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minutes of January 17, 2009 Physics Theorynet meeting



Physics Theorynet meeting, January 17, 2009
Room 218 DA, Northeastern University, Boston

minutes/action items:
----------------------

Attending

Participating Teachers:

Rick Dower, Roxbury Latin School
Scott Goelzer, Coe-Brown Northwood Academy
Jesus Hernandez, Lawrence H.S.
Michael Hirsh, Needham H.S.
Nancy Najmi, Reading H.S.
Farhad Riahi, Commonwealth School of Boston
Mike Wadness, Medford H.S.

Participating Theorists:

Per Berglund, University of New Hampshire
Brent Nelson, Northeastern
Tomasz Taylor, Northeastern
Xi Yin, Harvard

Regrets:

Jose Juan Blanco-Pillado, Tufts
Albion Lawrence, Brandeis
Brandon Murakami, Rhode Island College
Ken Olum, Tufts

1. (Re)introductions:
We were very pleased to meet in person Xi Yin (Harvard), who contacted Jesus Hernandez by email and has already made his first visit to Lawrrence H.S.

2.  Update on high-school visits since last meeting in September 2008:
Albion visited Roxbury Latin (Rick Dower), talking about big bang and cosmology. Per Berglund, who missed the Fall meeting, reported on his visit to Coe-Brown (Scott Goelzer) in June. Per and Scott used our new electron diffraction apparatus and dry-ice cloud chamber. They found these demonstrations very effective. Xi Yin visited Lawrence H.S. (Jesus Hernandez) and talked about stellar evolution and gravitational collapse. Brent Nelson visited Needham H.S. (Michael Hirsh) with a general talk on particle physics. Tom visited Reading H.S. (Nancy Najmi) talking about fundamental forces, accelerators and some other ideas involved in particle physics. His visit to Wachusett R.H.S. (Nick Nicastro) was postponed due to the ice storm that shut the school down for 3 weeks.

3. Advertising: We agreed that the upcoming 2009 NES AAPT/APS Spring Conference (Northeastern, May 8-9, 2009) will provide a great opportunity for advertising our program. We will have a Physics Theorynet table in the registration area. Per and Brent will give talks strategically placed in parallel sessions so that nobody can escape our indoctrination. See http://neu.edu/nesaps for latest updates, registration links etc.

4. Website: We agreed that physicstheorynet.org acquired by Ken should be developed to a full-fledged website. Jesus promised to enhance it by using materials used in Tom's powerpoint presentations and flyers.

5. Pairings: Brandon Murakami will start collaborating with Ann Kaiser from Lasalle Academy in Providence -- it will make us officially a tri-state enterprise. Other pairings will remain unchanged for the rest of the year.

6. The next meeting is (tentatively) scheduled for May 30, 2009.