Dr. Samuel Lightner IV, Westminster College professor of physics and chair of the Department of Physics, recently attended a joint meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), where he presented information on "A New Chart and Teaching Materials on Cosmology from CPEP."

"George Smoot, the 2006 Nobel prize winner in physics, was a major contributor to the chart that was the focus of my presentations," Lightner said. "The Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP) recently introduced a teaching chart on cosmology, The History and Fate of the Universe. My talk featured this chart, activities, and materials that are being developed to support the chart. Also featured was the Universe Adventure, an Internet tutorial related to the chart coming on line through the efforts of collaborating scientists at Lawrence Berkley National Library. This paper was presented in a session on Innovations in Teaching Astronomy."

"Also, while at the conference, I participated in meetings of the section representatives of AAPT and the National Council of AAPT as part of my responsibilities as section representative for the Western Pennsylvania section of AAPT," Lightner added

Lightner also chaired a session on Insights into Mechanics and Sound. "One of the papers in the session was Some Aspects of the Physics of Shooting a Basketball. It was written by John J. Fontanella, a former Westminster physics major who graduated in 1967 and currently teaches physics at the U.S. Naval Academy."

Lightner, who has been with Westminster College since 1970, earned his undergraduate degree from Randolph-Macon College, and his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

Contact Lightner at (724) 946-7204 or e-mail lightner@westminster.edu for more information.

Ddr. Samuel Lightner IV