As the section representatives meeting, we were expected to attend three meetings that were held in conjunction with the Winter Meeting of the AAPT held at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, California January 6-11, 2001. These meetings were the Section Officers Exchange and the Section Representative Meeting, both of which were held the evening of January 7. The third meeting was that of the Council of the Association. This meeting was held on the evening of January 8.
The discussion at the Section Officers Exchange centered on the increasing problem of lack of high school physics teachers to fill the vacancies expected to occur during the next five years. It appears that this problem is global and not only in physics. No one had a viable solution to the problem, but all the representatives from universities indicated they are willing to train people when and if persons interested can be found.
The Section Representatives Meeting consisted of hearing reports from the Executive Board, approving new by-laws, and electing officers and representatives to several committees. The officers of the Section Representatives for the coming year will be: Steve Iona, chairman; George Spagna, secretary; and Frank Peterson, vice chair. Iona and Peterson will also serve on the Executive Board.
The Council Meeting consisted of electing representatives to the Nominating Committee and the Committee on Membership and Benefits as well as hearing reports from the Officers and the Executive Officer. The majority of the time was spent selecting meeting sites. The Executive Office provided a list of prospective sites for the next 10 meetings. The Council made several recommendations that will be published after arrangements are finalized.
The places and times for the next two meetings have been approved and are:
Rochester, NY for the Summer 2001 meeting, July 21-25, 2001
Philadelphia, PA for the Winter 2002 meeting, January 19-23, 2002