Larry Woolf, FEd Program Chair

The Forum on Education program committee and the session organizers have worked very hard to put together the exciting and varied educational program that is described below.

"April" Meeting – February 13-16 – Washington DC, jointly held with the AAPT Winter Meeting

Invited Sessions organized by the FEd

1. Developing Exemplary Undergraduate Physics Programs: The SPIN-UP Regional Workshops, organized by Ruth Howes (Ball State University)
2. Taxonomies as Tools for Enhancing Physics Learning– joint with the Division of Nuclear Physics, organized by Gay Stewart (University of Arkansas)
3. Strategies for Improving Climate and Diversity in Physics Departments, joint with the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, organized by Chandralekha Singh (University of Pittsburgh)
4. Panel Discussion: Benefits of Undergraduate Research Experiences, organized by Cathy Mader (Hope College)
5. Excellence in Physics Education Award Session, organized by Richard Peterson (Bethel University)

Invited Sessions co-sponsored by the FEd

1. Origins of Research and Teaching at Selected Physics Departments, organized by the Forum on the History of Physics
2. What Can We Learn from Physics Teachers in High Scoring Countries on the TIMSS and PISA International Assessments? organized by the Forum on International Physics
3. Energy Education, organized by the Forum on Physics and Society

In addition, various AAPT committees are co-sponsoring many of the above sessions, and the Forum on Education is co-sponsoring numerous AAPT sessions.  There will also be an education related workshop on TA Preparation: Challenges and Successes led by Ken Heller, University of Minnesota.

March Meeting – March 15-19, 2010 – Portland, Oregon

Invited Sessions organized by the Forum on Education

1. LaserFest: Laser Education and Outreach, organized by Becky Thompson-Flagg (APS)
2. How to Interest Middle School Children in Physical Science– joint with the Forum on Physics and Society, organized by Ernie Malamud (University of Nevada-Reno)
3. Graduate Education in Physics: Which Way Forward? - joint with the Forum on Graduate Student Affairs, organized by Chandralekha Singh (University of Pittsburgh)
4. Renewable Energy Education – joint with the Forum on Physics and Society, organized by Robert Ehrlich (George Mason University)
5. Science Literacy, the Nature of Science and Religion, organized by Larry Woolf (General Atomics)

Invited Sessions co-sponsored by the FEd

1. Educational Challenges in Biological Physics, organized by the Division of Biological Physics

March Meeting Focus Sessions:

1. Research in Mathematics Education and Mathematics in Physics Education, organized by John Thompson (University of Maine)
2. Physics Teacher Preparation:  Effective Strategies, National Models, and Challenging Issues, organized by Stamatis Vokos (Seattle Pacific University)

There will also be an education related workshop on Strategies for High-Quality, Effective Educational Materials and Efforts led by Greta Zenner, University of Wisconsin, Madison. An education related tutorial on Physics Careers in Industry and Government will be presented by Kate Kirby (APS), David Seiler (NIST), Larry Woolf (General Atomics), Stefan Zollner (IBM), and Alex Panchula (First Solar).

FEd Program Committee

Peter Collings (Swarthmore College), Noah Finkelstein (University of Colorado), Ted Hodapp (APS), Ruth Howes (Ball State University), Catherine Mader (Hope College), Ernie Malamud (University of Nevada-Reno), Bruce Mason (University of Oklahoma), Mel Sabella (Chicago State University), Chandralekha Singh (University of Pittsburgh), David Sokoloff (University of Oregon), Amber Stuver (California Institute of Technology-LIGO), John Thompson (University of Maine), Larry Woolf, Chair (General Atomics)

Acknowledgment: The FEd program committee would like to thank Gary White (Director SPS & Sigma Pi Sigma) for representing the FEd at the "April" 2010 sorters meeting and Thomas Olsen (Assistant Director SPS & Sigma Pi Sigma) for representing the FEd at the March 2010 sorters meeting.

Larry Woolf is principal optical scientist and senior program manager at General Atomics, where he has been active in education activities since 1992. He is chair-elect of the Forum on Education

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Disclaimer - The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on Education Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of APS.