Physics Alive

Louis Deslauriers, the Director of Science Teaching and Learning and Senior Preceptor in Physics at Harvard University, discusses what he’s learned the last decade about the successes and challenges of research-based instructional strategies for both students and faculty.

Full episodes notes at:

www.physicsalive.com/louis

Articles mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 of this interview:

• Improved learning in a large-enrollment physics class

Quotes:

• If students learn [how to solve the Schrodinger equation] as a set of procedures, then they might as well be a set of phone numbers. The research from cognitive psychology is very clear: factual information gets lost within a few weeks; it’s gone. But students that code information conceptually...that is a lot more robust over time.
  

Show notes at www.physicsalive.com/ally

Karen Catlin, a leadership coach and an acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. She coaches women to be stronger leaders and men to be better allies for members of all underrepresented groups. In her book and through her online presence, Karen shares how to cultivate an environment where coworkers feel welcome, respected, and supported, how to amplify and advocate for others, and how to use more inclusive language. She gives us the tools to be Better Allies and create a culture where everyone can do their best work and thrive. Today we discuss this in the context of science department meetings and the STEM classroom.

Karen Catlin's web presence

• The Better Allies website

Subscribe to the 5 Ally Actions newsletter

Document highlighting 50 Potential Privileges in the Workplace

TEDx talk: Women in Tech

From the National Center for Education Statistics

• Degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by sex of student and discipline division: 2017-18 (most recent)

In episode #26 of Physics Alive, I speak with the recipient for the 2021 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching, Anne Cox. She is a Professor of Physics at Eckerd College. This award is given in recognition of contributions to undergraduate physics teaching, and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students. Anne’s current research interests are curriculum development and pedagogical strategies to enhance student learning using technology. She is a contributing author of Physlet Physics: Interactive Illustrations, Explorations, and Problems for Introductory Physics and co-author of Physlet Quantum Physics, both now available on AAPT ComPADRE. 

Full show notes at:

www.physicsalive.com/hr21

Halliday and Resnick award announcement

• Anne Cox bio and award announcement

Article:

• Distributed Peer Mentoring Networks to Support Isolated Faculty

In episode #25 of Physics Alive, I speak with the 2021 Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in K-12 Physics Teaching Award winner, Brad Talbert. He is a physics teacher at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah. This award is in recognition for contributions to pre-college physics teaching, and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students.

Full show notes at:

www.physicsalive.com/pz21

Learn more about Brad Talbert and the AAPT Paul Zitzewitz Award here.

Show notes also available at www.physicsalive.com/stepup

Episode Description:

STEP UP is a national community of physics teachers, researchers, and professional societies seeking to mobilize physics teachers to help engage young women in physics and change deep-seated cultural views about physicists. I’m speaking with Anne Kornahrens, STEP UP Project Manager and Bree Barnett Dreyfuss, High School Physics Teacher and a Teacher Advisor & Consultant for the project. Learn all about the project, the resources you can access, and the community you can join.

Weblinks:

The STEPUP website:

• stepupphysics.org

Direct links to

• STEPUP Curriculum

Today we talk about three articles and one new column from the May 2021 issue of the journal The Physics Teacher.

Check out the show notes online at www.physicsalive.com/may2021

Journal: The Physics Teacher

Article #1 [Starts @ 2:30]:

• Title: Sap Is Clever? Sap Ascent for Undergraduates Investigated with an Artificial Tree

Article #2 [Starts @ 11:30]:

• Title: Three Redshifts: Doppler, Cosmological, and Gravitational

New Column [Starts @ 18:40]:

• Title: Justice issues in physics and physics education

Article #3 [Starts @ 21:10]:

• Title: Using Universal Design for Learning to Support Students with Disabilities in a SCALE-UP Physics Course

After a year of major upheaval in education due to the global pandemic, we are left wondering “What's Next?” In this episode, a compassionate perspective is offered: focus on healthy teaching and focus on your own wellbeing first. You are what’s next. All is well, it really is. Sink into that. Then move from there, wherever your energy, inspiration, and motivation might take you.

Do Angry Birds obey physics principles? How likely is it that two baseballs will collide in mid-air? How realistic are those science hacks in the tv series MacGyver? Are you curious how you can bring current news in science and pop culture as well as fictional fun into the classroom? Then you’ll enjoy today’s conversation with professor, author, blogger, youtuber, and tv consultant Rhett Allain.

Full show notes: http://www.physicsalive.com/rhett

Links to Rhett’s work

Check out Rhett’s blog at wired.com!

• The Dot Physics Blog

Social Media

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rjallain

• Rhett mentioned a channel called Physics Explained. I believe that is one of his playlists, not a separate channel.

Rhett’s books*

• Angry Birds Furious Forces

Other educational fun stuff mentioned on the episode

• SCALE UP

• Glowscript

Today's Guest

Rhett Allain is an Associate Professor of Physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. Along with his teaching career, which was informed by his Ph.D. in physics education research at North Carolina State University, he’s been busy in the world outside of academia. He is a prolific blogger for the website wired.com, has been a science consultant for the television series MacGyver and MythBusters, has spoken on the radio show Science Friday, pours his heart and soul into physics videos on YouTube, is a proponent for video analysis and coding in the classroom, and has written four books, including Geek Physics: Surprising Answers to the Planet's Most Interesting Questions and Angry Birds Furious Forces.

Learn more about Rhett Allain at:

• Rhett’s Allain’s personal webpage and

* The book links are affiliate links with Amazon. This means that I will earn a small commission if you purchase the book with the link. This is at no extra cost to you and helps to support the show!

Nick Young is currently a physics education research & computational math and science PhD candidate at Michigan State University. He founded the website PERbites, dedicated to making the results of physics education research meaningful and accessible to all with bimonthly posts that provide short, clear descriptions of what’s happening in the field of physics education research. His current dissertation work explores the graduate admissions process in physics and whether or not the physics GRE is valuable or effective. He was a graduate fellow in Michigan State’s Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology and helped create a resource for faculty about planning, implementing, and assessing experiential interdisciplinary courses. In this episode we discuss his various projects and the common theme of getting the word out on education research.

Nick Young’s homepage

• https://www.nickyoungper.com/index.html

Links from today’s episode:

PERbites

• https://perbites.org/

Project with the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology

• Spartan Studios Playkit

Articles from Nick’s Ph.D. work

• The Physics GRE does not help applicants “stand out”

Other resources from AAPT:

• Amusement Park Science Digi-Kit

Today's Guest

Regina Barber DeGraaff, Senior Lecturer and STEM Inclusion and Outreach Specialist at Western Washington University, doesn’t mince words as we dive into the topic of inclusion. She acknowledges that this can be tough work, but vital as well. Learn about the challenges and opportunities in her role, recognizing and reflection on our identities, and Community Ambassadors, an upcoming SEA-change webinar that she will co-facilitate. Regina is also the host of the podcast Spark Science. The show’s tagline is “exploring stories of human curiosity.” She discusses making science more accessible and less intimidating, and how humanizing scientists can help the next generation see themselves in such a career.

Links from today’s episode:

Regina’s new website:

• https://www.scienceregina.com/

The Spark Science podcast! “Exploring stories of human curiosity.”

• https://www.sparksciencenow.com/

Western Washington University info:

• Regina’s biography

SEA Change webinar

• Community Ambassadors - An Approach to Enhance Equity in STEM