How can NY State physics research PI's and K-12 physics teachers better collaborate?

Physics Alliance Building Conference 8-10August 2003

Hosted by the Cornell Center for Nanoscale Systems Institute for Physics Teachers (CIPT)

Precis

This summer, Cornell CIPT will host a two and a half-day Physics Alliance Building Conference devoted to developing a network of NY state physics and physical science researchers seeking opportunities for meaningful teacher outreach and NY physics teachers' alliances seeking collaboration with research PIs and other alliances. We anticipate an attendance of about seventy-five invited physics researchers and educators.

The ABC will include presentations, panels and critical discussions of Cornell CIPT K-12 physics curricular materials, funding opportunities for physics teachers' alliances and physics PIs, presentations by various physics teachers' alliances and physics PIs, the collection of data and online publication of a directory of NY physics alliances and physics PIs active and interested in K-12 outreach, presentations by AAPT-NYSS and the establishment of a central repository of information physics alliances and physics research PI information. In particular, we hope to establish collaborations and partnerships that guide future K-12 and teacher preparation eforts in the NYS physics community. We also hope to build a basis for future ABCs in earth science, chemistry, biology and mathematics. Dr. Joe Zawicki has prepared a draft introduction describing some history of NYS Physics alliances, mainly from a WNY perspective.

We invite you to send appropriate representatives of your alliance, LEA, research group, department or organization to the Physics ABC. We invite you to make a very brief presentation of your group's needs and offerings for the promotion of K-12 physics education, and to contribute data to our online directory of interested parties.

Conference participants with research funds for K-12 outreach are required to pay their own expenses (about $150-300 depending on dorm or hotel residence), and funding for approximately fifty K-12 physics educators will be available as a grant from CIPT. See <http://www.cns.cornell.edu/cipt/ABCSum03/>

A draft schedule of this conference is available at<http://physicsed.buffalostate.edu/cipt/ABCSum03/dox/DraftABCSched27Jun03.htm>.

Please download registration materials from <http://physicsed.buffalostate.edu/cipt/ABCSum03/dox/ABCRegistration.pdf> or contact Monica Plish of the Cornell CNS at <mjp11@cornell.edu>.