Einstein Fellows Visit American Center for Physics
By Thomas Olsen
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program | US Department of Energy
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The 2009-10 Einstein Fellows.
Photo courtesy of the US Department of Energy |
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Since 1995, the US Department of Energy has been charged with designating distinguished science educators at the elementary and secondary level who then spend a year in a Congressional Office, the Department of Energy, or a federal agency (e.g. NASA, NIST, or NSF). They contribute a practical understanding of the classroom consequences of agency actions to the decision-making process. These are the Einstein Fellows, and this year there are a record 24 fellows. Most fellows return to teach or administer in the school districts from whence they came, but a number have returned to Washington to serve on Congressional and Executive office staffs. One former Einstein Fellow served as then-Senator Obama’s Fellow, and went on to work with the Department of Education after the Presidential election.
On 9 November, 2009, the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Education Division hosted a visit by the Einstein Fellows to the American Center for Physics. While the Fellows become well acquainted with the Legislative and Executive Branch's impact on science and science education, the visit provided a unique opportunity for the Fellows to learn of the roles of Scientific Learned Societies and Professional Associations, as they visited the staffs of AIP and its Members Societies housed at ACP.
Warren Hein and Bo Hammer spoke of the work of American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) to equip teachers of physics and how its work complements that of the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association). Angela Keyser described the opportunities physics-interested students have to contribute as Medical Physicists through American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Kate Kirby, Chris Discenza, and James Roche describe the work of American Physics Society (APS) especially in education and outreach. The Laserfest-themed Physics Quest comic book made quite an impression.
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Einstein Fellow Dennis Newell ponders which of two cans will roll fastest down the wooden ramp. |
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Cathy O'Riordan represented AIP as a whole, and the Physics Resource Center in particular, warmly welcoming the Fellows to ACP. Joe Anderson and Greg Good described the Bohr Library and the History Center. Many of the Fellows were excited by the opportunities to bring the audio records of groundbreaking scientists into their classrooms. The Fellows engaged in a vibrant discussion of the patterns of student engagement in high school physics courses with Susan White and Roman Czujko of the Statistical Resources Center. Alicia Torres, Dick Jones, and Rob Boisseau spoke of the Media and Government Relations division's work in public information (FYI & DBIS) and advocacy. The fellows recognized the names of some movers and shakers as former Fellows and from their own newly formed set of contacts. Kendra Rand and Gary White explained the work of SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma. They led the Fellows through experiments with objects rolling downhill from the 2010 SPS Outreach Catalyst Kit (SOCK). Each Fellow was presented with a Galileoscope telescope, available to each SPS chapter. A pleasant lunch allowed all to reflect on what each had learned over the course of the visit.
The Fellows wrote to express their thanks for such an informative visit. They wrote, "I was unaware of the facility…", "I found that the cordial nature of the presenters portrayed a love of learning and a love of teaching in their respective areas.", "I have already sent information back to my district and my state about resources I learned about, including: International Year of Astronomy, the Galileoscope, Portal to the Universe, Laserfest, Physics Quest, and the online history exhibits. ", and "I wanted to sincerely thank you and everyone in the office for the best professional development day I have had as an Einstein Fellow. "
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