The CSMCE and the Department of Physics and Astronomy are pleased to bring you two lecture events in astronomy education this week: Bob Hilborn of AAPT on Thursday at 2 p.m. and Kathryn Williamson of West Virginia University on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Both talks are open to the public.
Bob Hilborn, the Associate Executive Officer for the American Association of Physics Teachers, will be at UNL to discuss "Results of the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshops" on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. in 109 Bessey Hall. You can also watch at this Zoom link: https://unl.zoom.us/j/212107342.
For the past 23 years, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Physical Society and the American Astronomical Society have organized and run a series of Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshops (NFWs). The goal of the NFWs is to provide productive ways for early career faculty to enhance student learning and attitudes through interactive engagement pedagogies. Since their inception, the workshops have served over 2,500 participants and currently reach about 40% of all tenure-track hires in physics and astronomy in the U.S. The series has also expanded to include non-tenure track faculty in the NFWs, workshops for experienced faculty and for faculty at HBCUs. Based on feedback, the NFWs have evolved considerably over the years. In this talk, I will review what has been learned and the impact on higher education physics teaching and learning, including comparisons with similar workshops in chemistry, mathematics, the life sciences, and the earth sciences. This work has been supported by NSF grant 1431638.
On Friday evening, Williamson will give the annual Ruckman Lecture in the Nebraska Union Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Williamson is a radio astronomer who applies radio astronomy research techniques in the classroom. She will be detailing how these techniques can be used to map the Milky Way Galaxy. Learn more at our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1382641545217562/