July 27-30, 2011, just before the AAPT Summer Meeting in Omaha, at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Exciting discoveries and technologies in astronomy and space science are rich in ideas and physics that can enhance physics instruction at any level. Our modern conception of the universe should be part of every student’s education, and physics students should understand the physics that underlies this conception.
Using Astronomy to Teach Physics (UATP) will explore ways to foster the use of astronomy in college physics instruction. The purpose of this topical workshop is to develop materials and strategies that facilitate, enhance, and inspire the use of astronomy, astrophysics, and space science to enrich the content and teaching of undergraduate physics courses.
What we will do:
- Examine strategies, share ideas, and plans for enriching the teaching of physics with research results from astronomy, astrophysics, and space science.
- Prepare a list of action items – texts to write, problems to compile, modules to design, web materials to use, ideas to develop.
- Be inspired to write articles for the March 2012 American Journal of Physics, a special issue on “Using Astronomy and Space Science Research in Physics Courses.”
- Develop ideas stirred up by the workshop and bring them to the Gordon Research Conference on “Astronomy and Physics” in June 2012 for fuller, more thorough discussion.
Organized by:
Organizing committee:
Charlie Holbrow, cholbrow@mit.edu
Mario Belloni, mabelloni@davidson.edu
Kevin Lee, klee6@unl.edu
Ed Prather, eprather@email.arizona.edu
Advisory Panel:
Roger Blandford, Stanford University
David Charbonneau, Harvard University
Chris Impey, University of Arizona
Endorsers
AAPT committee on Space Science and Astronomy
APS division of Astrophysics
Hosts
Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Center for Astronomy Education, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Sponsor and Financial Support
CATS – Collaboration of Astronomy Teaching Scholars, an NSF funded project for Astronomy Education, University of Arizona
How to Participate:
For an invitation to attend, contact Kevin Lee (klee6@unl.edu), Charlie Holbrow (cholbrow@mit.edu), or Mario Belloni (mabelloni@davidson.edu).
The AAPT website will provide online registration.
The registration fee is $250 which includes the welcome dinner the evening of July 27. The registration fee for non-participating companions is $50.
Links to information about travel, lodging and childcare arrangements may be found at the UNL Astronomy Education web page. There is a dormitory option as well as a convenient hotel with special rates for workshop participants.