American Association of Physics Teachers, Appalachian Section Meeting 2018

October 12th and 13th, 2018

WVU Physics and Astronomy Building
West Virginia University
135 Willey St., Morgantown, WV, 26506

Are you looking for a great chance to share ideas with others who are passionate about the teaching and learning of physics? Come to the Fall 2018 meeting of the Appalachian Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. College professors, high school physics teachers, and students will  meet on the campus of West Virginia University Friday evening, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.

Friday Program: The Friday evening program will feature a public science lecture discussing plasma physics given by nationally renowned scientist Paul Cassak who will present a public talk “The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma.” A Planetarium Show will be presented after the talk.

Saturday Program: The Saturday program will include talks contributed by members, an invited talk, and a workshop where participants will explore the development of a project-based activity.

Please Confirm Your Plans to Attend – Please let us know you plan to attend so we know how many lunches to order by filling out the following Google Form by 5:00 p.m., October 5, 2018 - https://goo.gl/forms/u3VOqCp2hihqCQC02.

Our best wishes to Greg Puskar – Greg Puskar is the Section Representative for the AAPT Appalachian Section this year. Greg has been battling a serious illness for some time and has not been able to work since February. This was to be Greg’s meeting and our best wishes go out to Greg and his wife Sherry.  

All events will be held in White Hall, the Physics and Astronomy Building at West Virginia University (135 Willey St., Morgantown, WV, 26506).

Tentative Schedule

Friday October 12th
5:00pm-6:45pm	Registration	White Hall G09
5:00pm-6:45pm	Dinner Friday (On Your Own): White Hall is only ½ block from High Street, Morgantown’s entertainment district. There are many excellent restaurant choices within a few minutes’ walk. Groups with like restaurant or educational interests will form at registration.	High Street
6:45pm-7:45pm	Public Science Lecture “The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma” Dr. Paul Cassak	White Hall G09
8:00pm-9:00pm	Planetarium Show	White Hall Planetarium (5th floor)
Saturday October 13th
8:00am-10:15am	Registration	White Hall G09 (hall outside room)
8:45am-9:00am	Welcome	White Hall G09
9:00am-10:00am	Contributed Talks	White Hall G09
10:00am-10:15am	Break	White Hall G09 (hall outside room)
10:15am-11:00am	Contributed Talks	White Hall G09
11:00am-11:40am	Keynote Speaker (Dr. Gay Stewart) 2019 Oersted Medalist	White Hall G09
11:50am-1:20pm	Lunch(provided)/Business Meeting	White Hall G09
1:30pm-2:00pm	Contributed Talks	White Hall G09
2:15pm-3:15pm	Workshop (Project Based Instruction)	TBA

 

Registration, Abstracts, and Events

Registration: Registration for the meeting, including lunch Saturday, is $30, payable on-site.  High School Teachers and retirees will be charged at the discounted rate of $20.  Students may attend free of charge.

Abstracts: Contributed talks will be 12 minutes in length, with 3 minutes for questions, on a 15-minute rotation. To be included in the program, email abstracts with title and affiliation to John Stewart (jcstewart1@mail.wvu.edu) by 5:00 p.m., October 5, 2018.

Public Science Lecture: Dr. Paul Cassak - “The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma.” Paul Cassak is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University. He is the 2017 Outstanding Public Service Award winner from WVU's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. He acts as advisor to the American Geophysical Union and NASA Heliophysics. He is the Chair of Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM).

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Gay Stewart is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia
University. She is the former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers and a
Fellow of both the APS and AAPT. She recently was announced as the 2019 Oersted Medalist
for the AAPT. She will discuss “Revitalizing an Undergraduate Physics Program.”

Accommodations and Logistics

·      The Scholar Hotel (formerly the Chestnut Boutique Hotel) (3 blocks) - 345 Chestnut Street, Morgantown, WV, 26505 United States, 1-866-599-6674

·      Clarion Hotel Morgan (6 blocks) -127 High St, Morgantown, WV, 26505 United States, 866-538-1349

·      Morgantown Marriot at Waterfront Place (1 mile) - 2 Waterfront Pl, Morgantown, WV, 26501 United States, 866-538-6270. This hotel is along the Monongalia River.

Directions to Campus: White Hall is located at 135 Willey St., Morgantown, WV at the southern edge of the downtown campus 100 ft. from the corner and High Street and Willey Street.

Parking – Attendees staying at the Scholar or Clarion are encouraged to park at the hotel; it is a short walk to White Hall. If you are driving in or staying farther away, we will have a limited number one-day parking passes; park in the lot across the street from White Hall. Additional paid parking is available on Willey and Spruce Streets (10 hour lots, 75 cents per hour); check the following map for locations - http://www.parkmpa.com/index.cfm/parking-info/

About AAPT

The AAPT is a professional membership association of scientists dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching.

Formed in 1951,  the Appalachian Section  was the 12th (out of 47) regional sections of the AAPT. Our goal is service to the members and communities represented.