1:00

Show and Tell

1:15

Invited talk: Robert Cousins (UCLA)- Observation of a new particle at CERN -- the long-sought Higgs boson?

The Higgs Boson was postulated nearly five decades ago as a crucial element of the modern theory of the forces of nature, and has been the subject of worldwide searches ever since. On July 4, two huge collaborations, working at the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva, announced independent observations of a Higgs-like boson. I will describe the motivation, the experiments, the data, and the interpretation.

2:15

Planetarium Show: Jan Dobias (CSUN)

2:45

Bill Layton (UCLA)-Transformer basics, wall warts and vampires

In an effort to develop an inexpensive demonstration of reflected transformer impedance, a convincing demonstration evolved to show why the utility companies are worried about the constant power drain from plug in wall transformers, even when the device connected is off or disconnected.

3:00

Sissi Li (CSU Fullerton)- Techniques for Developing the Undergraduates’ Identity in the Physics Community

Physics teachers teach more than physics content. Implicitly and explicitly, teachers model what doing physics means and how to be a member of physics communities. We show that real world connection is important by asking students to make sense of real physical situations. From the student side, they learn what is expected of them in the discipline and the extent to which they can influence the community. By being a part of a physics classroom community, teachers and students contribute to the students’ physics learner identity development. This talk will highlight research findings about some of the ways of contributing.

3:15

James Lincoln (Tarbut V’ Torah HS) - Techniques for Successful Student Films

Engaging students through the production of student films has become an instructional method that has gained in popularity in recent years. For this reason, it would be beneficial for someone with expertise in this area to provide guidance and instruction on how to arrange a unit around this instructional model.  In this talk I outline a unit I taught on making short science films.  Included are resources and tips for instruction on how to structure, develop and produce successful student films.

3:30

Nancy McIntyre (Robotics Education and Competition Foundation) – Grants Available for Robotics Programs

I have a number of grants available to help begin VEX Robotics teams in Arizona, New Mexico and California schools.  The value of each of the  grants is $1,200.00.  Including team program registration for the season and a kit that will give a rookie team enough materials to build a competitive robot that will be able to compete in your state.  Robots have been a positive vehicle to focus students on the importance of STEM education.

3:45

Pari Spolter (Orb Publishing)-Kepler’s second law and conservation of angular momentum

Kepler’s second law is calculated for 18 planets and asteroids. It is shown that equal areas are swept in equal intervals of time only near the perihelion (P) and the aphelion (A). A highly significant relation between the ratio of the area swept at the average of P and A to the area swept at semimajor (S) in the same interval of time and the eccentricity is presented. The equation is ratio = ab+c with a = −0.617, b = 2, and c = 1.00. The correlation coefficient is 0.9975. The ratio is equal to , which is equal to sin θ, where θ is the smaller angle between the two vectors v and r. Angular momentum is a vector perpendicular to the plane formed by v and r and is conserved, indicating that there is no torque in the direction vertical to the plane of the orbits.

4:00

Order of Magnitude contest and door prizes

4:15

Adjournment