Lectures of Broad Interest
World-renowned physicists visit our campus from time to time, and deliver free lectures that are open to the public; watch our Calendar & Announcements page for details. In Spring 2006 for example, Prof. Lisa Randall of Harvard presented a special lecture titled "Warped Passages" under the Guest of Honor series sponsored by the KSU Honors College. Another example was a special lecture in November 2005 to mark the World Year of Physics.Physics faculty members regularly fulfill requests for speakers at schools, meetings of associations, and other community functions. A wide selection of topics of broad and popular interest can be accomodated. Contact the Physics Chair, Prof. Bryon Anderson for more information.
Operation Physics
Operation Physics is a nationwide effort to improve the teaching and learning of basic physics concepts in grades 4 through 8. Since 1990, Physics Prof. Stan Christensen and Prof. Doris Simonis of the College of Education have been funded by the Ohio Board of Regents to implement the first Operation Physics project in Ohio, in collaboration with the national Operation Physics team, Streetsboro City Schools, and the Portage County Board of Education.Typically, about 30 teachers participate each year in a series of ten instructional sessions. A sequence of Operation Physics activities is provided to complement team instruction, demonstrations, and readings in physics. Teachers also learn to recognize and challenge children's commonly-held naive ideas in order to raise student questions, encourage problem-solving, and improve student learning. Hand-on activities that engage students, outcomes that help build science concepts, applications that reinforce them, and teacher diagnosis of student understandings are complementary themes.
Teachers or others interested in further details should contact Prof. Stan Christensen or Prof. Doris Simonis (330-672-2580 ext 395 or dsimonis@kent.edu).
Kent's physics department also actively supports the Physics Alliance for Akron, Canton and Kent (PAACK), which brings together area physics teachers.
Physics-Related Outreach at the Liquid Crystal Institute
The Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University is home to an active Education Outreach Program with a strong physics emphasis. See the pages for their Center for Liquid Crystal Science and Education and the LCI Outreach Program.
