Welcome to our website

Scroll down this page to find recently posted information, or use the links on the right to find information focused on particular areas in physics education.

As summer approaches, you’ll find many opportunities for professional growth listed below. Follow the links for more information and registration details. If you know of any events our members would benefit from, email the information to calendar@ncnaapt.org.

AAPT Summer Meeting registration deadline extended to July 6th.

There’s never been a better time to enhance your professional career…

Join us in Ann Arbor for cutting-edge teaching methods and physics research, and cost effective connections to your colleagues in the physics community.  This meeting promises to help you find ideas and inspiration to take back to your classroom. http://www.aapt.org/Events/sm2009/registration.cfm.

Here are just a few of the highlighted events :

• Noteworthy speakers include Robert A. Millikan Medal winner Arthur Eisenkraft, Klopsteg  Memorial Awardee Lee Smolin, and AIP’s Andrew W. Gemant Awardee John S. Rigden.
• Don’t miss David Saltzberg discuss his time served as physics consultant for the popular television situation-comedy  “The Big Bang Theory.”
• Be sure to sign-up for our Detroit City Tour with a stop at the Motown Historical Museum, and our Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village Tour.

The 2009 AAPT Summer Meeting is just a couple weeks away and we have extended the registration deadline to Monday, July 6th!

Visit http://www.aapt.org/Events/sm2009/index.cfm regularly for the most current updates.

We hope to see you there.

Physics Instant Update – A Workshop for High School Physics Teachers (USC)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Organizers- Topics

• Ty Buxman (S. Heart Flintridge) – Refresh Physics Knowledge
• Bill Layton (UCLA) – New Technology in Science Education
• Stephan Haas (USC) – Design In-Class Demonstrations
• Dean Papadakis (South Pasadena High) – Physics in the Laboratory
• Stephen Cronin (USC) – Science & Religion

Schedule:

• 9:30-10:15 Secrets of Quantum Information Science (Todd Brun, USC Engineering)
• 10:15-11:00 The Question of Why. How do religions view science and how do scientists view religion? (Stephan Haas, USC Physics)
• 11:00-12:00 Science and Religion – a Buddhist Perspective (John Daishin Bukzbazen, Zen Center of Los Angeles)
• 12:00-1:00 Lunch (provided)
• 1:00-1:30 Incorporating Webcasts in the Classroom (Gene Bickers, USC Physics)
• 1:30-2:15 Tour of Studio Classrooms at the USC Distance Education Network (Binh Tran, USC Distance Education Network)
• 2:15-3:00 Microbe Power (Moh El Naggar, USC Physics)
• 3:00-4:00 Demonstrations, Activities and the California Standards (Bill Layton, UCLA Physics)

Location:

University of Southern California
Irani Hall (RRI) 421
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Participation, parking and lunch are free of charge.

Please register by contacting:

Stephan Haas (shaas@usc.edu or 213-740-4528)
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484

Web site discussing California High School Physics Standards

This is to announce a new web page that might be of interest to California High School Physics teachers. This page considers each of the High School Physics Standards individually, with a discussion of content, demonstrations, activities, misconceptions, etc., that might be of assistance to a new physics teacher. The page was created after a careful reading of the California Science Framework but rather than just discussing physics content, it also includes suggestions on how to teach the particular Standard. Every Standard is considered individually but also, every effort has been made to make the discussion brief.

The URL is: http://www.physics.ucla.edu/HighSchoolPhysics (The upper case in HighSchoolPhysics is necessary as well as the lack of spaces.)

The format of the page is to place each of the 5 Physics Standard Sets into a PDF package and each individual standard as a MS Word document. This means you can download the MS Word documents and revise them as you wish but the PDF document is not so easily altered. This and other details are explained in the introduction to the web page and the Table of Contents has the links to all of the PDF and MSWord documents.

Let me know if you see obvious mistakes or needs for improvement. I plan to add links specific to each Standard as I gather ideas from others in the physics teaching community.

I hope this effort will be useful so someone.

Sincerely,

Bill Layton layton@physics.ucla.edu

Obituary: Ken Ozawa

“It is with great sadness I learned that longtime physics professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and friend of AAPT, Ken Ozawa, passed away March, 4, 2009. Ken worked very hard to help bring the Northern and Southern California Sections of AAPT together by hosting meetings at Cal Poly, many of which were very memorable. The national AAPT even hosted a summer meeting at Cal Poly once. He served not only as an officer of the Southern CA Section of AAPT, he also was the national President of AAPT. He was a very hard working and dedicated fellow and will be missed by all us in AAPT.”

– Paul Robinson, NCN AAPT

Obituary: Robert H. (Bob) Good

It is with great sadness I learned that Robert H. (Bob) Good passed away August 2008 after a battle with prostate cancer. He was a professor and department chair for 42 years at Cal State Hayward. Although he authored a textbook entitled “Classical Electromagnetism”, Bob was best known for his computer simulations on the Apple II platform which he distributed for $5. Worth at least 10 times that amount, they were repackaged by Laserpoint Software for $30 and ported to the PC platform for Physics Academic Software for $50, he never accepted a dime of royalties. “Give it to your brilliant student programmer–he deserves it more than I do” he told then software entrepreneur Paul Robinson (which Paul did–whose student Jay Olbernolte went on and founded FarSight Studios and later programmed for Electronic Arts). Bob was a regular at NCN AAPT as well as national AAPT meetings and known for his pithy nonetheless inspiring style. He was not flashy although his software demonstrations were sometimes spectacular–he let the physics take the credit. He was a passionate teacher who had the ability to make physics transparent for learners far-below his ability without being the least bit of condescension (a trail not always true of physics professors). He was a regularly attended NCN AAPT meetings for many years and was the recipient of NCN AAPT’s Distinguised Service Citation. Bob was 76. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.”

– Paul Robinson, NCN AAPT

References:

• /www.webassign.net/pas/physics_simulations/physsim.html (Physics Academic Software)
• www20.csueastbay.edu/news/category-pages/archive-pre-2009/the-view/obits/article-30.html (obituary)

Advanced Lab Topical Conference at U. of Michigan

Dear Advanced/Intermediate Lab Faculty and Technical Staff,

I encourage you to consider attending the Advanced Lab Topical Conference  at U. of Michigan, July 23-25 (just before the summer AAPT meeting). These conferences only happen about every 15 years, and should be of considerable interest to faculty and technical staff involved with college-level physics labs beyond the introductory level. Details can be found on the conference web page http://advlabs.aapt.org/events/event.cfm?ID=2

Registration will be capped at 120 and we currently have at least 100
registrants, so sign up soon if you plan to attend.

Lost cost ($150) registration has been extended and there is low cost
housing in the dorms as well as discounted airfares using the AAPT summer
meeting discount code. You can attend the Topical Conference without
attending the AAPT meeting, although you are encouraged to go to both.

Regards,

Jim Lockhart

James M. Lockhart, Ph.D.
Professor and Assoc. Chair
Physics and Astronomy Dept.
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94132-4163
415-338-2451  FAX 415-338-2178
e-mail: lockhart@stars.sfsu.edu

The daVinci Project Residential Summer Workshops

Residential Summer Workshops at the
University of Connecticut’s
School of Engineering
The daVinci Project

July 13-17, 2009

The UConn School of Engineering is holding its 10th annual daVinci Project. It is a week long (Mon-Fri) residential series of hands-on workshops for middle and high school science and math teachers. This year it’s being held July 13-17. Teachers live on campus and participate in one of 5 workshops (Fuel Cell-Construction and Operation, Bio-Fuels/Sustainable Energy, Nanotechnology, Bio-materials: Bones/Joints/Tissues and Water-Processes and Principles).

An on-line 2009 application and more information can be accessed at
http://www.engr.uconn.edu/davinci/

Registration deadline: June 26, 2009.

Confirmation will be sent after your registration is received.
If you have questions or need further information please contact Sharon Mcdermott at sharon@engr.uconn.edu<mailto:sharon@engr.uconn.edu> or 860-486-5536.

Hubble Space Telescope, The Space Shuttle Servicing Mission and the International Year of Astronomy Educator Conference

May 30-31, 2009 at the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched on a 15-year mission to explore the universe. Now, just past it’s 19th birthday, it is getting a new lease on life.  Space Shuttle mission STS-125 (scheduled for launch on May 11) is slated to replace and repair science instruments, computers, batteries,
gyroscopes and blankets.  This, the last Hubble servicing mission, should
allow Hubble to operate as a fully operational enhanced astronomical observatory for many more years. At JPL we are taking this opportunity to
revisit the Hubble mission and the work of JPL’s Wide Field and Planetary
Camera 2, Hubble’s workhorse science instrument.  The camera has taken most of the revolutionary images attributed to Hubble.  We’ll recap the Shuttle mission activities as well. 2009 is also the International Year of Astronomy (IYA).

This event is a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture and marks the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei.  The aim of the Year is to stimulate interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover.” We will discuss IYA2009 events and activities and ways to promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy.

Who

All educators (including museum staff) and students high school and above interested in Earth and space science and exploration.  The conference content is generally non-technical but does include some detailed scientific and engineering content.  The objective of the conference is to tell the exciting tale of real-life exploration and new discovery in a way that will excite and inspire students.  Students under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a registered adult.

When

All day Saturday, May 30, and the morning of Sunday, May 31, 2009.  Check-in begins at 7:45 A.M.  On Saturday the conference will conclude by 5:00 pm. On Sunday the conference will end at noon for a total of 12 hours of professional development time.

Where

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s von Kármán Auditorium.  JPL is located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains north of the Rose Bowl.

For directions please visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/maps.cfm.

Pre-registration is required; walk-up registration will not be possible for this conference.  Note that you will need to show a photo ID at JPL’s security checkpoint upon arrival each day.

Registration

To register for this conference please send a check postmarked by Friday, May 22, 2009, for $40.00 payable to “Jet Propulsion Laboratory” to: Hubble Educator Conference
Attn: Mary Kay Kuehn
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 180-109
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena CA 91109

Please register by Friday, May 22, 2009.  The $40 registration fee includes continental breakfast and breaks both days and a box lunch on Saturday.  For registration questions please call the JPL Education Office at 818-393-0561. For updates and information visit the JPL Education Gateway at http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/.
Name________________________________________
Title_________________________________________
Organization/School_________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________ State____ Zip________
Grade(s) Taught/Enrolled_____________________________________________
Subject(s) Taught/Enrolled____________________________________________
Contact info for confirmation & last minute changes:
E-mail: ________________________________
Phone: ________________________________

$40 Registration Fee Enclosed
Check # ____________

Connecting with Energy Research at Berkeley Lab

Mysteries, Secrets, & Solutions: Connecting with Energy at Berkeley Lab

July 15-16, 2009, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Educator Institute

• Explore the latest research on energy and climate change
• Meet the experts
• Aimed for middle school and high school teachers
• Keynote address by Dr. Sally Ride
• $30 registration fee includes three meals and materials

http://www.sallyridescience.com/for_educators/institutes