1. Vicphysics Travelling Scholarship
The Vicphysics Teachers’ Network provides one scholarship worth up to $2000 each year for a teacher to attend an overseas physics conference. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship to attend either of the two events below or any other event next year, Vicphysics will need to receive your application by Weds, 11th December.
Further details
EinsteinPlus at Perimeter Institute in Toronto, 7 - 11 July, 2025.
EinsteinPlus is a one-week intensive workshop for Canadian and international high school teachers that focuses on modern physics including quantum physics, special relativity and cosmology.
EinsteinPlus also provides unique opportunities to learn some of the latest developments in physics from expert researchers at the forefront of their fields, enjoy lab tours, and take part in social events with like-minded teachers from around the world. Sessions include:
- Innovative teaching strategies suitable for all areas of physics
- Quantum physics: Wave-particle duality and the electron double-slit experiment
- GPS and relativity
- Dark matter as an application of uniform circular motion
- Measuring Planck's constant using a simple electronic circuit
International High School Teacher Program at CERN, 6th - 19th July.
This residential program is open to high school science teachers from around the world who would like to update their knowledge of particle physics, learn more about educational resources available, and collaborate with fellow science teachers of different nationalities.
The HST program contains lectures, on-site visits, hands-on workshops, discussions, and Q&A-sessions. Furthermore, during the 2 weeks, all teachers will collaborate in several study groups on various topics related to particle physics and its integration in the classroom. All study groups will deliver their final reports at the end of the program. Therefore, all applicants should:
- have a good working knowledge of the English language (the entire program will be delivered in English)
- be committed to attending in full the two weeks of the program (no late arrivals, no early departures)
For detailed information about CERN's international teacher programs, their objectives and how to apply, please look at the FAQs
Further details
2. Beam Line for Schools (BL4S) 2025: Team Competition with prizes of a trip to CERN
BL4S is a physics competition for high school students from all around the world. It is organised at CERN, the Eur
opean Laboratory for Particle Physics, in Geneva, Switzerland, and DESY, the German Electron Synchrotron, in Hamburg, Germany.
Teams of high school students can propose an experiment that they want to perform at a beamline, that is, a part of a particle accelerator. The teams that submit the three best proposals win a trip to CERN or DESY to perform their experiments at a fully-equipped beamline. There are also additional prizes.
The website has information on previous winners as well as FAQs.
Cost: There are no fees or similar charges; taking part is completely free. For the winning teams, BL4S will cover the full costs of their participation in the competition, including travel, accommodation, and three meals per day.
Teams: The minimum is 5. For the winners, a maximum of nine students and two coaches will be invited. Data transmission and web link-ups will allow additional students to participate and analyse data remotely. Students can be from a single school, from multiple classes, from different schools or even countries. There may be scope for university or Synchrotron staff to advise or be one of the coaches.
Interactive Introductions: 25th Nov (DESY), 29th November (CERN) one hour at 7pm Melbourne Time
Dates: Submit a proposal by 10th April 2025. Decisions will be made in June. Winning teams can negotiate the timing of their visit.
Information and pre-registration here
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3. Videos by Epic Spaceman
These are an impressive set of videos, more motivational than instructional, with an engaging off-beat approach.
Titles include:
- I poured all the galaxies in the Universe into a pool. (15 min)
- I shrink 10x every 21s until I'm an atom (15 min)
- I put 4 million Suns in a Black Hole over New York (5 min)
Contributed by Paul Fielding.
4. Some Photoelectric Effect Resources
UK Physics Teachers have a forum where they can share ideas and resources and seek advice. Las week a new teacher asked about how to introduce the photoelectric effect, other than by just delivering notes about the phenomenon. These are some suggestions worth sharing you:
- A teacher's Youtube video of a negatively charged electroscope with a sanded Zinc plate on top, discharged by a UV lamp. (25 s). These are the explanatory notes for the video.
- Another Youtube video by the teacher of negatively charged light metal streamers on an isolated stand discharged by a UV Lamp. (11 s)
- A link to lesson plans for the Photoelectric Effect on the Institute of Physics (IOP) website of teacher resources.
- A link to a PE simulation in which you can vary the wavelength, intensity, metal surface and opposing voltage. It shows ejected electrons being slowed down. Unfortunately there is no variation in the initial energy of the ejected electrons, so once beyond the stopping voltage all the electrons reach the same point before returning to the electrode. However it is a very versatile simulation. It is part of the Physics Aviary website by US teacher, Frank McCulley. Our website has a full description in the Teaching Strategies webpage.
- UK Teacher, Simon Poliakoff, also contributed a worksheet to guide students with the above PE Simulation.
- There was also a small item on a PE Effect explanation for dust fountains on the moon. This is the research paper.
Another teacher provided extensive advice. Below are some extracts, the full response is available here.
'With every (senior) lesson, there's a decision to make, whether to simply tell the students what they need to know, or to approach it with them through a process of questioning and discussion. It depends on the class - their levels of knowledge, relationship with the teacher, how many students - as well as the teacher's style and skill in exposition and questioning. ....
A skilled teacher will move from open to closed questioning, according to the subject content and the knowledge of the class. So a closed question would be, "Is the charge on this plate positive or negative?" (which all students can respond to by a show of hands), while an open question would be, "What do you think is happening here? - discuss with your partner..." ....
With some of these quantum physics demos, students need to be clearly signposted to appreciate the importance of evidence in physics - they tend to believe what a teacher tells them, so need to be forced to pretend they are living in the early 20th Century when these truths were not known, and explain how the classic experiments provided evidence of the particle nature of light. When I'm demonstrating photoelectric effect, I ....
Following this exposition, students should be given time to write their own explanation of how the photoelectric effect provides evidence of the wave nature of light, and they usually need some scaffolding to do this: "What would we expect if light were a wave?"; "What is observed?"; "How does the theory of quantisation of photon energy explain the observation?" ....'
Vicphysics website has a Forum if we wish to share an idea or seek advice.
a) Quantum Computing for students: 2pm - 5pm, 24th November, University of Melbourne
Enter the QUANTUM COMPUTING WORLD - learn to code the new FRONTIER.
As part of the international conference “Quantum Techniques in Machine Learning 2024,” which will be held at the University of Melbourne from November 25 to 29, Lloyd Hollenberg is running an activity for students on the Sunday afternoon prior to November 24.
The 3-hour activity is specifically designed to introduce you to the world of quantum computing. Students will be guided through the concepts underpinning how information is represented and processed in a quantum computer.
Using the interactive web-based Quantum User Interface (QUI) system, they will gain first-hand experience in visualising quantum logic and coding quantum computers to carry out basic programs.
Who: VCE students and those who enjoy mathematical thinking
What: Students will need to bring a laptop with access to the Chrome browser.
Where: The University of Melbourne, Room G18 – G21, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry St, Carlton
Click here for a copy of the flyer Click here to register
Note: Registrations close November 10 (approximately 25 spots remain)
b) Swinburne Innovation Challenge: Register your team for program on 20th November.
Places are now available for high ability students in Years 10 to 12 from Government Schools to participate in the latest iteration of the Swinburne Innovation Challenge. In this program, free for Government Schools, students will:
- Form teams of 4-6 and identify a problem they’d like to solve, framed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is expected that the teams will be cross-disciplinary, see below.
- Visit the Hawthorn Campus of Swinburne University of Technology
- Extend their learning through hands-on workshops and build key skills in teamwork, ways of thinking, problem solving and communication
- Build a prototype solution for their chosen problem and create a 3-minute video pitch in their teams, to win fabulous prizes for themselves and for their school
The Swinburne Innovation Challenge runs over four weeks utilising a blended model of delivery, commencing with a teacher-led Discovery Phase at school (30 min), followed by the Develop Phase excursion to Swinburne Hawthorn (all day on 20th Nov), and finishing with the student-led Deliver Phase due four weeks later. The program includes 10 - 12 hours of student-led work and requires minimal teacher involvement.
Places are also open to Non-Government Schools for a nominal fee per student. Please inquire for details at schoolprograms@swin.edu.au Download the flyer with details of the three stages. To register interest, click here.
There are prizes to be won, but they are not specified.
The team's interests can include: Engineering, Physics, Applied Computing, Psychology, Product Design, Business Management, Media, Sociology, Legal Studies and Phys Ed.
c Physics Days at Luna Park: Dates and Cost and Synchrotron Tours
Bookings will open in late December once Luna Park's end of school year activities are over.
The cost next year will be $35 per student with teachers free. I n 2025 Physics Days at Luna Park will be on from Monday, 3rd March to Friday, 7th, March
In the past, Luna Park invoiced the school after the event. Once the actual student numbers are known, they will now require a deposit of 30% to confirm the booking, which must be paid four weeks prior to the event. ou can now seek your school's approval for the activity.
Synchrotron Tours: As an add on and also a benefit to regional schools for whom the trip to Melbourne is a major commitment, the Australian Synchrotron is offering Synchrotron tours at 3pm. Each tour runs for one hour and has a limit of 24 students. The tour is free, with ANSTO covering the cost for two days and Vicphysics the other two days. Tours will be available from Monday to Thursday. Tours can be booked now.
Note: The website, see link below, displays the number of spots still available, so bookings cannot be confirmed until the numbers from that day's bookings are tallied.
An aerobatic display has been requested, but confirmation will not be received until February.
It is expected that the RAAF flight simulators will be back.
Information on the day and worksheets as well as booking for a Tour can be found here
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) have been running this three-day workshop for several years. Sessions are held at times to suit most of the global community. For example, looking at last year's program, Sessions were held in the following Melbourne times: 6pm - 7pm, 7pm - 8:30pm, 9pm - 10:30pm, 10:30pm to 12:00am until 3:00am. So four of the seven sessions are accessible.
The session titles are: Astronomy Education Research, Teaching Methods and Tools, Astronomy Education in Practice and The James Webb Telescope, with sessions repeated at different times over the three days.
This year's program has been released and you can register here.
Some workshops of interest are: Astronomy in the Flipped Classroom, Astronomy and Minecraft, Evaluating without Words, and Authentic Research Experiences for High School Students.
Robert Hollow from Parkes Radio Telescope and Jackie Bondell from OzGrav are the Australian Coordinators of this international event.
b) Out-of-Field PD for Science Teachers: Wyndham Vale (Forces and Motion), Hamilton (Light and Sound),
The next PD events are:
- Wyndham Vale on Weds, 6th November and Friday, 15th November, 9:30am to 3:30pm. Morning tea and lunch provided. Forces and Motion: at Manor Lakes P-12 School
- Hamilton on Wednesday, 13 November and Tuesday, 19th November, 9:30am to 3:30pm. Morning tea and lunch provided. Light and Sound at Monivae College
- Kew High School Light and Sound has been postponed to 2025
Check here for details for these events and to book
Costs: Hamilton ($220 per participant) and Wyndham Vale ($330 per participant). Discounts are available for teachers from Government schools and for teachers from schools with a low ICSEA rank. CRT coverage is also available for teachers from Government schools.
c) AIP Congress 2024: Teachers' Day, Weds, 4th December, Melbourne Convention Centre: Small number of Free Tickets
The Australian Institute of Physics Congress will be held from December 2-5 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The program on Wednesday, 4 December, will focus on education.
Sessions of interest to teachers include:
Tuesday Public Lecture 7pm. What you shouldn't know about Quantum Physics
Presenter: A/Prof Chris Ferrie. He is at the University of Technology Sydney, where he researches and lec
tures on quantum physics, computation, and engineering. He is the co-founder of Eigensystems, a quantum computing start-up with a mission to democratise access to quantum computing through education. As the #1 best-selling science author for kids, he has written over fifty children’s books about science and a few for adults. You can find Chris online at csferrie.com.
(No registration is required; this is a public lecture).
Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Date: Wednesday, December 4
Normal one day Cost: $130, which includes lunch and morning tea
To register: AIP Congress 2024 website
Free Tickets:
Teacher rates are available for four-day, two-day, and single-day registrations. Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy is sponsoring a limited number of one-day registrations for teachers. Please contact Anna.Phillips@monash.edu for further information.
Wednesday will have a focus on education.
8-9am: Education Breakfast (additional registration required) Artificial Intelligence in Physics Education
9:45am: Plenary by Prof Manjula Sharma Declining physics student numbers: Can we reverse the trend? Prof Sharma is Professor of Science Education at the University of Sydney and Director of the STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy.
11am-12:30pm Focus Session - Bridging High School and Tertiary Physics will bring together secondary and tertiary educators with lightning talks and table discussions on laboratory learning and university-secondary outreach programs in physics
2:30pm-4:00pm: Education presentations: Education Across Settings. A series of invited and contributed talks will look at effective approaches to physics teaching and physics education across settings.
5-6pm: Education presentations: Effective Approaches to Teaching
Thursday
3-4pm: Education presentations: Labs and Hands on Learning
d) Talk, Dinner and Catching Up: Space Weather. 6:30pm, Wednesday, December 11, at the Hawthorn Hotel and online
To celebrate the end of the year, there will be a networking event on Wednesday, December 11th, at the Hawthorn Hotel on Burwood Rd.As part of the evening, Paul Butler will speak on Space Weather: Auroras and Solar Maxima.
Paul's talk will also be available online. Your science colleagues will also find his talk of value.
The cost to attend in person is $40 ($35 for Vicphysics members), which includes food and drinks.
Registration: to book a seat or request online access, click here. The abstract is also available online.
For a copy of this flyer click here
Speaker: Paul has been teaching VCE and IB Physics for many years. He is actively involved in radio astronomy using his own radio telescope at home and through online radio telescopes around the world. Paul was recently elected as a Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers Director and Board member.
d) PHYSCON 2025 - Making a Quantum Leap: Registration open
Vicphysics Teachers’ Network Inc is excited to announce that “PHYSCON 2025 – Making a Quantum Leap,” a hybrid conference for all teachers of Physics, will be taking place on Friday, 21 February online and at Swinburne University of Technology’s Hawthorn Campus with the support of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
2025 is the international “Year of Quantum,” and we are very fortunate to have Professor Nicolas Menicucci from RMIT give the keynote address at the conference. He is an outstanding communicator who is leading the Australian national campaign to raise awareness of the ubiquity and importance of quantum phenomena and the opportunities that quantum technologies present for those with physics knowledge and skills.
The other keynote speaker is Prof Manjula Sharma from the University of Sydney. Prof Sharma is a professor of Science Education and is active in STEM and teacher enrichment. She will speak on 'Curiosity, inquiry and emotional engagement.'
Program features:
- Inspiring keynote speakers: quantum physicist, Prof Nick Menicucci and physics education expert, Prof Manjula Sharma, see details above.
- Four sessions encompassing more than 40 workshops relevant to secondary Physics teaching and learning, many livestreamed and available post event on demand,
- Presentations by the VCE Physics Chief Assessor and the VCAA Science Curriculum Manager,
- Includes networking opportunities, exhibitors, cutting-edge laboratory tours and Saturday excursions.
Flyer Program
To check out the Conference fees and to Register click here Early bird discounts before 18th Dec
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There are two schools seeking a physics teacher.
The Job Ads page on Vicphysics website is updated every weekend. The webpage also has a link on how schools can register a position and lodge a payment for this service.
- Mount Erin Secondary College (closes 11th November)
- Thornbury High School (Closes 5th November)
i) Vicphysics Membership and Access to the Teachers' Resources on the website.
Vicphysics has changed its membership structure, benefits and fees. Previously, a subscription to the website resources was separate from being a member of Vicphysics. Access to website resources is now being included as one of a number of member benefits.
Membership benefits include:
- access to teacher resources section of the website
- discounts to attend conferences, in-services, etc,
- certification for attending each PD event,
- PL certificate for committee meetings supplied at the end of the calendar year and
- voting rights.
Membership fees are: Individual: $60, Retired: $40, Student (tertiary): $40, School: $120.
Vicphysics also offers a Resources Access Only option without the discounts and other benefits listed above. The fees for this option are the same as above.
Existing subscribers currently receive discounts, which will cease when their subscription expires. At that point, subscribers will need to choose between the two options above for continued access to the Teacher resources.
We are looking forward to increasing the membership base of Vicphysics and to fostering member input into our extensive range of activities from Physics teaching professional learning such as our recent SAC PD events or the Physics Teachers Conference to supporting activities for students, such as the Luna Park Physics Days or photo and poster competitions.
You can join us here!
ii) Vicphysics Forum: Tips and Questions for the Physics Teaching Community
The Vicphysics Teachers’ Network has set up an online Forum for teachers to raise issues, seek ideas, offer suggestions, etc.
Link here directly, or look out for it on our webpage where it can be found at the top right of our home page.
We hope it will be an opportunity for mutual professional development.
The forum is open to all teachers. If you are a subscriber, you can log in the usual way. If you are not a subscriber, you can register to use the forum at ‘My Account’. Given the purposes of this Forum, we ask that you use your real name when generating a topic or lodging a post.
We hope this Forum will become a valuable medium for exchanging ideas as we begin planning the new study design.
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Items selected from the bulletin of the Institute of Physics (UK).
Each item below includes the introductory paragraphs and a web link to the rest of the article.
a) Electrical sutures accelerate wound healing
Surgical sutures are strong, flexible fibres used to close wounds caused by trauma or surgery. But could these stitches do more than just hold wounds closed? Could they, for example, be designed to accelerate the healing process?
A research team headed up at Donghua University in Shanghai has now developed sutures that can generate electricity at the wound site. They demonstrated that the electrical stimulation produced by these sutures can speed the healing of muscle wounds in rats and reduce the risk of infection.
b) Confused by the twin paradox? Maybe philosophy can help
A Robert Crease article: Albert Einstein’s “twin paradox” is a famous counterintuitive implication of the special theory of relativity, but it also reveals deep links between physics and philosophy, It’s a puzzle that two physicists and a philosopher have now taken up in a new book called The Blind Spot. The book shows how bound up philosophy and physics are and how its practitioners can so easily misunderstand each other.
c) Picture This: The Drawing That Earned Sir Roger Penrose a Nobel Prize
Picture This is a column in which scientists describe the power of drawings.
In 1965, in an inspired and disarmingly clear article––so brief that the text does not quite fill three journal pages––Roger Penrose draws a figure to summarise his ingenious mathematical proof that would earn him the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity.” The now legendary Penrose distilled his mathematical calculation into a single paragraph and then distilled the proof even further into a single image that can be read by the initiated. The powerful conclusion: black holes are an inevitable consequence of unhindered gravitational collapse.
Click here for other articles in the column: Picture This, e.g Feynman diagrams, double slit, Francis Crick, Darwin, etc
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