Thoughts from the Editor

Thomas D. Rossing

Looking back through past issues of our newsletter, I realized that I have now served as an editor for 10 years. During that time, we have seen a number of changes in the Forum on Education and also in the newsletter.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the purpose of the Forum: to serve as an arena for the interchange of ideas concerning physics education. The newsletter has changed its format from a 12-page printed newsletter mailed to Forum members to being posted online. Hopefully, it is still being read and serving as a forum for interchange of ideas. Some issues have had a theme, some have not. On a couple of occasions, we have had a guest editor.

We always welcome contributions from FEd members and other readers. We are especially grateful for Letters to the Editor that address important issues and present the contributor’s opinion about physics education. After all that is what a forum is all about.

This issue includes brief reports on physics education in four Asian countries. APS is a global society, and its members are concerned in the health of physics education in countries. Over the years I have been fortunate to participate in meetings of physics teachers on five continents, and I have found physics teachers to be enthusiastic about physics education in every corner of the World. At the AAPT meeting in August, there were several sessions on international education.

This issue has three thoughtful letters to the editor. Ted Hodapp, the new APS director of education and outreach brings greetings, and his usual smile, to newsletter readers. We have also reprinted an editorial by Jim Nelson, AAPT president, from the AAPT Announcer. Finally, we have news about the Council on Undergraduate, activity based faculty institutes, and two fellowships, and a book review reprinted from Physics in Perspective. Happy reading!