NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) 2016 Winter Meeting Plenaries will feature Ben Santer, Atmospheric Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Dr. Kimberly Ennico Smith, Research Astrophysicist at NASA's Ames Research Center.
Dr. Ben Santer's research focuses on such topics as climate model evaluation, the use of statistical methods in climate science, and identification of natural and anthropogenic "fingerprints" in observed climate records. Santer holds a Ph.D. in Climatology from the University of East Anglia, England. He will be speaking on "Evidence for Human Effects on Global Climate" on Sunday, January 10, 7:30PM. The plenary will cover satellite data and the model-predicted response to human influence have a common latitude/altitude pattern of atmospheric temperature change.
Dr. Kimberly Ennico Smith is a research astrophysicist at NASA's Ames Research Center. She is a Co-Investigator and Deputy Project Scientist on NASA's New Horizons Pluto Fly-by Mission. Her plenary topic is, "Pluto Revealed: First Results from the Historic 1st Fly-By Space Mission" and will take place on Monday, January 11 at 2:00 PM. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft successfully flew by the dwarf planet Pluto on July 14, 2015, after a 9.5 year trek across the solar system, and its system of moons, taking imagery, spectra and in-situ particle data. The presentation will summarize NASA's New Horizons mission and its early science results, and touches on the future of further exploring the outer Third Zone.
AAPT is also hosting a Symposium on Physics Education and Public Policy on Tuesday, January 12 at 2:00 PM. AAPT works with a number of partners to keep policymakers informed on the views of physics educators and to suggest appropriate policy options within the Association's sphere of influence. This session will bring together individuals who play pivotal roles in helping to shape policies and who provide information to policymakers. These individuals include Ramon Barthelemy, APS-AIP STEM Education Department Fellow and Meredith Drosback, Assistant Director, Education and Physical Sciences, Science Division, Office of Science and Technology Policy, U.S. White House.
Registration for the 2016 AAPT Winter Meeting is available on site at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans Hotel. For more information on registering visit the AAPT Winter Meeting website.
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SOURCE American Association of Physics Teachers
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