AAPT
HOMEPAGE PHYSICS
DEMOS CALENDAR
OF EVENTS FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS PHYSICAL
FRAGMENTS HOME
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Dear AAPT Member, Spring has nearly arrived, and AAPT is here to help you through the home stretch of your school year. This newsletter is specifically written for you, our newest members. It is full of useful information that will make your orientation to AAPT effortless. Our Summer National Meeting is right around the corner, August 6-10 in Salt Lake City. Continue to monitor our website for updates. We hope you have made plans to attend. The World Year of Physics is in full swing, and just to keep you in the spirit and put a smile on your face, here is a poem commemorating the event. Take a moment to look into all of AAPT's awards and recognition programs for you and your students, there are some recognition programs that are perfect for the end of the school year. The online resources that are available to AAPT members keep growing and growing. In this newsletter, we mention new websites that address the specific needs of high school physics teachers as well as instructors of quantum and modern physics. Lastly, there is information in the newsletter about our newest local chapter. Here are some hints about what state it is in: (1) it was purchased from Russia in 1867, and (2) it entered the Union on January 3, 1959, as our 49th state! Hope you all have a wonderful spring, and that you get the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful time of year. Valerie Evans |
Rana Malay
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Volunteer Opportunities Teachers and students, apply to volunteer at the upcoming AAPT Summer Meeting, August 6-10, 2005 in Salt Lake City, UT. Receive support to help defray some out-of-pocket costs of the meeting. This is a great opportunity for new members to attend a National Meeting and experience all that AAPT has to offer. Eligibility rules and applications are available at www.aapt.org/Events/SM05/index.cfm. See you in Salt Lake City! Save $20 on Meeting RegistrationFor new members only! Use this meeting coupon to save money on meeting registration. The coupon is to be applied to you paper registration, and can't be applied to on-site registration fees. Upcoming Meeting DatesAAPT is going places! Here is a list of our upcoming National Meetrings:
Attending an AAPT meeting is your best way to experience all that AAPT has to offer!
| Education and Development
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2005 Upcoming Contests and Awards Enter the AAPT High School Photo Contest and AAPT Video Contest.The photo contest is open to high school students. The video contest is open to both high school students and faculty members. Deadline for both contests is May 15. A department chair of any university with a graduate physics program may nominate one teacher assistant at their institution who will be awarded the AAPT Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Deadline for requests is May 1. AAPT's Innovative High School Physics Teacher Grants program enables high school physics teachers to compete for small grants. Deadline for proposals is Nov. 1. Earn CEU Units by Attending AAPT's Educational and Development Sponsored Programs AAPT offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Earn member-discounted CEUs available for specific sessions and workshops at National Meetings, PTRA workshops, and other education and development conferences sponsored by AAPT. Email your request to the Membership Department. Professional Development Opportunities for High School Teachers The Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRA) program is an AAPT education and outreach program, and is specifically designed to provide professional development skills for high school teachers. It is a "hands-on" opportunity for teachers to improve skills, gain insights, be introduced to new topics, and learn from other high school teachers. Here is a listing of upcoming workshops. World Year of Physics Opens with Paris Conference The World Year of Physics kicked off with about 1000 participants from over 70 countries who took part in the "Physics for Tomorrow" conference in Paris at UNESCO headquarters, January 13-15. The students selected to attend were recent participants in Physics Olympiad. Check out the World Year of Physics Blog for details about this event. World Year of Physics "Physics on the Road" Project Sixteen teams from colleges and universities all around the country will participate in the World Year of Physics "Physics on the Road" project. The sixteen teams were chosen by a panel composed of representatives of AAPT, APS, and the Society of Physics Students (AIP). The sixteen teams will each receive a $10,000 grant to cover the costs associated with performing physics demonstrations.
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Electronic Resources
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Free Access to TPT Articles Free access to selected articles from the current issue of The Physics Teacher is now available online. Additionally, each month the AAPT online journal's website posts the most current issue's Table of Content. Online Learning Resources for Teachers Here are two websites that are bound to provide you with some valuable resources. Both of these websites are from the comPADRE network. The Physics Front is a website that provides support and teaching resources for high school teachers of physics, especially new and crossover teachers. The Quantum Exchange is a web-based repository of resources for instructors of quantum physics and modern physics. Salary Survey: PhD Physicists and Related Scientists A summary report on salaries of PhD physicists and related scientists conducted during spring 2004 was recently released by the American Institute of Physics. Included in this research is data on typical salaries for selected university ranks. To view the summary report as well as the compiled research tables, click here. Issues of Public Policy Physics First and Physics for All are both physics policy issues that have taken on significant importance from the school district to the classroom. In a recent editorial article that ran in the Announcer, AAPT's Executive Officer weighs in on these key issues.
| Benefits/Services
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Free Physics Resource Supplies Exclusive to our new members! Contact AAPT today to get your teaching resource supply kit, full of useful goodies to help your students get more excited about physics. AAPT Has a Way of Rewarding Your Outstanding Students Provide your deserving students with a certificate recognizing their hard work and effort. AAPT offers students certificate which can be awarded by the teacher to their outstanding physics students at year-end honor assemblies. Deadline for requests is May 1. Only AAPT members may apply. The Bauder Endowment The Bauder Endowment is a grant that supports special activities in the area of physics teaching. The Endowment provides a minimum of 20 grants of up to $1000 for outreach activities. Only AAPT members may apply. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the start of a National Meeting. Click here to go to find more information and to get an application.
| Networking Opportunities
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AAPT's Newest Local Chapter...Alaska AAPT is pleased to announce that their newest local chapter is Alaska. AAPT now has a total of 47 local chapters. Joining a local chapter is a great way to network and interact with other local physics educators. Welcome aboard Alaska! Get Involved in a Physics Education Discussion Group Have a question? Need some advice? Get support by joining a list-serve. AAPT offers a number of different list-serves to serve the specific needs of our members and the physics education community. |
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