eNNOUNCER October 2016
AAPT News
2016 AAPT Board of Directors Election
The election of officers for the AAPT Board of Directors is underway until November 1. If your had a current membership effective July 31, 2016, you should have received instructions through email or, if no valid email is on file, through the mail to help you vote electronically. Those elected will take office at the close of the 2017 Winter Meeting. Learn more about the candidates.
Notice of Potential Change to By-Laws: Membership Category Title Change
At its meeting in July, the AAPT Board of Directors approved a motion that the term “regular member” be changed to “professional member” in Section 3.01 of the By-Laws and any subsequent reference to regular member therein. This change reflects the professional identification and commitment of members to our organization, describing AAPT membership in a way that idealizes how a person would wish to describe themselves in their professional identification.
At its upcoming meeting at the AAPT 2017 Winter Meeting, the Board of Directors will hold a second vote, and if approved with a 2/3 majority, the new membership term will become part of the By-Laws. As required by the By-Laws, the Board of Directors must announce this proposed change in writing to the Board at least four months in advance of such vote and to the Members at least one month in advance of such vote. Members may submit comments on any By-Laws amendments proposed for a Board vote to the Secretary (secretary@aapt.org ) for consideration by the Board.
2017 AAPT Winter Meeting
Conference Hotel
Winter Meeting workshops are a great opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and improve your teaching effectiveness. click here to view a complete list of workshops that will be offered in Atlanta.
Post-Deadline Abstracts
Post-deadline abstracts will be accepted from until November 10, 2016. All post-deadline abstracts (posters/contributed talks) will be scheduled on Tuesday, February 21 in the last session of the day. Please click here to submit your abstract.
Conference Hotel
The room block at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta is now open. Click here to secure your room at the conference hotel.
Transportation Discounts
AAPT has partnered with Delta Airlines and AVIS Car Rental to offer a discount to all AAPT Winter Meeting attendees. Room/Ride/Childcare List for details.
eAlliances: Uniting Isolated Women Physicists and Astronomers - Registration site now LIVE!
Everyone needs mentors, but how do you find other women physicists who understand your experience-- as the only Hispanic in the department, the only PER researcher, the only full-time physicist at your TYC, the only one who brings a newborn in a sling to department meetings? Join eAlliances, an NSF-sponsored faculty development project for women physics faculty, and become part of a peer-mentoring alliance with other women who share many of your same experiences.
Why me?
• Connect with other women physicists and astronomers
• Get and give advice and affirmation
• Gather a variety of insights to help you address professional issues
• Address work-life balance issues
• Receive encouragement and support in achieving your goals
This is professional development for your career stage: whether you are teaching your first or hundredth section of intro physics; mentoring your first or hundredth research associate; or leading your first or hundredth committee meeting. Someone else has a similar experience and can share insights, frustrations and successes.
To join: Register at eAlliances.aapt.org
Jan Tobochnik to Receive AAPT 2017 Oersted Medal
Jan Tobochnik has been named as the 2017 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The Medal will be awarded at a Ceremonial Session of the 2017 AAPT Winter Meeting, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Oersted Medal recognizes his outstanding, widespread, and lasting impact on the teaching of physics through his contributions to the use of computer simulations to motivate active learning. Read more
Jay M. Pasachoff Recognized as 2017 Recipient of the Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that Jay M. Pasachoff has been selected to receive the 2017 Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award. Pasachoff is recognized with the award for outstanding contributions to physics and effectively communicating those contributions to physics educators. The award will be presented at a Ceremonial Session of the AAPT Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Read more
The Physics Teacher Journal is Seeking a High School Column Editor
The Physics Teacher (TPT) is opening a search for applicants with a background in high school physics teaching, and who are interested in providing and/or soliciting manuscripts, materials, and resources for a TPT column largely devoted but not limited to issues of concern to those teaching introductory physics in secondary school. If you (or individuals you'd recommend) are suited for the role, please contact the editors at tpt@appstate.edu for more information.
Webinar K-12 STEM
Webinar: Lessons from Math Teacher Circles: Building PLNs for STEM Educators with Brianna Donaldson, Director of Special Projects
12 October 2016
8PM - 9PM ET
Register Here
Are you looking for a new approach to invigorate your professional learning network? AAPT sections and other STEM professional learning networks might benefit from learning about a model that has recently been spreading among the math community - teachers' circles.
Math Teachers’ Circles (www.mathteacherscircle.org) are professional learning communities of K-12 mathematics teachers and mathematicians. Groups meet regularly to work on rich mathematics problems, allowing teachers to enrich their knowledge and experience of math, while building meaningful partnerships with other teachers and professors. The Math Teachers’ Circle Network is hosted at the American Institute of Mathematics (www.aimath.org) and provides planning guides, seed grants, mathematical materials, a semi-annual newsletter, and other support and resources for Math Teachers’ Circles nationwide. Since 2006, AIM has worked with leadership teams of teachers and professors around the country to start more than 100 MTCs in 38 states.
Many aspects of Math Teachers’ Circles can be translated to other disciplines, including the emphasis on teachers as practitioners of their discipline, the focus on rich problems that invite creativity and allow for differentiated learning, and the development of professional communities that include K-12 teachers and higher-education faculty. During this webinar, we will introduce the Math Teachers’ Circle model and discuss ways in which it could serve as an exemplar for professional learning communities in other STEM disciplines.
AAPT Member Spotlight
Celia Chung Chow
Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut
Read more
Martha Lietz to receive Illinois Outstanding High School Physics Teacher Award
The Illinois Outstanding High School Physics Teacher Award will be presented to Martha Lietz, Niles West High School, during the Illinois Section's Fall Meeting. Lietz was the AAPT Member Spotlight in June 2016.
AAPT Career Center Offers FREE Postings
The AAPT Career Center offers FREE postings to employers recruiting seasonal interns. Locate the best fit for your organization by reaching the future of the science community - the AAPT membership, as well as the members and student members of the American Physical Society (APS Physics), AVS Science and Technology, and the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma.
Get the word out! Your posting will also appear on the Physics Today Jobs site, which when combined with the job sites of the organizations mentioned above forms the ultimate online science, engineering, and computing career network, ensuring maximum relevant visibility for your internship.
Visit jobs.aapt.org to get started.
TS AAPT members have put together an impressive series of physics and physical science sessions for the upcoming State Teachers Association of Texas (STAT) conference for teachers K-12. These sessions are due to a collaboration between university, TYC, high school, and supporting vendors. In addition to providing sessions for K-12 science teachers, members provide a booth for the 3 day conference that allows teachers to purchase materials, ask questions, sign up for workshops, or join TS AAPT (and AAPT national as well.) Jess Dowdy, Bill Waggoner, Paul Williams, and Joe Musser typically head up the booth activities which include demos and distributing kits with easy activities for the teachers to take back to their classrooms. The conference content sessions are typically presented by PTRAs. Due to the reputation and high quality of the sessions, there is often standing room only. The 2016 CAST meeting registration is now open. Kudos to TS AAPT for contributing to CAST and providing teachers this opportunity for professional development.
Computational Physics at AAPT Section Meetings
The Partnership for the Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP) has a project for fostering faculty communities to develop computational integration at a local level. We invite any AAPT section with faculty interested in exploring computational integration into their courses to express its interest (if it has not already done so) in developing such a community. Any section member who feels that local faculty might have an interest in including computation in their courses may convey this interest. The venue for doing so is the following survey. This process begins by hosting an introductory workshop (e.g. at a regular section meeting) whose objectives are:
- to describe a strategy for introducing computation in courses and illustrative materials suggesting how to do so;
- to help participants envision their own computational educational materials;
- to formulate individual plans for each to implement these designs as materials in at least one of their upcoming courses; and
- to introduce them to a local support network to use for mutual collaboration in and support for their implementation efforts after the workshop.
We look forward to hearing from you via the following survey.
AAPT Programs
2017 F=ma Contest Open
AAPT and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) sponsor a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the 2017 International Physics Olympiad. The mission of the U.S. Physics Team Program is to promote and demonstrate academic excellence through preparation for and participation in the International Physics Olympiad. The selection process begins with the F-ma exam. Online registration is now open.
The Frederick and Florence Bauder Endowment
The Frederick and Florence Bauder Endowment provides grants to support special activities in the area of physics teaching. The deadline for applications to request funds is December 1.
New Faculty Workshop
The Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop will be held November 17-20 in College Park, MD. The workshop introduces the faculty members to effective and easy-to-implement interactive engagement teaching methods as well as other to grant-writing best practices and plans for preparing for tenure and promotion decisions.
Getting the most from your Membership
Journals on AAPT.org American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher now have a home on the aapt.org website. When you click on the "Publications" tab and select one of our journal you will go to the new journal home page. This page will include links to the full Table of Contents for each issue as well as the cover image and description. Additional links related to the journal will be available from this home page. Past issue pages are archived here as well.
K-12 Lesson Plans based on TPT Articles. A developing library of K-12 lessons plans based on articles previously published in The Physics Teacher is now available to AAPT members at the K-12 Portal on aapt.org. Click Lessons and Resources to find interdisciplinary Lessons from The Physics Teacher.
K-12 Webinars. While you are on the K-12 Lessons and Resources page check out the growing body of content available as Webinars and Associated Resources. New webinars are being held each month so check this page often.
In the News
Do You See Your Students In Future STEM Careers?
There are nothing but opportunities for those students thinking about careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The field continues to shift, just as student perceptions do. That is why Destination Imagination, National Girls Collaborative, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity and Educational Research Center of America (ERCA) are collaborating on a research project focused on high school students’ perceptions of STEM careers.
In previous research, we found that the majority of STEM students (51%) saw their STEM courses as “extremely” or “very important” to their future careers. Our ultimate objective is to stimulate a dialogue on career pathways among parents, teachers and students.
By including your students as part of this important research project, you can help them:
• further consider their strengths, interests, and the career options open to them;
• receive targeted information from colleges, universities, career and technical schools, and other postsecondary institutions seeking to recruit students with their specific interests, talents, skill sets, and career goals; and
• gain more access to postsecondary scholarship opportunities.
Please watch your in-box during the back-to-school season for a package from The Research Consortium on STEM Career Pathways. If you want to make sure you receive this package, please fill out this simple on-line form or email us at info@studentresearch.org to make sure you’re on the list! Please visit our websites for postings about our research and for other useful information. Thank you for participating!
AAPT members, Frank Cascarano and David Marasco in the News
AAPT members, Frank Cascarano and David Marasco entertained nearly 1,000 students and teachers as they demonstrated the principle of temperature conductivity.
The audience of elementary students visiting Foothill College for the 11th year of the wildly popular “Physics Show” by the South Bay’s twin incarnation of Bill Nye, “the Science Guy.” Cascarano and fellow physics teacher David Marasco, aided by Foothill students, demonstrated a series of experiments while chatting about their methods and the scientific principles behind them. Read more.
FREE Webinar on Women in Science and Engineering
FREE Webinar on Women in Science and Engineering: Explore how women can ensure their own success in STEM and enable their team members to thrive. Both women and men will find this workshop helpful and motivational in thinking about their own career advancement strategies as well as those of their colleagues. Join us for this free event on October 13, 2016 at 2PM ET, co-sponsored by AAPT.
The link to registration is: attendee.gotowebinar.com/register.
Active Learning Day
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has recently announced an Active Learning Day as part of its nationwide Call to Action to improve STEM education. #ActiveLearningDay will take place on Tuesday, October 25, 2016. On Active Learning Day, US STEM faculty are encouraged to incorporate teaching strategies that promote active learning in their classrooms.
PhysTEC Teacher of the Year
The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) is announcing a new initiative - The PhysTEC Teacher of the Year! Member institutions are invited to nominate a graduate who has demonstrated excellence as a physics teacher. Applications are due November 1, 2016. Learn more on the PhysTEC website..
The 5+ Club
The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) is now accepting applications for The 5+ Club! The 5+ Club member institutions receive national recognition for graduating five or more physics teachers in a given academic year. Applications are due November 1, 2016. Learn more on the PhysTEC website..
Arizona State University Master of Natural Science Degree for High School Teachers
Arizona State University has an interdisciplinary Master of Natural Science (MNS) degree in physics for high school teachers. Courses are in summer, and the degree is founded on Modeling instruction. Teachers in 15 western states can apply for IN-STATE tuition; the deadline is APRIL 1.
For more details
For information: Jane.Jackson@asu.edu
6th International Conference on Women in Physics
Application will open soon for the U.S. Delegation team of the 6th International Conference on Women in Physics. The 6th IUPAP Conference on Women in Physics will be held July 16th through 20th in Birmingham, U.K. The US will be sending a small delegation to the conference. Applications are due by October 15, 2016. To apply to be part of the US delegation, go to www.uswip.org.
2016 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship
2016 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program is available for the teachers who have been teaching at least five of the last seven years in a STEM discipline at a public or private elementary or secondary school. The Fellowship Deadline is November 17, 2016. See science.energy.gov for more information..
Sigma Pi Sigma's 2016 Quadrennial Physics Conference
Sigma Pi Sigma’s 2016 Quadrennial Physics Congress (PhysCon) will be coming to Silicon Valley this November. Approximately 1200 attendees, primarily made up of undergraduate physics majors from around the country, will come to the Hyatt Regency Hotel near the San Francisco Airport for PhysCon. Over the years, this event has grown into the premier undergraduate physics conference in the world. Attendees will hear from a world-class roster of plenary speakers including Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Eric Cornell, Jim Gates, and Persis Drell. Students will be able to participate in career-enhancing workshops, disseminate their research through poster sessions, and interact with students from around the country and globe. The specific reason that I’m writing to you today is to invite you to participate in our Breakfast with a Scientist session. The breakfast will start at 7:45 am on Friday November 4th and we ask that you arrive no later than 7:30 to check in and be seated.
If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me with your questions. If you’d like to sign up to be a mentor, please submit your information at the following URL: www.sigmapisigma.org/congress/2016. Slots are filled on a first sign up, first serve basis so sign up early!
APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics
Student applications are now open for APS CUWiP 2017! The three-day conferences provide women undergrads with access to peers and mentors from academia and industry. Students will present their research, participate in panel discussions, tour working labs, and network with other women physicists. Travel and housing assistance is available. The deadline to apply is October 14. For more information, visit the APS CUWiP website.
Rocketeers Wanted!
Registration is now open for the world’s largest student rocket contest, the 2017 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). Through TARC, teams of middle and high school students design, build and fly model rockets in a process modeled on the aerospace industry’s engineering design cycle. The top 100 teams in the country will compete outside of Washington, D.C. in May for more than $100,000 in cash and scholarships. For more information or to register, visit rocketcontest.org. TARC is organized by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry.
Celebrate the OSA Centennial with the Explore Optics Kit and Free Lesson Plans
Join The Optical Society (OSA) in celebrating its centennial with a number of new resources to bring the wonder of light and color to students of all ages. The Explore Optics OSA 100 Kit provides a unique collection of resources to help students investigate geometric optics with a Pepper's Ghost apparatus, a Reflect View screen, and an Invisibility Kit. The kit is available for purchase at an over 50% discount to teachers for a limited time. Access free lessons from the OSA's Kit Activity Guide and check out the collaborative AAPT/OSA lesson templates inspired by articles from The Physics Teacher journal. Learn more at the AAPT K-12 blog.
APS National Mentoring Community: Call for Mentors
The American Physical Society (APS) established the National Mentoring Community to provide mentoring for underrepresented minority (URM) physics undergraduates in the US. Current physics faculty are invited to sign up for free as an APS NMC mentor and nominate a URM physics student to participate as your mentee. This is a great way to support our students and connect to a larger group of faculty concerned with these issues. For more information, please visit the APS website.
APS National Mentoring Community Conference
Registration is now open for the 2016 APS National Mentoring Community Conference. Conference attendees can look forward to plenary talks from prominent scientists, a tour of NASA’s Houston Space Center, career workshops and panels, and a lot more. Learn more and register on the APS website.
PhysPort.org: Supporting Physics Teaching with Research-based Resources
PhysPort is the go-to place for finding resources based on physics education research (PER) to use in your classroom. Free resources on PhysPort include:
• Guides to 50+ research-based teaching methods
• Guides and downloads (for verified educators) of 50+ research-based assessments
• Video workshops for TA/LA training and faculty professional development
• Expert Recommendations by PhysPort staff and experts in PER
• The Data Explorer for instant analysis and visualization of your students results on research-based assessments
Analyze your Concept Inventory Data with the PhysPort Data Explorer
Do you have piles of data from research-based assessments lying around waiting to be analyzed? Try out a new tool that will help you quickly:
• Analyze results for the FCI, FMCE, BEMA, CSEM, CLASS, or MPEX
• Match and score your raw data
• Chart and analyze: histograms for your class, your course over time, breakdown by topic, or compare multiple courses
• Split and group by grade, major, and other student information
The PhysPort Data Explorer is now available in open beta to U.S. college physics faculty. You can sign up to be beta tester today through our easy verification process.
Questions? editor@physport.org
Help Today's Children Deliver Tomorrow's Solutions
Northrop Grumman Foundation is on a mission to get students excited about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),apply today for one of five grants of up to $100,000 each available to public middle schools for their very own fabulous school lab makeover. Read more
NSF STEM Video Showcase
ALPhA Announcements
1. Barbara Wolff-Reichert Grants will provide up to $7,500, with a 50% departmental match, toward the purchase of a TeachSpin instrument successfully mastered by a participant in an ALPhA Immersion. Read more.
2. ALPhA Mining Actualization Grants were created by the Jonathan Reichert Foundation to underwrite the construction, testing and dissemination of advanced lab experiments that are closely related to current research in physics. These are first come, first serve equipment grants with a maximum of $2,000 per school. Apply now!
3. The Jonathan Reichert Foundation announced the recipients of its inaugural grant program, supporting the advanced laboratory physics association (ALPhA) immersions. This year, the Foundation funded twelve out of sixteen applications, with a total funding of about $38,000. Congratulations to the individuals and institutions who received grants for advanced labs! Read more.
American Modeling Teachers Association
Modeling Instruction was developed for high school physics teachers and has since expanded to physical science, chemistry, biology, and middle school. Each year, Modeling workshops are held at universities and high schools across the United States. Last year, more than 70 Modeling workshops were offered to high school and middle school teachers in more than 20 states.
For information on 2017 Modeling Workshops, please visit the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) website: modelinginstruction.org For questions: wendy@modelinginstruction.org or gheheman@asu.edu
Inclusive Excellence: 2017 Undergraduate Science Education Grants
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute recently announced a new competition for science education grants to colleges and universities called "Inclusive Excellence: Engaging all students in science."
Scholarship Opportunity
Do you know any high school seniors looking to major in physics? Simpson College recently received a NSF grant that will provide 15 financially needy incoming students with financial assistance ($33,600 over four years), mentorship, and research opportunities as they pursue a degree in a mathematical STEM field. For this reason, we are recruiting talented high school seniors to come to Simpson as undergraduates.
For information on the Carver Bridge to STEM Success Scholarship Program visit the following website: http://simpson.edu/carver-bridge-scholars/
If you know any students who might be interested in this opportunity, we are more than happy to discuss more over email or phone. Contact Professor Aaron Santos at aaron.santos@simpson.edu or call at 515-961-1826.
Physics Careers
Jobs Announcements from the Career Center
Physics Supplemental Instructor
Naval Academy Preparatory School
http://jobs.aapt.org/jobs/8431770
Assistant Professor
Ithaca College
http://jobs.aapt.org/jobs/8461917
More Physics Resources
What Does ORCID Have to do With Publishing Articles?
ORCID is an acronym which stands for “Open Researcher and Contributor ID,” designed to uniquely identify people involved in research activities. The term is used to refer to both the identifier standard (a 16-character string) as well as the organization which creates these IDs and maintains their registry.
ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between you and your professional activities ensuring that your work is recognized.
Register for your ORCID identifier at orcid.org
Learn more about how ORCID works at astrobetter.com
Periscope: Looking into Learning in Best-practices Physics Classrooms
Periscope is a set of lessons centered on video episodes from best-practices physics classrooms. By watching and discussing authentic teaching events, instructors enrich their experience with noticing and interpreting student behavior and practice applying lessons learned about teaching to actual teaching situations.
Periscope is free to qualified educators at physport.org/periscope.
CERN Beamline for Schools Competition
CERN is famous for the Large Hadron Collider, but there’s much more to the laboratory than that. A large part of CERN’s research and development is carried out using fixed-target beamlines, which are used for a variety of experiments that range from investigating the inner workings of protons to probing the mysteries of antimatter. As part of the beam line for schools competition, CERN is making a fully equipped beamline available for a team of school students to run an experiment. Read more
Social Media @ AAPT
AAPT wants to connect with you on social media! Stay abreast of the latest AAPT and physics-related news. We invite you to like us, follow us, connect with us, and pin us. You can find us here:
Section News
To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to dwolfe@aapt.org. See the July 2016 Section News.
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