62nd Annual Conference
of the
American Association of Physics Teachers
Central Pennsylvania Section
AAPT-CPS
March 21-22, 2014
62nd Annual Conference
of the
American Association of Physics Teachers
Central Pennsylvania Section
Misericordia University
Dallas, PA
March 21-22, 2014
Acknowledgements:
The AAPT-CPS gratefully acknowledges financial support for the
62nd Conference provided by the following:


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Department of Physics, Misericordia University (Michael
Orleski, Ph.D., Chair)
College of Arts & Sciences, Misericordia University (Russ
Pottle, Ph.D., Dean)
Misericordia University (Thomas Botzman, Ph.D., President and
Mari King, Ed.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs)
PROGRAM
Friday, March 21, 2014
PTRA WORKSHOP
PTRA WORKSHOP – Physics Laboratory
307 Hafey-McCormick Science Hall
8:00 - 8:30
PTRA Registration
8:30 - 11:30 Morning Session
11:30 - 12:30 Lunch – Metz Dining Room in the Banks
Student Life Building
12:30 - 3:00 Afternoon Session
AAPT-CPS
Insalaco Hall (2nd Floor)
4:00 - 7:00 AAPT-CPS Conference Registration – Outside
Room 218
5:00 - 6:00 Poster Session – Outside Room 218
6:00 - 6:30 Reception – Outside Room 218
6:30 - 7:50 Banquet Dinner – Room 218
8:00 - 8:10 Welcome address by Thomas Botzman,Ph.D.
President of Misericordia University
(216 & 217 Insalaco Hall)
8:10 - 9:00 Keynote Address – Robert C. Hilborn, Ph.D.
The Revised Medical College Admission Test
and the Next Generation Science Standards:
Implications for Science Education
Open to the Public
PROGRAM
Saturday, March 22nd, 2014
Hafey-McCormick Science Hall
8:00 - 8:30 Continental Breakfast – 2nd Floor
8:00 - 10:00 Registration – Lobby
PLENARY SESSIONS
8:30 - 10:00
Talks – Room 206
10:00 - 10:20
Break & Book Grab
10:20 - 11:00
Talks – Room 206
11:00 - 12:00
General Business Meeting – Room 206
12:00 - 1:30
Lunch – On Your Own
12:00 - 1:30
Executive Board Meeeting (Room 019
Insalaco Hall)
1:30 - 2:30
Talks – Room 206
2:30 - 3:00
Break & Equipment Grab
3:00 - 3:30
Demos – Room 206
3:30 - 3:45
Ticket Drawing & Closing – Room 206
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Robert C. Hilborn, Ph.D.
Robert C. Hilborn is Associate Executive Officer of the
American Association of Physics Teachers. A graduate of
Lehigh University and Harvard University, he has held physics
faculty positions at Oberlin College, Amherst College, the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Texas at
Dallas. His research includes work in experimental and
theoretical atomic, molecular, and optical physics and in
nonlinear dynamics. Author of Chaos and Nonlinear
Dynamics (Oxford University Press, 2nd Ed., 2000), his recent
work has focused on applying nonlinear dynamics to analyze
problems in neuroscience and the dynamics of genetic
networks. He has served as President of the American
Association of Physics Teachers and on the Advisory
Committee for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Directorate of the NSF, on the Board of Advisors for the
College of Science, Engineering, and Technology of Jackson
State University, the AAMC-HHMI Committee on the
Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, and the AAMC
MR5 MCAT review committee. During the early 2000s he led
the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics and its
SPIN-UP study of thriving undergraduate physics programs.
He is also the leader of the Physics and Astronomy New
Faculty Workshops, funded by NSF, that have introduced over
1600 new physics and astronomy faculty members to the latest
science pedagogy and the research that supports that pedagogy.
He has also served as staff organizer for the Physics
Department Chairs Conference hosted jointly by the American
Physical Society and the American Association of Physics
Teachers.
LIST OF TALKS
206 Hafey-McCormick Science Hall
8:30 – 8:40
In memory of Frank Donahoe
Lynn Aldrich
Misericordia University
8:40 – 9:00
Reflections of a Retiring Physics Professor or
What I Wish I Knew When I Started
Teaching
Lynn Aldrich
Misericordia University
9:00 – 9:20
An Exploration in Digital Astronomy and
History: The Lincoln Almanac Trial of 1857
Christopher Shope
Harrisburg Area Community College
9:20 – 9:40
Understanding the Lessons of the Physics
Olympiad Exam
Gregory L. Dolise
Harrisburg Area Community College
9:40 – 10:00 Doceri in the Physics Classroom
Michael R. Gallis
Penn State-Schuylkill
10:00 – 10:20 Break & Book Grab – outside Room 206
10:20 – 10:40 Use of LED Lights as Photovoltaics
Glenn Gallik & Wayne Latchford
Lewisburg Area High School
10:40 – 11:00 Visualizing Sound with an Electro-optical
Eardrum
Nicholas P. Truncale & Michelle T. Graham
University of Scranton
11:00 – 12:00 General Business Meeting
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch (on Your Own)
1:30 – 1:50
Determing Beat Frequency with Data
Acquisition Software
Gregory L. Dolise
Harrisburg Area Community College
1:50 – 2:10
Cosmic Ray Research with Undergraduates
at Lock Haven University
John Reid
Lock Haven University
2:10 – 2:30
The Ultimate Bid: A Biomechanical Study of
the Impact Forces of Sports Dives
Kyle Roseberry & Mehmet Goksu
Millersville University
2:30 – 3:00
Break Outside Room 206
& Equipment Grab – Outside Room 307
3:00 – 3:30
Demos
3:30 – 3:45
Ticket Drawing for Prizes &
Closing of Meeting
ABSTRACTS FOR POSTERS
Friday, Outside 218 Insalaco Hall
Service Learning in Introductory Astronomy at Misericordia
University
Michael Orleski
Misericordia University
morleski@misericordia.edu
Misericordia University’s Introduction to Astronomy course during the Fall
2010 semester incorporated a Service Learning component. The students in
a Service Learning course use course content in a service project. They
then reflect on the service and how it affected their learning. The
Astronomy students held observations for two groups of local elementary
school students. The poster provides details on Service Learning and the
observation sessions.
ABSTRACTS FOR TALKS
Saturday, 206 Hafey-McCormick Science Hall
8:30 – 8:40
In memory of Frank Donahoe
Lynn Aldrich
8:40 – 9:00 AM
Reflections of a Retiring Physics Professor or What I Wish I Knew
When I Started Teaching
Lynn Aldrich, Misericordia University
laldrich@misericordia.edu
I will reflect on the profession of teaching based on my experience teaching
in high school, DOD school, and college in the U.S. and overseas. What we
knew when I started teaching in 1970 is very different from what we know
now about what best contributes to student learning. The technology when I
started teaching in 1970 is very different from the technology we now have,
which has facilitated changes in classroom and lab methodology.
9:00 – 9:20 AM
An Exploration in Digital Astronomy and History: The Lincoln
Almanac Trial of 1857
Christopher Shope, Harrisburg Area Community College
ccshope@hacc.edu
As educators in the physical sciences, we always ask ourselves how we
might engage those students who have little interest or background in
science. While some can appreciate the captivating images of astronomy,
for example, it is often difficult to present the deeper content in a relatable
way. We can, however, draw material and ideas from other disciplines. In
this mini-lesson, we examine a concept in a historical context and the role
astronomy played in the famous Lincoln Almanac Trial of 1857. Lincoln
used some knowledge of the night sky and the phases of the moon to shed
some light on this case... but was he right?
9:20 – 9:40 AM
Understanding the Lessons of the Physics Olympiad Exam
Gregory L. Dolise, Harrisburg Area Community College
gldolise@hacc.edu
A discussion of the Physics Olympiad F = MA exam and it's implication for
college professors. Although the exam is specifically for high school
students, college professors can learn about their own students from
understanding what AAPt expects of high school students. Reasons for
students to take the exam will be discussed, as will its use in teaching both
college and high school physics.
9:40 – 10:00 AM
Doceri in the Physics Classroom
Michael R. Gallis, Penn State-Schuylkill
mrg3@psu.edu
Doceri is a "smart board" technology which uses an iPad app to control a
presentation workstation. The user can drive presentations, annotate
materials, record both video and stills using an iPad which can also be
handed off to students for "board work" in the classroom. This presentation
will highlight some the successes, frustrations and novel applications I've
come across while learning to use this technology in a pilot project at Penn
State.
10:00 – 10:20 AM
Break & Book Grab – outside Room 206
10:20 – 10:40 AM
Use of LED Lights as Photovoltaics
Glenn Gallik (Researcher) & Wayne Latchford (Instructor/Advisor)
Lewisburg Area High School
latchford_w@lasd.us
Renewable energy is taking an increasingly important role in the energy
grid. Solar energy is currently one of the most promising and widely used
renewable energy sources. The research focused on the photovoltaic
properties of common LED lights and their potential to be used to produce
energy. This research focused on the potential for LED lights to generate
power at usable, storeable, levels. Tests were conducted on an array of 150
LED lights that were attached to a rechargeable battery that could be
monitored. It was found that the LED light array was capable of generating
both amperage and voltage, and that this energy could be easily stored in
batteries. The data clearly showed potential for LED lights to be used as a
source of energy.
10:40 – 11:00 AM
Visualizing Sound with an Electro-optical Eardrum
Nicholas P. Truncale & Michelle T. Graham
University of Scranton
nicholas.truncale@scranton.edu
As science educators, one of our important responsibilities is ensuring
students possess the proper tools and accommodations to examine
phenomena in a laboratory setting. It is our job to innovate methods
enabling students with disabilities to participate in all aspects of
investigations. The presentation describes an experimental accommodation
allowing a deaf student to determine and plot the sensitivity of an electrooptical eardrum (patent pending) in the sound range of 10-150 Hz.
Published in the February Issue of "The Physics Teacher" journal.
http://scitation.aip.org/content/aapt/journal/tpt/52/2/10.1119/1.4862107
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
General Business Meeting
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Lunch – On Your Own
1:30 – 1:50 PM
Determing Beat Frequency with Data Acquisition Software
Gregory L. Dolise, Harrisburg Area Community College
gldolise@hacc.edu
A simple method of determining the beat frequency of two closely matched
tuning forks will be discussed. Results using PASCO data acquisition and
analysis software will be shown for different beat frequencies. Student
ability to analyze the results in terms of difficulty will be discussed.
1:50 – 2:10 PM
Cosmic Ray Research with Undergraduates at Lock Haven University
John Reid, Lock Haven University
jreid@lhup.edu
Since 2006, senior physics majors at Lock Haven University have
participated in an ongoing cosmic ray research project as part of a capstone
research methods course. The project involves doing initial background
research on theoretical and experimental discoveries that trace cosmic rays
from formation to interaction in the atmosphere to detection of shower byproducts that reach the ground. Students are tasked, in a research group
environment, to design, build and carry out an experiment to detect cosmic
ray products. This talk will summarize the history and evolution of this
course.
2:10 – 2:30 PM
The Ultimate Bid: A Biomechanical Study of the Impact of Forces of
Sports Dives
Kyle Roseberry and Dr. Mehmet Goksu, Millersville University
mehmet.goksu@millersville.edu
Ultimate, commonly misnamed Ultimate Frisbee, began in Columbia High
School in 1968. The sport involves passing a discus from one side of the
field to the other end zone. Although classified as a non-contact sport, a
technique used to catch discs out of reach is to “bid” or “lay out” resulting
in frequent player-ground contact. The most common injuries are
concussions and shoulder injuries to Ultimate players. The main goal of this
research is to determine if there is any significant difference in bidding
variables such as running speed, experience, and technique that could lead
to increased chance of injury. Volunteers were asked to answer questions
pertaining to experience level in Ultimate, then performed different types of
bids at different speeds onto a crash mat. Such research is crucial to help
Ultimate athlete’s better train and prepare safer techniques to help reduce
injuries related the laying out in the sport.
2:30 – 3:00
Break Outside Room 206
& Equipment Grab – Outside Room 307
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Demos
3:30 – 3:45 PM
Ticket Drawing for Prizes & Closing of Meeting
Keynote Address
Friday March 21, 2014, 8:00 PM
216 & 217 Insalaco Hall
Open to the Public
The Revised Medical College Admission Test and
the Next Generation Science Standards:
Implications for Science Education
Robert C. Hilborn, Ph.D
Associate Executive Officer
American Association of Physics Teachers
Member of the AAMC-HHMI Committee on the Scientific
Foundations for Future Physicians and
the AAMC MR5 MCAT review committee.