Invited Speakers:  

Brittney VornDick, PhD. Durham Technical CC

Exploring different types of project-based Learning in Physics 

At Durham Technical Community College, project-based learning isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the heart of how students dive into physics. In the first-semester Mechanics course, students bring physics to life by designing and computationally analyzing their own Rube Goldberg Machines, using concepts like forces, collisions, and energy to figure out timing and motion in creative, complex systems. This hands-on project has evolved over the years, shaped by lessons learned through the New Faculty Development Series part of OPTYCS. Portfolios have also been added to boost reflection and reinforce deeper understanding. Meanwhile, in Electricity and Magnetism, students take on a different challenge: cutting through the noise of TikTok science and AI-generated “facts” by engaging in cooperative “Pyramid” quizzes and presenting peer-reviewed journal articles that highlight the real-world impact—social, environmental, or economic—of scientific discoveries. These experiences don’t just build technical know-how; they spark meaningful conversations and help students become savvy, informed thinkers. In this session, the presenter will share a behind-the-scenes look at these projects, highlighting what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how project-based learning keeps physics fresh, fun, and firmly rooted in the real world. 

Alia Hamdan,  TEACHING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNC-Chapel Hill 

 Disentangling the Web: A look into Learning Related Emotions and Affective Factors within Physics Group-work

Group work in physics is widely acknowledged as a valuable learning tool, yet the dynamics within these collaborative spaces are often intricate. This study delves into the impact of emotions on students participating in group activities within introductory physics courses, specifically Mechanics (Mech) and Electricity & Magnetism (E&M). While academic emotions remain underexplored in this context, this research expands beyond the predominant focus on test anxiety. Grounded in control value theory (CVT), which offers a framework for understanding emotions in academic and achievement-oriented settings, this study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys and semi-structured interviews. During this presentation, I will discuss the validation process of the Physics Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Short (PAEQ-s), examine differences in emotions among different groups (race, gender, and sense of belonging), and delve into students' perspectives through their interview narratives. This study reveals that emotions are an important factor to consider in creating more inclusive physics spaces, and more work needs to be done to understand the complexity of learning related emotions within physics groups. 

Don Smith, Raymond Binford Professor of Physics, Guilford College

Eat Dessert First: Weaving Modern Physics Into the First Semester

A dilemma we as Physics educators face is that students enter the classroom full of curiosity about the mind-bending ideas they have heard about in the news: black holes, quantum teleportation, particle smashing… and we start them on parabolic motion and blocks sliding down planes.  We often expect them to make it through at least a year if not more of 300 year old Physics before they can get to the “good stuff”.  Here I present a method from the late Prof. Rex Adelberger for starting students on modern physics through particle physics and relativity.  I will also share how I have had to modify his ideas to meet the demands of my particular student demographics to teach classical and modern physics together.  Finally, I will share examples from the interactive eBook on Einstein’s Relativity that I adapted from a text that Rex left behind when he passed.  Together, these materials represent a way that beginning students could “eat dessert first” and still learn the basic thinking tools that the first semester of Physics inculcates.