"Engage to Excel"
Spring Meeting of the Illinois Section of the AAPT
March 30-31, 2012
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Friday, March 30, 2012
9:00 - 5:00 Registration - Loomis Laboratory Foyer. Please make out checks to "ISAAPT".
Please Recycle. When you leave the meeting to return home, please place your plastic
name tag holder in the box which will be provided. It will be used at the next meeting. Thanks.
10:00 - 12:00
Workshop W1
"Mini Modeling"
Carl Wenning -- Physics Department, Illinois State University
Loomis 232
Designed primarily for high school physics teachers, this workshop will provide a short but meaningful introduction
to the Modeling Method of Instruction. Participants will discover Newton's second law of motion using a "jigsaw"
approach.
Activities will be conducted to find acceleration as a function of mass and as a function of force using controlled
experiments. Vernier's Graphical Analysis will be employed, and whiteboarding will take place. Learn more about
Modeling now, and plan to attend one or two free Modeling workshops at Illinois State University this coming
June. Workshop limited to 12 participants.
Workshop W2 has been cancelled.
11:00 - 12:00
Workshop W3
"Using Clickers to Engage Students in Class"
Mayla Sanchez -- Regional Technology Specialist, i>clicker
Loomis 204
Have you ever thought about using clickers in your course? i>clicker is a classroom response system that can
help enrich a lecture by increasing student interaction and allowing instructors to get real-time feedback from
students. Thousands of instructors across the country have adopted this technology, and have found positive
results!
Join us for a hands-on demonstration of i>clickers. During this session, you'll have a first-hand experience of
using i>clickers and you'll also have an opportunity to sign up for a free two-week trial! See how i>clickers might
work for you and get your questions answered!
11:00 - 12:00
Workshop W4
"Entrepreneurial Science" - Cracker Barrel Discussion
Dan Holland -- Physics Department, Illinois State University
Loomis 264
The quantitative and critical reasoning skills obtained from studying physics has often been touted as an excellent
base for success in a wide variety of fields. Additionally, studies by the Kaufmann Foundation have shown that the
majority of new business ventures are started by people that do NOT have a business degree. Since a significant
number of new businesses fail in the first few years, the question then becomes what information may we supply
new entrepreneurs (physicists in particular) to improve their prospects of success.
At Illinois State University, we are proposing a new general education course entitled, "The Entrepreneurial
Mindset". In the course we break down entrepreneurial thinking in terms of processes and give the students
opportunities for experiential learning.
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch - on your own. A list of places to eat will be included in your registration packet.
Here is the list of those who are doing contributed presentations and Take Fives.
Note that Presentations B1-B6, D1-D5, E1-E2, F1-F5 and H1-H4 are part of the Student Research Symposium.
Friday
Saturday
1:45 A1. Pengqian Wang
2:00 A2. Steven Daniels
2:15 A3. Brian Davies
1:00
1:15
1:30
1:45
2:00
2:15
B1. Brandon Emerson
B2. Dustin MacDermott
B3. Oluwatobi Olorunsola
B4. Ademola Jinadu
B5. Akinloluwa Olumoroti
B6. Stewart Ferrell
4:00
4:15
4:30
4:45
5:00
4:00
4:15
4:30
4:45
5:00
D1. Jeffrey White
D2. Josiah Kunz
D3. Trevor Smith
D4. Christopher Carr
D5. Cody Dirks
C1. Andrew Morrison
C2. James Rabchuk
C3. Eric Martell
C4. Daniel DuBrow
Take Fives
Cherie Lehman
James Rabchuk
Jeremy Paschke
1:00 - 2:30
Session A - Chair: Katie Crimmins
Faculty Presentations
Loomis 151
This session starts at 1:45
↓
8:15
8:30
8:45
9:00
9:15
E1. Connor Brennan
E2. Jamie Svetich
E3. Tom Carter
E4. Robert Lang
E5. Tom Foster
8:15
8:30
8:45
9:00
9:15
F1. Matthew Ware
F2. Benjamin Shields
F3. Andrew Vikartofsky
F4. Ben Rogers
F5. Brandon Graybeal
11:00
11:15
11:30
11:45
G1. Amitabh Joshi
G2. Deborah Lojkutz
G3. Noella D'Cruz
Take Fives
Noella D'Cruz
Andrew Morrison
11:00
11:15
11:30
11:45
H1. Alexander Su
H2. Tyler Linder
H3. Hannah Tanquary
H4. Patrick Snyder
Session B - Chair: Tom Carter
Student Research Symposium
Loomis 141
1:00 B1. Testing the Effects of a Rotating Magnetic
Field. Brandon Emerson, Dustin MacDermott, and
James Rabchuk, Western Illinois University
The objective is to test competing models of how
electromagnetism works in a rotating coordinate
system. The basic question: whether or not a rotating
charged solenoid will produce a potential difference on
concentric capacitors located inside or outside the
solenoid. Using computer simulation software we will
calculate the expected induced radial electric field
predicted by the competing models. We intend to
detect these fields by looking for a potential difference
across the capacitors. They will be connected with
wire while the solenoid is rotating at a set angular
velocity. The connection is broken before bringing the
solenoid to rest, and a high impedance voltmeter is
used to measure any potential difference. Our hope is
to distinguish between the competing theories and
determine which best explains the observed results. In
this talk I will present the results of our simulations.
1:15 B2. The Theoretical Mysteries of Axially Rotating
Solenoids. Dustin MacDermott, Brandon Emerson,
and James Rabchuk, Western Illinois University
We seek to design and carry out an experiment that
will distinguish between three competing theoretical
models of how electromagnetism behaves in a rotating
coordinate system. In particular, we look for the
possibility that a powered, rotating solenoid will induce
a radial electric field in the lab frame. The standard
model prediction is there will be no radial electric field
when rotating a solenoid. The rotating flux model
predicts the maximum radial electric field to be
induced inside the solenoid. The third model invokes
relativistic effects from differences in velocities of the
electrons and ions in the solenoid. This model predicts
charge build up on the wire of a rotating solenoid
producing a radial electric field of greatest magnitude
outside the solenoid. In this talk I will discuss the
quantitative predictions from these models, as well as
the proposed experimental design.
↓
1:30 B3. Super-Resolution at the Nanometer Scale:
Using Simulated Emission Depletion Microscopy
to Break the Diffraction Limit, Oluwatobi Olorunsola
and Kishor Kapale, Western Illinois University
For many years, applying microscopy with focused
light meant that details smaller than half the
wavelength of light (200 nm) could not be resolved.
Today, it is known that using conventional optics it is
possible to image at least fluorescent samples with a
level of detail far below the diffraction limit. Stimulated
Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy and newer
far-field optical approaches can provide resolutions
better than 20 nm, and in principle are able to resolve
molecular detail. While the diffraction barrier has
motivated the invention of electron, scanning probe,
and x-ray microscopy, in the life sciences 80% of all
microscopy studies are still performed with lens-based
(fluorescence) microscopy. In this presentation, I will
discuss novel physical concept of STED, which
radically breaks the diffraction barrier in focused
fluorescence microscopy. The strategy in this concept
exploits selected molecular transitions of the
fluorescent marker to neutralize the limiting role of
diffraction.
1:45 A1. Pulsing and Focusing an Electron Beam.
Pengqian Wang
Western Illinois University
Research
Electron impact dissociative ionization of molecules is a
useful method in exploring the structure of molecules
and their interaction with electrons. An economic
electron gun is constructed in our lab to provide an
electron beam source needed in the experiment. The
electrons are generated from a heated tungsten filament
in a high vacuum. They are accelerated to a few
hundreds of electron volts. The electron beam is pulsed
with a duration of about 100 ns. It is focused to the
molecular target by an ion optical system. The trajectory
of the electrons is simulated by a commercial software.
The electron gun has been used in our lab to impact and
ionize atoms and molecules, and the resulted mass
spectra have been measured.
1:45 B4. Application of Atomic Coherence Effects to
Super-Resolution.
Ademola Jinadu and Kishor Kapale
Western Illinois University
Interaction of light with two-level atoms is well
understood through the phenomena of absorption,
spontaneous emission, and stimulated emission of
light. However, real atoms always have more than two
levels and this multi-level structure can be exploited
for variety of interesting applications. In general,
interaction of light with multi-level atoms generates
interference effects that are commonly termed as
atomic coherent effects, for example coherent
population trapping and electromagnetically induced
transparency. Through these atomic coherent effects
one has a controllable handle on the response of an
atomic medium to the light fields that are incident on it.
In this presentation I will present the interaction of
three level atoms with two light fields and how it can
cause emergence of structures smaller than the
wavelength of both the light fields that the atom is
interacting with. These ideas are applicable to atom
localization, nano-lithography, and microscopy beyond
the Rayleigh limit.
2:00 A2. Introductory Lab on the Structure of DNA.
Steven Daniels and Cherie Bibo Lehman
Eastern Illinois University
Active Learning
An introductory diffraction lab will be presented. This lab
delves into the search for an understanding of the
structure of DNA. The history surrounding the discovery
of the double helix structure will be presented. A model
representing the helical structure in a diffraction
experiment will be demonstrated. This introductory lab is
appropriate for life science students to experiment with
practical applications of optical diffraction showing x-ray
crystal diffraction. It will engage the student with the
important result that it explains the discovery and
measurement of the structure of DNA.
2:00 B5. Fluorescence in Silver-doped Lead Borate
Glass
Akinloluwa Olomoroti, Saisudha B. Mallur and P.K.
Babu Western Illinois University
We carried out Pb2+ fluorescence measurements in
lead borate glasses and studied the effect of adding
Ag into the base glass. Lead borate glasses
containing Ag (0, 1, 2 and 3 mol%) were prepared by
the usual melt quench method. The prepared glasses
were then annealed near the glass transition
temperature (400oC) at 5, 10, and 20 h. Fluorescence
spectra of all these samples were obtained using
different excitation wavelengths. In general, Pb2+
monomers are expected to have emission at
wavelength less than 400 nm. However, no emission
in this region was observed due to the base glass
absorption. The emission observed at 450 nm is
attributed to 3P1 → 1S0 transition of Pb2+ ions in dimer
centers. Addition of Ag enhances the Pb2+
luminescence intensity at 450 nm which also shows
an increase with the annealing time. The possible
mechanisms for the fluorescence enhancement in the
present glass could be the energy transfer from
isolated Ag particles and local field effects due to the
difference between the dielectric functions of the glass
matrix and the silver particles.
2:15 A3. Renewal of the Advanced Physics Laboratory
Course
Brian Davies
Western Illinois University
Teaching Methods
Many physics majors take an advanced laboratory
course intended as an introduction to modern
experimental physics. Few realize how problematic this
course has become in the current curriculum. To
address this issue, an organization of lab instructors has
been formed to address the basic rationale and role of
the course, serve as a mutual-aid society, and promote
the importance of this course in the undergraduate
curriculum. The Advanced Laboratory Physics
Association (ALPhA) will sponsor a summer meeting to
address a range of issues (jointly with APS, AAPT, and
others). Audience members will be asked about the
value of their own advanced lab experience.
2:15 B6. Influence of Silver and ZnSe Nanoparticles on
Electric-dipole and Magnetic-dipole Transitions of
Eu3+ doped Lead Borate glass
Stewart Ferrell, Mark S. Boley, P.K. Babu and
Saisudha B. Mallur, Western Illinois University
Fluorescence properties of Eu3+ doped lead borate
glasses containing either silver or zinc selenide
nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated. Lead borate
glasses containing Ag (0 and 3 mol%) and ZnSe (0
and 3 mol%) were prepared by the usual melt quench
method. The prepared glasses were then annealed
near the glass transition temperature (400oC) at 5, 10,
and 20 h. The effect of nanoparticles can be clearly
seen on the Eu3+ fluorescence transitions in the range
from 570 to 720 nm. Electric-dipole and magneticdipole transitions that originate from the Eu3+ level 5D0
→ 7F2 and 5D0 → 7F1 respectively, exhibit changes in
fluorescence intensity due to the presence of NPs.
The possible mechanisms for the fluorescence
enhancement in the present glass could be the energy
transfer from isolated NPs and due to the changes in
the structural environment of the Eu3+ ion induced by
the presence of the NPs.
2:30 - 3:00 Break - Refreshments - Loomis Foyer
3:00 - 3:05 Welcome - Prof. S. Lance Cooper, Associate Head for Graduate Programs, Dept. of Physics - Loomis 151
3:05 - 3:30
"Engage to Excel: Opportunities and risks of the national initiative
to improve STEM education"
Tim Stelzer
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Loomis 151
In February the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology wrote a report to the president titled:
"Engage to Excel: Producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics." This talk will briefly review the recommendations of this report, as well as some of the
steps we have taken at the University of Illinois to provide transformative and sustainable change in STEM education.
3:30 - 4:00
"Interactive Online Labs: Hands-on activities exactly when you need them"
Mats Selen
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Loomis 151
Labs can play an important role in introductory physics classes, however they can also present serious pedagogical
and administrative challenges. Are students experiencing the hands-on activities when they need it most? Is
group-work the best approach for all experiments? How can we deal with increasing class sizes and dwindling
budgets without diminishing the lab experience?
In this talk I will describe and demonstrate the innovative new Interactive Online Laboratory system being developed
by members of the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Illinois. This system will allow individual
students to perform sophisticated hands-on activities anywhere they have access to a computer, using inexpensive
wireless data acquisition hardware that they own themselves, guided by an online learning framework that delivers
content, displays and analyses data, and assesses performance.
Session C - Chair: Noah Schroeder
Faculty Presentations
Loomis 151
4:00 C1. Using Student-generated Screencasts for
Assessment
Andrew Morrison
Joliet Junior College
Teaching Methods
Many physics faculty are starting to use screencasts to
assess homework and lab reports from their students.
The screencasts are recorded by students who are
required to explain each step of the assigned work. The
mechanisms for assigning screencasts, recording them
and using them as a tool for assessment will be
discussed in this presentation. I will also discuss the
successes and challenges I've faced with implementing
screencasting into my introductory physics class this
semester.
Session D - Chair: Noella D'Cruz
Student Research Symposium
Loomis 141
4:00 D1. Calculation of Perturbed Excited States of
Argon
Jeffrey White
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Recent work suggests that collisional ionization in rare
gas atoms is primarily a two-step process in which the
outer electron is first promoted to an excited state and
then subsequently ionized. This presentation
describes theoretical work currently being done to
examine excited states in argon atoms. Of particular
interest is the effect of nearby ions on excited state
energies. A numerical Schroedinger equation solver is
used to calculate these energies. This program uses
the
finite-difference
time-domain
method
to
approximate Schrodinger equation solutions for an
arbitrary potential shape. In this case, a
psuedopotential is used to simulate the lower 17
electrons in an argon atom while a nearby ion is
simulated by the Coulomb potential from a point
charge. This work aims to determine the validity of the
gaseous atomic excited states in a cluster
environment and is a first step in understanding
important quantum mechanical effects in laser-cluster
interactions.
4:15 C2. Seeing the Invisible
James Rabchuk
Western Illinois University
Teaching Methods
This past year I taught a 1 credit hour seminar course
for Honors students at WIU, which I called "Seeing the
Invisible." This course grew out of my experiences in
helping teach our capstone science education course. I
structured the course around a simple question: How
can we obtain reliable knowledge about things we can't
see? The corollary question is: Why do we need to
worry about invisible things? I drew on literary sources,
as well as science and popular literature, and built each
class around demonstrations or experiments that
explored "invisible" phenomena such as Brownian
motion, high speed motion, sound, gravitation, cosmic
radiation, infrared radiation, etc. I'll present a few of
lecture topics, some of the readings and some of the
student responses to the class. I'll also try to draw some
conclusions about the need for such a course, not just
for honors students or teacher ed students, but also for
physics majors.
4:30 C3. The Physics of Theatre: A Scenario-Based
Interdisciplinary Course
Eric C. Martell, Millikin University and
Verda Beth Martell, University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign
Teaching Methods
The Physics of Theatre Project was started in 2003 with
the primary goal of helping theatre technicians utilize
basic physics concepts in scenery design and
construction. One of the outcomes of the project has
been a textbook and accompanying course, taught for
the first time in complete form this year at Millikin
University. The course was taught in a truly
interdisciplinary way, using faculty, equipment, and
facilities from both Physics and Theatre departments,
and focused on the direct application of physics
concepts to theatrical scenarios. The final "exam" for the
course required the students to design a series of
scenarios based on realistic theatrical situations, such
as motor-driven systems, rigging, and turntables, and
then perform the necessary calculations to analyze the
scenarios for practicality and equipment needs.
Outcomes of the course as well as impacts on future
coursework will be discussed.
4:45 C4. Using Angry Birds to Teach Computational
Thinking
Daniel DuBrow
Evanston Township High School
Teaching Methods
Working with Jason Hwang, a graduate student at
Northwestern University, we built upon others' lessons
with Angry Birds. In this lesson, we challenge students
to calculate the acceleration due to gravity, "g" in Angry
Birds world. We use this as an intermediate lesson on
the way to computational thinking exercises such as
programming physics simulations.
4:15 D2. ESPI in Two Dimensions
Josiah D. Kunz, and J. Scott Steckenrider
Illinois College
Electronic speckle pattern interferometry, or ESPI, is a
method for rapid quantification of surface motion with
sub-micron resolution which is applicable to any
opaque rough surface. This type of testing has proven
beneficial in many industries as a quality assurance
test, particularly in the fields of aerospace and
automotive engineering. In the current work involving
thermal expansion of a surface, the surface motion
was primarily in-plane, but occurred in two
dimensions. Consequently, ESPI in two dimensions
was developed to evaluate the sample. To analyze this
thermal expansion, a pre-existing one dimensional
ESPI system was modified to simultaneously evaluate
motion in both vertical and horizontal directions
through polarization multiplexing. The result was an
adaptable interface that allowed the user to quantify
two-dimensional
in-plane
deformation
with
ten-nanometer scale resolution. These results from a
particular controlled sample will be presented.
4:30 D3. Concentration-dependent Nonlinear Optical
Response of Silver Nanoparticles in Castor Oil
Trevor Smith and Abdullatif Hamad
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
In recent years, a large amount of research has been
devoted to understanding the optical characteristics of
composite systems consisting of a host material and
nanoparticles of a different material. In particular,
nonlinear optical processes, which become manifest in
the presence of intense laser irradiation, often produce
startling effects that are enhanced by the addition of
metallic
nanoparticles.
Here,
we
present
measurements of the thermally-induced change in the
refractive index of a silver nanoparticle/castor oil
system at various particle concentrations. The
samples were prepared via laser ablation, and the
refractive index change was measured using a closedaperture, pump/probe scanning technique known as
"x-scan". The results of this study and others like it
may have important applications in the development of
photonics devices.
4:45 D4. Using Lock-in Detection to Measure Faraday
Rotation of Nanoparticle Composites
Christopher Carr
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Faraday rotation describes the rotation of the plane of
polarization of light traversing a medium immersed in
an external magnetic field. These rotations are very
small for most materials, and accurate measurements
of these rotations for materials a few centimeters in
length can be quite difficult. Through the use of a
lock-in amplifier these values can be measured quite
accurately, even in the presence of large amounts of
noise. Using an experimental apparatus employing a
lock-in amplifier we took measurements for materials
with well known Verdet constants to test the accuracy
of our experimental technique. These measurements
proved to be quite accurate when compared with
published data. Currently we are using this apparatus
to investigate Faraday rotation in nanoparticle
composite samples, specifically CoAg nanoparticles
and Ag nanoparticles in castor oil. The effective length
of these samples is on the order of 100 nm making
Faraday rotation much harder to detect.
5:00 Take Fives - Loomis 151.
T1. Cherie Lehman
"Sound and Light Fun"
T2. James Rabchuk,
"Interesting and Worthwhile Demonstrations"
T3. Jeremy Paschke
"Using Journals in Conceptual Physics"
5:00 D5. Initial Preparations of a Large-scale
Astronomical Observatory
Cody Dirks
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Well-executed up-front design is extremely important
for the efficient operation of any observatory.
Preparing an observatory must take into account the
local environment and atmospheric conditions, which
may have a considerable effect on the necessary
design and operation of the telescope. Without taking
these conditions into consideration and making sure
they are properly negated, images are often too dim or
out of focus to use, and spectroscopic data may
appear shifted and/or filtered. We describe the design
and components that have been chosen for Southern
Illinois University - Edwardsville's new observatory and
the reason for selecting them. In addition, we explain
the timeline of construction, with a focus on the
integration of systems necessary to make the
observatory operate smoothly and allow for much
more efficient data acquisition. Finally, we investigate
future plans to automate data collection systems for
more accurate data runs.
5:30-6:30 Free Time
6:30-7:00 Social Time - Third floor Levis Faculty Center
7:00-7:45 Banquet - Third floor Levis Faculty Center
Presentation of Outstanding High School Physics Teacher Award to Jeremy Paschke, York High School, Elmhurst
7:45-8:45
"The Large Hadron Collider" - Probing the Universe at the biggest science project ever
Tony Liss
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Third floor Levis Faculty Center
The Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva, Switzerland took more than 10 years to build and hosts more than 5000
physicists trying to understand the tiniest building blocks of the Universe. I'll review what we know and what we don't
know about how the Universe works and give an up-to-the-minute status report of searches for missing pieces like the
Higgs boson and dark matter.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
7:00 ISAAPT Council meeting - Presiding: Brian Davies, President. Loomis 322
8:00 Registration - ESB 2nd Floor. Please make out your checks to "ISAAPT".
Session E - Chair: Tim Stelzer
Student Research Symposium: E1-E2
ESB 190
Session F - Chair: Steven Daniels
Student Research Symposium
MRL 280
8:15 E1. Charged Particle Dynamics in a Neutral Line 8:15 F1. Fermion and Boson Pair Creations
Magnetic Field: Energy Resonance Behavior
Matthew Ware
Connor Brennan
Illinois State University
Illinois State University
The magnetic neutral line field in the tail region of
the earth's magnetosphere causes particles to
behave in a very interesting manner. The
magnetosphere is the magnetic cavity carved out of
the solar wind by the earth's internal magnetic field.
The magnetic field has a long tail extending from
the side of the earth opposite the sun. In this tail,
plasma instabilities, brought on by solar winds
"hitting" the magnetosphere, are thought to cause
magnetic storms and the Aurora Borealis. We
research the basic plasma physics behind these
instabilities using computer simulations of charged
particles, looking for signatures that could
potentially be observed on spacecraft. We use a
program to calculate the trapping time of particles in
the neutral line field, as a function of energy. We
examine this data for resonances.
8:30 E2. Charged Particles in a Neutral Line
Magnetic Field: Final State Sensitivity
Jamie Svetich and Richard Martin
Illinois State University
Interactions between plasma particles and Earth's
magnetic field are relevant to magnetic storms,
which affect the aurora, radio communications, and
the power grid. Observations indicate a region in the
Earth's magnetotail is important in the dynamical
processes involved. In this talk we will concentrate
on particle dynamics in a magnetic neutral line field,
where the magnetic field goes to zero along a line
across the magnetotail. Previous work has shown
scattering in a current sheet field has fractal
behavior and we would like to see if the neutral line
exhibits the same properties. The motion is known
to be chaotic for some parameters and I will
investigate final state sensitivity after the particles
scatter off the neutral line region.
Using numerical solutions to quantum field theory, the creation
of particle-antiparticle pairs from the vacuum due to a strong
external localized electric field is explored. It is shown that the
presence of an incoming fermion can suppress the creation of
fermion-antifermion pairs by the external field, and the
consequences of this fact for the so-called Klein paradox are
discussed. In contrast to the fermionic system, an incoming
boson enhances boson-antiboson creation rates through the
process of stimulated emission. It is shown that this leads to an
exponentional self-amplification of boson pairs in a supercritical
potential well.
8:30 F2. Causality in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field
Theory
Benjamin Shields
Illinois State University
Superluminal motion and its connection to causality is explored
in the context of quantum mechanical systems. It is shown that,
while the mean velocity of a quantum wave packet may be less
than c, certain portions of the wavepacket may still spread
superluminally. Criteria are developed that can be used to
determine if a wavepacket is spreading superluminally, and
these criteria are used to show that the relativistic Schrodinger
equation is non-causal and that up to 8% of the wavepacket
may violate causality. It is also verified that the Dirac and KleinGordon equations are causal, and extensions of this work to
quantum field theories are briefly discussed.
8:45
Faculty Presentations: E3-E5
E3. Effect of Introductory Physics on Statics
Concept Inventory (SCI) Scores
Tom Carter
College of DuPage
Teaching Methods
The engineering community has its own
organization of educators, the ASEE, and its own
set of conceptual inventories, including the Statics
Concept Inventory (SCI). I will provide data on the
effect of taking an introductory physics class on
students' SCI score. I will look at their scores both at
the end of the physics class and the end of the
engineering statics class. This may assist in
answering the question: "Should physics be a
pre-req for the engineering statics class?"
9:00 E4. Assessment Guiding Instruction in Physics
Robert E. Lang
Glenbard South High School
Teaching Methods
The presenter will share methods he uses in his
physics classes to assess student understanding
and guide his instruction. Topics include pre/postassessments, grouping of students, formative
assessments, lab assessments and summative
assessments. The presenter will begin with
explaining the framework of correcting student
misconceptions in physics. He will then talk about
how he uses pre-assessment data to group
students according to their needs. Then he will
discuss how he uses multiple formative
assessments to improve student understandings.
The presentation will conclude with a discussion of
how summative assessments (unit exams) are used
to guide instruction after the unit is over.
9:15 E5. Physics and the K-12 Frameworks
Tom Foster
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Teaching Methods
In March, 2012, the National Research Council
released "A Framework for K-12 Science
Education." Intended to replace the existing
National Science Education Standards and the
AAAS Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy, the
Frameworks make sweeping changes to how
physics is conceptualized. The Frameworks will be
used by Achieve Inc. to create standards and
assessments intended for use in over 40 states.
Given the scope and significance, every physics
and chemistry teacher should be aware of how K-12
education will be changing.
9:30 Break - Refreshments - ESB 2nd Floor
8:45 F3. Space and Time Correlation Functions for Dressed
Bosonic Vacuum States
Andrew Vikartofsky
Illinois State University
We analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of virtual
particles in the vacuum states of one-dimensional φ2- and
φ4-model systems. The properties of the vacuum state for the
φ2-system can be found analytically, which allows us to
compute all spatial and temporal correlations exactly. The
momentum distribution of the vacuum virtual pairs is examined
as well as the spatial and temporal correlations between virtual
particles for both systems. We argue that almost all of the
vacuum's properties can be explained in the usual particles
terms.
9:00 F4. Reconstruction of Objects in Turbid Media
Ben Rogers
Illinois State University
Methods for using laser light to detect multiple unknown objects
inside of random media are discussed. The measured shadow
pattern can be decomposed into its component "eigenshadows"
by diagonalizing the covariance matrix. It is shown that the
resolution of objects that are upstream and closer to the
incoming laser light is lower than the resolution of objects
further downstream, and techniques to improve the resolution of
objects are also discussed. Finally, a method of detecting
objects by minimizing χ2 while scanning through various
positions for the object is introduced.
9:15 F5. Test of a Minimization Scheme for Imaging with the
Presence of Noise
Brandon Graybeal
Illinois State University
Simulations for detecting objects inside of biological materials
by using laser light are presented. Our method uses the
weighted shadow patterns of objects at fixed locations to
"mask" one section of the detection region, so that objects in
the unmasked region can be located by scanning through
various locations and minimizing χ2. It is shown that when
random noise is introduced, the method is very robust when
only a single object is present in the medium but that detection
of multiple objects can be very sensitive to noise.
10:00
"Flex Paced Flipped Mastery Physics"
Rob White and Bill Sadler
Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School
ESB 190
Physics is flipped on its head with over 60 explorations during the year. With lecture moved out of the class as homework
and learning activities in the classroom, students are actively involved in an individual, deep understanding of the topics at
hand. Your students create a log book that averages 30-40 pages per chapter.
Using direct, peer, or one-to-one instruction the teachers are free to spend valuable class time helping students, doing
learning activities, and using online video and tools such as Phets, and Gizmos. Add Moodle functions and mastery learning
and the students are able to work at their own pace. Using check-in procedure, podcasts, in-class activities and mastery
tests students are able to truly LEARN rather than play the drill and test game.
This method applies to any of the sciences and can easily be transformed to other disciplines. Come to our presentation and
explore the possible. With today's movement towards student growth you cannot wait another year to engage your learners.
10:30
"Support to Excel: Professional Development for In-service Teachers"
Morten Lundsgaard
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
ESB 190
In its recent report, "Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics", the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommends
stronger connections between high schools and colleges. In this talk, I will discuss different approaches to establishing
connections between high school physics teachers and colleges, in particular a program for in-service teachers that the
physics department of UIUC is developing.
Session G - Chair: Katie Crimmins
ESB 190
11:00 G1. Negative Refractive Index in Atomic Media
Amitabh Joshi
Eastern Illinois University
Research
We discuss the possibility of generating negative
index of refraction in an atomic medium. The
medium is consisting of five energy levels in K-type
configuration
and
interacting
with
four
electromagnetic fields. Both electric and magnetic
dipole transitions are considered. The calculation of
refractive index is provided by solving density matrix
of atom-field system at finite temperature and
obtaining coherence parameter. The interference
arising due to the nearby decaying levels is also
included in the model which is found to be a very
important mechanism in producing negative
refractive index in the atomic medium. The atomic
system exhibits negative electrical permittivity as
well
as
negative
magnetic
permeability
simultaneously, and consequently shows the
negative refractive index for certain range of
physical parameters characterizing the system.
Session H - Chair: Brianne Gutmann
MRL 280
Student Research Symposium
11:00 H1. Multi-runner Algorithm for Image Inversion
Alexander Su
Illinois State University
A technique to locate rods inside of a highly scattering medium
is presented. The detected shadow pattern which is cast by an
incoming laser beam is used to reconstruct the location of the
rods. The method is based on a scanning technique where a
weighted, double-rod configuration scans through the medium
and the weights of the rods' shadows are fitted to the observed
shadow pattern. It is shown that one of the fitting weights
vanishes when the location of the desired rod is found. Finally, it
is demonstrated that the method is less sensitive to noise than
a prior method based on minimizing χ2.
11:15 G2. Phone Cord Lab
Deborah Lojkutz and Ann Brandon
Joliet West High School
Active Learning
We will present a lab activity that uses a simple
phone cord to allow students to investigate the
nature of waves and discover for themselves the
relationships that exist between a wave's
wavelength, frequency, period and speed.
11:15 H2. Computational Near Earth Asteroid Search
Tyler Linder and Jie Zou
Eastern Illinois University
NASA has a Congressional Mandate to find and track all Near
Earth Objects (NEOs) greater than 1 km in size. A NEO is any
object that comes within 1.3 AU (1.9 x 1011 m) of Earth. Near
Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are a large portion of the NEO
population. Asteroids 1 km in size and larger have the potential
to cause severe damage to Earth if an impact ever occurs. The
Astronomical Research Institute (ARI) of Westfield, Illinois has
been the world's leading follow-up (tracking) observatory of
NEAs for the past three years. Oftentimes unknown asteroids
are discovered while conducting these follow up observations.
However, the techniques ARI uses in the follow-up process
reduce the likelihood of discovering unknown NEAs. The
proposed research project is to develop a computer algorithm
that will search ARIs images for unknown asteroids. This
computer algorithm will increase the chance of discovering
unknown asteroids by a factor of 100.
11:30 G3. Discussion Topics in an Online Introductory 11:30 H3. Computer Simulations of Wetting for Materials of
Astronomy Course.
Varying Wettabilities
Noella D'Cruz
Hannah Tanquary and Jie Zou
Joliet Junior College
Eastern Illinois University
Teaching Methods
Joliet Junior College offers Introductory Astronomy
(ASTR 101) for non-science majors in the online
format in addition to the face-to-face-format. At the
Fall 2010 ISAAPT meeting, I talked about how I
developed the online version of this course. The
online setting offers different opportunities for
student interaction compared to the face-to-face
format. Usually students interact with each other
using discussion boards. They are encouraged to
include links to websites and attachments in their
discussion board posts. At this meeting, I would like
to present discussion board topics that I have used
in my online offerings of ASTR 101, and how
students have responded to them.
11:45 Take Fives
T4. Noella D'Cruz
"New Frontiers in Astronomy Essay
and Grant Competition"
T5. Andrew Morrison
"The Global Physics Department"
Wetting is an important topic in science and has many
applications in engineering. Wetting refers to a phenomenon
where a liquid (such as water) keeps contact with the surface of
a solid (such as glass). Different solids have different
wettabilities. In terms of physics and chemistry, wetting is the
result of intermolecular interactions (adhesive forces) between a
liquid and solid and those (cohesive forces) within the liquid.
Theory has suggested that wettability depend on the relative
strength between the adhesive and cohesive forces. The
purpose of this project is to test the above theory by performing
detailed computer simulations. Our simulations will be based on
a computational method known as the Monte Carlo simulation.
Specifically, in our simulations, we will investigate how the
contact angle (a measure of wettability) depends on the relative
strength between the adhesive and cohesive forces.
11:45 H4. Detecting Analytes using Nanocantilever-based
Biosensors
Patrick Snyder and Amitabh Joshi
Eastern Illinois University
Trends in healthcare research have recently shifted focus from
simply treating illness to prevention and early detection.
Biosensors are becoming increasingly important for detecting
illnesses early. These homeostatic imbalances that are telltale
signs of illness, can only be measured on the nanoscale. A
nanoscale biosensor most suitable for the monitoring of such
imbalances is based on the use of nanocantilevers. These
microscopic 'diving boards' are covered with probes that serve
as a type of biological magnet that attracts a specific amino
acid, enzyme, or protein in the body. These binding probes on
the silicon cantilever attract target particles, and as the analyte
collides and binds with the cantilever, it causes these boards to
oscillate with a certain frequency and amplitude. In this
research work we have interpreted the amplitude and frequency
of oscillations exhibited by the cantilever. This was done to
obtain a better quantitative understanding of nanocantilever
biosensors.
12:00 Lunch - It must be ordered with Registration. Your sandwich choice is on your name tag.
ESB 2nd Floor Awards for the Student Research Symposium