Physics Research And Education

Electromagnetism

June 11-16, 2006
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA

Chairs: Kerry P Browne & Stamatis Vokos
Vice Chairs: Bradley S Ambrose & Wolfgang Christian

This conference is the fourth in a series of Gordon Research Conferences on Physics Research and Education. The purpose of these conferences is to help foster interactions between traditional physics researchers, physics education researchers, and undergraduate physics educators. Each conference focuses on a specific subfield of physics. Past conferences have emphasized thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and classical mechanics.

The 2006 conference will concentrate on electromagnetism and applications of electromagnetic phenomena in modern research. The goal of this conference is to promote cross fertilization between cutting edge physics researchers and undergraduate physics classroom instructors. Electromagnetic phenomena are pervasive in our everyday lives as well as in active areas of research. While the fundamental principles of electromagnetic interactions are well understood the application of these principles still occupies the minds of researchers including: atomic, molecular and optical physicists, electrical engineers, plasma physicists, astrophysicists and biological physicists to name only a few. In addition, as the field of physics education research has advanced, researchers have begun to apply what they have discovered about student learning to the teaching of electricity and magnetism at both the introductory and advanced levels.

Throughout the course of this one-week conference participants will attend sessions and engage in discussions with the goal of infusing new ideas from modern research into their teaching of electromagnetism.