-
Informal Education is Essential to Physics: Findings of the 2024 JNIPER Summit and Recommendations for Action
Authors:
Alexandra C. Lau,
Jessica R. Hoehn,
Michael B. Bennett,
Claudia Fracchiolla,
Kathleen Hinko,
Noah Finkelstein,
Jacqueline Acres,
Lindsey D. Anderson,
Shane D. Bergin,
Cherie Bornhorst,
Turhan K. Carroll,
Michael Gregory,
Cameron Hares,
E. L. Hazlett,
Meghan Healy,
Erik A Herman,
Lindsay R. House,
Michele W. McColgan,
Brad McLain,
Azar Panah,
Sarah A. Perdue,
Jonathan D. Perry,
Brean E. Prefontaine,
Nicole Schrode,
Michael S. Smith
, et al. (4 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
In order to reach the full civic and scientific potential of physics, this white paper calls for a culture change in physics to recognize informal physics education (also referred to as public engagement or outreach) as an essential disciplinary practice. That is, engaging in informal physics education (IPE) is part of what it means to ''do physics.'' In June 2024, we hosted a summit with forty-tw…
▽ More
In order to reach the full civic and scientific potential of physics, this white paper calls for a culture change in physics to recognize informal physics education (also referred to as public engagement or outreach) as an essential disciplinary practice. That is, engaging in informal physics education (IPE) is part of what it means to ''do physics.'' In June 2024, we hosted a summit with forty-two members of the Joint Network for Informal Physics Education and Research (JNIPER) to discuss concrete steps for fostering this cultural shift in physics. We present key findings from the Summit to motivate this culture change: IPE makes the work of physicists relevant; fosters trust and supports a society where everyone benefits from science and technology advances; serves as a gateway for entering into the physics discipline, and for staying once there; and improves physicists' skills and research. We identify three levers for promoting the culture change: structures supporting IPE; engagement of interested, influential, and/or impacted parties; and integration of research-based IPE practices. Each lever is accompanied by associated recommendations for action directed at individuals, departments and institutions, topical groups such as JNIPER, and funders and (inter)national organizations. Our clarion call is for members and supporters of the IPE community to choose one recommendation per lever to prioritize and to set forth a roadmap for implementation. Together, we can establish IPE as a central physics practice, ultimately leading to a deeper connection between physics and society, strengthening our mutual potential and impact for good.
△ Less
Submitted 24 July, 2025;
originally announced July 2025.
-
Informal physics programs as communities of practice: How can program structures support university students' identities?
Authors:
Brean Prefontaine,
Claire Mullen,
Jonna Jasmin Güven,
Caleb Rispler,
Callie Rethman,
Shane D. Bergin,
Kathleen Hinko,
Claudia Fracchiolla
Abstract:
Many undergraduate and graduate physics students participate in some form of public engagement throughout the course of their studies, often through groups supported by physics departments and universities. These informal teaching and learning programs can offer unique opportunities for physics identity development. Understanding how physics identities can be fostered will allow us to work toward…
▽ More
Many undergraduate and graduate physics students participate in some form of public engagement throughout the course of their studies, often through groups supported by physics departments and universities. These informal teaching and learning programs can offer unique opportunities for physics identity development. Understanding how physics identities can be fostered will allow us to work toward a field that is inclusive of more identities. In this study, we build on previous work to investigate student-facilitator experiences in three informal physics programs using an operationalized Communities of Practice framework. Through our analysis, we identify different structures within these programs that support physics identity development.
△ Less
Submitted 5 December, 2020;
originally announced December 2020.
-
Community of Practice: A framework for understanding identity development within informal physics programs
Authors:
Claudia Fracchiolla,
Brean Prefontaine,
Kathleen Hinko
Abstract:
Studies on physics identity have shown that it is one of the main factors that can predict a person's persistence in the field; therefore, studying physics identity is critical to increase diversity within the field of physics and to understand what changes can allow more women and minorities to identify with the field. In this study, we investigate informal physics programs as spaces for physics…
▽ More
Studies on physics identity have shown that it is one of the main factors that can predict a person's persistence in the field; therefore, studying physics identity is critical to increase diversity within the field of physics and to understand what changes can allow more women and minorities to identify with the field. In this study, we investigate informal physics programs as spaces for physics identity exploration. These programs provide unique conditions under which to study physics identity development along with other identities. Informal physics spaces allow for voluntary engagement, as well as elements of agency and autonomy within the exploration of physics. Thus these spaces allow an identity to form outside of the constraints traditionally found in academic settings. In this work, we operationalized the Community of Practice (CoP) framework to study the development of physics identities within university students who facilitate informal physics programs. We present the stories from two physics graduate students out of our sample to provide a context for testing the feasibility of the extended framework and to identify how experiences within an informal physics program can shape physics identity development. This paper presents the operationalized constructs within the Community of Practice framework, how these constructs are applied to the narrated experiences of our participants, and highlights how we can use this framework to understand the nuances of physics identity development as well as the factors that can influence that development.
△ Less
Submitted 23 June, 2020;
originally announced June 2020.
-
Bridging Physics and Biology Teaching through Modeling
Authors:
Anne-Marie Hoskinson,
Brian A. Couch,
Benjamin M. Zwickl,
Kathleen Hinko,
Marcos D. Caballero
Abstract:
As the frontiers of biology become increasingly interdisciplinary, the physics education community has engaged in ongoing efforts to make physics classes more relevant to life sciences majors. These efforts are complicated by the many apparent differences between these fields, including the types of systems that each studies, the behavior of those systems, the kinds of measurements that each makes…
▽ More
As the frontiers of biology become increasingly interdisciplinary, the physics education community has engaged in ongoing efforts to make physics classes more relevant to life sciences majors. These efforts are complicated by the many apparent differences between these fields, including the types of systems that each studies, the behavior of those systems, the kinds of measurements that each makes, and the role of mathematics in each field. Nonetheless, physics and biology are both sciences that rely on observations and measurements to construct models of the natural world. In the present theoretical article, we propose that efforts to bridge the teaching of these two disciplines must emphasize shared scientific practices, particularly scientific modeling. We define modeling using language common to both disciplines and highlight how an understanding of the modeling process can help reconcile apparent differences between the teaching of physics and biology. We elaborate how models can be used for explanatory, predictive, and functional purposes and present common models from each discipline demonstrating key modeling principles. By framing interdisciplinary teaching in the context of modeling, we aim to bridge physics and biology teaching and to equip students with modeling competencies applicable across any scientific discipline.
△ Less
Submitted 10 December, 2013; v1 submitted 15 August, 2013;
originally announced August 2013.