Spring 2023 SCAAPT Meeting


1	SCAAPT Spring Meeting
2	Saturday, April 29, 2023
3	University of San Diego, Shiley Center for Science and Technology
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5	Order of Magnitude contest question: How many neutrons are there in all of the charcoal used on the Fourth of July (in one year) in the United States?
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8	Tentative Schedule
9	9:00	Workshop: Momentum Taught Through STEMscopes Science
10			Join Accelerate Learning in a Workshop for how to support inquiry-based learning. This workshop will go over a sample lesson in momentum, taken from their larger Physics in the Universe collection. Materials to teach this will be provided to all attendees. This approach raises general passing rates by 4% and closes equity gaps.
11	10:00	Welcome
12	10:00	NGSS and English Language Learners
13			Michelle Brownlee, Kognity
14			Many digital textbooks are offering different methods of instruction, but annoyingly only offer English for non-text versions. Kognity has a NGSS-aligned science course excellent for English Language Learners consisting of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics that is providing English and Spanish language audio/visual content and an array of languages for text content.
15	10:20	Using Video Labs to Prepare Students for Class
16			Jennifer Snyder, San Diego Mesa College
17			One of the biggest challenges in Flipped Classrooms is to create content for students to prepare them for work in class. In this presentation, I offer the approach of using Pivot Interactives, an online video lab environment. In this environment, students are offered the opportunity to explore phenomena and answer conceptual questions in preparation for class. Students come to class having made observations and are prepared to apply theoretical and mathematical concepts. I will offer a few examples of this work and impact on the classroom.
18	10:35	How to develop physics peer mentors and build a community of learners
19			Irena Stojimirovic, San Diego Mesa College
20			With support of the HSI STEM grant we developed a STEM Peer mentoring program that supports students in courses with low success rates, including courses in physics sequence for STEM majors. In partnership with physics faculty we identify successful physics students and develop them into supporting academic mentors for incoming physics students. I will discuss the impact of this program on student success rates in physics courses and on building a physics community of learners.
21	10:50	Now what?
22			Chad Kishimoto, Society of Physics Students and University of San Diego
23			Pandemic states of emergency have largely ended and universities -- at the behest of most students and faculty -- are largely "back to normal", whatever that means. Now what? Learning loss, is real. What happens when the usual "13th grader" in the college classroom hasn't experienced the social and emotional growth they might experience in "normal" high school, let alone the educational learning outcomes? I want to lead a discussion regarding how we can support students, and each other, as we look towards the human side of what comes next for us as educators.
24	11:10	STEM Ambassadors at Cal State San Marcos
25			Lemuel Johnson and Hugo Lopez, Cal State San Marcos
26			We will discuss our roles as STEM Ambassadors at CSU San Marcos and our experiences leading afterschool STEM programs at local schools and in our community.
27	11:20	Panel on Circuits in NGSS
28			Joseph Calmer and James Lincoln
29			For the past 10 years, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have been available standards for K–12 science education and have been adopted in many states, including California. While supporting materials have been published for implementation and curricular guidance in the form of Appendices, Evidence Statements, District Guides, and Department Curriculum Guides. One major discrepancy is the question of whether we should be teaching circuits. In this panel, we discuss to what extent the NGSS contain both explicit and implicit performance expectations that support circuit experiments as a standard part of the high school physics curriculum and give advice on how to carry out such investigations.
30	11:50	SCAAPT Business Meeting, followed by Lunch
31	1:15	Show & Tell
32	1:45	Eclipse Planning
33			Bryn Bishop, Art of Problem Solving
34			In less than one year from now, North Americans will be able to view two solar eclipses. There is an annular solar eclipse this coming October 14th, 2023, and a total eclipse on April 8th, 2024. The eclipses can be viewed safely and your students deserve to see them! In this talk, I’ll be sharing resources and information to help plan your eclipse event.
35	2:00	The Europa Clipper Mission: sailing to an ocean world in search for life
36			Alessandro Rettura, Caltech/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
37			Europa is a moon of Jupiter that is about the same size of Earth’s moon but it looks very different. We think it is one of the most exciting places to visit in the solar system. Observed geological features, plus other evidence, leads us to believe that there is a large, global subsurface ocean on Europa. The ocean layer has more water than all the Earth’s oceans combined. On Earth, where we find water, we find life. While NASA has put a lot of resources into looking for life on Mars, life on Mars will likely be fossilized life. In the case of Europa, however, with a giant ocean of liquid water currently existing, this could presently support life. Europa has all the right chemical elements for life. It also has potential energy sources – perhaps from radiation processing of the surface, or from potential hydrothermal systems at the bottom of the ocean. We also believe that the ocean on Europa has been there over the age of the solar system – it’s possible that this habitable environment has been simmering for four billion years. Because we think Europa could be one of the best places to look for life in the solar system beyond Earth, NASA is developing the Europa Clipper mission.
38	2:45	A New Paradigm for Lab Design
39			Peanut McCoy, Azusa Pacific University
40			Recent research by Holmes et al has indicated that conventional labs, which may be designed to reinforce lecture content by examining well-known phenomena through experiments with detailed instructions and an expected outcome, are not actually effective for helping students learn physics content. In this talk, I will describe a new format for labs that focuses on teaching scientific thinking skills, including goals, lab structure, implementation logistics, and reflections from a first implementation.
41	3:00	Utilizing student-lead, team-based research to maximize student learning
42			Elizabeth Mills, University of San Diego
43			UCLA undergraduates from Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering designed and performed novel experiments in student-led, team-based groups to gain authentic research experience in the physics of human brain and behavior. Students reported gains in research, collaboration, and computing skills, with responses consistent to outcomes of a successful Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). Qualitative coding of student reflections indicates the high levels of collaboration across peers from different disciplines.
44	3:20	A Quick Review of Tribology With Demos
45			Larry Stein, University of La Verne
46			All introductory Physics courses contain Tribology, usually under a different name. This quick review will integrate a few demos to put a ribbon on the package. Much of this will be "old hat" for many, but hopefully there will be a new twist or two.
47	3:35	Closing, Raffles, and Order of Magnitude
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