This project aims to create and evaluate an environment where students of different backgrounds can collaborate in physics public engagement work in order to foster communication skills and develop intersecting identities. In collaboration with Science Gallery Detroit, a team of four undergraduate students, two physics and two design, are working together to create an online platform for public engagement in physics. This team is aiming to create a visually appealing website that allows users to engage with different physics topics. The students choose their favorite topics and a narrative that connects the concepts through everyday life phenomena. In this poster, we present the work in progress platform as well as the research aspect. We use interviews, audio recordings, and weekly reflections to understand how the students develop or expand their physics identities and how the project evolves as the students' understanding of both physics and art evolves.

Physics Communication through Art: Development of Intersecting Identities

There are multiple ways for K-12 students to learn about physics and communicate science. One example is informal physics programs, which provide significant science resources in their communities. These programs house unique collections of physics artifacts and experiences for K-12 and are facilitated by educators who are experts at motivating interest and involvement in students. As part of our nationwide effort to develop a systemic understanding of the landscape of informal physics, we have developed a framework to investigate how these programs are structured and facilitated. Our study is focused on a number of important aspects, including the curriculum used by practitioners, how informal physics programs are facilitated, how they are socially constructed, how they attract their audience, and what type of assessment they use to evaluate their own effectiveness. In addition, we will share our experiences combining physics for K-12 students with other disciplines, including art, in program curricula.

Physics content and practices across the landscape of informal physics

Mapping the informal physics efforts in the state of Michigan

Poster Session I

poster

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

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. The program featured plenary speakers, sessions, workshops and many special activities.

For more information please visit the 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting page at: https://www.aapt.org/Conferences/SM2020/index.cfm.


AAPT SM 20

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. 

Dena Izadi

3

SHORT BIO

Presentations

Physics Communication through Art: Development of Intersecting Identities

Physics content and practices across the landscape of informal physics

Mapping the informal physics efforts in the state of Michigan