eNNOUNCER November 2014

   

2014 AAPT Executive Board Election  Ends November 4

The election of officers for the AAPT Executive Board is underway until November 4.  Members should have received instuctions through email or, if no email is on file, through the mail to help you vote electronically.  Those elected will take office at the close of the 2015 Winter Meeting. Learn more about the 2014 candidates.

 

2015 AAPT Winter Meeting Early Bird Deadline is Right Around the Cornersan diego skyline

Early Bird registration ends Wednesday, November 12th for the 2015 AAPT Winter Meeting being held January 3-6, 2015 in sunny San Diego, California.  Don't miss your chance to save over $300 on registration. Register today! Our 4-day meeting will consist of over 70 sessions, 30 workshops and tutorials, and much more. To view a complete program schedule, visit the website. November 5th is the last day to submit a post-deadline asbtract.

Don't forget to join the conversation on Twitter: #AAPTWM15

Learn more about:
High School Physics Teachers' Day
  Childcare Grants

2015 AAPT Winter Meeting Service Awards

AAPT has announced that the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT will be awarded to David M. Cook, Andrew Gavrin, Elizabeth Holsenbeck, and Elisha Huggins during the 2015 Winter Meeting in San Diego, California.

          

Call for Award Nominations

The AAPT Awards Committee invites nominations for all of AAPT's awards, citations, and medals http://www.aapt.org/Programs/awards/. This is the first year that nominations will be accepted for AAPT Fellows. Nominees are accepted from the High School, Two-Year College and Four-Year College communities on a yearly rotating basis. Nominations of Two-Year College faculty for AAPT Fellows are particularly encouraged this fall.

          

More from AAPT

                     

Physics Days at NSTA
AAPT is pleased to partner with NSTA for Physics Day held at their 2014 Area Conferences held in Richmond (VA), Orlando (FL), and Long Beach (CA).  For more information about the programming for each Physics Day, click here.

Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) Registration Reminder
Registration is now open for the world's largest student rocket contest, the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) in partnership with AAPT, TARC is an opportunity for hands-on learning as students design, build and fly modal rockets in a national contest while competing for more than $60,000 in cash and scholarships.  Registration runs until December 12, 2014 and is open to teams of 3-10 students in grades 7-12.  For more information or to register go to rocketcontest.org.

2015 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 2015 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. Listen to stories from students at this year's Training Camp and register online.

  

U.S. Physics Team Coach Call

AAPT is seeking faculty to join the staff for the 2015 U.S. Physics Team. Learn about the qualifications and how to apply by clicking here.

  

AAPT Presents Her Stories

This new video produced by AAPT, APS, AIP, and SPS shares the stories and words of wisdom and encouragement from many women in physics from around the world. Feel free to distribute the video to your colleagues and women who are considering a career in physics. Click the read more link to view the video. Read more »  

  

AP Physics Changes - Information for High School Teachers

The new AP Physics 1 and 2 exams will debut May 2015. Are you looking for resources to help you implement the new AP Physics 1 and 2 courses? Resources are available from College Board website. In addition, a special session on the new AP Physics will be held at the 2015 AAPT Winter Meeting in San Diego. Look for more information about implementing AP Physics 1 and 2 in future eNNOUNCERS.

        

Free Homework and LMS/CMS System for K-12 schools!

CourseWeaver is happy to announce that it is now offering the Homework System free for one year to AAPT members, for two teachers at each K-12 school for new customers. Read More. Beyond that, they offer a $400 school license for a unlimited number of teachers per school.  Additionally, they plan to announce an outreach grant program later this school year to a limited number of struggling K-12 schools to continue the free option.

  

Scientists Curiosity Cabinet

Over the past 25-30 years, Boston College Organic Chemistry Professor T. Ross Kelly has accumulated a variety of gadgets, gizmos, devices, etc. that are either neat examples of scientific principles or things that seem impossible. With the assistance of two undergraduates, Professor Kelly has created a website and a Facebook page they call 'A Scientist's Curiosity Cabinet'.

                   

STEM Education Resource

The National Science Board has released an interactive, online STEM Education Resource website, where you can discover the answers to important questions on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers using the information from the National Science Board's Science and Engineering indicators report.

Explore these questions through interactive charts and maps that focus on different topics across all levels of education and the STEM workforce.

                      

ComPADRE Continuation Fund

The ComPADRE Digital Library is a network of free online resource collections supporting college faculty, high school and middle school teachers, education researchers, and students in Physics and Astronomy. Collections contain materials designed for a specific community, with all materials available through the central ComPADRE portal.

The creation and development of ComPADRE was funded by multiple federal grants over the past decade. Now that these grants have ended, AAPT has committed to fund and develop ComPADRE with help from other sources of funds. The ComPADRE programs and resources will continue to be available as we transition to AAPT servers. Beginning next year these and additional services will be available through your AAPT membership.

Donations to the ComPADRE Continuation Fund are used to sustain and continue the operation of the ComPADRE website and the services provided to the physics education community.

    

Meggers Project Award

The William F. and Edith R. Meggers Project Award of the American Institute of Physics is a biennial award designed to fund projects for the improvement of high-school physics teaching in the United States.  The Award was made possible by an endowment created by the gift of a stamp and coin collection from William F. and Edith R. Meggers to the American Institute of Physics. Application submission deadline: March 31, 2015

    

Physics Bachelor's One Year After Degree

The AIP Statistical Research Center (SRC) collects and disseminates data on the initial career paths of physics bachelor's and has recently published a report, Physics Bachelor's One Year After Degree. According to the report, the number of physics bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States is at an all-time high.  The 7,329 physics bachelor's degrees awarded in the class of 2013 represents a doubling of degrees conferred since a recent low in 1999. With this unprecedented number of physics bachelor's degrees being awarded, it is important to provide students pursuing these degrees with information about the career paths available to them.

             

$25,000 Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice

Nominations and applications for the Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice—the only national award exclusively for exceptional teachers in high-poverty public schools are open through December 16, 2014.
Four winners a year from across the country receive $25,000 each, gain national recognition, and spend a summer reflecting on teaching, meeting with education leaders, and writing a short collection of essays on their best teaching practices. This must-read look into the 2014 winners' extraordinary classrooms is available for download today.

         

Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program for K-12 STEM Teachers is now accepting applications for the 2015-2016 fellowship year.  The AEF program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to serve in the national education arena.  Fellows spend 11 months working in a Federal agency or U.S. Congressional office, bringing their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to STEM education programs and/or education policy efforts. More information can be found here. The deadline for applications is November 20, 2014. To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens, be currently employed full-time in a U.S. public or private elementary or secondary school or school district, and must have taught full-time in a public or private elementary or secondary school for at least five of the last seven years in a STEM discipline.

       

From Physics Today: Psychological Insights for Improved Physics Teaching

If classroom practices designed to increase diversity in physics are to succeed, physics teachers need to understand students' perspectives. This article by Lauren Aguilar, Greg Walton, and Carl Wieman looks at many factors that contribute to the lack of diversity in physics, including large societal issues over which an individual faculty member has little control. But advances in social psychology have shown that what happens in the classroom also plays a significant part and that every faculty member can take specific actions to make a difference. In this article they summarize that work, give examples of brief classroom interventions that have improved the success of students from groups underrepresented in physics, and explain why some well-intentioned efforts will likely fail. Read more »

           

Get More from Your Membership

In our current world of 24/7 news sources catering to audiences of every sliver of the political spectrum it can be difficult to find an objective news source.  The physical science community is fortunate that it can turn to FYI, The AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News for its unbiased analysis of developments on Captiol Hill and in federal agencies supporting physical science research and STEM education. FYI is a membership benefit.  Subscribe today and stay informed.

        

Need a Helping Hand in Studying Physics?

Announcing the release of a new eBook! Learning Introductory Physics: A Guide for All Students by Subhash Antani, Professor of Physics (Retired), Edgewood College, Madison, WI.  For further information on the book and to order your copy, please visit: http://PhysicsNow321.com

    

SCOPE Student-centered Learning Resources for Schools and Classrooms

Student-centered schools have been shown to support high levels of achievement for traditionally underserved students.  As educators return to school this fall, they can learn ways to implement student-centered practices in their own schools and classrooms through a new online tool developed by the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE).

This professional development tool includes definitions of the features of student-centered schools, video examples of student-centered practices, and reflection questions for educators to use to integrate their own practices within their classroom and school-wide. For more information visit this link.

    

International Teacher-Scientist Partnership Conference

The 2nd International Teacher-Scientist Partnership Confernence will be held February 11-12, 2015 in San Jose, CA just before the AAAS Annual Meeting.  The Conference is jointly led by US San Francisco's Science & Health Education Partnership (SEP) and AAAS.

Proposals are due Monday, November 10th, 2014. Conference participants will also have the opportunity to present their work in a poster session on the first day of the conference open to all ITSP conference attendees.

Preliminary informationa about the conference, including links to the session and poster submission forms can be found on the website: itspconference.com.

    

Introductory Physics: A Model Approach by Robert Karplus

An online edition of Introductory Physics: A Model Approach by Robert Karplus, edited by Femand Brunschwig, Chairman of STEMteachersNYC, is available for free online under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommericial-ShareAlike license. Go to fernwig.org. Use 'guest' as both login ID and password.

Jobs Announcements from the Career Center

Lecturer/Instructor in Physics
University of Northern Colorado
http://jobs.aapt.org/jobs/6550300

LECTURER WITH POTENTIAL SECURITY OF EMPLOYMENT
UC San Diego
http://jobs.aapt.org/jobs/6567224
                   

Network Yourself to a Great Career

The Career Center hosted its first webinar last month. Spend an hour enjoying this valuable resource. Learn about networking tips presented by Alaina G. Levine, a STEM career consultant and the author of Networking for Nerds (Wiley, 2015).

                   

Barbara Lotze Scholarships for Future Teachers

AAPT offers scholarships for future high school physics teachers. These scholarships, supported by an endowment funded by Barbara Lotze, are available only to U.S. citizens attending U.S. schools. Undergraduate students enrolled, or planning to enroll, in physics teacher preparation curricula and high school seniors entering such programs are eligible. Successful applicants receive a stipend of up to $2,000. The scholarship may be granted to an individual for each of four years. December 1 deadline.                        Read more.

2015 PhysTEC Conference Registration Opens November 5

The 2015 PhysTEC Conference, will be held at the Marriott Seattle Waterfront in Seattle, WA next February 5-7. The conference's theme is Building Thriving Programs and will feature a plenary talk by Ron Henderson of Middle Tennessee State Univerity.  To learn more visit the conference website.

2015 Building a Thriving Undergraduate Physics Program Workshop Registration Opens November 5

The workshop will be held February 6-8 at the Marriott Seattle Waterfront in Seattle, WA.  The goal of the workshop is to assist departments in developing strategies for increasing enrollment of physics majors. Institutions are invited to send teams of 2-4 faculty members to analyze their current departmental situation and decide how to take actions that will help them sustainably achieve their goals.  To learn more visit the website.

The 5+ Club

PhysTEC is happy to announce the establishment of 'The 5+ Club', which recognizes institutions that graduate 5 or more physics teachers in a given year. Institutions whose applications are accepted receive an award and publicity.  In its first year (2014), The 5+ Club will allow institutions to use data from any of the past three academic years. The application deadline is December 1.  The application can be found at www.phystec.org/the5plus/.

 

Modeling Workshops Nationwide

Fifty Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry, physical science, and biology will be offered in summer 2015, in many states. Modeling Workshops are peer-led. Modeling Instruction is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an exemplary K-12 science program. Some sites offer stipends, usually for in-state teachers. Graduate credit is available at some sites. Pre-service teachers and TYC faculty are welcome too.
More Information
Workshop Descriptions

 

Assistance Introducing History to the Physics Classroom

The Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics is producing materials to help teachers introduce lessons on the stories of African Americans in the history of the physical sciences.  The team producing this Teachers Guide, which will be a resource for both history and science teachers and adhere to the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, is looking for advice on the best way to incorporate history into the science classroom.  If you have advice on creating lesson plans and resources that will make if easier for physics teachers to introduce history into their curriculum, please share it with the AAPT Executive Office (eo@aapt.org).

Increase Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Do you or does your department have a practice, funding strategy, internship placement strategy, or course with research embedded in it that, if adopted by other physics or astronomy departments, would help increase the number of undergraduate research opportunities? AAPT along with the Council on Undergraduate Research, the American Physical Society, and the Society of Physics Students are collecting articles that will be published on-line to serve as a resource to departments, faculty, and students as they work to meet the challenge put before the community that all undergraduate physics and astronomy majors at all colleges be provided with a research experience. AAPT’s statement on research experiences for undergraduates is available on our website. We invite you to submit an article for publication in this new resource that highlights any practice that encourages, leads to increases in, or enhances research experiences for undergraduates. We strongly encourage faculty members at two-year colleges to consider submitting a highlight.  Please contact Executive Officer Beth Cunningham (eo@aapt.org) for more information.

AAPT-ALPhA Award is Now Open for Nominations

AAPT and ALPhA (Advanced Laboratory Physics Association) have announced the AAPT/ALPhA Award for undergraduate physics students who have executed, mastered, and left as a legacy for future students an advanced laboratory experiment. Do you have a student (or team of students) who might be interested in taking up the challenge to build an experiment new to their own department and possibly receive national recognition, attend a national AAPT meeting, present an invited talk, and receive a check for $4,000? The nomination process is now open.  Applications need to be completed by September 1, 2015. If qualified candidates are proposed, we anticipate presenting the first award at the 2016 AAPT Winter Meeting in New Orleans. Read more or Apply. Funding for this award, for the first five years, is provided by TeachSpin, Inc.

New α-Miners Program

ALPhA and the J.F. Reichert Foundation annnounce a new grant program for faculty concerned about advanced lab instruction. This program will provide funding for two people to attend the 2015 APS March Meeting in San Antonio, Texas with the express purpose of identifying (mining for) new research discoveries that have the potential of becoming new advanced laboratory experiments for undergraduate students. Funding will cover travel, lodging, registration, and incidental expenses.

Having determined that the topic of a given talk has the possibility of being imported into the advanced lab, the job of these so called "α-miners" will be to approach the presenters and research groups with the following questions in mind:

  • Are they willing to share special techinques or electronics?
  • Are they willing and able to provide any necessary samples?
  • Are they willing to mentor other faculty?
  • Are they willing to help design the new experiments?
  • Are they willing to lead an ALPhA Immersion on this experiment

The alpha-miners will be responsible for documenting the successful discoveries and submitting their reports to the COMPADRE website for use by the general physics community.

Those faculty interested in applying for this program should email Jonathan Reichert at jfreichert@teachspin.com

2014  International Year of Crystallography

The International Year of Crystallography 2014 (IYCr2014) commemorates not only the centennial of X-ray diffraction, which allowed the detailed study of crystalline material, but also the 400th anniversary of Kepler’s observation in 1611 of the symmetrical form of ice crystals, which began the wider study of the role of symmetry in matter.  Links to posters and other promotional materials and resources are available on the IYCR website. Read more »

More from your Membership, Join your AAPT Community

Did you know that you can connect with your collegues by joining an AAPT Email Discussion List?   There are more than 20 different lists/communities available. Find the list that matches your career interests at  http://www.aapt.org/Resources/lists.cfm.  Contact your Member Services  Department at 301-209-3333, or  by e-mail at membership@aapt.org if  you need assistance, or have further questions.

Career Learning Center

Professional development is a work in progress, and constantly gaining new skills and knowledge is essential to the success of any career. The latest enhancement to the AAPT Career Center - the Career Learning Center - is a career-guidance companion to searching the latest science teaching jobs. Equipped with four career-centric seminars, the AAPT Career Learning Center is a user-friendly virtual platform that satisfies the professional needs of AAPT members at all points on the career spectrum.
This helpful content is ONLY available to registered users with the AAPT Career Center, a free job seeker service provided by AAPT. Quickly login or create your job seeker account, and take control of your future by building a stronger presence among our industry's top employers.

Free Internship Job Posting on AAPT Career Center

AAPT has an online jobsite that offers free 60-day internship job postings.  To post internships online at AAPT visit http://jobs.aapt.org/. Locate the best fit for your organization by reaching the future of the science community – AAPT members. Valid intern-level opportunities are defined as limited-term (up to 12 weeks) employment for current undergraduates or recent bachelor degree recipients with financial compensation (if any) in the form of a modest salary or stipend. "Internship" Job Level must be selected when posting to access this offer.


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:
facebook twitter LinkedIn Googleplus pinterest YouTube flickr


ComPADRE

Physics Simulations Delivered to Your Tablet

Francisco (Paco) Esquembre, the Open Source Physics group, and ComPADRE have collaborated to create the tools to create, deliver, and run physics simulations on iOS and Android portable devices.  Paco and his colleagues have extended the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) modeling tool to create HTML5 and Javascript simulations (EJsS). An app to download and run these simulations is now available on the Apple and Android stores; search for EJSS Reader.  The Reader can access the OSP library and similar sites, to quickly and easily download and run simulations from authors around the world.  More information is available on the EJS Wiki at http://www.um.es/fem/EjsWiki/.


Section News - November

July 2014 Section News is available here.

Section Meeting:Kentucky Section
Nov 5, 2014
Fall Meeting
Lexington Convention Center
Lexington, KY
Email: Richard Gelderman

Section Meeting:North Carolina Section
Nov 7, 2014 - Nov 8, 2014
Fall Meeting
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC
Email: Denise Wetli

Section Meeting:Southern California Section
Nov 8, 2014 - Nov 9, 2014
Fall Meeting
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Email: James Lincoln or Email: Steve Cronin or Email: Bradley 'Peanut' McCoy

To list your section meeting in the AAPT Calendar of Events, e-mail the information to mgardner@aapt.org.


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© 2014, American Association of Physics Teachers

In this issue

 

Featured Journal Articles

The Physics Teacher

Vampire Selfie: A Curious Case of an Absent Reflection
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American Journal of Physics

Physics of the granite sphere fountain
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