem solving methods. Problems ranged from routine tasks, like programming and using lab equipment, to higher-level challenges, like establishing the direction of a research project, collaborating with others, and determining when a product is "good enough." Finally, we will report on graduate students' comparative reflections between problem solving in undergraduate coursework and in PhD-level research.
      • Exploring Mastery Learning in Upper-Division Physics Courses

      • PST2C03
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Daryl Macomb
      • Type: Poster
      • Mastery learning, as practiced since the 1960s, is usually characterized by demanding that students reach a satisfactory level of knowledge in pre-requisite topics before moving on to more advanced material. Material is divided into small units that utilize formative assessments to monitor student progress and guide corrective instruction. This cycle allows students to reach a mastery level on the unit (high score on an assessment), enabling progression to further material. This approach is appealing in many ways including; allowing students to progress at a more individualized rate, ensuring adequate understanding of pre-requisite material, providing coherent units of material, and placing the student at the center of the process. Here we describe the use of modified versions of mastery learning in several upper-division physics courses including quantum and classical mechanics. We describe past uses of mastery, the course structures applied, and changes in student attitudes vs. a normal class structure.
      • Wind Tunnel Ballistics

      • PST2C05
      • Mon 01/11, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Joel Berlinghieri, Joseph Littlejohn, Joseph McCall

      • Type: Poster
      • In the 17th century pistols, muskets, and cannons fired a spherical projectile. Such projectiles had limited target precision. In the 19th century the Minié Ball (essentially a sphere attached to a cylinder with hollow skirt) was introduced which along with rifling of the gun barrel improved target precision. Most projectiles today retain the basic design of the Minié. Four projectile designs were studied and compared: spherical, slug (Minié), double-cone, and teardrop. For similar Reynolds number and projectile speeds of 1,000 m/s to 1,500 m/s scaled models (x20) of these designs were measured in a wind tunnel with air flow speeds of 50 to 75 m/s. Transverse and longitudinal forces, with particular emphasis on random fluctuations, were recorded as a function of air speed.
      • Designing an Intermediate Course in Scientific Computing

      • PST2C02
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Mark Rupright
      • Type: Poster
      • I am designing a new intermediate-level undergraduate course in scientificcomputing for physics, mathematics, engineering, and chemistry majors, to be taught in AY2016-17. It is designed to fit into the gap between introductory "how to use Matlab" and advanced numerical analysis courses, and will provide necessary tools for using computing in advanced science and mathematics courses, as well as advanced undergraduate research. I am soliciting ideas and feedback on the course design before its first run.
      • Fostering Computational Integration by Developing Local Community Support Agents*

      • PST2C04
      • Mon 01/11, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Norman Chonacky
      • Type: Poster
      • The recent use of computers as one of now three approaches (experiment, theory, and computation) for addressing physical analyses and problem solving has surfaced over most areas of science and engineering practice during the past several decades. The corresponding use of computation is not yet so prevalent in preparing physics undergraduates. There is clear evidence that educational practice in this regard is finally changing, mostly it seems by the “heroic” efforts of individuals with the necessary time and resources. This talk will describe an effort to develop supportive resources to extend computational reform by a process analogous to that of Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRA’s) of the past generation for HS physics instructional reform. It is an effort to lower the barriers to beginning computational integration and to raise the standard of what otherwise individual instructors would be able to achieve alone. *Supported in part by NSF under IUSE-1505278.
  • Writing and Assessing Biology-based Problems in the Introductory Physics Course

      • A Survey of Biological Topics in Physics Problems

      • CC05
      • Sun 01/10, 5:20PM - 6:00PM
      • by Juan Burciaga
      • Type: Poster
      • A number of sources are available that provide biology-based physics problems that can be used to supplement a standard physics curriculum. But what biology topics are used in these problems? How do these topics map onto the suggested biology and physics topics for MCAT preparation? What kinds of biology topics are generally useful for physics faculty to explore? Are there other sources of physics problems that can be used in the IPLS curriculum? The paper presents an analysis of the biology topics from several supplements.
      • Aligning Introductory Physics Problem Solving to Health Profession Problem-Solving Skills

      • CC06
      • Sun 01/10, 5:20PM - 6:00PM
      • by Nancy Beverly
      • Type: Poster
      • Problem-solving skills in introductory physics can be aligned with the problem-solving skills needed by health professionals, who routinely have to raise questions, determine what information is needed, interpret information, use models of symptoms and their causes, and make diagnosis based on their models and information, then devise and evaluate a treatment plan. Similarly, physics students can be guided to pose their own questions about a physical scenario, construct appropriate models, find and interpret their own needed information and make an inference about the scenario. The main difference is that physics models are mathematical. However the problem-solving process can be made similar, if students ask their own questions and determine their own needed information, instead of the instructor. Students also have to close the loop and use their numerical answer to make a decision or inference. Our experience with guiding students in this kind of problem solving will be discussed.
      • Kinesthetic Activities to Improve Student Understanding of Multi-concept IPLS Models*

      • CC07
      • Sun 01/10, 5:20PM - 6:00PM
      • by James Vesenka, David Grimm, Bradley Moser, Rebecca Lindell

      • Type: Poster
      • Life science students are, in general, more motivated to analyze and understand problems related to their career interests rather than seemingly unrelated physics concepts. On the other hand authentic biological problems typically encompass multiple physics concepts that require a strong foundation of physics in order to understand the biology. We are developing a number of kinesthetic (hands-on, manipulable) activities that encompass multiple physics concepts in a fashion that makes the biology more understandable through interesting conceptual and quantitative physics-rich presentations. Examples include the development of kinesthetic models of the circulatory system, diffusion and electrophoresis. Our efforts are designed to develop an introductory physics sequence that integrates in parallel with our year long anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology sequence in order to elevate the comprehension of both the underlying biology and physics through authentic and career relevant biological problems.
      • Physics Curriculum for IPLS Using Multimedia Content

      • CC08
      • Sun 01/10, 5:20PM - 6:00PM
      • by Ralf Widenhorn, Elliot Mylott

      • Type: Poster
      • There is concern among experts in the physics, biology, and medical communities that undergraduate physics courses are not adequately preparing students for careers in medicine and the life sciences. The rapid development of new instrumentation has made it increasingly useful that students entering these professions have a strong conceptual understanding of the relevant physical principles behind investigative, diagnostic and treatment technologies. In this poster we present the design and assessment of a flipped classroom, algebra-based introductory physics curriculum at Portland State University that utilized in class discussions, original texts, pre-lecture questions, and online homework. The materials are used with laboratory sessions exploring the physics of biomedical instrument and content relevant videos from biomedical researcher and medical professionals.

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