Please read all the way to the end - the last item is information about the Tucson Pumpkin Toss! It’s a great activity for your class or club.
J.D. has arranged for another great speaker for our meeting on October 3rd. Brad Story is a Professor in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, and Associate Head of the Department. Our meeting is Saturday, October 3rd, in room PAS 218 on the University of Arizona Campus. I will send a campus map in a future email. We meet at 8:30 am, and our talk will start about 9:00. The University Physics Department will supply a delicious breakfast. Here is an abstract of Dr. Story’s talk:
Spoken communication relies on humans’ ability to generate sound waves with precise, complex structure that encodes the vowels and consonants of a language. The human sound production system utilizes vibratory and turbulent sound sources to initiate pressure waves that propagate through the vocal tract, which are the airspaces of the trachea, pharynx, mouth, and nasal passages. This talk will give overview of how the vibratory characteristics of the vocal folds, and the acoustic filtering properties of the vocal tract interact to produce the sounds of speech.
I hope you will be able to join us!
One more date that I didn’t mention in my last email: There is a 4-corners meeting of the APS in Phoenix on October 16th-17th. There will be a lot of presenters from the four-corners area, including Kelli Gamez-Warble, teacher-in-residence for the ASU physics teacher training program, and Noah Finkelstein, University of Colorado researcher who is very well-known for his work on physics education. We are hoping that Kelli will be teaching a Modeling workshop here in Tucson next summer. Here is some information from Jane Jackson about the event:
You are invited to the American Physical Society (APS) 4 Corners Annual meeting at ASU, on Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17.
Teachers (HS & TYC) & retirees can register at a reduced rate of $65.
Includes lunch on Friday, and coffee breaks on Friday & Saturday.
Membership in APS is not required (click on register as a non-member) .
Some reasons to come:
* Saturday plenary on physics education research by Noah Finkelstein, University of Colorado.
* Invited talk by Kelli Gamez Warble, ASU Teacher-in-Residence in the Dept. of Physics.
Earl Barrett and I submitted these abstracts for 12-minute talks (including Q & A):
Earl's title: The Need for Increased High School Physics Enrollment in Arizona
ABSTRACT:
Enrollment has declined for regular high school physics in Arizona; and Arizona is doing poorly compared to the nation. In Maricopa County, only 20 percent of high school students take physics, while nationwide almost 40 percent do.
To prepare our students for Arizona's share of millions of new STEM jobs, we should do all we can to interest more high school students in physics, while attracting a world-class group of physics teachers. Physics is STEM. Physics is the one class that makes math make sense and strengthens all skills a student needs for STEM career success. We recommend physics as a choice for the 4th math course.
Jane's title: How we can increase enrollment in high school physics
ABSTRACT:
Physics is seen as a course only for the mathematically adept, in most high schools in Maricopa County. This is poor policy, because physics is the ideal course to reinforce skills students learn in math classes. Also it is inequitable, hindering most high school students from pursuing STEM-related careers.
The AAPT goal is physics for ALL. Research shows that physics is the chief pathway to STEM-related careers. Our school strategy to increase physics enrollment is simple, requiring a reform-minded teacher, changing attitudes, and ensuring that physics students have 21st century equipment.
Also, we will need more physics teachers, so we must financially support the ASU summer Modeling Instruction program, which has enabled many biology and chemistry teachers to retool successfully to physics. The American Physical Society recognized Modeling Instruction with the 2014 Excellence in Physics Education Award. https://physics.asu.
Some other dates of interest, from my previous email:
September 26th: Fall meeting of the Arizona AAPT. This will be a really good meeting. It’s at ASU, and there are some great speakers. Bob Culbertson will talk about how ASU is changing its physics classes, and Chris Ubing will be giving a demo on the I/O take-home labs he is piloting with the University of Illinois physics education group. Here is an agenda for the meeting, from Jim Ward, who is president of our local section of the AAPT, called the AZAAPT:
General Meeting Agenda
Arizona State University
September 26, 2015
Agenda
8:45 – 9:15 Check in and continental breakfast.
9:15 – 9:45 How to increase Physics student enrollment, Jane Jackson,
9:45 – 10:30 Business Meeting / Election of Officers
10:30 – 11:30 ‘EMystery Box’, (Participants will engage in activities used to foster productive conversation about the true nature of science, and how to ensure our classrooms reflect it.)
11:30 – 11:50 Resources for graduate credit to meet the new MCCCD requirements,
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:15 – 2:30 Evolution of Physics Instruction, Robert Culbertson
Click the link to registerhttp://www.azaapt.org/
It only takes a minute so do it now before you forget.
Future TAPT meetings are also scheduled for November 14th and December 12th. Programs to be announced.
October 17th: There is a Star Party put on by (I think) the Cochise Amateur Astronomy group. It will be held at Kartchner Caverns! The Party starts at 1:00 with solar viewing, and I think you will be able to go into the cavern. At 5:00, U of A Professor Chris Impey will be speaking, then viewing goes into the night hours.
October 18th: THE PUMPKIN TOSS! Applications are available at TucsonPumpkinToss.org, and are being accepted now. Run by Bruce Bayly and the Physics Factory, this is a great opportunity for student participation, or just to watch the excitement on the mall. Don’t miss this!
As usual, please email me if you have suggestions or questions. See you soon!
Karie
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