eNNOUNCER October, 2010

AAPT National Election

The election of officers for Executive Board service beginning in 2011 is in process until midnight (eastern daylight time) November 5. Candidate bios are online at http://aapt.org/aboutaapt/organization/2010_elections.cfm.

Nominations are open for the 2011 election. Information on positions up for the 2011 election, including a link to the Nomination Form, is available at http://aapt.org/aboutaapt/nominate.cfm.

Remember to vote.

2011 Winter Meeting in Jacksonville, FL

January 8-12, 2011
In this economic environment, it is worth saving every penny you can. Don’t miss the early bird rate; register for the meeting today! This is your chance to come together with over 800 of your peers to discuss current physics teaching techniques and learn firsthand what teachers around the country are doing to improve physics education.
Highlights of the 2011 Winter Meeting’s program include;

Professional Development Workshops

• Using the Wii for Fun and Physics
• Grant Writing 101: Grant Writing Workshop for New Faculty
• SACS Friday H.S. Teacher Workshop: Nuclear Education Coastal Georgia College Camden Campus

Featured Sessions

• Rutherford: His Life and Legacy
• Using Robotics to Teach Physics
• Extended Investigations in 5-9 Classrooms
• Status of Women in Physics

Plenary Speakers

• Fred Dylla (AIP) "One Hundred Years of Nuclear Physics"
• Lee Peddicord (Texas A&M University), "The State of the Art in Nuclear Power: Breeder Reactors and Beyond"
• Nancy Mendenhall (Proton Therapy Institute), "State of the Art Nuclear Medicine: Proton Therapy"

Special Events

• UF Proton Therapy Institute Tour
• Marie Curie Theatrical Production
• Tour of St. Augustine
• Return of the AAPT 5K Walk/Run
• Jacksonville Walking Tour

Register today at the early bird rate and save over $100! Early bird registration ends November 1, 2010.

Book your room at the Hyatt Regency for the low conference rate. Cutoff date for reservations at the group rate is December 16, 2010.

Also, in an effort to keep costs low, American Airlines is offering a 5% discount on airfare for our attendees. Enter the promotional code: 5511AQ. Get 2011 Winter Meeting updates by following us on Twitter (@physicsteachers) and be sure to use the conference hashtag #aaptwm11 in your tweets! You can also find meeting updates and more on our Facebook page.

Save the Date:
Summer Meeting 2011, July 30-August 3 (Omaha, NE)
Winter Meeting 2012, February 4-8 (Ontario, CA)
Summer Meeting 2012, July 28-August 1 (Philadelphia, PA)

Are You a New Physics Teacher? Could You Use a Little Help?

The AAPT ementoring program is designed to connect pre-college physics educators in need of additional guidance with experienced pre-college physics educators. Based on each mentee's profile, the program will find the most qualified mentor to fit the needs of that mentee. Once the mentee is matched with their mentor, they can start communicating through email, voice chat, telephone, or in some cases face-to-face. All participants will have an opportunity to grow professionally and connect with colleagues at a regional or national level. Learn more at http://ementoring.aapt.org.

The New Teacher Fund

Did you know that you can contribute to a fund that helps AAPT recognize the challenges new pre-college physics teachers encounter? The New Teacher Fund provides ementoring services, reduced membership rates for teachers in their first three years of teaching, and workshops for new teachers at our national and section meetings.

F. James Rutherford Honored as 2011 Oersted Medal Recipient

College Park, Maryland, United States, September 17, 2010—From its beginning in California Public Schools through the illustrious conclusion with AAAS, the career of F. James Rutherford, spanning half a century, has had an outstanding, widespread, and lasting impact on the teaching of physics. The Oersted Medal recognizes these lifetime achievements by naming Rutherford as the 2011 recipient of the Medal. Read more at http://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/oerstedmedal_pr20100917.cfm

Kathryn Moler Honored as 2011 Richtmyer Award Recipient

College Park, Maryland, United States, September 27, 2010—The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Kathryn Moler, Ph.D., has been selected to receive The Richtmyer Memorial Award for Outstanding Leadership in Physics Education. Moler, Associate Professor of Applied Physics and of Physics at Stanford University, received the Award for outstanding contributions to physics and effectively communicating those contributions to physics educators. Read more at http://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/richtmyeraward_pr20100924.cfm.

2011 Distinguished Service Citations Announced

October 4, 2010
The awardees of the 2011 Distinguished Service Citations, to be presented at the 2011 Winter Meeting in Jacksonville, have been announced. They are:

• Dwain Desbien
• Jane Nelson
• Gordon Ramsey

Congratulations to these outstanding members of the physics education community!

AAPT Award Nominations

The Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award (http://www.aapt.org/Programs/awards/klopsteg.cfm) named for Paul E. Klopsteg, a principal founder, a former AAPT President, and a long-time member of AAPT, the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award recognizes outstanding communication of the excitement of contemporary physics to the general public. The recipient delivers the Klopsteg Lecture at an AAPT Summer Meeting on a topic of current significance and at a level suitable for a non-specialist audience and receives a monetary award, an Award Certificate, and travel expenses to the meeting.

The AAPT Awards program recognizes several types of accomplishment with awards, medals or citations, some of which are presented every year and a few of which are presented only occasionally. Nominations for any of these awards can be submitted to the AAPT Awards Committee by printing and submitting a form that is available at http://aapt.org/Programs/awards/upload/AAPT-Awards-Nomination-Form2010.doc. Nominations remain active for a period of five years from the date of submission. Self nomination is not appropriate. Donations toward the endowment of AAPT Awards are accepted at http://iweb.aapt.org/iweb/Donation/FundsDirectory.aspx.

Local AAPT Sections will be hosting Physics Days at the 2010 NSTA Area Conferences

AAPT offers a full day of physics content at the NSTA Area Conferences. Physics Day consists of presentations on physics topics of current interest, physics demonstrations for the pre-college classroom and a make-and-take session. AAPT will be hosting a booth in the exhibit hall with giveaways and a raffle drawing!

2010 Area Conference in Kansas City - Friday, October 29, 2010
2010 Area Conference in Baltimore - Friday, November 12, 2010
2010 Area Conference in Nashville - Friday, December 3, 2010

"Why I Belong" Membership Video Contest

The AAPT Membership Committee in conjunction with the membership department invites members to create original videos about why you belong to the association. Approved videos will then be posted on the AAPT YouTube Channel. Entrants will submit their videos together with copyright transfer/entry agreement form to AAPT between August 15 and November 15, 2010. See contest rules for more information.

Team America Rocketry Challenge Registration Opens

Registration for the world's largest rocket competition, the Team America Rocketry Challenge, is open to student teams in grades 7-12 from any U.S. school, home school, or non-profit youth organization. Registration for the 2011 spring contest is open through November 30, 2010. http://www.aapt.org/Programs/contests/rocket.cfm

2011 Physics Teacher Education Coalition Conference

The annual Physics Teacher Coalition Conference is the nation's largest meeting dedicated to physics teacher education. The 2011 conference will beheld May 23-24 at he AT&T Conference Center in Austin, TX. The meeting will focus on Building Sustainable Teacher Education Programs. It features workshops, panel discussions and presentations by national leaders as well as excellent networking opportunities. The 2011 conference will be held jointly with the UTeach-NMSI Institute Annual Conference. Learn more at http://www.ptec.org/conferences/2011/

The Physics Source

The Physics Source is a collection of websites where you can learn physics on your own, through games, webcasts, and online exhibits and activities. Also included are physics on the road programs, which bring demonstration shows, and in some cases hands-on activities, to you, the audience. To find the resources you want, you can browse the collection and search our database by content topic, resource type, and grade level.
We encourage your involvement in The Physics Source. Once you have registered and signed in, which requires only a username and password, you can build a personal collection, share your comments about resources already in the ComPADRE collection, and suggest resources for us to add.

2010 Summer Meeting Survey Winners

The following people were selected at random to receive the SPECTRA SOUND for completing the 2010 Summer Meeting Survey. Michael Faleski, Salomon Itza, Shane Wood, David Chandler, and Richard Dietz. Thanks to all who participated in the survey.

The AIP Statistical Research Center: focus on High School Physics Textbooks

This report examines the textbooks that are most widely used in physics classes typically taught in U.S. high schools. In addition to data on usage, we also include teachers' opinions about how well a particular textbook worked for a particular class.
You can find this publication at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/hstrends.html

Last Chance to Participate in the Global Survey of Physicists

The American Institute of Physics is still collecting responses to the global survey of physicists. The survey has been open since 2009, but if you have not already participated, please do so at http://www.aipsurveys.org/global. Make sure your response is included in this unprecedented effort to collect data from physicists across the globe. The survey will be open a few more weeks only.

Advanced Technological Education Television

ATETV.org is a web-based video series and interactive network designed to connect students and professionals with careers in advanced technology. An Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Project funded in part by the National Science Foundation, ATETV aims to show how ATE is relevant to the modern workplace and to attract students to this growing field.

Galileoscope Educational Refractor Kits Available

The Galileoscope—a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed by astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators—is in stock for quick delivery to your classroom. With this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm-aperture, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor your students can explore how optics work in the lab and go outside at night to see the celestial wonders first glimpsed by Galileo: lunar craters, the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, and more. The Galileoscope is supported with free educational and observing guides at http://www.TeachingWithTelescopes.org. Kits sell for $30 each plus shipping for 1 to 5 or $25 each plus shipping when purchased by the case of 6. Order ASAP—the price goes up to $50 in November!

President’s Council of S&T Advisors Issues Strategy to Transform K-12 STEM Education

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has just released a report that is required reading for anyone interested in improving K-12 STEM education. "Report to the President—Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for America’s Future" presents a broad overview of the importance of STEM education and a series of conclusions and recommendations for improving how the nation’s students are taught. AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News (http://www.aip.org/fyi/2010/099.html) PCAST REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT, PREPARE AND INSPIRE: K-12 EDUCATION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH (STEM) FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-stemed-report.pdf)

NSF’s Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) Announces New Funding Program

Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation (PRIME)
This new cross-EHR program, coordinated by DRL, supports the development, demonstration, and validation of innovative new methods and approaches in STEM evaluation. More and more, STEM education and workforce programs are leveraging technology to reach diverse audiences and investigating new knowledge in cognitive development, social interaction, and the nature of learning in diverse contexts. These new understandings challenge evaluators to develop innovative evaluation approaches, questions, theories, methodologies, measures, analytic tools and reporting formats. Evaluation theory and practice need to keep pace with these discoveries for program evaluations to inform decision making, meet accountability requirements, and provide useful information for program improvement. Proposal deadline date: January 5, 2011. Access the solicitation online at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10615/nsf10615.pdf.

Colorado Learning Assistant Workshop

October 13-14, 2010, University of Colorado, Boulder
The PhysTEC project is sponsoring a workshop focusing on the University of Colorado's Learning Assistant (LA) program. The Learning Assistant program is a highly supported peer teaching experience that has been shown to improve students learning and attitudes toward science in undergraduate lecture classes and recruit talented science and math students into teaching careers. The workshop will take place on October 13 and 14 and is open to representatives of PhysTEC Member Institutions (i.e. PTEC members). More at http://www.ptec.org/conferences/cula10/

The All-Purpose Science Teacher

The National Council on Teacher Quality's analysis of science-teacher licensure policies in every state of the union reveals that most offer loopholes allowing high school teachers to teach specific subjects without adequate preparation. Eleven states get a green light for avoiding such loopholes, but 33 are given red. Read the report at http://www.nctq.org/p/publications/docs/NCTQ_All_Purpose_Science_Teacher.pdf

USA Science & Engineering Festival

Check out Laserfest's "Haunted" Exhibit (Booth 340) at the US Science and Engineering Festival October 23-24! Excite your imagination at the laser extravaganza, where AAPT, APS, and SPS will feature a LaserFest Haunted House and hands on demonstrations. Meet students and physicists who we guarantee will be fun, educational, and illuminating! http://www.usasciencefestival.org/

Be sure to drop by the booth we will be sharing with SPS and Laserfest.

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