Teacher Professional Development Program
June 26 - 29, 2023
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
The CMU Department of Physics is excited to announce the third annual CMU Physics Teachers Program, which aims to build connections between the department and Pennsylvania high school physics teachers.
Our goal is to inspire and motivate the best young minds to pursue careers in physics.
We recognize that high school physics teachers play the most important part in achieving this and would like to help provide you with resources that you need.
The Physics Teacher Program will be an in-person, four-day program held on CMU's campus from June 26th to 29th, from 10 AM to 4 PM, with 24 contact hours.
Lunches and parking will be provided, and a $50 stipend will be paid to participants who attend all four days of the program.
Based on feedback from last year, this year's program will focus on developing programming skills for physics education. The workshop will be led by experienced physicists from Carnegie Mellon University, including faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates, who will work with you to design and implement Python programs that can be used in your classes. The workshop will consist of lectures, hands-on activities, and group discussions, providing ample opportunities to practice programming skills and receive feedback from experienced programmers and educators. The focus will be on using the Python programming language to create visualizations of physics problems and solutions, with the goal of increasing student engagement and understanding.
Plenty of time will be allocated for discussion sessions among teachers and with CMU faculty and students. We are eager to hear how we can help you engage high school students and motivate them to pursue careers in physics.
The last day of the program will be "bring-a-friend day," where we encourage teachers to bring a colleague from their school, such as an administrator or other science teacher, to learn about the program.
The day will include:
- An overview of careers in physics
- A student discussion panel
- An informal networking BBQ.
We will provide:
* Resources and takeaways you can use in class
* Contacts for CMU scientists to visit your classroom for a seminar or Q&A
* Overview of career opportunities for someone going into physics
* Educational pathways for a career in physics
* Information on research opportunities for advanced high-school students
* Discussions of ongoing physics research at CMU from physics faculty including:
PARTICLE PHYSICS: www.cmu.edu/physics/research/
ASTROPHYSICS / COSMOLOGY www.cmu.edu/physics/research/
BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS: www.cmu.edu/physics/research/
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS www.cmu.edu/physics/research/
Teachers who participate in the full program and complete the evaluation form will earn 20 Act 48 hours and a stipend of $50 provided by the Leonard Gelfand Center at CMU and the CMU Physics Department.
Each day will run from 10am to 4pm with a break for lunch [provided]. Registration is limited to 20 teachers.