To provide AAPT with a focus for astronomical matters. Our workshops and sessions, as discussed in the first part of this report, certainly reflect our mission statement. The topics we present have wide popular appeal, and are of interest for the general physics community. In the past we have presented such luminaries as Rocky Kolb and Melissa Franklin of Fermilab, and Margaret Geller of the Harvard Smithsonian Observatory. We are proud to present in 1998 Donna Shirley, head of the Mars Pathfinder Mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a plenary speaker in New Orleans, and in 1999 Alexei Fillipenko of UC Berkeley as a plenary speaker in Anaheim.
Astronomy is one of the most popular sciences on college campuses.
Many students never enroll in a physics course per se, which makes the role of astronomy in physics education for the general public of vital importance. The Astronomy Committee continues to provide a wide variety of workshops for AAPT members. In the past year we have broadened our scope to include computer-guided curricula that are applicable in general physical science, integrated science, and middle school astronomy teaching as well, through the Astronomy Village. Recognizing the need for more than just computers in any pedagogical style, we have begun offering a workshop in Conceptual Astronomy Teaching, and working tutorials presenting hands-on, inexpensive astronomy labs and demonstrations for all ages. This session is scheduled for the second or third evening of the Summer '98 meeting, and is jointly sponsored by the Committee on Science for the Public.