Minutes of NYSS-AAPT Executive Board Meeting
Radisson and Corning Community College
Corning, NY
April 8, 2000
Present: George Amann, Bernadine Cook, Laura Dustin, John Fitzgibbons,
Michael Herzog, Douglas Huston, Larry Josbeno, Richard Mancuso, Robert
Pompi (second-half of meeting only) and Lowell Sylwester
Absent: Joseph Drenchko, Nancy Moreau, and Carl Shepard
Guest: Alfred Mann
The meeting was called to order at 7:34 AM by president Mancuso.
A motion to approve the minutes of the April 16, 1999 meeting was made by
Josbeno and seconded by Sylwester. The motion passed.
Cook gave the treasurer's report as follows:
$ 914.47 checking
10506.37 savings
9457.03 certificate of deposit
$ 20,878.27 total
Cook noted that this did not represent any memberships received as a result
of publication of the Corning conference or any of the registration fees
for this conference. (The section has not yet received money from the Six
Flags for 1999 and 2000. )
A motion to accept the treasurer's report was made by Fitzgibbons and
seconded by Josbeno. The motion passed..
Josbeno reported that the program and luncheon were all set for the next
day. One hundred thirty-six people were registered for the conference: 31
APS, 47 AAPT, and 58 students. He noted that APS funded students up to $150
per institution and also sponsored meals at $10 per student. Josbeno
believed that the extraordinary turnout was due to the exceptional Friday
evening speaker and the central location, making it an easy commute from
universities in Syracuse, Binghampton, Ithaca and Rochester. Twelve people
pre-registered for the workshop to be conducted by Amann, according to
Josbeno. The executive board commended Josbeno for organizing and excellent
meeting.
Amann indicated that twelve people had pre-registered for his workshop at
the end of the conference. He estimated expenditures at $100. (The actual
amount submitted after the workshop was $116.13.)
A motion to budget $600 to help defray the cost of executive board members
attending future meetings was passed. Mancuso set a deadline of April 17,
2000 for members to mail original receipts to Cook for reimbursement.
(Actual reimbursement totaled $531.34 as follows: Cook $214.61,
Fitzgibbons $185.90, and Herzog $130.83.)
A motion for Mancuso to purchase insurance for the section was made by
Fitzgibbons and seconded by Josbeno. The motion passed.
The Service Award selection Committee for next spring will be chaired by
Mancuso and include at least three, but no more than six of the past award
recipients, according to a motion that passed at last spring's meeting.
Amann, Fitzgibbons, and Josbeno agreed to serve on the committee. Mancuso
indicated that he would contact Pompi and Fitzgibbons said he would contact
Drenchko about serving on the committee as well.
Under old business related to ways the section could promote physics
education in the state Mancuso reiterated his feelings that a videotape
made of his physics show would not be like a live performance and thus,
not a good idea. Executive board members made several suggestions including
sponsoring retired members to give presentations and be reimbursed for
expenses up to $300 and establishing a lecture list. Mann indicated that
physics faculty at the college level are "eager to propigate the faith." A
motion was made by Fitxgibbons and seconded by Sylwester to establish a
NYSSAAPT Outreach Committee. The motion passed. Josbeno agreed to chair the
committee and indicated that communication between interested board members
would be by email.
Under other old business it was noted that Educational Testing Service
(ETS) had not contacted Fitzgibbons or Pompi although they had expressed an
interest in working for its AP Physics test development committee.
At the last meeting, motion passed that allowed for up to $500.00 to be
budgeted for pre-service physics teachers to attend the NYSS-AAPT annual
meeting. There was no response from pre-service teachers for this meeting.
Under new business Sylwester indicated that he would act as a liaison for
Buffalo State and Michael DeMarco, in organizing a joint meeting with APS
on October 20 and 21, 2000. The topic will be "strings, Particles, and
Cosmology." The section will still investigate holding a spring meeting in
the eastern section of the state on April 22.. Amann agreed to contact
Vasser and Mancuso and Dustin agreed to research West Point as a site.
Since section representative Cook indicated she would be unable to attend
the AAPT summer meeting. Fitzgibbons was asked to attend as a substitute by
Mancuso. President-elect Sylwester was told to inform Steve Iona, the chair
of the section representatives, in writing of this substitution.
Cook reported that 32 votes were cast in the election and the results were
as follows:
President: Lowell Syylwester (32)
Vice-President: Doug Huston (6) Larry Josbeno (26)
Secretary/Treasurer: You (32)
Executive Board (SIX positions): Ken Evans (29), Johns Fitzgibbons (27),
Mike Herzog (29),
Nancy Moreau (27), Hank Nebel (14), Carl Shepard (24), and Andy Telesca
(28)
Mancuso agreed to write a letter congratulating each of the winners and to
continue to maintain the section's homepage although he will no longer be
president.
Cook charged the bill for breakfast for the executive board on her credit
card and was then reimbursed for the same amount from the section checking
account.
The executive board recessed at 8:47 AM and reconvened at 12:43PM.
Mancuso began by reminding executive board members that they must provide
original receipts for lodging and meals and record actual mileage to be
eligible for reimbursement.
In an informal discussion about the meeting, Pompi indicated that he
believed it was so successful because of the quality of the speakers and
the presentations being at a level that was appropriate for the audience.
Josbeno indicated the difficulties he encountered with hosting a joint
meeting with APS, because of the organization charged a different
registration fee than AAPT. He indicated that future APS-AAPT joint
meetings must charge the same registration fees. APS meetings must be
tutorial according to Mancuso, but they have become esoteric over the
years according to Fitzgibbons. It was suggested that for future joint
meeting that the AAPT membership be notified that the talks are of an
appropriate level.
Last year's topic of supporting students to attend section meetings was
revisited. A motion was made by Amann and seconded by Fitzgibbons for the
section to support student attendance at meetings at a maximum level of
$1000 per academic year with a maximum support of $100 for an individual
student in a teacher-training program, and a maximum of $150 per
institution. The motion passed. Pompi agreed to screen the student
applicants and handle the program.
In informal discussion Mancuso stated he would post the minutes of the
executive board meeting on the section's homepage. Amann agreed to contact
Moreau to see if she was still interested in serving on the executive board
because she has been unable to make for several years. Amann is to forward
the information to Mancuso.
Amotion to adjourn at 1:23 PM was made by Fitzgibbons and seconded by
Amann.
Respectfully submitted,
Bernadine Hladik Cook