The AAPT Section Representatives' meeting was held on January 20, 2002 at the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was preceded by the Section Officers Exchange and followed by the Council meeting.
Here are the main points from this meeting: AAPT Executive Officer Bernard Khoury reported on the improved web services from AAPT including a meeting itinerary planner and expanded electronic archival system. This work may lead to changes in the publication of the Announcer. Concern was reiterated about the archival and publication value of maintaining meeting abstracts in the Announcer.
Several major grant proposals have been submitted by AAPT seeking support for a Calculus-based Physics Conference (Fall 2002) and a Department Chairs Conference.
Expanded giving options (both large and small gifts) for AAPT members are being explored by AAPT.
Larry Badar reported on the PTRA program and the new PTRA workshops with a rural emphasis.
Warren Hein and Don Mason presented information about a proposal from AAPT, APS, and AIP to the NSF for cataloging information for a national digital library with a physics emphasis.
The following Section Reps were elected as leaders for the Section Reps
Secretary: Karen Bouffard (two 1-year terms)
Section Representatives Nominating Committee: Bernadine Cook, James Mallmann,
& Todd Leif
Members of AAPT Nominating Committee: Larry Badar and Sam Lightner
Membership and Benefits Committee: Jane Flood and Francis Tam
At the Council Meeting, the following items (selected) were brought to our attention:
Bernard Khoury expressed pleasure with the financial statement for FY-2001 and projected budget for FY-2002 stating that the operating budget seems to be in good shape. However, Associational investments have sustained some losses due to the unstable financial market over the last two years.
The PhysTEC (Physics Teacher Education Collaborative) proposal, a joint effort of the APS, the AIP and the AAPT, received a major award from the NSF and FIPSE (approximately $6 million). (Bernard Khoury)
The Physics Education Research Supplement to the American Journal of Physics will be incorporated into the journal as a special section in one or two issues of the journal each year. (Bernard Khoury)
After a great deal of debate, motions, amendments, calls to cease debate, etc. the following was passed "Therefore the Council recommends to the Executive Board that any decision regarding the removal of abstracts from the Announcer, or the cessation of publication of the Announcer in its current form, be deferred for a period of one year, and that any related studies be presented to Council in one year."
This was then followed by another discussion of the impact of the ideas that John Hubisz presented in his letter to the sections on changing the relationship between the sections and the national AAPT organization such as dues check off. Nothing was settled.
Future national meetings scheduled or selected (in bold) at the Council Meeting as follows:
| August 3-7, 2002 January 11-15, 2003 August 2-6, 2003 January 24-28, 2004 Summer 2004 January 8-12, 2005 Summer 2005 Winter 2006 Winter 2007 |
Boise State University in Boise, ID Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin, TX Monona Terrace, Madison, WI Radisson Deauville Resort, Miami Beach, FL California State University in Sacramento, CA Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM Yale University in New Haven, CT New Orleans, LA Seattle, WA |