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With the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS State Lead, 2013), physics and engineering are taking on a more prominent role in K-12 science instruction. To help teachers bring physics and engineering into their classrooms we partnered with a local hands-on science museum to create a series of activities that combine classroom learning with a fieldtrip experience to the museum. These activities aim to meet the NGSS physics standards in a way that is both fun and accessible for students of all grade levels. One such activity involves students building a structure designed to hover in a wind column at the museum. In this study we examine how 3 grade students predict the forces acting in the wind column will affect the motion of their structure using both written words and pictorial models.

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Floating and Falling: 3rd-grader’s Depictions of Forces in Wind Columns

forces and motion

informal education

Join us in exploring emergent themes in PER as a scholarly endeavor and as a research community!  Since its inception, PER has served as a confluence of discipline, theory, research methodology, practice, and application.  How have these facets and the interplays among them been fruitful for physics education globally, regionally, locally, or otherwise?  And, how have our successes and interactions influenced the very nature of PER itself?
Following the lead of AAPT for the summer meeting, PERC 20/20 was virtual. Enjoy browsing the content.

PERC SM 20

Since its inception, PER has served as a confluence of discipline, theory, research methodology, practice, and application.  How have these facets and the interplays among them been fruitful for physics education globally, regionally, locally, or otherwise?  And, how have our successes and interactions influenced the very nature of PER itself?

technical paper

This meeting is a great opportunity to explore sessions and workshops designed with your professional development in mind. Present your research and exchange ideas on the latest in teaching and pedagogy. Participate in a wide range of events, activities, plenaries, and so much more, connecting you with peers and colleagues who share your commitment to excellence in physics education.

We have made the use of smartphone applications a centerpiece of our efforts to reform the introductory labs in both our calculus-based and algebra-based classes. Students use smartphone applications in experiments completed in the lab (Bluetooth paired with sensors) and at home (using the native sensors in the phone). This has allowed us to reduce crowding in the lab, to give students a greater sense of agency in the experiments that they do, and to incorporate more sophisticated “data handling” in the learning goals for the labs. This talk will give an overview of the project and highlight several examples of labs in which smartphones play a prominent role.

Smartphone applications as part of an introductory lab reform project

Electromagnetic waves, or light, penetrate many topics in physics, chemistry, engineering, and biology. They are the foundation for many applications such as cell phones, GPS, medical equipment and procedures, 3D movies, astronomy, and so much more! In this high school lesson, we use the new Netflix logo to lead high school students through an inquiry-based experiment on light and spectroscopy. Students use diffraction glasses and multiple gas emission tubes to observe the unique spectra of gases. They record the colors they see in each element and estimate the wavelength and corresponding frequency of each spectral line. Students then are guided to discover the relationship between the frequency and wavelength of light. In addition, students learn about energy of light, the scientists who discovered spectra, and applications of spectroscopy today. In this presentation, we will share the developed lesson and the learning progress of several classes from local schools.

“Shedding Some Light” Spectroscopy Investigation

Who are the high school students applying to college engineering programs? In this talk, we will share some preliminary findings from interviews with aspiring engineers. How do they view themselves? What is important to them? How do they manage their schoolwork? How do they make decisions, and who influences them? We will share some of the first data collected in a two-year longitudinal study of student transitions from high school to college engineering programs with long-term goals of identifying ways that high schools and colleges can better support engineering students. For now, we are starting to get to know the students and look forward to sharing a snapshot of their lives with you.

Case Studies: High School Seniors Applying to College Engineering Programs

I will present a course introducing quantum mechanics to college students from both STEM and humanities fields. The course is based on material in "Understanding Quantum Raffles" (Janas, Cuffaro and Janssen 2021). With the help of techniques in Bananaworld: Quantum Mechanics for Primates (Bub 2016), students analyze correlations allowed classically and quantum-mechanically in an EPR-Bell-type setup due to Mermin. Noting that the quantum correlations can be parametrized by the cosines of the angles between the detectors in this setup, the students are then led to the Born rule for probabilities in quantum mechanics. The idea is to introduce the basic formalism of quantum mechanics as an extension of ordinary probability theory. In line with modern information-theoretic interpretations of quantum mechanics, this basic formalism is presented as a new operating system on which many different applications can be written, ranging from spectroscopy to quantum computing.

Putting Probabilities First in Teaching Quantum Mechanics

Ordinary least squares (OLS), developed over two centuries ago, is still the most common curve-fitting method used in introductory physics labs. OLS offers best-fit parameter estimates, but best-fits may not be good fits. Moreover, OLS best fits may be biased (the outlier problem) where anomalous data is overweighted. Chi-squared minimization (CSM) provides both parameter estimation and model testing in one consistent methodology. CSM can be shown to be the optimal method of parameter estimation with Gaussian distributed uncertainties and solves the outlier problem by weighting data inversely with their uncertainties. However, more than being just a weighted least squares (WLS) method, CSM also provides two easy-to-apply criteria for model testing. CSM is a computation-intensive method whose gold-standard implementation in particle physics software is difficult for introductory physics students to use. A simplified form of CSM is implemented in an Excel spreadsheet, making this valuable tool accessible to introductory physics students.

Curve-fitting with Model Testing using Chi-Square Minimization in Excel

Entropy is taught at all levels of physics. However, many students have a poor understanding of entropy, often conflated with disorder. Understanding the quantitative definition of entropy-- a function of the accessible energy states-- provides a more functional education. This demonstration explains entropy in a macroscopic and theoretically sound manner, using hand-held containers and simple objects to model entropically-driven processes. A spontaneous entropy increase causes increased order, consistent with more available energy states, but contradicting the “entropy is disorder” paradigm. This talk describes the demo’s thermodynamic basis and simple calculations that validate viewer observations. The demo provides memorable examples on which to build a sound understanding of entropy, meanwhile exposing failures of the disorder paradigm. Students with a proper concept of entropy are better equipped not just to answer pedagogical questions, but also to discern fictitious paradoxes of the disorder paradigm from genuine implications of the second law of thermodynamics.

Investigating Entropy and Disorder with Hands-On Models

Traditional physics laboratory courses featuring pre-optimized experiments do not allow for authentic scientific experiences. There is very little space for the design and optimization of measurement procedures or the experimental apparatus. Recent efforts in the physics education research community have been targeting this particular problem in laboratory classes. We present an example of a student project in our physics laboratory course to offer such an authentic experience. In this four-day project, students form teams to design and construct a scientific apparatus capable of distinguishing different beverages using optical spectroscopy. The students need to devise a measurement strategy, design and build an optical spectrometer using 3d-printed parts to accomplish this goal. They then optimize the apparatus and measurements iteratively.In this talk, we present the results and particular structure of the project, as well as the scaffolding and rubrics we introduced to guide students during their work.

Fostering Design and Communication Skills by Building a Scientific Apparatus

Students explore Kinematics using a Pasco smart cart on an inclined track. They discover that their calculations and measurements don’t agree but can be brought into agreement by adding a small constant to the average acceleration. A later lab uses the smart cart on a level track to analyze Newton’s 1 law. Again they see that the speed is not constant but is slowing. A third lab looks at the physics of a cart in equilibrium on an inclined plane for different angles. Tension and normal force are measured and compared to calculated values. After performing these labs, the students are asked to design a lab to test Newton’s 2 law including the instruments used, the procedure and analysis. This exercise broadens the student’s physical intuition and exercises their understanding of the experimental method of having a model, predicting results and comparing to measurements to validate the model.

A Student Designed Lab to Test Newton’s 2nd Law

Women and Minorities in the Physical Sciences (WaMPS) is a graduate student organization housed in the department of physics and astronomy at Michigan State University. WaMPS is a student-led organization encouraging women and minorities to pursue the physical sciences and supporting those who are already members of the physical science community. WaMPS outreach and public engagement includes school visits, public presentations, podcasting, and collaborations with community partners and members in other academic fields. By volunteering and participating in public engagement activities, students can build connections with peers and faculty, connect their formal learning to the real world, feel more connected to their field, and have opportunities to share their own experiences with others. In this talk, we focus on the experiences of graduate students who have participated and contributed in the WaMPS public engagement activities and the intersections with their career goals and aspirations.

Supporting graduate students through opportunities in physics public engagement activities

Xavier University of Louisiana, in collaboration with the Institute of Earth Science Research and Education (IESRE) run the ECoSTEM project. This project aims to improve the quality of undergraduate STEM education by introducing a computational, community-oriented component into STEM programs at Xavier University. Specifically, undergraduate students develop microcontroller-based systems for collecting airborne particulate data. They work with public school teachers (and their students) and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) officers to deploy the sensors at locations around New Orleans and to analyze the resulting data. Airborne particulates are often the pollutant of greatest concern in minority and other underserved communities. This project provide undergraduates at Xavier and the local teachers (and their students) with learning experiences that are relevant to them and their communities. ECoSTEM uses a tiered mentoring system in which the project team members mentor undergraduates, who in turn work with public school teachers and their students.

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