AAPT-Appalachian Fall 2026 Meeting
Ohio University
*LATEST UPDATES HERE! (updated 10/15/26)***********************
**Detailed Schedule is finalized (see bottom of this page)
**Meeting Fees set: we will be collecting $20 as well as membership dues of $10 for members. For graduate students and high school teachers, dues are free. Additionally for graduate students, the meeting fee will be discounted to $10. Undergrads are completely free. Fees will be reduced by the onsite travel reimbursement (see below). We ask that you only ask for the travel reimbursement if you spent money on travel.
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- AAPT Appalachian Regional Section Meeting 2026
- Meeting Theme : New Student Experiences, AI, and Accessibility
- October 17, 2026 (Welcome Dinner Friday Evening, October 16)
- Ohio University
- Location: Walter Hall 145 (talks/discusssion) Rm 245 (lunch/business mtg) see schedule
- Athens OH, 45701
We are very happy to host the Fall 2026 Section meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers Appalachian Region on Saturday, October 17h, 2026 in Walter Hall Ohio University.
Session(s) on AI and Accessibility: The meeting will feature discussion(s), including an invited panel/panel discussion, on the many considerations surrounding the increasing prominence of AI in the student experience, as well as recent efforts to comply with new federal accessibility requirements in education
A Keynote Talk by Professor Andrea Richard :will also be featured, concerning work by Prof. Richard’s group, which has a large involvement of undergraduates, regarding a recent high profile illumination of a long-standing mystery in nuclear physics involving gamma-ray enhancement in the Zn70 system.
On-site Travel Reimbursement: Given recently increased travel costs we will be featuring on-site travel reimbursement for those coming to Athens from more than 40 miles away, of $2 per every 15 miles traveled. More details can be found below in the meeting fee/costs information.
Schedule: The schedule of the meeting is set. For talks pre-registration was due, preferably by Friday October 2nd, but no later than October 9th 2026. Though we did accept several more contributions after October 9th.
- Pre-Registration & Contribution/Title/Abstract Submission: Please pre-register to confirm your intention to attend to help us plan, and also submit talk contributions at this link: Pre-registration and Contribution/Abstract Submission: https://forms.gle/72iBr2eU5kQSk11w6. Full abstracts nor even titles are not needed at submission time. Email frantz@ohio.edu with any updates.
- Time and Location: The main program of the meeting will be from approximately 9am to 5pm [detailed finalized schedule below] Saturday October 17th. The meeting will be held in Walter Hall, Rm 145 on the campus of Ohio University [The lunch/business mtg will be held in Walter 245]. The schedule as it evolves will be posted on the Meeting website linked above.
- Friday Evening October 16: We are also planning a dinner and possibly other welcome events for those arriving Friday evening. Please indicate whether you may be arriving Friday and interested in participating on the pre-registration link.
- Lunch: Lunch on Saturday October 17 will be provided for all participants at no additional cost. A business meeting of the section will be held during the lunch break. Please indicate dietary restrictions on the pre-registration form, or email frantz@ohio.edu
- Cost: [Finalized see “Latest Updates” at top of this page] Registration will be onsite before the official meeting start time Saturday morning and ad-hoc at other times on Saturday as needed. It is expected that meeting costs will be about $15-20 per faculty/staff in addition to yearly dues. Yearly dues for the AAPT Section are $10 and are also collected during registration. The meeting is completely free for undergraduate students and high school teachers (no charge for the meeting fee nor for yearly dues). For graduate students, the meeting fee will be discounted and yearly dues are free. The on-site travel reimbursement for those traveling more than 40 miles to Athens of $2 per every 15 miles traveled will first be subtracted from any meeting fees and dues owed. The total reimbursements issued will be limited and priority will be given to those who pre-register via the link above. Mileage will be rounded downward to the nearest 15-mile unit.
- Additional Information/Organizing Committee: Please email Justin Frantz (frantz@ohio.edu), organizer and chair of the local organizing committee.
- Local organizing committee members: Justin Frantz, Mark Lucas, Wayne Oswald, Andrea Richard, Andrius Burnelis (graduate student), Noah Smith (graduate student).
Detailed Meeting Schedule
Friday October 16, 2026 Pre-meeting Welcome Events
7:00pm Dinner at Cutlers Restaurant, Ohio University Inn, Athens Ohio
8:30pm Post-dinner events including tour of Edwards Accelerator Lab and visit to Ohio U Public Telescope Observatory
Saturday October 17, 2026 Walter Hall 145
| Start | Finish | Length (Min) | Speaker | Institution | Talk Title |
| 8:45 | 8:47 | 3 | Justin Frantz | Ohio University | Welcome |
| AI Focused Session I: AI and Accessibility | |||||
| 8:47 | 9:05 | 15+3 | Ashlea Krasnansky | WV State University | Technical Introduction to AI/ML Concepts |
| 9:05 | 9:23 | 15+3 | Tim Hamilton | Shawnee State University | Using AI as a tool in building lab projects and equipment |
| 9:23 | 9:42 | 15+3 | Maria Hamilton | Marshall University | Making Physics Accessible: Can AI Help Carry the Load? |
| 9:42 | 10:00 | 15+3 | Horacio Castillo | Ohio University | Using AI to convert handwritten notes into accessible pdf documents |
| 10:00 | 10:30 | 30 | Panel Discussion: Session Speakers | All are encouraged to participate | |
| 10:30 | 10:50 | 20 | COFFEE | ||
| AI-Focused Session II: AI in Student Learning and Research | |||||
| 10:50 | 11:10 | 15+5 | Tim Hamilton | Shawnee State University | Tracking the effects of student AI use on their learning |
| 11:10 | 11:30 | 15+5 | Maria Hamilton | Marshall University | When AI Does the Homework, Who Does the Learning? |
| 11:30 | 11:40 | 10 | Justin Frantz | Ohio University | Methods for Avoiding AI Overuse for Physics Homework/ Intro to panel discussion |
| 11:40 | 12:00 | 15+5 | Christian Drischler | Ohio University | PHYS 4071/5071: Computer Simulation Methods in Physics. |
| 12:00 | 12:30 | 30 | Panel Discussion: Session speakers + Ronaldo Vigo, Dept of Psychology Ohio University | All are encouraged to participate | |
| 12:30 | 14:00 | 20 | LUNCH | All are welcome – Lunch is Free – Section Business Mtg | |
| 14:00 | 14:45 | 15+5 | Andrea Richard | Ohio University | Keynote Talk: Illumination of a long-standing mystery in nuclear physics involving gamma-ray enhancement in the Zn70 system. |
| Contributed Session I | |||||
| 14:45 | 15:03 | 15+3 | John Stewart | WVU | PE-CAP: Redesigning Legacy Conceptual Inventories: Overview of Project Progress and the Validation Framework |
| 15:03 | 15:20 | 15+3 | Sean McBride | Marshall University | What is the fate of Herd Hours? Results Pre and Post Covid (S17-S26) |
| 15:20 | 15:38 | 15+3 | Gabriela Popa | Ohio University | Measuring the speed of sound with smartphones in a physical science class. |
| 15:38 | 15:55 | 15+3 | Niko Faulcon | Marshall University | What Neutron Star Remnants Can Tell Us After the Collision |
| 15:55 | 16:20 | COFFEE | |||
| Contributed Session II | |||||
| 16:20 | 16:38 | 15+3 | Diesel Bryant | Marshall University | Investigating Binary Neutron Star Inspirals & Tidal Deformability |
| 16:38 | 16:56 | 15+3 | Marek Krasnansky | WV State University | WV Space Flight Design Challenge – GHOST 2025 and RockSat 2026 |
| 16:56 | 17:14 | 15+3 | Moxi Imber | WV State University | WVSU’s experiments and results for the 2025 GHOSTX launch campaign |
| 17:14 | 17:32 | 15+3 | Gabriel Wiersma | WV State University | Sensor experiments in mycelium under microgravity conditions. |
| 17:32 | 17:50 | 15+3 | Tyler Parsons | Marshall University | Simultaneous Negative Photoconductance and Memristive Behavior in Metal Oxide-Based Heterojunctions for Neuromorphic Computing and Bioengineering |
| 17:50 | 18:08 | 15+3 | Gay Stewart | WVU | How to Create and Advocate for Departmental Change with the EP3 Guide |