Absolute Zero Campaign Update
Production Update
Executive producer Meredith Burch and Producer/Director
David Dugan are in the final editing stages. According to
Meredith, they have a “whale of a tale, remarkable visuals and
impressive experts. Three distinguished interviewees (among others) will launch
viewers on a magical mystery tour of the strange quantum
world that exists a few billionths of a degree above absolute
zero. They are Eric Cornell, Carl Wieman and Wolfgang Ketterle,
who shared the 2001 Nobel Prize for physics for 
their discovery
of Bose Einstein Condensates, a new form of matter never before seen in the universe.” A final round of filming will take
place in early January. Preliminary ‘rough cuts’ are being
viewed by a national sample of adult and teen respondents
and the
Absolute Zero Advisory Committee will review the
programs in early January.
NEW PARTNERS
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL)
Florida State University, University of Florida and Los Alamos National Laboratory
The NHMFL develops and operates state-of-the-art high magnetic field
facilities that faculty and visiting scientists and engineers use for
research in physics, biology, bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry,
biochemistry and materials science. The Laboratory, sponsored by the
National Science Foundation and the State of Florida, is the only
facility of its kind in the United States.
The mission of the Lab’s Center for Integrating Research & Learning is to expand
scientific literacy and to encourage interest in and pursuit of scientific study. The
NHMFL supports educational programming at all academic levels. Lab educators
reach out to students and teachers through classroom outreach and on-site outreach
and tours, middle school mentorship programs, teacher workshops, residential summer
research experiences for both undergraduates and teachers, and curriculum
development, among other things.
www.education.magnet.fsu.edu.
Earlier this Fall, two other organizations joined the Absolute Zero campaign as national
partners:
Acoustical Society of America
Since the Society's inception in 1929, its members have been involved in
the development of acoustical standards concerned with terminology,
measurement procedures, and criteria for determining the effects of noise
and vibration. The Society is primarily a voluntary organization and attracts
the interest, commitment, and service of a large number of professionals.
www.asa.aip.org
Optical Society of America
The mission of OSA is to promote the generation, application and
archiving of knowledge in optics and photonics and to disseminate this
knowledge worldwide. The Optical Society of America is dedicated to
providing its members and the scientific community with educational
resources that support technical and professional development. www.osa.org
COMMUNITY EDUCATION OUTREACH GUIDE and Science Professional Outreach Guide
By now you should have received copies of the new educational guides produced in
collaboration with the National Partners and other experts. The guides, which were
designed for formal and informal educators, offer suggestions on how to engage
students in science, specifically in low-temperature physics. We hope you will help
disseminate the guides to your members, colleagues, teachers and others involved in
science education. We believe the guides are a unique resource.
The Community Education Outreach Guide provides a road map
for comprehensive 
presentations including hands-on
demonstrations, questions to encourage student participation,
resources and ways to encourage students to study the science
topic at hand. There are eight modules in the 24-page guide,
focusing on such subjects as Thermometers, States of Matter,
Superconductivity, Understanding Heat and Energy, Cold Animals
and Cryogenics and Technology.
The Science Educator’s Guide provides suggestions on how to lead
a classroom discussion, increase group participation and
encourage scientific inquiry.
Absolute Zero Experts
An integral part of the national outreach campaign is an informal Speakers Bureau
comprised of experts in the field of low-temperature physics. Primarily drawn from our
National Partners, the Absolute Zero Experts will spread the word in formal and
informal settings, serve as mentors and enlist the support of their colleagues in this
important endeavor. We very much appreciate their support. Contact information for
these experts can be found on the Absolute Zero campaign web site. Experts include:
David G. Haase, professor of physics and director of the Science House based at North Carolina State University. Dr. Haase, who conducts research in low-temperature physics, is a member of APS, AAPT and NSTA. The Science House increases student enthusiasm for science by partnering with K-12 teachers and promotes hands-on, inquiry-based science learning. It is a national model of university collaboration with K-12 schools. The Science House has an extensive outreach program that connects with more than 5,000 teachers and 20,000 students across the state.
E-mail: david_haase@ncsu.edu
Alina Gearba, assistant professor of physics, University of Southern Mississippi. A member of AAPT, SPS and the APS, Dr. Gearba also serves as the faculty advisor for the local chapter of SPS. She will use the SPS Outreach Catalyst Kit, including Absolute Zero materials, in her physics demonstrations at local high schools, and also invite students and teachers to visit her research lab …"the coldest spot in Mississippi." E-mail: alina.gearba@usm.edu
Eric Palm, Millikelvin Facility Chief at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. Dr. Palm, a member of APS, has been doing experiments in low temperature for two decades. He works closely with the Lab’s Center for Integrating Research & Learning and has given numerous classroom demonstrations from elementary through high school. E-mail: palm@magnet.fsu.edu
John Pfotenhauer, professor, department of engineering physics, University of Wisconsin. Dr. Pfotenhauer is a member of ASME, ASEE, APS and the Cryogenic Society of America and president of the Cryogenic Engineering Conference. He will disseminate Absolute Zero materials to high school teachers and incorporate Absolute Zero in his low-temperature demonstrations at the University. He would also like to feature Absolute Zero at the Cryogenic Engineering Conference.
E-mail: pfot@engr.wisc.edu
Roberto Ramos, assistant professor of physics, Drexel University. A member of APS and AAPT, Dr. Ramos also serves as a faculty advisor to physics students. He wants to feature Absolute Zero at a Drexel University open house for high school students and has already begun to incorporate Absolute Zero materials in his classes.
E-mail: rcr32@drexel.edu
Greg Swift, fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Swift is a member of APS, the Acoustical Society of America and the Cryogenic Society of America. He was a member of the original Los Alamos Low-Temperature Physics Group.
E-mail: swift@LANL.gov
Dwight Whitaker, assistant professor of physics, Williams College. A member of APS and AAPT, Dr. Whitaker plans to make Absolute Zero presentations to middle schools and high schools in Williamstown, Mass. E-mail: dwhitaker@williams.edu
National Partner Conferences and Meetings
We are grateful to our Partners for allowing us to promote Absolute Zero and to make
related presentations at their conferences. For example:
The AAPT and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has
invited Dr. Russell Donnelly, principal investigator and
advisory committee chair of the Absolute Zero Advisory
Committee to make a presentation during their annual meeting
(Jan. 5-10) in Seattle, Washington.
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) distributed Absolute
Zero flyers 
and the new Absolute Zero Community Education Outreach Guide
at the regional NSTA meeting in Baltimore on Nov 2 – 4 and also at the
Chemistry and Science Teachers (CAST) meeting in Texas on Nov. 8 - 12.
Thanks to Dr. Charles Clark of NIST, the AAAS has invited Dr. Donnelly,
and Tom Shachtman, author of Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold, to make a presentation at its annual meeting on Feb. 17 in San Francisco.
The three-hour symposium, featuring several other highly regarded
physicists, is entitled “What’s Hot in Cold”
The Center at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory wants to feature
Absolute Zero at its bi-annual Open House on February 24 where they
normally have two to three thousand students, parents and teachers.
Please let us know about your upcoming conferences. We will be happy to
discuss how best to promote Absolute Zero with speakers, flyers, posters and more.
Contact Allan Childers ( achilders@devillier.com). |
NATIONAL AWARENESS ADVIOSRY COMMITTEE (NAAC)
The NAAC will receive an update on the production and the campaign on Tuesday,
January 16. Please contact Allan Childers( achilders@devillier.com) for more information.
