Presentations

Active Learning

Lenore Horner, lhorner@siue.edu
Active Learning, Saturday morning
Equipment needs: video projector to be attached to a laptop (will bring laptop)

Physics Portable Learning Activities for Youth. Lenore Horner, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL 62026.

Physics PLAY organizes a large collection of hands-on physics activities to facilitate participation by as many faculty members as possible and to minimize the time & transportation overhead of taking the collection on the road.

All physics books contain a section at the end of each chapter with problems for the students to solve. Many times these practice exercises can seem tedious or have no connection to students real lives. I will propose methods that can increase the effectiveness of these problems.

Dave Sykes, dave.sykes@llcc.edu
Active Learning, Either day
Equipment needs: computer projection or overhead projector

How Well do You Know MY Students?  Dave Sykes, Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL 62794-9256.

The scientific knowledge (or lack there-of) of incoming non-science majors is often surprising and/or disturbing. In this presentation attendees will be asked to predict the results of a recent survey given to 55 Physical Science students at Lincoln Land Community College. The predictions will then be compared to actual results to help ascertain the level of understanding that teachers have of a typical student's basic scientific literacy.
 

Max Lee, malee@jjc.edu
Active Learning, Saturday morning
Equipment needs: Video, Word and PDF files

Let them talk! Max Lee, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL 60431

I assign students min-projects after finishing some topics in the class. Students seem to have more active learning attitude by applying their knowledge to what they have learned in class. In addition, teachers can have more genuine assessment on students' learning.

Various ideas for encouraging active participation and learning in a fundamental astronomy course will be presented. At our institution we make use of in-class surveys, activities and demonstrations to engage astronomy students. Successes and challenges faced of the active learning model will be discussed.

Using new technology on old machines is the theme. High school students learned to use iMovie and Vernier's video capture capabilities to analyze different aspects of their newly created catapults

Kimberly Shaw, kshaw@siue.edu
Active Learning, Either day
Equipment needs: projector (will bring my Macintosh laptop)
Comments: I will not get there until around 2 or 2:30 on Friday, so please don't schedule me for 1pm.

Developing your own Frame of Reference. Kimberly Shaw, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026.

Frequently we find that students have difficulty in applying graphical ideas to ideas of motion, particularly vectors. I will share a group activity that I have developed in which students create their own coordinate systems without explicit reference to graphing. This and the discussion that follows can be built upon in subsequent lessons about motion and force.

Bill Cox, billco2@mchsi.com
Active Learning, Either day
Equipment needs: PC and LCD projector for PowerPoint

BLASToff Your Physics Classes. Bill Cox, Dowling Catholic High School, W. Des Moines, IA 50265.

This opening activity engages every student and set the stage for a smooth transition back to school. Constructing and launching water bottle rockets infused students with the excitement of science, required meaningful student-teacher communication, and broke down the awkward "first-day back" introductions. Follow up activities are planned and will be discussed.

Benjamin Brown, blb@prin.edu
Active Learning, Either day
Equipment needs: flash drive for a PowerPoint presentation

Ham Radio on Campus and in the Classroom. Benjamin Brown, Principia College, Elsah, IL 62028.

Amateur Radio, or Ham radio, has many facets: it can illustrate principles of electricity and magnetism and electronics in a classroom context; it can provide an avenue for physics students to engage with the larger community; and it can provide essential communications in the event of a major regional emergency. Licensed Principia Hams traveled to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for Hurricane Katrina relief one year ago. For four years physics majors have been introduced to Ham radio concepts in Electricity and Magnetism II, in Electronics, and in Advanced Laboratory. Students receive extra credit for obtaining a basic Technician Ham license, a Morse Code Certification, a General Class, or an Extra Class license. Principia will compete in November in an intercollegiate Ham radio championship with our new base station and antennas. The Principia Amateur Wireless Society currently has 75 members, including parents, alumni, and friends of the college.

Teaching Methods

Carl Wenning, cjwennin@ilstu.edu
Teaching Methods, Either day
Equipment needs: Video projector for use with a laptop computer.
Comments: Because of the importance of this topic, it would best be presented in a plenary session.

Recruiting the Next Generation of High School Physics Teachers. Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560.

Following a cracker barrel discussion at the spring ISAAPT meeting in East Peoria, the Ad Hoc Committee on High School Physics Teacher Recruitment, Preparation, and Retention produced an 8-page booklet titled "Recruiting the Next Generation of Middle and High School Science Teachers." This booklet, along with its companion brochure, "Become a High School Physics Teacher: Think about it!," will be distributed and reviewed. Recommendations for inspiring, identifying, and recruiting prospective teacher candidates will be summarized. The continuing work of the Ad Hoc Committee will then be addressed, including a request for input in relation to future endeavors.

David Cornell, dcornell@principia.edu
Teaching Methods, Either day
Equipment needs: computer (PC) with CD reader, video projector, PowerPoint, & screen

Teaching scientific methods with role-playing activities in class. David A. Cornell, Lewis and Clark Community College, Godfrey, IL 62035.

Lewis and Clark Community College (LCCC) is a two-year college with "Tech Prep" programs in automotive technology, child development, drafting, office technology, and health occupations. LCCC invited me to teach astronomy as a temporary faculty member during fall semester 2006. As professor emeritus in physics with 40 years' teaching experience, I happily accepted the invitation. This talk describes classroom activities, emphasizing in particular role-playing by students, which was used to encourage students to experience the methods of science.

Curtis Shoaf, cshoaf@parkland.edu
Teaching Methods, Saturday morning
Equipment needs: Overhead projector

Let There be Light. Curtis Shoaf, Parkland College, Champaign, IL 61821.

Electricity rates are on the rise. Should we invest in compact florescent or LED light bulbs for our homes? My own research has led to some very interesting facts about incandescent, florescent and LED bulbs and has motivated me to create a lab for my students in the classroom. I will discuss the advantages/disadvantages of each and some details about the lab.

Rob Mason, masonr@iecc.edu
Teaching Methods, Either day
Equipment needs: PC computer with Internet access and LCD projector.
Comments: I can provide my own laptop as long as it can be connected to the Internet.

Using Web-Enhanced Courses to Increase Student Engagement. Rob Mason, Olney Central College, Olney, IL 62450.

The traditional practice of handing out hard copies of the syllabus, course schedule, assignment list, and other materials leads many students to experience a sense of disconnect. In order to address this issue, I have recently added web-enhancements to my courses in order to better serve my students. These enhancements provide a more dynamic format for the exchange of information that discourages passiveness on the part of the student as well as the instructor. I will show the work that I have done to date with my classes, and discuss the negative and positive aspects of such a format.

John Zwart, zwart@dordt.edu
Teaching Methods, Either day
Equipment needs: Powerpoint projection equipment
Comments: I'll provide my own laptop.

Teaching Research Skills in the Intro Lab: One Approach. John Zwart, Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA 51250.

In introductory labs it can be a challenge to help students make the transition from following a set of directions to thinking through what is needed in a genuine research project. One fruitful intermediate approach is to have students find an experiment or demonstration in The Physics Teacher and perform it. While students have some guidance, they do need to make implementation decisions. Student 'ownership' of something they have selected is high; they are willing to expend the effort to make things work.

Dean Sieglaff, deansieglaff@augustana.edu
Teaching Methods, Saturday morning
Equipment needs: video projector

Using Interactive Physics to Teach Analytical Mechanics. Dean Sieglaff, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201.

Interactive Physics (IP) is a two-dimensional mechanical simulation application. Within IP one can construct a mechanical system within a graphical development environment, then launch the system into motion. Information about the dynamical behavior of the system comes to the user in real time as the simulator computes, both visually in the form of animation and numerically in the form of digital meters and graphs. The use of IP toward turning a course in analytical mechanics into a workshop experience for the students will be presented.

Lee Carkner, leecarkner@augustana.edu
Teaching Methods, Friday afternoon
Equipment needs: computer and video projector (PowerPoint presentation with MPEG clips)

"In the End, We Get it All." Using Martin Scorsese's "Casino" to Teach Statistical Physics. Lee Carkner, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201.

Martin Scorsese's 1995 film "Casino", about the rise and fall of a 1970's Las Vegas casino manager played by Robert De Niro, can be used to illustrate some basic ideas about statistical physics. The topics addressed include the stochastic nature of the universe, the risks of using statistics on small samples and the practical meaning of very high or low probability. The film is especially useful for illustrating how the underlying mechanisms of the universe can be probabilistic while seeming to be deterministic.

Ken Mellendorf, kmellendorf@icc.edu
Teaching Methods, Either day
Equipment needs: computer with video projector (for a PowerPoint on a flash drive)

Midterm Results of Online Methods. Ken Mellendorf, Illinois Central College, East Peoria, IL 61635.

A wide variety of online methods exist to aid teaching. I am exploring both online preflight questions and online homework this semester. Preflight questions can help the professor fine tune the class preparation, but whether a student completes them seems to have no effect on test grades. Completion of online homework, specifically Addison-Wesley's Mastering Physics, corresponds well with performance on tests.

William Brandon, wbrandon@iwu.edu
Teaching Methods, Friday afternoon
Equipment needs: computer, projector --- PowerPoint

Graphical analysis in the introductory physics laboratory. Bill Brandon, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL 61701.

Some examples of rigorous graphical analysis techniques used in our introductory laboratory activities will be discussed. The approach involves comprehensive critical analysis of data which is useful to all students. For physics majors this approach lends itself quite naturally as a starting point in the development of more advanced experimental and computational skills.

Bill Hogan, whogan@jjc.edu
Teaching Methods, Saturday morning
Equipment needs: an old-fashioned overhead projector for transparencies

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Changing Textbooks in Introductory Physics. Bill Hogan, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL 60431.

After many years of using various editions of Cutnell and Johnson's textbook for the algebra/trig-based introductory sequence I teach, I am now using Touger's textbook. Touger's book is a book the author wrote with the goal of reflecting the findings of physics education research. I'm six weeks into the transition and I'll talk generally about the challenges and benefits of changing textbooks and a bit more specifically about what I and my students have liked and disliked about this new book.

Jeff Chamberlain, jchamber@ic.edu
Teaching Methods, Either day
Equipment needs: PowerPoint (PC projection sys.)

Signals, Circuits, and Software for the Vernier LabPro. Jeff Chamberlain, Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL 62650.

The Vernier LabPro and Logger Pro software can be used to measure frequencies of waves through curve fitting and fast Fourier transforms. I will describe electronic circuits and alternative software to extend the capabilities of the LabPro. Circuits have been constructed using inexpensive components to generate signals and measure frequencies. Programs for computers and calculators have been created to utilize the built-in frequency measurement abilities of the LabPro. A variety of experiments with sound and resonance will be discussed.

Demonstrations

What gets a young adult's attention better than food?  I will discuss some demonstrations involving food that I use in class and some that our physics club uses in our outreach program. Mm, mm, good physics.

Real world events can be recorded using the video feature available on many digital cameras. Using Vernier's Software Logger Pro v3.0 or newer you and your student can capture and analyze video in a very short period of time. Since many students have digital cameras and for only $159, Logger Pro includes a generous site license that allows a school or a college department to install Logger Pro on every school computer, all instructor computers, and the students' home computers why not add this activity to your curriculum. A demonstration of how to analyze one and two-dimensional motion will be performed within the time frame of this presentation.

Jenna McAdam, jenna-mcadam@augustana.edu
Demonstrations, Saturday morning
Equipment needs:  PowerPoint

Inspiring a New Generation to Physics. Jenna McAdam, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201.

What was the click that made you interested in science? Was it a parent, teacher, a certain science fantasy show dealing with laser beam swords or galactic space travel? The Augustana Physics Club presents the Augustana Physics Outreach Program, where young minds will be treated with a wide variety of physics demonstrations. This program helps provided a fun way to get young students fascinated in the sciences with hands on experience in doing demonstrations. This demonstration will show how our program works with a sneak peak at one of our favorite demos.

Research

Most undergraduate students remain mystified by claims of a fourth spatial dimension as is claimed by recent fundamental physical theories. The typical undergraduate student wants to know what would it even mean to have a fourth spatial dimension; and, if there indeed were a fourth spatial dimension, how would it announce itself in any experimental

measurement? In order to help articulate the manner in which dimensionality might affect measured properties, we have developed an experimental model system in which this connection between dimensionality and data is direct, large, conceptually transparent and therefore pedagogically useful, at least to a small degree. We shall present measurements on four dimensional hypercubic networks of lumped linear circuit elements (resistors and capacitors), and compare them with our measurements on two and three dimensional hypercubes to demonstrate the rather elegant and direct connection between measured impedances on different length scales and the dimensionality of the hypercube.