The Southern Ohio Section is a part of the American Association of Physics Teachers, and is dedicated to exchange of information about physics and physics teaching among teachers and prospective teachers of physics. SOS makes every effort to provide mentoring to teachers requesting assistance as well as information teachers can use. The SOS provides a venue for us to share our love and enthusiasm for teaching and for physics.
One important mission of SOS/AAPT is to promote exchanges among physics teachers. Our twice-yearly meetings do a large part of that job. Visit the site below for information on the current, future, and past meetings of SOS/AAPT.
If you plan to present in the cointributed session, read our
Another important mission is to continue the communication even when there is not a meeting going on. Cindy Parrot (parrottc@mail.sycamoreschools.org) is editor of The Dialog, our occasional newsletter.
Read a recent issue of The Dialog here.
The membership of SOS/AAPT voted unanimously at the Spring, 2002 meeting to adopt wording of a letter written by the Executive Committee to be sent to the Ohio Board of Education.
That letter expresses our desire to have only such scientific models as survive publication in the scientific literature and open, critical tests by many other scientists appear in science textbooks. The membership of the Southern Ohio Section is unalterably opposed to the ideas of “intelligent design” being regarded as science because they have not undergone the intense scrutiny and attempts to prove ideas wrong that are the hallmark of science.
The membership is “most strongly opposed to inclusion of ‘Intelligent Design’ in any science curriculum.” Given what little is known and tested about “Intelligent Design” and what a great store of hard-won knowledge appears in science textbooks, “Intelligent Design” does not belong in any school science curriculum, public or private, anywhere. SOS/AAPT strongly opposes any attempt to allow local school boards an option to choose to include “Intelligent Design” as a part of science instruction.
SOS/AAPT supports efforts to improve the effectiveness of the science curriculum in the state of Ohio. The letter says in addition: “We want to remain proud of what we physics teachers in Ohio teach our young people, and safe in the knowledge that our colleagues teaching biology, chemistry, and Earth science will similarly be allowed to be proud of the scientific knowledge they pass along.”
The Southern Ohio Section supports students studying science. Jointly with the Ohio Section of the American Physical Society, we offer cash awards to winners selected by representatives of both bodies at State Science Day (April or May, the date varies). The photo below is from 1997. Three awards are given at two levels (7-8-9th grade and 10-11-12th grade).
Pictured to the left are all the 1997 high school and junior high school winners along with Gordon Aubrecht, VP for Two-Year Colleges, who was (and is) judging coordinator. Such photos are no longer being taken at State Science Day.
We are proud of the dedication and intelligence exhibited by Ohio’s young people who do take part in science fairs all the way through State Science Day.
The
At the 10th to 12th grade level, our winners are:
Special Honorees