PHYSICS EDUCATION NEWS (PEN) July 1994, No. 1 An electronic newsletter of the AIP Educatio

PHYSICS EDUCATION NEWS (PEN)
July 1994, No. 1

An electronic newsletter of the AIP Education Division

NSF RELEASES 1993 SCIENCE INDICATORS
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the 13th and
largest edition of the biennial "Science and Engineering
Indicators," a 514-page compilation of research, information, data,
and commentary on various aspects of science and engineering.  The
book includes sections on K-12 science and math education, higher
education in science and engineering, academic research and
development, financial resources, and institutional linkages.
Appendices with charts and tables and a subject index are also
included.
(For a free copy, contact:  Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC  20402; stock number
038-000-00589-8)

E-MAIL STUDENT CONFERENCES REDUCE DROPOUT RATE
Looking for ways to increase student interaction and retention?
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, are using a
$30,000 Sloan Foundation Grant to help students receive extra
assistance in calculus by communicating electronically with their
instructors.  Among other ways of aiding their students, teachers
in the program gather information from students through e-mail
questionnaires, create portfolios on each student, and offer weekly
comment files for reinforcement and feedback to them.  Michael
Fried, a UC-Irvine professor of mathematics and a principal
investigator in the program, says the electronic interactions have
reduced the dropout rate in his course.  The program has "given me
more contact with students in one course than I've had in 20 years
of teaching," says Fried.
(For more information, contact Michael Fried at:  telephone:  714-
856-6592; e-mail:  mfried@math.uci.edu)

AIP OFFERS FREE ELECTRONIC JOB LISTINGS
The Career Planning and Placement Division of the American
Institute of Physics (AIP) now provides free public access to its
employment listings on PINET, AIP's Physics Information Network.
Edwin Goldin, the division's new manager, announced that these
listings will also appear on the Young Scientist's Network.
(To reach the PINET account, make a Telnet connection to
.  Enter "aipjobs" at both the "user ID" and
"password" prompts.  To obtain the listings from YSN, send e-mail
to , with subject "send")

PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE DETAILED IN "HOW-TO" KIT
ASM International has launched an initiative to increase interest
in science and math concepts at the K-12 grade levels with a new
"how to" video program and booklet titled "School Partnerships:
Something I Can Do?"  The program demonstrates, in a step-by-step
format, how scientists, engineers, and sponsoring organizations can
establish meaningful, long-term partnerships with their local
school districts and schools.  The partnerships involve structured
classroom visits by professionals to provide children with role
models in the fields of science and engineering, thus increasing
their interest in pursuing a career in these areas.  ASM is a
technical society dedicated to serving the science and engineering
communities.
(To obtain the free 15-minute introductory video and booklet, or to
order the two-hour, in-depth video, contact:  ASM Member Services
Center, Materials Park, OH  44073; telephone:  216-338-5151; fax:
216-338-4634)

*****************************
PEN is being published on a trial basis through December 31, 1994.
Please tell us your opinion of PEN.  To subscribe, send an email
message to .  Leave the "Subject" line blank.  In
the body of the message, enter the following command:  .

American Institute of Physics
Education Division
Contact:  Mr. Tracy Schwab
301-209-3007, tschwab@aip.org
*****************************