Vicphysics Teachers' Network Inc.
Dear *|FNAME|*,

Revision Lecture - Online. Colin Hopkins has delivered revision lectures in regional Victoria for several years now.  Colin had organised a program of lectures for 2021, but he is now not able to give them.  Vicphysics is organising an online revision lecture as a replacement.

If you have any colleagues teaching Year 7 - 10 science, who are 'out-of-field' teachers, there is a fully funded qualifications program running next year with applications closing at the end of this month.

There are also seven schools seeking physics teachers and an article on the Physics of Rollercoasters.

The next meeting of the Vicphysics Teachers' Network will be on Wednesday, 13th October at 5:30pm. If you wish to participate, please contact Vicphysics.

Dr Barbara McKinnon (Pres), Sandor Kazi (Vice-Pres), Dan O'Keeffe OAM (Sec) and Deepa Jain (Treas)

Table of Contents
       1. Revision Lecture
       2.  Secondary Science and Maths Initiative for Out-of-Field Teachers
       3.  Twists, turns, thrills and spills: The Physics of Rollercoasters
       4. STAVCON: Call for Presenters
       5. Vicphysics matters
  • Subscriptions
  • Tutor Listing Service
       6. Seeking a Physics teacher? Seeking a new position?
       7. Physics News from the Web 
  • Transparent coating captures aerosol droplets from air
  • Nanostructures make brighter e-reader displays
  • 'Tuneable tuna' makes a better robotic swimmer
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1. Revision Lecture Tues, 28th September
For several years Colin Hopkins has delivered revision lectures in many centres across regional Victoria as well as some in Melbourne. Lectures were planned for 2021, however Colin is now unable to present them.

As a replacement, Vicphysics has arranged for an online revision lecture.  It will be held during the school holidays on Tuesday, 28th September from 9:00am until 1:45pm.  There will be five 45 minute presentations with 15 minute breaks in between.

The presenters will be Paul Cuthbert from University High School and Sandor Kazi from Melbourne Girls’ College, both of whom regularly present revision lectures.  Details of the program are at the link below.

A Google Drive for participants will have about 40 revision documents prepared by Colin Hopkins on different sections of the course.

The Zoom Webinar has a Q & A facility where students can ask questions during the lecture. There will be a panel of physics teachers who will answer these questions while the lecture is proceeding, with the full set of questions and answers saved at the end and put on the Google Drive.

Once payment is confirmed, students will be given access to the Google Drive. They will also be sent the link for the Zoom webinar, and their name and email address will be added to the list of registered attendees on the Zoom account.

The cost is $25 per student.

Students can make a personal booking online here , (https://www.vicphysics.org/students/revision-lecture/ ).  Payment by credit card is preferred. An EFT option is available, but the funds need to be transferred into the Vicphysics bank account by 5:00pm, Friday, 24th September for the booking to be confirmed.

Teachers:
You can make a booking for your class at the link above by entering each student’s name and email address in turn and then making a single payment. The Zoom link will be sent to each of the email addresses you provide. 

Please note that credit cards are preferred and if the EFT option is chosen, the funds need to be transferred into the Vicphysics bank account by 5:00pm, Friday, 24th September for the booking to be confirmed. 
If your school does not have a credit card and given that the end of term is fast approaching, you may wish to request of your school that you pay with your personal credit card and they reimburse you.

There is no discount for Vicphysics subscribers.

Additional revision resources:

Colin Hopkins has set up a Youtube Channel. It has his lectures from 2020, which were based on the modified study design for 2020.

The Vicphysics website has two pages to assist students Advice on Revising Physics and Advice of Learning Physics.

2. Secondary Science and Maths Initiative for Out-of-Field Teachers
Something for your colleagues:  They could earn a fully funded postgraduate qualification at no cost to them or their school with the Secondary Mathematics and Science Initiative (SMSI).

The SMSI has been developed to help address current workforce challenges in the teaching of mathematics and science in years 7–10.

Participants gain a fully funded graduate certificate in either mathematics or science through Deakin University with recognised expertise in out-of-field teaching. Credit points from the graduate certificate can be put towards a Master of Education.

The SMSI is designed for teachers who have been teaching out-of-field mathematics or science for 1-5 years and will be teaching out-of-field in 2022. Participants will engage with contemporary, research informed approaches to mathematics or science teaching and learning aligned to the Victorian Curriculum Levels 7–10.

Applications close 30th September.  Check their website for more details including videos of information sessions held in August.

3. Twists, turns, thrills and spills: The Physics of Rollercoasters
This feature article in Physics World in the 'Everyday Science' section gives an excellent overview of the topic.  It discusses some of the most thrilling rides the world. It features Anne-Marie Pendrill, the amusement park physics guru, who spoke in Melbourne a couple of years ago, on her work with dataloggers.  There is also information on trends in roller coaster design, teardrop loops and virtual reality. 4. STAVCON: Call for Presenters
This year, STAV will holding STAVCON at La Trobe University.  The date is Friday 26 November 2021 in a face-to-face format.  Some sessions will be recorded and will be made available On Demand to all conference participants after the event.
 The duration of STAVCON’s workshops is typically 50 minutes. This includes time for participant questions, networking and discussion.
 As a not-for-profit organisation, STAV does not offer payment to its presenters .  All workshop presenters (and one co-presenter per workshop) will receive complimentary registration to the conference as well as an additional gift of thanks. If you are new to presenting, STAV support is available to mentor and guide you.
The 'Call for Sessions’ will close on Sunday, 19th September 2021.  Applications can be made here. If you have any questions, please contact: STAV Administration Officer 5. Vicphysics matters
  • Subscriptions: The free introductory offer has lapsed. To now access the Teachers resources section of the website a paid subscription is required. Details are at the bottom of the home page.
  • Tutor Listing Service: The website has a Tutor Listing Service.  There are now two tutors listed.  If you tutor and wish to add your name to the list, please check the website.
6.Seeking a Physics teacher? Seeking a new position?
The Vicphysics Teachers' Network has a Job Ads page to assist schools in finding a physics teacher.
There are two schools seeking a physics teacher:
  • Bendigo Senior Secondary College (closes 29th September)
  • East Doncaster Secondary College (closes 29th September)
  • Virtual School Victoria (closes 22nd September)
  • Coburg High School (closes 19th September)
  • Edgars Creek Secondary College (closes 15th September)
  • Strathmore Secondary College (closes 14th September)
  • Mordialloc College (closes 12th September)
The webpage is updated every weekend.  The webpage also has a link on how schools can register a position and lodge a payment for this service.
 
7.   Physics News from the Web
Items selected from the bulletin of the Institute of Physics (UK).
a) Transparent coating captures aerosol droplets from air
A transparent, viscous coating that can be brushed or painted onto any type of surface could reduce disease transmission by capturing airborne droplets. The coating, which is based on a polymer commonly employed in cosmetics, could be applied to plexiglass barriers and face shields as well as windows, walls, ceilings or even curtains. Used in this way, it could remove virus-laden particles from the air and so slow down the spread of infectious respiratory diseases like COVID-19, according to the researchers at Northwestern University in the US who developed it.
b) Nanostructures make brighter e-reader displays
Thinking of taking your e-reader on holiday this summer? Sitting around in the sunshine catching up on all the books you haven’t had time to read may soon be even more enjoyable thanks to a new reflective screen technology that works without a backlight. Developed by Andreas Dahlin and colleagues at Sweden’s Chalmers University, the technology is based on colour-changing nanostructures, and it could be a promising alternative to the energy-intensive digital screens currently employed in smartphones and tablets.
c) ‘Tuneable tuna’ makes a better robotic swimmer
Giving fish-like robots adjustable tails makes them much more efficient swimmers, scientists in the US have discovered. As well as providing insight into how real fish swim, the researchers say their findings could enable the development of swimming robots that can carry out more complex missions than is possible with current technologies.
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