A few months ago I was asked to serve on the Physics Teacher Advisory Group (PTAG) at Appalachian. We had our first meeting on Friday The goal of PTAG is to have 5 students graduate each year and have a license to teach physics. This could be through getting a physics major or even a minor from another STEM area. To be honest this will be a hard but not impossible goal to hit but one the committee hopes to reach.

The first colloquium on Friday was very well attended by about 30 students and some professors. I was impressed by the turnout to be honest and lots of good Q&A.

Anyway, being asked by the Physics and Astronomy Department to be a part of this was one of the top three events in my professional life as a physics teacher over the last 28 years, mainly because it was Appalachian that asked me to be a part of this work.

Actually, I’d love to donate to this. Can I directly? We need more great physicists!

appalum2003 wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:05 pm

Actually, I’d love to donate to this. Can I directly? We need more great physicists!

Part of the day was brainstorming ideas and one item discussed is funding. The department received a grant but that mostly pays for the physicist-in-residence salary and costs to attend one conference a year for a professor.

Some of the things we are thinking of include pre-service and in-service work with teachers. The in-service level is partly to build a network that will have teachers recruiting to suggest students in high school consider physics teaching as a career path and in particular to attend App State for this degree. I did suggest setting up a fund to accept donations, and that is going to be looked into. I give a donation each year to Chemistry for my wife, Physics and Astronomy for myself, and RCOE for both my wife and myself and also our oldest daughter. I would not mind all or part of my Physics donation going to PTAG.

I did pay for my travel to Boone Friday. Parking was $10 and I needed to eat a meal on the way up and down the mountain. Had the snow not arrived I would have been out $50 for a personal day to offset the pay for a substitute. I would easily have been out over $100 for the meeting. The money for this program is tight and there was not even a suggestion of any honorarium or even a parking voucher be given to me. (The other members are much more local to the area.) I am not sure if I would have even taken the money if offered, but I do work a second job on weekends so it is not like I am rolling in the dough either. I would like to think I would have told the professors to put the money offered to me back into PTAG this time and when I am at the next meeting I may or may not take the money then but hopefully I would always refuse, but always appreciate being asked about covering my expenses.

I say all of this to agree that having some donations go into a PTAG fund once it is set up would be good way to support App State on the academic side.

If you sent a check in now to the Physics and Astronomy Dept and mention PTAG I am sure they will put any funds into PTAG activities.

THANKS!! I did not post this to ask for money but am humbled you would offer to send money for this deserving program.

McLeansvilleAppFan wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:20 pm

A few months ago I was asked to serve on the Physics Teacher Advisory Group (PTAG) at Appalachian. We had our first meeting on Friday The goal of PTAG is to have 5 students graduate each year and have a license to teach physics. This could be through getting a physics major or even a minor from another STEM area. To be honest this will be a hard but not impossible goal to hit but one the committee hopes to reach.

The first colloquium on Friday was very well attended by about 30 students and some professors. I was impressed by the turnout to be honest and lots of good Q&A.

Anyway, being asked by the Physics and Astronomy Department to be a part of this was one of the top three events in my professional life as a physics teacher over the last 28 years, mainly because it was Appalachian that asked me to be a part of this work.

McL, this is a lofty and commendable goal and an honor for you. Problem is, students entering the teaching majors in all the University system schools are down over 30% the past couple years and science and math have always been low. They can find more lucrative jobs in the private sector.

NewApp wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 24, 2020 9:06 am

McLeansvilleAppFan wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:20 pm

A few months ago I was asked to serve on the Physics Teacher Advisory Group (PTAG) at Appalachian. We had our first meeting on Friday The goal of PTAG is to have 5 students graduate each year and have a license to teach physics. This could be through getting a physics major or even a minor from another STEM area. To be honest this will be a hard but not impossible goal to hit but one the committee hopes to reach.

The first colloquium on Friday was very well attended by about 30 students and some professors. I was impressed by the turnout to be honest and lots of good Q&A.

Anyway, being asked by the Physics and Astronomy Department to be a part of this was one of the top three events in my professional life as a physics teacher over the last 28 years, mainly because it was Appalachian that asked me to be a part of this work.

McL, this is a lofty and commendable goal and an honor for you. Problem is, students entering the teaching majors in all the University system schools are down over 30% the past couple years and science and math have always been low. They can find more lucrative jobs in the private sector.

Oh, I am aware and it is going to be hard to hit our goal but there are some universities that do this year-in year-out. One good thing about physics education is the job security. We are rare though you are correct in that lots of education major are getting rarer than they used to be.

Also, if anyone is interested in physics resources, our friends at Georgia State FINALLY did something right and made a great website with TONS of information. It's not the most "modern" looking site, but has everything you could be looking for:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html

I reference this site all the time and love it!

Physics is our future! I mean, it's literally the explanation for why everything is anything. And ANYONE can learn core concepts! Even me!

Sure hope you can find those teachers. Even though I graduate with a degree in finance, physics was my favorite subject and it’s really what got me through college. I took most of if not all of the lower level physics classes at App. Physics taught me how to problem solve. I always recommend physics to the kids I know who are entering college. Look at that, we found some common ground, we both love physics.

I have never been to dark sky but I really want to go, any suggestion about when to go.

appalum2003 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:22 am

Also, if anyone is interested in physics resources, our friends at Georgia State FINALLY did something right and made a great website with TONS of information. It's not the most "modern" looking site, but has everything you could be looking for:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html

I reference this site all the time and love it!

Physics is our future! I mean, it's literally the explanation for why everything is anything. And ANYONE can learn core concepts! Even me!

I hit up hyperphysics every now and then. I like the site and it is certainly capable of running on older browsers, which is not a bad thing.

The NC Physics Teacher meeting is being hosted by HPU in a few weeks and we are holding a joint meeting with SACS (SC and Ga) and I am hoping a few professors come up from GaSt.

Mjohn1988 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 24, 2020 3:41 pm

Sure hope you can find those teachers. Even though I graduate with a degree in finance, physics was my favorite subject and it’s really what got me through college. I took most of if not all of the lower level physics classes at App. Physics taught me how to problem solve. I always recommend physics to the kids I know who are entering college. Look at that, we found some common ground, we both love physics.

I have never been to dark sky but I really want to go, any suggestion about when to go.

Hit their website and they post on Facebook often. Dr. Caton does this work so you can drop him an email.

They do charge a bit for the viewing now to help offset the cost of the ticketing system and there are some minor costs to doing the outreach. Also charging a small amount cuts down on the number of folks getting tickets and not showing up. I don't go that often since it is two hours away but it is worth the money in my view to at least do once. It really is a very nice observatory with the visitor center.

I think they have an observing session this coming weekend and tickets may still be available.

https://dso.appstate.edu/

I was asked to post this for anyone interested in donating to PTAG.

Jennifer L. Burris, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor
Physics and Astronomy
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262 - 4956

Dr. Burris asked about the message board I had posted to as I emailed here about the positive reception that had been received on YC. I gave her the link to this thread.

Between my daughter being a member of YC and now Dr. Burris reading this thread I guess I need to be on my best behavior now, so no more immature jokes about Georgia Southern from me.

Don't you EVER stop making fun of Baby Georgia! Ever!

McLeansvilleAppFan wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 25, 2020 12:37 pm

I was asked to post this for anyone interested in donating to PTAG.

Jennifer L. Burris, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor
Physics and Astronomy
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262 - 4956

Dr. Burris asked about the message board I had posted to as I emailed here about the positive reception that had been received on YC. I gave her the link to this thread.

Between my daughter being a member of YC and now Dr. Burris reading this thread I guess I need to be on my best behavior now, so no more immature jokes about Georgia Southern from me.