The Education Corner

Funding for Undergraduates to Attend APS Meetings
A limited number of $200 and $1000 travel supplements are available for undergraduate students presenting at the 2011 APS March and April Meetings. Students must submit their abstracts by the meeting deadlines, which are November 19 for the March Meeting, and January 14 for the April Meeting. Students will also be invited to take part in Future of Physics Days (FPD), which include special events that are planned over the course of the meetings to enable undergraduates to meet their peers, share their research results with other physicists, and begin building a network among fellow physicists.  A description of the program and awards, including eligibility requirements are on the FPD website.
   Future Physics Days

APS Produces Laser Lessons and Kits
In conjunction with LaserFest, APS has produced a series of three hands-on, classroom-tested lessons on the laser, for high school students. The lessons cover the topics:
• What’s So Special About Laser Light?
• How Does a Laser Work?
• What Are Some Applications of Lasers?

If your institution is interested in holding a teacher workshop using these activities, APS can provide a limited number of lesson books and kits for workshop participants. These materials are also available on the LaserFest website.
   APS Laser Lessons and Kits

Minority Scholarship Application Process Begins
APS encourages faculty members and high school teachers to inform their students about the Scholarship for Minority Undergraduate Physics Majors, which provides both funding and significant mentorship to selected underrepresented minority students. Any African-American, Hispanic American, or Native American US citizen or permanent legal resident who is majoring or plans to major in physics and who is a high school senior, college freshman, or college sophomore is eligible to apply. The application for 2011-2012 scholars is due on February 4, 2011.
  APS Minority Scholarship

Workshops and Grants for Women Physicists
APS Professional Skills Development Workshops provide women physicists with professional training in effective negotiation, communication, and leadership skills, as well as a special opportunity for networking. One-day workshops are being planned for the March and April meetings. In addition, small grants of up to $400 are available to assist March and April Meeting attendees who are bringing small children or who incur extra expenses in leaving them at home (i.e., extra daycare or babysitting services).
  Professional Skills Development Workshops
  Child Care Grants (March Meeting)

APS Undergraduate Education Website
The APS website has an improved and expanded the section on Undergraduate Education. Highlights include:
• A variety of statistics on undergraduate physics education in the US. APS-produced   graphs are freely available for use, as are the source data.
• Pages for faculty interested in offering research experiences for undergraduates, reforming introductory courses, preparing K-12 teachers, and recruiting more majors.
• Pages for students interested in attending a physics meeting, seeking career information, getting a scholarship, or doing research.
   Undergraduate Education

AAPT Winter Meeting
AAPT’s annual winter meeting will be in Jacksonville, Florida from January 8-12, 2011. The theme is “Celebrating 100 Years of Nuclear Physics (1911-2011),” and highlights will include professional development workshops, featured sessions and speakers, and “A Living History of Madame Marie Curie.”
   AAPT Winter Meeting