| Sunday, June 11 |
| 2:00 - 11:00 pm |
Arrival and Registration |
| 6:00 pm |
Dinner |
|
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm |
Student Conceptual Difficulties in Thermodynamics |
| Discussion Leader: Beth Ann Thacker, Texas Tech University |
|
- Paula Heron, Washington State University
“Research on student understanding of thermal physics”
- Chris Kautz, Syracuse University
“Identifying student difficulties with the ideal gas law”
- Mike Loverude, California State University, Fullerton
“Student understanding of the first law of thermodynamics”
|
| Monday, June 12 |
| 7:30 - 8:30 am |
Breakfast |
|
9:00 am - 12:30 pm |
Statistical and Thermal Physics in the Introductory Course |
| Discussion Leader: Norman Chonacky, Columbia University |
|
- Tom Moore, Pomona College
“Teaching statistical physics in the introductory course: a progress report”
- Bruce Sherwood and Ruth Chabay, Carnegie-Mellon University
“Atoms and matter: integrating mechanics and thermal physics in the introductory course”
- Wolfgang Christian, Davidson College
“Programming and internet technologies for undergraduate statistical mechanics”
- Priscilla Laws, Dickinson College
“Combining observations of macroscopic thermal phenomena with molecular simulation analysis”
|
| 10:00 am |
Conference Photo session and coffee break |
| 12:30 - 1:30 pm |
Lunch |
| 6:00 pm |
Dinner |
|
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm |
Teaching Probability and Statistical Physics |
| Discussion Leader: Royce Zia, Virginia Tech |
|
- Giulio D'Agostini, University of Rome
“A maieutic(al) approach to teaching probability theory.”
- George Stell, SUNY, Stony Brook
“Teaching thermal and statistical physics: a personal odyssey thru several departments.”
- Peter T. Landsberg, University of Southampton
“From probability via entropy to statistical mechanics.”
|
| Tuesday, June 13 |
| 7:30 - 8:30 am |
Breakfast |
| 9:00 am - 12:30 pm |
Effective Teaching Strategies |
| Discussion Leader: Lillian McDermott, University of Washington |
|
- Harvey Leff, California State Polytechnic Institute, Pomona
“The physics of an 'empty' box: The photon gas as a teaching/learning tool.”
- Robert Hardy, University of Nebraska
“Why not use "ordinary" mathematics when teaching thermodynamics?”
- Dan Schroeder, Weber State University
“The undergraduate thermal physics course: Who should take it and why?”
- Jeffrey Prentis, University of Michigan, Dearborn
“Undergraduate experiments in statistical mechanics.”
|
| 10:00 am |
Coffee break |
| 12:30 - 1:30 pm |
Lunch |
| 4:30 - 6:00 pm |
Poster Session |
| 6:00 pm |
Dinner |
|
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm |
Broadening the Focus of Statistical Physics |
| Discussion Leader: Jon Machta, University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
|
- Michael Creutz, Brookhaven National Laboratory
“From path integrals to lattice gauge theory"
- Beatte Schmittmann, Virginia Tech
“Contrasts between equilibrium and nonequilibrium steady states: What we can learn from simple model systems”
- Daniel ben-Avraham, Clarkson University
“A simple model for teaching nonequilibrium kinetics and diffusion-limited reactions.”
- Craig Bohren, Pennsylvania State University
“Thermodynamics: a tragicomedy in several acts”
|
| Wednesday, June 14 |
| 7:30 - 8:30 am |
Breakfast |
|
9:00 am - 12:30 pm |
Computational Statistical Mechanics |
| Discussion Leader: Bulbul Chakraborty, Brandeis University |
|
- Bruce Boghosian, Boston University
“Lattice-gas models of fluid flow”
- Bill Hoover, University of California, Davis
“The smooth particle method”
- Alej Garcia, San Jose State University
“A numerical approach to teaching kinetic theory”
- Franz J. Vesely, University of Vienna
“Statistical physics for the sophomores.”
|
| 10:30 am |
Coffee break |
| 12:30 - 1:30 pm |
Lunch |
| 5:00 - 6:00 pm |
Planning session for next Gordon conference |
| 6:00 pm |
Dinner |
|
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm |
Teaching of Statistical and Thermal Physics in Chemistry |
| Discussion Leader: Irwin Oppenheim, MIT |
|
- David Chandler, University of California, Berkeley
“Teaching statistical mechanics and thermodynamics in a modern physical chemistry course”
- David Meltzer, Iowa State University
“Conceptual problems with free energies in physics and chemistry”
- Brian B. Laird, University of Kansas
“Entropy, disorder and freezing”
|
| Thursday, June 15 |
| 7:30 - 8:30 |
Breakfast |
|
9:00 am - 12:30 pm |
Research of Interest in Undergraduate Statistical and Thermal Physics Courses |
| Discussion Leader: Marcel den Nijs, University of Washington |
|
- Debashish Chowdhury, I.I.T. Kanpur, India
“Use of models of vehicular traffic in teaching non-equilibrium statistical mechanics”
- Andrea Liu and Doug Durian, UCLA
“Fluctuations in flowing foam”
- John Rundle, University of Colorado
“Statistical mechanics of earthquakes”
|
| 10:00 am |
Coffee break |
| 12:30 - 1:30 pm |
Lunch |
| 6:00 pm |
Dinner |
|
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm |
Topics in Statistical and Thermal Physics |
| Discussion Leader: Bill Klein, Boston University |
|
- Ralph Baierlein, Northern Arizona University
“The elusive chemical potential”
- Raj Pathria, University of Waterloo
“Phase transitions in finite-sized systems”
- Manuel G. Velarde, Facultad de Ciencias, UNED, Spain
“Summary Remarks”
|
