Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2020 Annual Meeting of the APS Four Corners Section (Virtual)
Volume 65, Number 16
Friday–Saturday, October 23–24, 2020; Albuquerque, NM (Virtual)
Session J06: Physics EducationLive
|
Hide Abstracts |
Chair: Ramón Barthelemy, Univ. Utah |
Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:00AM - 8:24AM Live |
J06.00001: Physics Education Research: Who we are and changing the research we do to be inclusive and equitable Invited Speaker: Ramón Barthelemy This talk outlines survey results seeking to understand USA Physics Education Research (PER) Ph.D. programs. The survey explored research group composition, the number of graduates, courses taken and more. The survey was sent to a list of PER research group leaders created by crowdsourcing from the PER community. Of the 46 PER Ph.D. programs identified and invited to the survey, 25 usable responses were received. The majority of programs were in departments of physics with fewer in schools of education or institutes of science education. Most programs required graduate physics course work, with fewer requiring research methodology courses. Following this discussion I will discuss the current paradigms around equity and inclusion in PER and offer a new path forward. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:24AM - 8:36AM Live |
J06.00002: Scaling Up a Peltier-Powered Cloud Chamber Tyler Sitterly, Matthew Bellis Nuclear and particle physics attracts the interest of many students from both high school and college level. Since gaining hands-on experience is rare, students are limited to learning from videos, books, and other resources. One such device that allows students this hands on experience is the cloud chamber. A cloud chamber is a device that creates a temperature gradient to produce a supersaturated environment in order to see trails left by radioactive sources, or cosmic rays. Cloud chambers typically are made using dry ice, but a group at Siena has worked for 5+ years in order to improve the design of the cloud chamber using thermo-electric coolers known as Peltiers. The use of Peltiers eliminates the use of dry ice completely, and allows for an easy set up by just plugging the chamber in. By using a water-cooling system, and more Peltiers, we were able to create a viewing area that is larger than the previous models. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:36AM - 8:48AM Live |
J06.00003: Improving Skills in Computer Methods: An Introductory Toolkit to Python for Undergraduate Physics Majors Erin O'Donnell To account for the ever-evolving nature of computer science, I proposed a change to Utah State University's PHYS 2500: Computer Method for Physicists. Instead of coding with MathCad, the goal was to get students proficient enough in Python to begin research at a sophomore level. To accomplish this, a toolkit was created using Notebooks Azure; a free cloud-based program by Microsoft that runs Jupyter Notebooks. The objective of the Toolkit was to create a Python workbook students can reference as well as be able to accomplish at their own pace. The final project condensed a semester's worth of introductory python into a toolkit able to be finished in 20-30 hours depending on skill. Overall satisfaction of the course improved as well as grades. [Preview Abstract] |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2024 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700