Section Representative Report
Illinois Section of AAPT
October 1, 2003

Curt Hieggelke

The AAPT Section Representatives' summer meeting was held on Aug. 3, 2003 at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin. This report deals with the major items from this meeting.

Grants are still available to sections to help them hold meetings on teacher education and preparation. Up to $500 for each section can be requested. At present only four sections have applied. Other sections were encouraged to plan such programs
and have their Section Representatives submit the proposal directly by email. This meeting can be separate from the section
meeting An announcement describing the grant was in the Announcer.

The Executive Board has appointed a review committee for the Announcer to provide a current and future look at it.
Suggestions for improvements can be sent to any member of the committee that is chaired by Tom O'Kuma (tokuma@lee.edu) and includes Ann Brandon from ISAAPT.

Chuck Stone (the TYC rep on the Executive Board) discussed World Year of Physics 2005 under the aegis of APS and
AIP that will occur in 2005 on the recognition of the 100th anniversary of three of Einstein's most important papers (Quantum theory, Statistical Molecular theory, and Relativity.) The purpose of the World Year of Physics is to raise the public's awareness of physics. Activities would last from October 2004 to February 2006 that also coincides with the 75th anniversary of AAPT. AAPT is particularly interested in improving physics education locally. It was suggested that Sections could support projects like a " Physics Show" (similar to what is offered by the Museum of Science in Boston on chemistry during Christmas vacation.) and trying to get advertisements on buses like those in Amherst which present physics-based questions and then give a website for the answers. The goal is to reach not only students but also people who never consider the role of physics in their daily life.

Future Summer and Winter meetings were discussed since Yale (Summer 2005) and Dayton (2006) have been deleted from
the list because of problems with the departments or the facilities. The current schedule is listed below. Questions were raised about the appropriateness of bringing in tourism representatives rather than the supporting physics department. We are not getting invitations from institutions and we need to seek them out. The costs of holding a summer meeting were discussed. While universities used to be less expensive, they charge for everything now whereas local high schools may have adequate support for workshops, meeting rooms and auditoriums with hotels nearby. Another issue was raised about members not taking the Alaska meeting (Jan 2006) seriously and not understanding the benefits of going to Alaska in the winter.

Future national meetings are scheduled as follows: