AAPT–New England Section
Spring Meeting
March 17-18, 2017
Quinsigamond Community College
602 West Boylston ST, Worcester, MA 01606
https://aapt-nes.org/regional-meeting
Theme: AIM Higher – Astronomy, Instrumentation and Making
You are cordially invited to the 2017 Spring Meeting of the AAPT–New England Section, and encouraged to contribute posters, papers and demonstrations related to teaching at the high school and college/university levels.
Register for the meeting: https://aapt-nes.wildapricot.org/event-2332622
There are special registration rates for students and early career high school teachers.
Submit Abstracts Online by March 1, 2017 for Posters, Contributed Talks & Share-a-Demo Contest: https://goo.gl/forms/n5XKtxvpBhEXBJZ42
Contributed Talks & Posters: We invite you (and your students) to contribute 15-minute talks and posters relevant to secondary- and college-level physics instruction in these areas:
- Astronomy: observation & measurements; optics; etc.
- Instrumentation: using or programming instrumentation for instruction/lab experiences
- Making: Have you or your students built a device that you used to explain a concept or experiment with some phenomenon? (3-D printing, etc.)
- Teaching: What new approaches/methods are you trying in your classes?
- Assessment: how do you know that your students are learning?
Share-a-Demo Contest: Do you have an especially effective 5-10 minute demo that you use in your teaching? Enter it in the Share-a-Demo Contest. The winner will be chosen by audience vote. Please note: due to facilities restrictions, we will not be able to host anything pyrotechnic.
Venue: All events will be in the Harrington Learning Center and the QuEST Building on the QCC campus at 602 West Boylston ST, Worcester, MA.
Hotels: We have reserved a block of 20 rooms at the Marriott Courtyard. You must book by 2/17 for the group rate of $189. We are also working on other hotel options. See aapt-nes.org for details.
Parking & Access: Parking will be available in the Faculty and Staff lots. Both buildings are handicap accessible.
Planned Schedule
Friday, March 17, 2017 – Room 109 & Adjacent Foyer, Harrington
4:00 pm Registration
5:00 pm Poster Session, Vendors
6:30 pm Buffet Dinner
7:30 pm Key Note: Dr. Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor & Director of the Hopkins
Observatory, Williams College
The August 21, 2017, Total Solar Eclipse: Science, Equipment, and Circumstances
9:00 pm Observing with the local Amateur Astronomers (weather permitting).
Saturday, March 18, 2017
7:30 am Continental Breakfast, Registration, Posters & Vendors – Harrington
8:00 am Share-a-Demo Contest – Harrington
9:00 am Coffee Break – Harrington
9:15 am Contributed Talks – QuEST
11:00 am Invited Talks – Harrington
12:30 pm Buffet Lunch. Board Meeting and Brief Section Meeting
Posters, Vendors, Janet Guernsey Award and Share-a-Demo Prizes
1:30-4:30 Workshops in the QuEST Building.
4:30 pm Pick up Professional Development Certificates – Harrington
Workshops
Teaching with Telescopes
A. Schwortz, QCC
Do you have a telescope just gathering dust? Are you looking for ways to integrate it into your curriculum? Or do you just want to take some students out at night to look at the stars? This workshop will include hands on time with reflecting and refracting telescopes, examples of class activities, time to brainstorm and lesson plan with colleagues, and resources for maintaining or purchasing telescopes. If you have access to a telescope, you are encouraged to bring it (and any accessories) and will learn to use it or assess the maintenance needs. |
Arduino
R. Dorland, St. Joseph’s College
Design & build creative circuit projects using Arduino! Unlock the “do-it-yourself” maker potential in your classroom. Participants will build a simple sensor project using an Arduino UNO board that can be used to introduce circuits and E/M topics in any level physics course. The workshop assumes no prior experience with Arduino. You will learn how to setup and connect to a new board, and how to adapt existing code for your project. Materials provided, and registered participants will be able to take their completed project home. Partly funded by a NASA grant. |
Video Analysis
S. Henning, PTRA
Short videos, often just 20 to 30 frames long, are designed for analysis in a computer, iPad, iPhone, or iPod. Using LoggerPro (or, the free Tracker software) positions of objects in the video frame can be measured. The data can be graphed, analyzed, compared to theoretical models, and even used to display vectors or points superimposed on the original video. Participants will receive hands on experience with video analysis and a copy of Physics with Video Analysis from Vernier, which has a generous site license. AAPT-NES will cover part of the PTRA cost. $20 fee for participants. |
