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Coming soon

AAPT Washington

 

Friday, October 25, 2019   7 PM   -     Location: Jepson 108
Workshop: Think-Pair-Share and Peer Instruction.  
See travel page for directions and maps.


Saturday, October 26, 2018      -     Rooms: Jepson 108.
Preliminary Schedule - Modest revisions may still occur.

Time

Event

Speaker

8:00 - 8:20

Coffee, Registration .  

8:20 - 8:30

Welcome.   

8:30 - 11:50

Invited-Contributed talks    Various Abstract: TBA

8:30 - 8:50

Canvas Discussions in Introductory Physics and Astronomy Classes    Abstract:The rapid proliferation of free educational videos, webcomics, and other resources, has provided an excellent opportunity to expose students to key class concepts in a novel way, and Canvas has provided a straightforward way of integrating such material into interactive online class discussions. We have included Canvas discussions in both fully-online Introductory Physics and web-enhanced Introductory Astronomy classes. The versatile nature of the discussion design allows for multiple options in terms of grading rubrics, threaded replies, and embedded content.

Anthony Smith & Bruce Palmquist, Walla Walla Community College

8:55 - 9:15

Physics YouTube videos: a bridge between college and high-school Abstract: Some concepts taught in introductory physics courses in college can be non-intuitive, but by practice students can develop skills to satisfactorily solve typical numerical problems without having the concepts totally clear. One educational tool, efficient to settle abstract concepts, is learning by teaching, where students are asked to teach what they have learned to younger students. We incorporate in the syllabus of a introductory physics course the making of an educational video aimed at high school students as a way to deepen the understanding of classical physics and special relativity concepts.

Andres Aragoneses, Eastern Washington University

9:20 - 9:40

Teaching Modeling using Super Mario Maker Abstract: ....

Matt Geske, Gonzaga University

9:45 - 10:05

Using low-credit seminar courses to implement new co-curricular activities in physics Abstract: Recommendations for new and/or updated curriculum are frequently published by the physics teaching community, including co-curricular activities not typically found in a traditional undergraduate program. Despite the desire of many faculty to modernize our curriculum as much as possible, implementation of new activities in an inflexible and already credit-heavy major is often impractical. Here I will discuss a potential solution to this problem through a pair of one-credit courses, one taken early and one taken late in the major. Each includes co-curricular activities consistent with recent AAPT guidelines and recommendations regarding career-oriented instruction and increasing diversity, and the early course is deliberately designed to increase retention of at-risk students. To minimize the activity barrier of new course development, both courses employ existing sets of free and modular curriculum that provide a flexible and adaptable framework that any faculty can in principle teach without unreasonable additional workload. This model allows not only for the practical adoption of modern curricular innovations but also provides a low-impact opportunity for all faculty to be exposed to new ways of teaching

Nathan J. Kuwada, Central Washington University

10:05 - 10:30

Break and lunch information.

Edits are on-going.

10:30 - 10:50

- Student-driven high altitude experiments as an alternative to the second-semester physics lab Abstract: In 2016 we introduced a project-based laboratory experience that may be taken as an alternative to the traditional second semester introductory physics lab. Teams of three or four students work for the entire semester on a single experimental project exploring some aspect of the stratosphere. Requiring significant student initiative in experimental design, construction, calibration, and analysis, this project provides a more authentic experience in the practice of physics.

John Larkin, Whitworth University

10:55 - 11:15

- Stars, Galaxies and Rotation Abstract: In addition to mass, age and initial chemical composition, stellar structure depends on rotation. Unlike star clusters, galaxies are associated with dark matter halos evidenced in their rotation curves and velocity dispersions. Observations and evolutionary models, with and without stellar rotation, are included for the dwarf irregular galaxy Leo A.

Robert Ruotsalainen, Eastern Washington University

11:30 - 12:00

Business Meeting: Officer reports. Ellection of officers.

12:00 - 1:00 PM

Lunch:        Details to follow. Revisions may still occur

1:00 - 1:30 PM

Undergraduate Poster session: Invite your students. Set-up 12:20 PM: Lunch continues.

1:35 - 1:55 PM

Magnetic braking in a conducting tube.
     New device, new opportunities, new questions. Abstract: Published work on the eddy currents in a conducting tube provide a reasonably comprehensive analysis, much of it accessible to strong introductory students. Playing with a novel set of tubes provided a quick way to see a simple relationship not yet investigated experimentally. Nice! But wait, not so fast. ...

Robert Hobbs, Bellevue College