Fall 2024 Joint Meeting of the Wisconsin and Illinois Sections of the AAPT
"Physics Without Boundaries"
October 11-12, 2024
Rockford University
Rockford, IL
We invite you to attend the Fall 2024 joint meeting of the WSAAPT and ISAAPT. Come to learn more about physics, discover new tools and techniques for teaching physics, share your experiences via contributed presentations and Take Fives, and meet old and new friends.
Submit a 15-minute Contributed Presentation
Register to attend! - Prepay your meeting fees!
List of Presentations - Click on the tabs to see the details
Attendees - Click on the tabs to see the details
Campus map - Parking - Recommended Hotel - Driving Directions - Photos
Registration will be at the PURI School of Business (building 29 on the campus map) starting a 1:00 pm on Friday and 8:00 am on Saturday.
For the recommended hotel linked above, we have a block of rooms reserved at $110 + tax.
Please call the hotel and use the code AAPT by September 27th.
Note that there is a big event at Rockford that weekend and finding a hotel might be challenging.
Invited Speakers
Friday, October 11 at 7:00 pm
Plenary/Banquet speaker (Public Talk): "The Intersection of Talent and Passion"
Dr. Renee Horton, NASA's Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration Project (EPFD) Airworthiness Deputy at Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)
The intersection of science research, life's struggles, and a career in STEM, focusing on the theme of overcoming a disability will be explored. Through personal anecdotes and scientific accomplishments, we will delve into the challenges faced highlighting the power of determination and perseverance in overcoming obstacles.
Join us as we discuss how resilience, innovation, and a passion for discovery can lead to success and inspire positive change in the world.
"Big-Data Explorations for Astronomy Education"
Friday, October 11 at 4:00 pm
Dr. Britt Lundgren, UNC Asheville, Co-Chair for Education and Public Outreach for the fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
For nearly two decades the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has mapped the night sky and made its professional astronomical data freely available to the world. The immense archival imaging and spectroscopic datasets of the SDSS, coupled with its multiple access points and interfaces suitable for users of all levels of experience, provide a novel sandbox for audiences from a wide range of backgrounds to explore and engage with large datasets while cultivating interests and proficiency in astronomy. SDSS data and resources have facilitated inquiry-based activities for thousands of students learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, from elementary through graduate school, and through after-school and informal education programs. This talk will present the latest freely accessible educational activities from the SDSS, appropriate for high school and college level explorations.
"From Game of Thrones to Frozen: What Hollywood Can Teach Us about the Importance of Science in Storytelling"
Saturday, October 12 at 8:15am
Dr. Rebecca Thompson, Chief Science and Education Officer for the St. Louis Science Center. Author of Fire, Ice and Physics, the Science of Game of Thrones (MIT Press 2020)
The finale of Game of Thrones was the most-watched single show in HBO’s history and Frozen II was the highest-grossing animated movie ever. Clearly these blockbusters, and others like them, are telling stories that people want to hear. They are also packed with science concepts. From Valyrian steel to snow anchors, storytelling relies on science to draw in and keep an audience. Just as important is how they can use deviations from real-life science effectively without pushing the audience out of the story. This talk with focus on how many of the pop culture juggernauts incorporate science, whether consciously or unintentionally, to strengthen the story and audience engagement.
Special Guest
Sarah Treadwell (science communicator) will do a short show on the "Lost City Hydrothermal Field" and the Clipper Mission before and after the Banquet. We will have an inflatable planetarium dome at the Banquet location.
Workshops
"Envisioning Excellence: The Path to Goal-Oriented Success Through Self-Awareness"
Saturday, October 12, from 9:00-10:30 am
Get ready for a transformative workshop on self-awareness for goal-oriented success. Discover the power of self-reflection and introspection in achieving your personal and professional goals. Through interactive exercises and guided discussions, you will gain valuable insight to help you learn how to leverage self-awareness to enhance your decision-making, communication skills, and overall effectiveness in pursuing your goals.
Don't miss this opportunity to unlock your full potential and set yourself on the path to success.
"Integrating Computational Activities into Physics Courses"
Friday, October 11 from 2:30-4:00 pm
Brought to you by the fine folks from the Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP), www.gopicup.org
Who Should Attend: Any physics educators who want to energize their physics courses! The scope of this workshop is appropriate for physics teachers from high schools, 2-year colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities.
The workshop will include demonstrations and discussions about various aspects of integrating computational activities into physics courses. We will emphasize computational activities at the introductory level; however, depending on participant interest, we can also include content in the workshop that addresses specific inquiries about computational activities at the advanced undergraduate level. Finally, by participating in this workshop participants will become plugged into a growing and supportive community of like-minded physics educators dedicated to improving the physics curriculum. The support system includes a repository of developed computational materials as well as dedicated online and community support.
"Get to Know the Underrepresentation Curriculum"
Saturday, October 12, from 1:30-3:00 pm
The Underrepresentation Curriculum is a free, open, modular, teacher-created resource that supports high school and college science instructors in empowering students to examine issues of equity, identity, and justice in society and in STEM. This workshop will introduce the curriculum by engaging participants themselves in the learning activities (e.g., discussing the role of objectivity and subjectivity in science and analyzing data about disparities in representations of certain groups of people). The workshop will familiarize participants with the support materials available and make space for exploration. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to discuss how the curriculum can be implemented in their classrooms, and collaborate with other instructors to create viable actions beyond the workshop.
"IOLab – a multi-sensor device for K1-College"
Saturday, October 12, from 1:30-3:00 pm
The IOLab is a wireless data acquisition system of comparable size and weight to that of a graphing calculator, and thus highly portable. It contains more than twenty sensors or inputs, including a 3D accelerometer, a 3D magnetometer, a 3D gyroscope, wheels which record position, velocity, and acceleration, a force probe, and both analog and digital inputs. Data can be analyzed in the IOLab software itself or can be exported to a comma separated value file for later analysis.
In the workshop, the participants will first complete open-ended labs that we use in the introductory physics courses at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Next, participants will explore other features of the iOLab at various stations including a two-wire ECG-measurement! Participants will get access to an online course that contains prelab and lab ideas for both high school and college.
To make the IOLab experience more authentic, participants should bring their own computer or Chromebook to the workshop.
For more information on the iOLab, see http://www.iolab.science.
Hosts: Deepshikha Shukla, Susan Sorensen and Marianna Ruggerio