4:30 - 5:45         Session A - D2001
                                    Session Chair: Ann Brandon, Joliet West High School, Joliet, IL

4:30 - 4:45 - A1

The NSF National Digital Library Project: Atmospheric Collection. Keith Andrew, Chris Klaus, Tim McCullom, Troy Gobble, Heather Anthony, Eastern Illinois University, Argonne National Laboratories, Charleston, IL 61920. The NSF is involved in constructing a National Science Digital Library in the Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Technology and Education area. The Library is intended to be a national archive designed to supplement the Library of Congress by providing a fully digital archive. As part of this project the NSF is seeking proposal submissions that deal with specific collections of material, EIU is involved in a joint effort with ANL to help construct the Atmospheric Collection and to seek out a community of users with an interest in contributing to this project. Part of this collection includes opportunities for teachers to digitally publish materials for lessons and reviews that involve the basic principles of science and to involve teachers via NSTA and AAPT participation. Here we will review this project and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program that provides the data.

4:45 - 5:00 - A2

School Physics Curriculum in Korea. Junehee Yoo and Thomas D. Rossing, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.  In this paper, the national curriculum system and the physics curriculum in Korea will be introduced.  Some issues in the physics curriculum will be discussed.  The first is about how to select and organize the topics and levels in physics courses.  The levels of curriculum could give some suggestions as to why Korea is one of high rank nations in TIMSS-R.  On the other hand, the level could be one of the reasons for decreasing the student numbers who choose physics after the 11th grade and the CSAT.  Another potential reason would be the disproportionate emphasis on the specific areas and topics. Secondly, the relationships between national curriculum, performed curriculum and College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will be discussed. The CSAT has been the controller of school physics.  But the changes of the national curriculum have induced the changes of the CSAT.  Some example items will be shown and discussed.  In conclusion, we need more verified research results in the learning and assessment in physics to improve the national curriculum, and then the performed physics curriculum.

5:00 - 5:15 - A3

Preparing Physics Teacher Educators.  Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560.  Illinois State University is initiating a Masters-level study concentration dealing with the preparation of physics teacher educators. Students enrolled in the University's Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction may now include up to twelve semester hours of graduate-level physics education course work in their plan of study. ISU's Physics Department is offering an advanced methods course for high school physics teachers, plus instructional workshops, and independent study. The university's well-known undergraduate curriculum with its six pedagogical courses serves as a training ground for three semesters of professional practice.  Inservice secondary physics teachers who complete this plan of study will be ideally suited to create physics teacher education programs at the university level using ISU's teacher preparation model.  The speaker will summarize the program offerings. Details are available through the ISU Physics Teacher Education Web site:  www.phy.ilstu.edu/PTE.html.

5:15 - 5:30 - A4

Ranking Tasks for Astronomy.  Janet Landato, Harper College, Palatine, IL 60067. Recent research in astronomy education studied student misconceptions. One researcher (N. Comins, University of Maine) has catalogued the misconceptions on a Web site: www.ume.maine.edu/~panda/comins/miscon.html.  There now are many years of data regarding pre and post-test scores on the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (B. Hufnagel, G. Deming, et al). Last year, one of the researchers (T. Slater, U of New Mexico) suggested that a possible next step in the research would be to develop teaching strategies that improve student learning. One possible strategy could be ranking tasks. This paper will give examples of ranking tasks for astronomy and the results of pilot tests for these ranking tasks.

5:30 - 5:45 - A5

Using Scroll Bars in Excel to Study Graphs of Motion.  Martha Lietz, Niles West High School, Skokie, IL 60077. Scroll bars are a tool in Microsoft Excel which can be used to increase and decrease the value of a specific spreadsheet cell. This cell can be linked to equations and graphs so that students can easily adjust the physical variables in a problem and watch how the graphs are affected.  The implementation of scroll bars will be explained and demonstrated.  A specific example of a spreadsheet using scroll bars to learn about position, velocity and acceleration graphs will be demonstrated and a worksheet to accompany this spreadsheet will be discussed.  Other examples of the use of scroll bars in physics spreadsheets will be provided.

4:30 - 5:45         Session B - D2002
                                    Session Chair: Kelly Roos, Bradley University, Peoria, IL

4:30 - 4:45 - B1

A Wave Model of Synergic Processes.  Ik-Ju Kang, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1654.  Any successful team efforts may be referred to as synergic processes.  The effect of such processes can be characterized as one in that the total output exceeds the sum of individual output of team members, with apparent violation of energy conservation law.  To resolve this apparent violation, a wave model of synergic processes is constructed.  As a consequence of the wave model, the uncertainty relationship of delta "E" times delta "t" holds, thus leading to no violation of energy conservation law.  Several examples of synergic processes such as beat, Young's interference, study group, team sports and the national unity at a time of war.

4:45 - 5:00 - B2

Optical Homogeneity, Thermodynamic Homogeneity and the Photon. James E. Clark, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.  The double slit experiment where single photons are considered, contains the heart of quantum mechanics and it's statistical interpretation. Suppose that a transparent liquid containing small transparent nanospheres is placed as a bulk i.e. 1 cm thick medium beyond the two slits. I have observed in experiment that interference fringes become unobservable if the spheres exceed 70 nm in diameter, at a volume fraction of greater than 1 percent.  In contrast, interference fringes are observable if the spheres fall under 50 nm in diameter at a 1 percent volume fraction.  This observation can be understood theoretically if the link between Gibb's 19th Century thermodynamics and Dirac's 20th Century quantum mechanics is considered.  It will be shown that the notion of homogeneity employed in Gibb's thermodynamics is related to the optical homogeneity of a medium required in optical experiments.  These experiments make it possible to draw a line of demarcation between large spherical molecules contained in liquid and small classical objects likewise contained.

5:00 - 5:15 - B3

Adventures in Applying Physics Techniques to Biochemistry. Michael C. Baxa and Mark S. Boley, Department of Physics, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455. This past summer, I had the opportunity to participate in professional scientific research through an internship at Argonne National Laboratory. Although my research project fell outside the traditional parameters of condensed matter physics, I soon learned that even the biochemistry field utilizes the important concepts I have mastered in physics. Additionally, I soon discovered that in professional research, a wide variety of disciplines are combined to produce an efficient laboratory setting. Bridged bimetallic enzymes are of vital interest since they are the catalysts for the degradation of DNA, RNA, phospholipids, and polypeptides and therefore play an important role in carcinogenesis, tissue repair, protein maturation, hormone regulation, cell-cycle control, and protein degradation pathways. Little is known, though, about the role of the ions during the reactions. Aeromonas aminopepetidase (AAP) is a bridged bimetallic enzyme containing two zinc ions in its active site and acts on hydrophobic N-terminal residues. To further investigate the function of the ions, AAP was complexed with epibestatin, an epimer of bestatin. X-ray diffraction measurements were performed on the AAP-epibestatin crystals at the Advanced Photon Source (APS)/BioCARS 14 BM-C station, and out going data were collected on an ADSC Quantum4 CCD area detector. The accumulated data were refined using a variety of standard software packages in protein crystallography. In addition to presenting our experimental results, I will discuss the applicability of the physics techniques learned in my undergraduate program to the field of biochemistry.

5:15 - 5:30 - B4

Semiconductor Physics in Beijing, China. Ben Thompson, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761. Semiconductor Physics in Beijing, China. In May/June 2001, I had the excellent opportunity to research abroad with two other students, a research group under Dr. Shang Fen Ren in the area of Solid State Physics. Being new to the very complex field, I realized that many students are not subject to this very important subject. Semiconductors/solid state physics are used everywhere. The research I was involved with was Raman Scattering. We were all subject to eye-opening experiences that could change the careers of anyone participating. In addition to some of the research I completed, I will discuss the importance of physics experiences outside of the classroom to the enhancement of physics education as a whole.

5:30 - 5:45 - B5

Orbit Determination of Asteroid 532 Herculina.  Sidd Bikkannavar, Vincent Meligne, Erik Silver, and David A. Cornell, Principia College, Elsah, IL 62028.  Students taking a physics course in astronomical topics undertook to demonstrate the efficacy of Gauss’s Method for orbit determination.  They imaged asteroid 532 (Herculina) with Principia’s 16” reflecting telescope and CCD camera on three nights spanning 19 days.  Entering apparent positions gleaned from these images and corresponding solar positions into a BASIC software program employing Gauss’s algorithm, they approached the best orbital fit by successive approximation.  Calculated classical orbital elements agree with accepted values to better than 1.5%.

10:00 - 11:15         Session C - D2001
                                    Session Chair: David R. Renneke, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL

10:00 - 10:15 - C1

Some Reflections on Teaching Courses in Science and Religion.  John Hubisz, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 60625 and Larry Martin, North Park University, Chicago, IL.  The Templeton Foundation has awarded grants for several years for developing new courses in Science and Religion.  We will review our experiences teaching such courses at our institutions and discuss some of the approaches we take and the materials we use.

Mussels, Muck, and Mayhem.  Paul Robinson and Mike Recklin, Principia College, Elsah, IL 62028. The biology and physics departments co-sponsored a one quarter hour seminar course on remote sensing of mussels in the Mississippi river. We structured the course to teach students how to write a technical proposal. We did not limit in any way the approaches available to solve the problem of remotely sensing mussels on the bottom of the river, but let the fact finding and discussion bring out the possible solutions. The final result was a proposal which we have taken to funding sources for evaluation. We are now encouraging other schools to think about joining our efforts in both a cross discipline proposal writing course, and in helping us develop various remote sensing ideas for use on rivers.

10:30 - 10:45 - C3

WebAssign: What Have They Learned? What Have I Learned?  John W. Milton, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60614.  I have been using WebAssign in our introductory algebra-based physics course sequence since the summer of 2000.  I will report on my experience and try to identify advantages, limitations and cautions.  I will include some student evaluations and some examples of problems I have authored.

10:45 - 11:00 - C4

When Can We Assume the String is Horizontal?  William P. Hogan, Joliet Junior College, Joliet , IL 60431.  Many introductory physics texts contain circular motion problems that read something like: "A rock is at the end of a string of length 1.00 m and traveling in a horizontal circle at a constant speed of 4.00 m/s.  If the tension in the string is 12.0 N, what is the mass of the rock?"  This problem is easy if the string is essentially horizontal but relatively difficult if the string is not horizontal.  The string will be essentially horizontal if the rock is moving fast.  My talk will attempt to answer the question of what we must compare the speed of the rock to in order to decide whether the rock is moving fast enough to justify the simplifying assumption that the string is horizontal.

11:00 - 11:15 - C5

Using Questions Posed in Different Formats and Contexts to Identify Fragmented Knowledge in Student Understanding of Dynamics.  Mel S. Sabella, Peter S. Shaffer, Lillian C. McDermott, Chicago State University and the University of Washington, Chicago, IL 60628.  In this talk, we illustrate how analysis of responses to web-based questions is helping to identify difficulties our students have in applying qualitative knowledge to quantitative problems.  The results of this research are helping guide the development of instructional materials to aid students in making these connections.  Specific examples from research into student understanding of dynamics will serve as a context for discussion.

10:00 - 11:15         Session D - D2002
                                    Session Chair: Porter Johnson, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL

10:00 - 10:15 - D1

Physics of Dance. Meghan Gagliardi, Tina Naik, Erin O’Shea, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60626. The purpose of this research was to extract the physics of various dance movements on different surfaces and floor dimensions. Two stages, or "floors", of different dimensions were used for this study. Sonic Rangers and Force Probes were used to measure the displacement in the stage. Video footage was taken to analyze the change in the center of mass with respect to time. We studied movements from traditional Irish step-dancing and American cheerleading. From these measurements, we determined the appropriate forces, velocities, and impulses using Quicktime movies and the analysis programs Mac Motion and VideoGraph. There is little research on the subject of the physics of dance, primarily done by Kenneth Laws of Dickinson College, PA. His work focuses on the physiological aspects of dance (primarily ballet), while our study focuses on the interaction between the medium and the dancer. This work is funded by a Loyola Mulcahy Undergraduate Research Grant.

10:15 - 10:30 - D2

Illinois MagNet: Online Networking with Soda Bottle Magnetometers.  Samuel Dyson, Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago, IL 60610.  Illinois MagNet is a growing online network of elementary and secondary schools joined together in the use of inexpensive soda bottle magnetometers to study the many measurable variations in the Earth's magnetic field.  This network is well suited for the collaborative exchange of student-generated data using an online database of measurements that students submit.  Of particular interest to the project are the powerful geomagnetic influences of the Sun in its 23^rd sunspot cycle.  This talk will provide an introduction to the use of soda bottle magnetometers as tools for making the invisible world of magnetism visible.  Visit the Illinois MagNet Web site at: www.payton.cps.k12.il.us/magnet.

10:30 - 10:45 - D3

Giant Magnetoresistance in Magnetite Thin Films. Trisha Hinners and Kimberly Shaw, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville , IL 62026.  Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) occurs when large changes in resistance take place in a metallic material within an applied magnetic field.  GMR is interesting because of its wide technological applications such as magnetic field sensors and high-density recording media.  Also, GMR has only been studied for approximately a decade, so very little is known about how this effect actually works, and exactly which materials are usable.  Over the past year, I have been conducting initial studies of GMR effects in magnetite thin films.  Preliminary results will be presented.

10:45 - 11:00 - D4

Single PE Spectra and Gain Calibration of 8" PMT's for the Pierre Auger Prototype Surface Detector at Fermilab. Derek Strom, Francois Montanet, Augustana College, Rock Island , Il 61201. In my work for the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory during the 2001 summer, I performed measurements of the gain for six photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) used in the prototype surface detector (FAT II) located at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. Five of the PMTs are 8” Hamamatsu model R5912 and one is an ETL model 9354. The gain was measured using single photoelectron spectra provided by a pulsing LED. Using information obtained from gain curves, we selected three tubes with the most stable gain for use in the prototype tank for further project tests. The experimental setup, gain measuring techniques, results, and graphs will be presented in this report.

11:00 - 11:15 - D5

Summer Project with Cosmic Ray Detection. Elizabeth Weber, Dr. Julia Thompson, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026. Cosmic rays are extremely high-energy charged particles which can travel close to the speed of light with energies ranging from 1 GeV to beyond 10²⁰ eV. The number of particles reaching the Earth's surface is somewhat related to the energy of the cosmic ray that struck the upper atmosphere. The lower energy particles are believed to originate in solar flares, and the higher energy particles are suspected to be of extra-galactic origin. Large distance correlations among detected cosmic rays indicate a high energy primary. Cosmic rays are studied with an array of detectors distributed over many square kilometers that sample the particles produced. Detectors used in studying cosmic rays range from Cerenkov detectors, to scintillators. A summer project at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh, utilized an array of scintillators and a CAMAC computer system to collect and analyze cosmic ray data. The ultimate goal of this project is to create a cost effective detection and analysis system that can be instituted in high schools. Hopefully, these detectors would eventually create a nation-wide network of detectors to be used in the study of cosmic rays through internet data sharing with this and other existing large-area detector array projects.