2011 Cesar Chavez March for Justice Physics Demo Booth

Eric participated in the UCLA Physics & Astronomy Department’s demonstration booth at the Annual César Chávez March for Justice on Sunday, March 27. Attendees of the event include people from all walks of life, including agricultural workers from the San Fernando Valley and Central California and other underrepresented social and economic groups.

In this booth, we not only engage the people with interesting physics demonstrations that convey important concepts like electricity generation and energy conservation, but also advise and encourage youth regarding approaching higher education at UCLA and elsewhere.

Having fun with the Van de Graaff.	Explaining magnets and Faraday's law.

It has been a very positive experience with many potential students expressing their desire for a college education, and many parents supporting their children’s enthusiasm for learning. We plan to continue this annual effort, and are also in discussions to ascertain the possibility of a more permanent presence in local communities’ centers.

2011 Teachers Day

Eric participated in Teachers Day on Thursday, June 16 in Atlanta. The event was hosted by The American Physical Society (APS) Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics.

Teachers Day is a free event providing professional development for High School Teachers of Physics and Physical Sciences, and includes lunch with local physicists from Georgia Tech and visiting physicists from around the world.

This year's participants engaged in two hands-on workshops on diffraction and laser light. Each participant then received a laser and the materials for running the workshop in their own classroom.