Committee members present: Steve Turley, Chair; Fred Bechetti, Juan Burciaga, John Mallinckrodt, Heidi Mauk, Gary White, Ray Burnstein(incoming), Don Holcomb(incoming)

Absent: Ernie Behringer, David Cole, Dick Mancuso, Karen Cummings (incoming)

Guests: Ken Heller, Alan van Heuvelen, Ruth Howes, Edwin Taylor, Pat Viele, Bill McNairy, Bruce Mason, Jessica Clark (APS staff), J.D. Garcia, Bob Speers, J. Matthew Lane, Dick Peterson

Oral communications: John Mallinckrodt (in role as member of AAPT Nominating Committee) requested CPUE members to suggest new members for the committee -- he notes that he, Juan Burciaga, and Dick Mancuso will leave the committee at the end of this meeting.

Jessica Clark, of APS, alerted the Committee to advance planning for the "The World Year of Physics," to occur in 2005. A theme may be "Einstein in the 21st Century" -- 2005 will be the 100th anniversary of Einstein's banner year of 1905. Beyond this possibility, APS is looking for input about appropriate activities.

Bruce Mason of AAPT is working on quantum physics material for the Physical Science Resource Center. He requested suggestions about what of UD quantum physics should reside at the web site. Bruce already has connections to the Gordon conference on teaching quantum mechanics.

Themes for national meetings? There seemed agreement that a single theme is a good idea if either (a) some special characteristics of the meeting site, or (b) some current event or development in physics, generate a natural theme. But don't strain to find a theme-- and, if one is chosen, MARKET IT. The Austin meeting Announcer was cited as a negative example.

Requests from the Executive Committee

• Increase physics content at meetings
• Coordinate Hot Topics sessions
• Ideas for plenary speakers (three per meeting) Jan. 2004 -- Summer 2004 --
• NSTA standards draft distributed

Follow-up on Issues from last Meeting

• The SPIN-UP report will be out soon. The Committee should be working towards updating of the AAPT guidelines for the physics major program. Committee Members are J.D. Garcia, Fred Bechetti, Juan Burciaga plus three others from Professional Concerns.
• Crucial Issues
  • Matching the GRE, MCAT, UG curriculum to needs of post-graduate work or study. J.D. Garcia will organize a session for Miami in this area.
  • Under-representation of minorities & women -- Juan Burciago to get together with Judy Franz, APS Executive Officer , looking for good ideas as to where to go next with this long-standing problem.
  • Employment, etc. Suggested was made to organize an industrial forum to discuss preparation of undergraduate physics majors for jobs.

Difficult topics to teach?

General Relativitiy -- Edwin Taylor will organize a workshop or session for Miami

Future speakers/workshops/sessions?

Ed Taylor suggested have Ken Laws talk about the physics of dance (evening program?)

Reviewed Workshops and Sessions in Boise Meeting

Discussed Sessions and Workshops in Austin Meeting

Madison Meeting

• Theme changed to Form and Function
• Invited session on neutrino physics and/or cosmology (Ken Heller)
• Magic and Physics (2 workshops, create a session?) (Fred Becchetti)
• Session on the Principle of Least Action (Juan Burciaga) with a paper by Edwin Taylor
• Integrated Science Learning Environment Workshop (Alan Van Huevelen and Eugenia Etkina)

Discussed possible sessions and workshops

Discussed Sessions for Future Meetings

Discussed Quantum Physics Resources Collection being put together by Bruce Mason

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Last updated 08/11/2003