Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers
Regional Science Ed
Organizations
Physical Sciences Resource
Center (PSRC)
Summer Opportunities for
Teachers and Students
Announcements
2008
ACTIVITY BASED PHYSICS FACULTY INSTITUTES
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Are you interested in increasing your students? Understanding of the physical world??
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2-year college, 4-year college and university faculty are invited to attend one of the two NSF-sponsored Activity Based Physics Faculty Institutes to be held at Dickinson College, summer 2008. These one week institutes will encourage faculty to use active learning strategies and computer-based tools and curricula--based on physics education research--in their introductory physics courses by 1) giving them hands-on experience with the materials in the Activity Based Physics Suite, 2) assisting them with modifying those materials for use in their own courses, and 3) providing continued follow-up support for the remaining year of this project. The institutes will be taught by Priscilla Laws (Dickinson College) and Patrick Cooney (Millersville University). Faculty from doctoral/research universities and from institutions that serve under-prepared and under-represented populations are especially encouraged to apply. Expenses on campus will be paid, and travel grants are available for those who demonstrate need. For more information and an application, please visit our web site:
2007
The spring meeting will be held in conjunction with the national AAPT in Baltimore. Those attending just the CS-AAPT meeting will need to pay the one-day registration cost for the national meeting. However CS-AAPT members will likely receive a 50% discount as part of the "local group" of organizations.
Global competition is creating an urgent need to motivate and attract some of the best and brightest students into science and technology careers. In the U.S. Congress, K-12 education is receiving renewed bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
The Washington Academy of Sciences (W.A.S.)** is expanding its "STARS" (Science and Technology Aptitude Recognition for Schools) youth-in-science outreach program. In recent years, the program has included not only active participation in several Senior High School Science Fairs, but also science events at Elementary and Middle Schools, a robotics competition involving 20 Middle Schools, and judging of over 80 outstanding mentored student projects for the Montgomery Blair Magnet Research Convention. Both the AAAS and the IEEE have supported our efforts by grants to the "STARS" program.
We are planning 8 major events in the 2008 school year. We will offer Challenge Cups, cash prizes, plaques, and certificates. We are interacting with many area schools and allocating a large number of awards to secondary school students, as well as recognizing outstanding teachers. Award winning student projects will also be recognized in the W.A.S. Journal and Web site.
Our biggest asset is your expertise and dedication and that of your fellow professionals. I am writing to offer you the opportunity to participate as a judge in a school science project. You will not need any special preparation, and the Washington Academy of Sciences will provide everything needed on site at the school. Typically this will involve about a 4-hour commitment at a participating school (in the DC, MD or Northern VA area) sometime in the December 2006-March 2007 time frame.
The number of schools and students benefitting from the "STARS" Program depends directly on your commitment to participate.
If you are interested, please *e-mail me a one-liner by November 15th
2006, saying:
"I would like to be included in the 2008 W.A.S. Judges' Roster"
and include your name, e-mail, affiliation, address, and telephone number.
You will be notified as soon as the schools give us their event dates.
We look forward to welcoming many who have participated in the past. If you are joining us for the first time, we believe you would find your interaction with fellow judges, the schools, and those enthusiastic students to be a worthwhile, rewarding, and fun experience, and look forward to our collaboration in this exciting 2008 W.A.S. initiative.
Paul Hazan, Vice President for W.A.S. Jr. Academy Affairs
*e-mail: pmhazan@comcast.net Tel: (301) 603-0536
A message from Michele Lombard of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers: The Virginia Association of Science Teachers has an online, peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Virginia Science Education, which is currently catalogued with the Library of Congress. We would like to extend an invitation to members of the Washington Academy of Sciences to consider submitting an article for publication. "Papers are sought that have the potential to strengthen science education at all levels." Our current call for submissions is included, but you and your members can also find more information at http://www.vast.org/index.cfm/go/content.dspcontent/Page_Name/Call-for-Submissions.html. The submission deadline for the upcoming issue is September 1. Please pass this on to your membership, and we look forward to the expertise that your members can share with the science education community. Let me know if you have any questions, as I would be happy to work with you.
Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2007. Direct submissions or inquiries to: Nick Boke (nboke@cox.net) or Michele Lombard (mlombard@arlington.k12.va.us). Michele Lombard Science Specialist, K-12 Arlington Public Schools tel: 703.228.6162 fax: 703.228.6295 e-mail: mlombard@arlington.k12.va.us