LSST Lecture Wednesday, August 17th

Hello everyone, this is to inform you about a public event from the Tucson-based Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (www.lsst.org) and encourage you to spread the word among your colleagues, students, friends, neighbors, everyone!   There are a couple of links at the top for more information and then text of a press release.  The evening includes a talk, "mixer", and star party (weather permitting). 

Thank you so much, Suzanne Jacoby, LSST Communications Manager

http://tucson.com/news/meet-the-team-seeking-to-reveal-the-secrets-of-the/article_acc58fb7-ce73-5116-8fd8-4bd5523202e6.html

https://project.lsst.org/meetings/lsst2016/agenda/public-lecture-explosions-sky-observing-our-changeable-universe-lsst

Explosions in the Sky!  - Observing our Changeable Universe with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Presented by Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz, Adler Planetarium

The Public is invited to attend a FREE Lecture, Wednesday, August 17th, 7pm, at the Westin La Paloma Grand Ballroom, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ. Astronomer and TED Fellow Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz will describe how the revolutionary Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), with headquarters in Tucson, is uniquely positioned to reveal new astrophysical phenomena and how you can be involved. Two of LSST's large mirrors were spun cast into a single piece of glass in 2008 at the University of Arizona's Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab.  After six years of meticulous polishing, the mirrors are stored, awaiting shipment to the LSST site on Cerro Pachón, Chile.  For more information about LSST, go to www.lsst.org.

Following the talk, Dr. Walkowicz and other LSST team members will be available for informal conversations. We invite you to join LSST for an evening of astronomy August 17.  Light snacks and refreshments will be provided as well as a no-host bar.  Weather permitting; staff from the Kitt Peak Visitor Center will be on hand at the Westin La Paloma Grand Ballroom for binocular stargazing.

Lucianne Walkowicz holds a B.S. in Physics from Johns Hopkins University, and a M.S. and Ph. D. from University of Washington. She studies stellar magnetic activity and how stars influence a planet's suitability as a host for alien life. She is also an artist and works in a variety of media, from oil paint to sound.  More information about Walkowicz can be found at http://tangledfields.com.

Suzanne H. Jacoby

LSST Communications Manager

950 N Cherry Avenue, Room 161

Tucson, AZ  85719

sjacoby@lsst.org

www.lsst.org

Next Meeting

So, I guess the summer is over. Are they getting shorter or what? I hope your school year has started well.

We have a scheduled planning meeting on August 20, which is a week from tomorrow. I hope a lot of people will be able to join us at J.D. Garcia's house at 8:30 am for potluck breakfast. Traditionally, this is when we plan for the upcoming semester, so bring any ideas for speakers and activities.

In addition, I've recently returned from a Modeling leaders workshop, and I'm hoping we might disrupt our usual format with some new ideas.  So think about what you want from the groups, besides getting to hang out with physics teachers, an I hope to see you next week.

I'll send out a reminder with directions to J.D.'s next week.

See you soon!

Karie

End of Year Party This Saturday

Hi TAPT-ers,

Hope everyone is having a good end of the the semester. Our party is Saturday, May 14th. Hope to see you all there. Here’s a map to my house [use contact form on blog if you need this]. We’ll start about 6:00. 

If you haven’t already emailed me, let me know if you will eat a burger. I’m hoping to get a burger count before I go shopping tomorrow evening. 

Hope to see you soon! 

Karie

Navajo Math Movie

From Bruce Bayly:

I'm at the Navajo Nation Math Festival, Dine College, Tsaile, this week.  One of the folks here is Matthias Kawski from ASU (yes our honorable competition).  He has been active in Navajo Math Circles for years, and there is now a movie about these groups and the impacts they've had on students who participate.  

And it's bring screened at the Arizona Film Festival this Saturday!  See www.filmfestivalarizona.com/film-detail.php?id=451 for details, also www.zalafilms.com/navajo/.  One detail is that the only showing is 1:30 pm, so make sure you set your alarm!  Another detail is that the location is The Screening Room downtown on Congress Street, which is not very big.  So you should set your alarm a little early to get a good seat.

If you go you will be able to meet not only Dr. Kawski but also the director George Csicsery.  Supposedly one or two of the youngsters who took part in these circles and went on to  further success will also be there.

Any other questions?  Contact me or Matthias https://math.la.asu.edu/~kawski/ , kawski@asu.edu .

Cheers, Bruce

Clarification

TAPT-ers,

Apparently my last email wasn’t clear about our end of the year party. Thanks to everyone who read the email and let me know. 

My plan is to have the party at my house, 7135 N. Skyway Drive, directions attached. It is going to happen on Saturday, May 14th at about 5:30. Chris and I will cook burgers and fixin’s. Please bring a dish to share. I’ll send a few reminders,., and I’ve attached a map. The party will be a combo even for Pima Physics and Geosciences, and TAPT. Last year we had a good time.  I hope you can all come.

Sorry if my previous email was confusing. Hope to see you all soon!

Meeting Notes and End of Year Party

TAPT-ers,

Just a few notes from our last meeting and a heads-up for our end-of-the-year party.  

We had a fantastic meeting two weeks ago –sorry to be late with notes.  There were a lot of new faces, and it was great to see Bob Capen, legendary CDO teacher who is now retired. Thanks to everyone who attended. It’s wonderful to have a big enthusiastic group.

Our speaker, Dr. Eduardo Rozo, was inspiring. His enthusiasm for figuring out the nature of the universe was infectious.  We found out that dark matter is about 80% of the matter in the universe, and simulations of the universe with expansion yield realistic-looking models. The shape of galaxies (visible matter) is shepherded by the distribution of dark matter. Some of the videos of the simulations were incredibly real-looking. We also found out that, if dark energy pushes as hard as it possibly can, considering the acceleration of the expansion leads to a universe that is 75% dark energy, 20% dark matter, and 5% ordinary matter. Alternatively we may need to tweak our theory of gravity and general relativity. Lastly, Dr. Rozo talked about LIGO. The expansion of the universe depends on a “standard candle” measurement of distance. But LIGO is a really good distance determiner for black holes. So there is a possibility that LIGO can help pin down the rate of expansion of the galaxy, since it will give us accurate distance measurements to colliding black holes.

On a more concrete note, we need to plan our end-of-the-year party.  Last year I combined the Pima physics and geoscience people with TAPT, and I thought it was pretty successful. The date we have scheduled is May 14^th. I hope that will be agreeable for everyone. Format will be the same: starting around 5:30 pm, we will be cooking burgers and veggie burgers and chicken. Bring a dish to share. It should be fun! 

Let me know if you have any suggestions or additions. 

Karie

Modeling Workshop in Tucson

Tucson Area Physics Teachers,

I want to remind everyone that we are offering a workshop in the Modeling Method of teaching physics in Tucson this coming June.  The dates are June 13^th – July 1^st.  Thanks to generous support from Pima Community College and from our HSI STEM grant, the workshop is offered at a cost of just $250. This is a bargain! Workshops across the country are offered at costs of $750 and more, and that doesn’t include the room and board that you would need if you had to travel.

I hope teachers in Tucson will take advantage of this opportunity. This is the first time a modeling workshop has been offered in Tucson in almost 20 years. Also, Kelli Gamez Warble, who will lead the workshop, has had experience teaching at all levels, from middle school to university and teacher prep – she is the best! 

For your $250, you will receive:

·              3 week of exciting, useful instruction in implementing Modeling

·              A printed manual for mechanics

·              Access to the complete curricula of all Modeling Instruction™ content areas

·              A free one-year AMTA membership

·              A set of 8 white boards

·              A set of dune buggies

·              105 hours of professional development

And you will be part of a larger, international community of physics teachers.

I am attaching a flyer for the workshop, with the registration information, and a synopsis of the Modeling Method. Please ask your administrator to sign you up for this great workshop. If you know someone who wants to teach physics, this would be a good workshop for them too – it will develop a deeper knowledge of physics principles to help with certification. It’s also great for math teachers – we all know that physics is a great way to teach math.

Please let me know if you have questions. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in June.

Best,

Karie