July 2005
Here is a brief summary of the physics-and-society workshops and sessions, listed in the order of their occurrence. If I've forgotten anything, please inform our group about it by sending a message to our listserv. Try to attend these sessions! We need your ideas and your energy!
Workshop W06, Saturday August 6, 08:00-12:00 Reaching, Teaching, and Keeping Underrepresented Groups in Physics Workshop leader: Juan Burciaga, Lafayette College, Easton PA Increase your effectiveness in constructing inclusive learning environments. What factors help or hinder wide-spread, permanent change? Discussion, collaborative exercises will explore strategies that are effective not only with underrepresented groups but with all students.
Workshop W15, Saturday August 6, 13:00-17:00 Energy in the 21st Century Workshop leaders: Patrick Keefe, Astoria OR, and Greg Mulder Engaging students in predictions of future energy consumption, resources and technologies is a successful way to generate enthusiasm for physics. In modeling exercises, participants manipulate future resources and include population, cost, and efficiency considerations.
Workshop W22, Sunday August 7, 08:00-12:00 Teaching Physics for a Socially Just Society Workshop leaders: Apriel Hodari, The CAN Corp., Alexandria, VA, and 6 others. What does teaching for a socially just society entail? What are our goals? Do our methods empower students or engender obedience? How does our teaching affect students and society? We will explore reform curricula and social justice curricula. Participants can bring their own curricula and teaching practices.
Workshop W25, Sunday August 7, 08:00-12:00 The Population Game: a Socially Significant Laboratory Activity Workshop leader: Art Hobson, Univ. of Arkansas-Fayetteville Teaches population dynamics via a game using dice-like cubes that model random exponential population growth, the effects of longevity, family planning, and other aspects of growth. See The Physics Teacher, April 2003, pp. 227-233.
Crackerbarrel session BD, Monday August 8, 13:30-15:00 Crackerbarrel on Physics and Society Education Discussion leader: Jane Flood JOIN US to discuss how our group can be more effective in promoting the teaching of physics-related societal topics such as energy, environment, arms control, and pseudoscience. What can or should physics teachers be doing in relation to such topics? We also need to discuss some organizational issues, such as how to best set up invited or contributed sessions and keeping our lines of communication clear.
Commercial Workshop 05, Monday August 8, 15:00-17:00 Active Physics--Where Physics First Meets Physics for All Workshop leader: Arthur Eisenkraft, Armonk, NY Labs are integrated into a meaningful structure that encourages student creativity in sports, medicine, transportation, home, and communications. 9th graders in many districts have begun their physics education with Active Physics. How can "real" physics be taught to all 9th graders?
Invited/contributed session CM, Tuesday August 9, 07:45-10:30 Physics and Society Education Presider: John Roeder, The Calhoun School, New York, NY The first two talks are invited, the others are contributed.
1. "Spent nuclear fuel transportation and storage opposition," Dianne Nielson, Utah Dept of Environmental Quality. If the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves the license, the "temporary" storage facility in Skull Valley could become the de-facto permanent storage site for commercial high-level nuclear waste. Spent fuel rods should be stored at power plants until a licensed permanent facility is opened.
2. "Earth science issues confronting Utahns over the next decade. Rick Allis, Utah Gelogical Survey. Continued growth will put pressure on competing land uses in Utah. Consumption patterns of energy and water must change in future years, toward conservation, efficiency, alternative energies, new technologies, and carbon sequestration.
3. "Physics and X, where X=environmental concerns," Celia Chow, Connecticut State Univ.
4. "Technology has changed everything," Thomal Gibbons, Clinton Comm. Coll.
5. "Oil and involution: the link between population and resources," Louis Schwartzkopf, Wayne Allen, and Julio Mandojana, Minnesota State Univ.
6. "Consideration of the peak oil problem within energy courses," William Rauckhorst and Joseph Priest, Miami Univ.
7. "Worthwhile wind?: the feasibility of wind power at Gustavus Adolphus College," Charles Niederriter, Carl Ferkinhoff, Jared Lee, and Seth Hayek, Gustavus Adolphus Coll.
8. "The power of symmetry," Stanley Chiocchio, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, New Orleans, LA
9. "Energy plans for the 21st century," John Roeder, The Calhoun School, New York, NY.
Plenary Session DN, Tuesday August 9, 16:00 "Small wonders: the world of nano science" Speaker: Horst Stormer, Columbia Univ. Will focus on the nano-scale, its wondrous meeting of physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, and its potential to shape our technological future.
Crackerbarrel session DQ, Tuesday August 9, 17:00-18:30 Crackerbarrel on Attracting and Advancing Women in Physics A participant in the Rio de Janiero 2nd International Conference on Women in Physics will lead discussion on attracting girls and women in physics. Learn about current activities throughout the world.
Invited/contributed session FK, Wednesday August 10, 15:30-17:30 Research on Teaching Physics for Social Justice Presider: David May, Univ. System of Maryland, Adelphi, MD The first two talks are invited, the others are contributed.
1. "Physics for the select few," Dewey Dykstra, Jr, Boise State Univ. Why is physics an elective taken by 25% of HS graduates? There is public concern over scientific literacy. Why is teacher preparation not an important item in physics department budgets? Why has there been little change in decades? One explanation and supporting evidence will be shared.
2. "Understanding agency in a physics classroom of low-income, minority students," Sreyashi Basu and Angela Barton, Columbia Univ. How does critical physics agency develop in a 9th grade conceptual physics courses in a low-income immigrant neighborhood? How does it influence student understanding? How does it help young people transform their lives and communities?
3. "Failing our students: systemically building bridtges or walls between HS and University physics," Noah Finkelstein, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder.
4. "A collaborative physics-education project with the University of Havana," Perry Tompkins, Samford Univ.
5. "Research implications on the efficacy of the PER-based reform effort," Seth Rosenberg, City College of New York.
6. "Obstacles to teaching for social justice: lessons from South Africa," Sanjoy Mahajan, Univ. of Cambridge.
PHYSICS AND SOCIETY EDUCATION WEBSITE
We have a website! The easiest way to access it is to go to www.aapt.org and then to click on 'links ', and go to 'other physics links', where you will see it. You can also get to it directly at www.physics.rutgers.edu/~lindenf/pse/ . Please "bookmark" it on your computer!
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