NCN AAPT Spring Meeting / Mini Conference

Friday & Saturday April 16^th & 17^th, 2010

American River College

Sacramento, CA (see map below)
Local Host: Chuck Hunt: email: Huntc@arc.losrios.edu

Sign up to present

Call for Presentations

We solicit presentations of 15 minutes in length. Suitable topics include teaching ideas, research projects, laboratory techniques, novel demonstrations, computers and instruction. Please send an abstract of your talk, with title, your name and affiliation, AV and equipment requests, and other requirements to the Program Chairman, Paul Robinson, preferably by email at laserpablo@aol.com. Deadline for submission is Friday, March 5, 2010.

Call for Demonstrations

Bring your favorite 5-minute demonstration for the popular “Show ‘n’ Tell”. Handouts describing your demonstration are encouraged. Likewise, giving contributed papers as Show ‘N Tells is specifically discouraged. Offenders will be gonged! Sign ups are day of the event, first come, first served (although it seems those who signs up always gets to present!). Do you have a great resource you want to share but are nervous about presenting to your peers? Our Show ‘n’ Tell is low pressure and a great place to give your first presentation at a teaching conference!

Program

Friday Evening Social

Plan on getting together Friday evening before the meeting. More details to follow in the program. We’ll also provide references for local lodging for Friday evening.

Saturday meeting/mini conference

Saturday starts at 8:00 with registration and socializing, and usually finishes 3:30/4:00. We have a brief business meeting around lunch time. Coffee/donuts is provided, and lunch is usually available for a reasonable price (reservations for lunch required). Exact details will be published once we have our speaker list set.

Other details

Dues and Don’ts

Section dues are $25 per year, due each Fall. If you cannot attend the meeting, remain an active member that will ensure you’ll receive all our mailings by sending dues to our treasurer Dennis Buckley, Liberty High School, 850 Second St., Brentwood, CA 94513. The registration fee for the Spring meeting is $10, payable at the door. First-timers are free! And don’t forget PTSOS participants—your dues are already paid!

Physics Teacher SOS (PTSOS)

PTSOS is an NCN-AAPT-sponsored project, funded by a substantial donation, allowing AAPT to deliver top quality help to physics teachers in their vulnerable first years of teaching. Workshops are now conducted in both San Mateo and Sacramento. Other veteran teachers are being signed up to help out small groups of local teachers through mentorships and also to help run workshops. Interested teachers are encouraged to visit the website (www.ptsos.org) and contact outreach coordinator Stephanie Finander at sfinander@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Map

View Larger Map

Other Upcoming AAPT Events

• Winter AAPT Meeting, Washington DC, February 13-17, 2010
• Summer Meeting, AAPT, Portland Oregon, July 17-21, 2010
• Fall Meeting, NCN AAPT, 2010, not yet scheduled

April Astronomy Workshop for Teachers in Grades 3-12 (Free Telescope Included)

In the Footsteps of Galileo: A Hands-on Workshop on Astronomy for Teachers in Grades 3 ­ 12

Saturday, April 24, 2010, 9:00am ­ 4:30pm
Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA (see map at bottom of this post)
Presented by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP)

Workshop participants will explore:

• The realms of astronomy, and our changing perception of the universe
• Recent NASA moon missions (with information and activities about the Moon from the NASA Lunar Science Institute)
• An introduction to Galileo, his life, work and legacy
• Ideas about student reasoning about science and how to help students think like scientists
• Recreating Galileo¹s observations of the moons of Jupiter and the phases of the Moon
• The Galileoscope: a simple telescope with many uses
• Classroom-ready astronomy resources for teachers & students
• Where to find the best astronomy activities in print and on the web.

Presenters include:

• Andrew Fraknoi (Chair of Astronomy Department, Foothill College and the 2007 California Professor of the Year)
• Brad Bailey (Staff Scientist, NASA Lunar Science Institute)
• Brian Day (Education and Public Outreach, NASA Lunar Science Institute)
• Brian Kruse (Astronomical Society of the Pacific)

Registration:

$15 for ASP members and Project ASTRO partners; $25 for everyone else. For more information, and to register, please go to: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/gttp/workshop04-24-10.html

For their registration fees, workshop participants will receive:

• A Galileoscope (a high-quality, small telescope developed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009; now retailing for $30)
• A packet of hands-on activities, background information and resource guides ready for immediate use in the classroom
• NASA lunar science resources
• Lunch provided

No background in astronomy is required; both new and veteran teachers will learn new ideas and techniques from the workshop. Registration is limited; reservations will be accepted in the order received.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, founded in 1889, is dedicated to sharing the excitement of our exploration of the universe with teachers, students, enthusiasts and the public.  It is the largest and most active astronomy education organization in the world.

View NCNAAPT meeting locations in a larger map

California Assn of Independent Schools Science Development Day

CAIS Professional Development Day

March 12, 2010 to be held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco

• 8:30 am – 9:00 am: Welcome, coffee, bagels and ice breaker,
• 9:00 am – 10:00 am: Two floor tours happening simultaneously; a bio and a physics tour, both led by Exploratorium Teacher Institute staff (Paul Doherty and TBD),
• 10:00 am – 11:30 am: Two hands on workshops happening simultaneously:

Fruits of the Genome Project – Personalized Medicine

given by Karen Kalumuck

In this hands-on interactive workshop, we’ll model laboratory techniques such as DNA microarray analysis that are set to revolutionize the practice of medicine.  By using real-life examples, we’ll discover how personal genomic analysis can be used to effectively tailor treatments to the individual patient, ranging from the best chemotherapy to the most effective antidepressant. The activities can be easily incorporated into your lessons on DNA and molecular biology.

Gravity Wells

given by Paul Doherty

We will use a Gravity Well to explore the orbits of planets, why there are two tides per day, black holes and curved spacetime, as well as the energy levels of atoms.

• 11:30 am – 12:30 am: Lunch
• 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm: Exploratorium Internet Resources, led by Exploratorium Teacher Institute staff Eric Muller,
• 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Keynote Presentation by Paul Doherty:

Learn Science by Doing Science with Simple Materials

At the Exploratorium we create exhibits which inspire visitors to interact with the real phenomena of science. The teacher programs at the Exploratorium translate these science explorations into “Snacks”— easy to build explorations using inexpensive materials which motivate students to think and learn. We publish these snacks in books and on web pages. I will present examples of these explorations focusing on electricity, light, and sound.

• 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Free time in the Exploratorium,
• 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Closing with Paul Doherty.

Cost: $160, breakfast and lunch included

To register contact Nancy Swamy:  nswamy@caisca.org

Questions: Tom Woosnam: twoos@csus.org or 650 375 5402

Deadline to register: March 8

More information about CAIS and this science development day can be found here: http://caisca.org/events_conferencedetails.asp?event=199

Colloquim at Sac State: Measuring the Universe with Gravitational Lenses

The following colloquium is free and open to all.

Dr. Chris Fassnacht, UC Davis, will present his lecture, “Measuring the Universe with Gravitational Lenses” on Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 4pm in Mendocino Hall 1015, Sacramento State University.  This lecture is free and open to the public.

Chris Fassnacht received his AB degree from Harvard College and immediately afterward joined the Peace Corps, where he served as a secondary school math and science teacher in Ghana, West Africa.   After returning, he received a PhD from Caltech.  He held postdoctoral fellowships at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Socorro, NM and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD.  He is currently an associate professor in the physics department at UC Davis, where he has been for the last seven years.

Prof. Fassnacht’s research involves using gravitational lenses to measure the rate at which the Universe is expanding and how galaxies such as the Milky Way are assembled.

Physics & Astronomy Colloquium
Location: Mendocino Hall 1015<http://www.csus.edu/campusmap/index.html>

Thursday, February 11, 2010
4:00 PM – 5:20 PM

Title Url: http://www.csus.edu/physics/events/colloquia.stm
Department: Physics & Astronomy
Contact: Heidi Yamazaki
yamazaki@csus.edu<mailto:yamazaki@csus.edu>
(916) 278-6518

Save the date: NCNAAPT Spring Conference

Our spring meeting/conference will be held at American River College (near Sacramento) on April 16th (afternoon/evening) and 17th (all day).

Mark your calendars now. Coming soon: Call for papers, speaker list, travel details, etc.

Modeling Physics Summer 2010 Workshops

Modeling Workshops in high school physics, chemistry, and/or physical science will be  held in summer 2010 in Arizona, Alabama, Miami FL, Iowa, New Orleans LA, Maine, Michigan,  Minneapolis MN, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pittsburgh PA, northern Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Dallas TX, and Wisconsin.

Modeling Workshops will be held also in Georgia, Chicago IL, Kansas, South Dakota,  and Washington, pending funding.

Visit http://modeling.asu.edu for details. Click on “Modeling Workshops Nationwide in Summer 2010″. http://modeling.asu.edu/MW_nation.html

Modeling Workshops are peer-led. Modeling Instruction is one of two K-12 science programs designated by the U.S. Department of Education as EXEMPLARY.

Stipends and/or free tuition at some sites: usually for in-state teachers. Ask your principal for Federal Title II-A funds. For information and more funding sources: http://modeling.asu.edu/MW_nation.html

Outstanding peer leaders at sites include Larry Dukerich, Rex and Debbie Rice, Michael Crofton, Matt Greenwolfe, Rich McNamara, Kathy Malone, Kathy Harper, Jeff Steinert, Earl Legleiter, Jim Stankevitz, Nicholas Park,  Jamie Vesenka, Ed Wyrembeck, and more!

Teachers nationwide greatly value Modeling Instruction. They wrote:

• In thirty years of teaching, nothing has impacted my teaching like the ideas I’ve learned in modeling.  It is the best idea to enter the teaching methods I have ever seen.
• After the first year of teaching using the modeling method, I wished I had learned about modeling years ago.
• Most useful course I have taken since becoming a teacher.
• Thanks to taking physics modeling course work, I am highly qualified in physics.
• I learned a tremendous amount and am all fired up to teach physics this fall!
• I learned more about teaching and physics this summer than in 5 years of college!
• It was, without a doubt, the single greatest professional development experience of my career.

For more information, contact:

Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics, ASU, Tempe, AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7565 http://modeling.asu.edu
Jane.Jackson@asu.edu

Science on Saturday at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Science on Saturday (SOS) is a series of science lectures for middle and high school students. Each topic highlights cutting-edge science occurring at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The talks are presented by leading LLNL science researchers supported by master high school science teachers. These presentations are offered in several locations. See the schedule below to find locations nearest to you.

Admission is free of charge. Seating is on a first come basis. Seats may not be reserved in advance. See the schedule for the starting times of each presentation, and a map to the venue. Seating is limited. Please come early to ensure that you will find a seat.

Students receive a “Student Notes” worksheet to record key information from the talk. The worksheet will be marked with the official SOS stamp at the end of the presentation. Many teachers use the worksheet to award “extra credit.” Students should check with their teacher in advance to determine if they will receive credit for attending SOS.

Teachers who attend the SOS presentations can receive a CD with the presentation slides. If the talk is video recorded, they can receive a DVD of the recorded talk as well. These CDs and DVDs are offered free of charge and are sent by mail after the completion of the lecture series for the year. Be sure to register when you attend to receive your copy of these valuable teaching resources.

Presented by:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Education Program
Two presentations: 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

January 30, 2010

Fighting Super Bugs: Overcoming Antibiotic Resistance
Presenter: Paul Jackson, Teacher: Frankie Tate

February 6, 20a10

Distant Worlds: Making Images of Other Solar Systems
Presenter: Bruce Macintosh and Lisa Poyneer, Teacher: Tom Shefler

February 13, 2010

Put it Back When You are Done: Storing Carbon Dioxide in the Earth not the Atmosphere
Presenter: Roger Aines, Teacher: Ken Wedel

February 20, 2010

Understanding Climate Change: Seeing the Carbon Through the Trees
Presenter: Karis McFarlane, Teacher: Dean Reese

February 27, 2010

Harnessing Fusion Energy: The Power of Light
Presenter: Edward Moses

Complete details at: http://education.llnl.gov/sos/

Physics in “The Simpsons.” Great video clips

NCNAAPT member Dan Burns has collected a great set of clips from The Simpsons TV series. Each clip includes a brief description of the physics involved in the clip. You can see them here: www.lghs.net/teachers/science/burns/scienceonsimpsons/Clips.html

Fall Meeting of NCNAAPT

The Fall Meeting was held October 10th, 2009 at NASA Ames. Please check the notes and summaries below for information of the day’s activities!

NCNAAPT Share & Tell

Tonie Hansen – NVIDIA

The non-profit Charity foundation portion of NVIDIA is working on bringing visualization into the classroom using their computer components. Video games and simulations have been proven to help students learn visual concepts.

They are asking for people to be a part of the Advisory Committee to help beta-test the visualizations that would be available online. Please contact Toni Hansen if you’re interested.

Contact Information:

Toni Hansen, Philanthropy and Social Responsibility

2701 San Tomas Expressway

Santa Clara, CA 95050

thansen@nvidia.com

CJ Chretien – Leadership Public Schools, Richmond

Chretien showed a few examples of video clips available online in the classroom including the recent Mythbusters episode testing the “Drop vs Shot Bullet” myth. An edited version of the episode is available for download here (removed next Thursday, October 15, 2009).

David Kagan – CSU Chico

After seeing a demonstration about the movement of a soda can that is unshaken compared to a soda can that had been shaken, Kagan wrote an article to “The Physics Teacher.” After that publication, a European TV show contacted him about it in order to use the experiment on the show.

Ann & Jon Hanks – PASCO Scientific

Explained raffle prizes: four PASCO generators for standing wave demo; dynamic set for incline plane (PASTrack). They also demoed a new modular LED strobe that can be realigned for different set-ups.

Don Rathjen – Exploratorium Teacher Institute

Rathjen explained the Science Snack based on the Exploratorium “Vanna” exhibit which is an optical illusion. It is made by taking three copies of a smiling person’s image and using two to create a modified version. It is made by cutting out the eyes and smile of one, apply them upside on one to a second. Starting with the modified and unmodified images upside down, explained that the pictures are of “smiling people.” When rotated though, it is clear one (the modified one) is not smiling. Don uses this exhibit and demonstration to explain the role the brain plays in interpretation of what our eyes see. There is more information available on the Exploratorium’s website.

Bernard Cleyet – retired

Cleyet explored the dissipation of movement of a dynamic cart using several different sensors. Beginning with a cart that had spring oscillators on either side, Cleyet graphed the displacement and found that the decay was not quite exponential. When a force probe is used, the force is fairly linear, as expected with a steel spring that obeys Hooke’s Law. Cleyet repeated the experiment with rubber bands instead of springs and found a much more extreme decay of motion. The rubber band experiment matches a historetic dissipation more than an exponential. The final trial used a magnetic repulsion array for its oscillator. For more information contact: bernardcleyet@redshift.com

Bob Reklis

Reklis discussed uses for robotics in a normal physics classroom. His new endeavor is a constant velocity robot with a programmable speed with additional sensors. Currently, it has a sensor that senses an approaching wall and stops. He also plans to have sensors that allow the car to follow a set line on the ground and add a uniform acceleration mode.

Gunjan Raizada

Raizada discussed teaching Physics to children at a young age in order to inspire students to get involved and interested in Physics. She is looking for ideas on how to grow her program.

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss – Amador Valley High School

Barnett Dreyfuss discussed “blinky light” activity using small LED lights. The original idea was developed by Sebastian Martin from the Exploratorium to study motion. LED lights with three settings by Inova work well, available typically from Target in the flashlight section for ~$8. The lights are set to the second setting on “dim” which is actually oscillating 100/ second. Samples of images produced by her students are available here. Pictures can be used to show several concepts including:

-         projectile motion of objects, including those with unevenly distributed mass whose center of mass will follow a parabolic shape

-         centripetal motion when attached to a bike wheel or other rotationary device can show the different speeds that would occur at different radius from the center

-         motion of the body by attaching lights to the body and doing simple movements like running or walking

-         free fall motion of differently massed or shaped objects from the same height at the same time to experiment with air resistance or to compare horizontally launched projectiles to those dropped

Sample motion with Blinky Lights

Dan Gill – North Tahoe High School

Gill attempted an experiment in which he would be inside a helium filled balloon to observe the changes in sound. Several theories as to why helium affects the pitch of a person’s voice exist but he doesn’t agree with them. Planning to answer a cell phone while inside the balloon, Gill also inserted a squeaky dog toy, whistle and tuning fork. The idea came from a YouTube video of a street performer using a giant balloon. Before the experiment could be completed, the balloon burst but we are looking forward to potentially seeing it in the Spring. The video of the attempt will be available on the NCNAAPT YouTube site here.

Bill Papke – American River College

Papke wanted to share that 5mW Green lasers are available at American Science & Surplus for much less than the normal retail price. The site also carries the innards of lasers, diffraction gratings, etc. Papke also recommended the novel “Flash Forward” by Robert Sawyer which is being made into a TV series right now.

Dan Burns – Los Gatos High School

Burns shared an infrared detection card that fluoresces (change color) if exposed to infrared light and can be activated by the infrared light from a remote control. The card is made using materials that can absorb two infrared photons, jumps up an energy level and then down in steps to to release visible light. They are available for around $20, there are cheaper ones that must be activated with exposure to visible light first. Here is a link from Industrial Fiber Optics.

Carl Rosenkilde – Retired

Rosenkilde discussed the sliding bar problem that originally came from another Show & Tell a year ago by Paul Robinson.  A bar was placed along the edge of a table so that ¾ of it is off the table. The bar will fall, due to its center of mass being unsupported by the table, and will spin. The length of the bar affects how much rotation will occur (with the same initial height) and Rosenkilde showed us two different lengths, one that rotates to hit the ground at 90˚ and one at 180˚. A solution was presented as to how to prove that angular momentum is conserved. Email: carlrosenkilde@comcast.net

Chuck Hunt – American River College

Hunt made several announcements about the upcoming Spring meeting at the American River College in Sacramento, California during the business portion.