Fall 2023 SCAAPT Meeting


1	SCAAPT Fall Meeting
2	Saturday, November 4, 2023
3	California State University, Long Beach
4	Hall of Science, Room 100
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6	Order of Magnitude contest question:
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9	Tentative Schedule
10	10:00	Welcome
11	10:05	Rubrics for Physics for NGSS
12			Praisy Poluan, Edison High School
13			I have been working in Huntington Beach UHSD for 8 years and we have developed a resource of rubrics that I would be happy to share. This resource is extensive and informative, I use it on a daily basis, and it reduces my prep and grading time. (Grading an assignment for all five classes has gone from hours to minutes!)
14	10:20	The Semi-Inverted Physics Classroom
15			Joseph Freymann, St. Monica Academy
16			The semi-inverted Physics classroom combines the best of the traditional teaching method (content in class, problems for homework) and the inverted classroom (problems in class, content for homework). The best part of the method is that teachers can know at the beginning of the year exactly how much material they will cover and when. The method prevents teachers from ever falling behind, in spite of unexpected losses of class time. I will demonstrate how the method is implemented.
17	10:35	Neutrinos: the "Ghosts" of the Universe
18			J. Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux, University of California, Irvine
19			In this talk I will provide a broad overview of the Standard Model of particle physics, which is our current best theory of the elementary particles that make up our world and their interactions. I will also describe what neutrinos are, how they fit in our understanding of the universe, what makes them ‘ghostly,’ and what we can learn by studying them. The talk should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background or previous knowledge. All curious minds are welcome to attend.
20	11:35	Astronomy Outreach in K-12 Classrooms
21			Joel Zinn, California State University, Long Beach
22			CSULB has a mobile planetarium to allow students in nearby K-12 schools to view the stars and learn about astronomy. I will share my recent experiences with bringing these to the classroom. Sadly, the planetarium overheats during the day so we cannot demo it at this meeting.
23	11:50	Announcements
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26	12:00	Lunch
27	1:30	Show & Tell
28	2:00	A repeat of an old transformer demonstration
29			Bill Layton
30			I plan to show a transformer demonstration done many years ago and written about in TPT. The original document is 9 years old yet recently it was validly corrected in a letter to TPT. Transformers are everywhere, often plugged into electrical outlets sucking energy even when the attached device is off. The operation of a transformer is a good application of Faraday and Lenz’s law. Since transformers are so ubiquitous, physics students should understand how they work and learn the basic physics involved.
31	2:15	PHYSTEC at CSULB
32			Justin Fournier, California State University, Long Beach
33			An overview of CSULB’s PhysTEC program; its past, present, and future. Specifically, both the Pedagogical Content courses (PHYS 491), which allow for educators, graduates, and undergraduates to meet in one class that focuses on physics units, as well as the Exploring Physics Teaching course (PHYS 390) course, which allows physics undergraduates the opportunity to explore physics teaching as a profession. The talk will also include CSULB’s PhysTEC Demo Days as well as our intent to bring back the pre-pandemic annual Open House
34	2:45	Currency and Exchange Rates: Student Reactions to Extension Policies
35			Peanut McCoy, Azusa Pacific University
36			I previously presented on my failed extension policy in which students treated allowed extension days as a form of currency to be spent, to the detriment of good work habits. In response, I changed to a new policy last year in which homework is turned in in two drafts. I will present data on the new policy, which has been effective in prodding students to complete homework on time. The data indicate that students it may actually be their own time that students are treating as currency which they exchange as they choose homework strategies.
37	3:00	A "Not So Simple" Circuit
38			John McGuffie
39			A “not so simple circuit” from Knight’s book Five Easy Lessons that introduces the concept of zero current in a branch of a circuit, given the model of a circuit where the wire has no resistance. The circuit can also be used to introduce the idea of resistivity.
40	3:15	Bubble Chambers: Old Technology, Good Physics
41			Larry Stein, University of La Verne
42			Principles on which the Hydrogen Bubble Chamber is based, along with a little history, some examples of Bubble Chamber images and how to view them in 3D.
43	3:30	Rocks from Space Lab
44			James Lincoln
45			To better understand our neighboring planets requires a lesson in Geology: The Rocks of Space Lab. In this museum-style lesson, students move from station to station where they get to investigate rocks "from" Venus, Mars, the Moon, meteorites, and even Saturn’s rings and comets. In this talk, I describe the lab and include pictures of the stations. Our teaching standards occasionally ask us to include interdisciplinary lessons like this and - besides - all the materials are probably already in some big bin labeled “rocks” down the hall.
46	3:45	Closing, Raffles, and Order of Magnitude
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