We are very glad to welcome international renowned speakers.
More details and schedules will be given soon.

Ruth Chabay, North Carolina State University Computational Modeling in Introductory Physics
		Computational models are increasingly at the center of public discourse on topics ranging from  investment strategies to climate change. How can we help our students understand the basic structure, strengths, and limitations of such models? Computational models in introductory physics are not complex mathematically, and can produce rich and surprising behavior in simple model systems. Integrating simple computational modeling into the university-level introductory physics course can help students gain a deeper understanding of the functioning of fundamental physics principles, as well as allowing them to explore the effect of parameters such as step size which are important in many classes of computational models. Appropriate tools can allow even novice programmers to concentrate on the physics and mathematics of models rather than on the complexities of coding. One example of such a tool is VPython (http://vpython.org), which produces dynamic 3D animations of objects and their motion without requiring any graphics or interface coding. I will show examples of computational activities which we have integrated into the introductory calculus-based physics course taken by science and engineering students, and will discuss ongoing research directed at improving these activities.
Sebastian Dormido Bencomo, Dpto de Informática y Automática E.T.S. de Ingeniería Informática, UNED The development of virtual and remote labs in Science and Engineering: Foundations and experiences
		Although virtual and remote labs are evolving to a mature technology, they are still implemented without the will to be reused. Every remote lab project implements its own software architecture, but each one lack a comparison among different existing architectures. One of the aims of this lecture is to identify the characteristics of the next generation of remote labs and to asses the future directions in the research on this subject. In the lecture, we will describe also a satisfactory inter university experience known as "the AutomatLabs project" whose main objective is the design, development and exploitation of a network of virtual and remote laboratories for the teaching/learning of control engineering across Internet. The methodology employed in the development of AutomatLabs has considered: a) the technical details necessary to transform any traditional lab in a virtual/remote web-based one, and b) all the aspects related to the integration of the web-based laboratories in a tool that gives support to the academic planning based on pedagogic goals. Also the lecture presents a demo/description of three experimentation systems presented in Automatlabs.
Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University Helping our students learn physics and think like scientists
		Most of our students will not become professional physicists. What and how should they learn in their physics courses so that they can not only explain some physical phenomena and solve simple problems but also develop processes and habits of mind (we call them scientific abilities) that help them learn to analyze real world problems using strategies of the scientific community? One of the possible solutions is to engage students in experimental design. In this talk I will describe how we can bring design into an introductory physics lab, what scientific abilities students can develop, how long it takes, and whether the students transfer those abilities to content areas outside of physics. I will also describe some unexpected results that we found when we were studying the effects of engaging students in experimental design.
Pratibha Jolly, Chair, International Commission on Physics Education.  C14 of International Union for Pure and Applied Physics The International Commission on Physics Education (ICPE): Challenges and Opportunities
		Established in 1960, ICPE, Commission 14 of IUPAP, was born out of the realization that unlike research speciality areas, physics education lacks spontaneous international linkages even though teaching of physics, and education of physicists, is of concern to all and there is great deal of commonality in problems faced by diverse communities. The primary mandate of ICPE is to promote the exchange of information and views among the members of the international community of physicists in the general field of Physics Education. The presentation will elaborate on the mission objectives and various activities, in particular on the recent efforts made in establishing strong regional cooperation and networks with global outreach. It will delineate the commission’s concerns about making programs more inclusive; efforts towards capacity building of physics educators; mechanisms for effective coordination between physics education organizations worldwide; initiatives for sharing of resources and expertise for optimum outreach; and providing support to potential regional leaders and envisioning global networks.
Manfred Euler, Leibniz-Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN), Kiel Exploring the fascination of science: Hands-on self-organization and modeling creative processes
		Self-organization is a fascinating concept to model the emergence of structures and new behavioral patterns in living and nonliving systems. Simple model experiments and hands-on demonstrations are presented. They allow to gain insight into the universality of self-organization processes that occur on many levels of organization and in many domains. The examples range from the nanoscale of molecular machines to perception and cognitive processes. Implications for teaching about complex phenomena and for fostering creativity among students will be discussed.
Albert Fert, Nobel Prize of Physic in 2007 The world of spintronics: electrons, spins, computers and telephones
		Spintronics is mainly known for the considerable increase of the information stored in hard discs brought by the discovery of the so-called Giant Magnetoresistance phenomenon (GMR). Actually, the discovery of the GMR was only the first step. Many other interesting spin effects have been rapidly found and today spintronics can be presented as a new type of electronics exploiting not only the charge but also the spin of the electrons. After a review of some of the recent advances, I will describe their expected impact on the Information and Communication Technologies of tomorrow. I will also present the current emerging research directions and their promising perspectives.
Gorazd Planinsic, Faculty of mathematics and physics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Probing and stimulating scientific reasoning through explorations of simple experiments with surprising outcome
		Experiments with surprising outcomes can stimulate inquiry mind and create desire for learning and knowledge. With carefully posed questions that ask for explanations and predictions and guide students toward additional experimentation and observations, one can learn a lot about students’ approaches to solving problems in science. In addition, such experiments often prove to be useful in creating the active learning environment in which students step by step build the coherent picture about the physics and develop science related competences. Obviously, not all experiments are equally suitable to fulfil this goal. Examples of simple experiments based on widely available high-tech everyday object will be presented. These experiments proved to be successful in achieving the described goal in introductory physics at high school and university level.
Laurence Viennot, The many challenges of Inquiry Based Science Education: Toward multiple learning benefits?
		Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) refers to a now widely shared set of consensual viewpoints. Among many expected benefits, IBSE is seen as a good way to improve children’s and students’ interest and attainment levels in science and to show learners how science works. I will first discuss a series of caveats that have long been formulated by researchers in this domain. Consequently, a question arises: How might we go about maximizing the learning benefits of Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE)? In particular, can we lead students to substantial conceptual attainments, whilst keeping the motivational potential of IBSE? I will argue that, in order to take this challenge, we should foster students’ intellectual satisfaction by stressing conceptual links. I will examine some pitfalls or limitations in this regard and discuss a few possible alternatives to common teaching practices. Doing so, I will illustrate that, once one accepts a series of consensual viewpoints about how to implement an IBSE approach, a wide range of strategies remains open. A series of examples will illustrate some possible roots of ritualistic practices: the echo-explanations of experts, explanations that adopt the same pattern as is dictated by common ways of reasoning. On the basis of this analysis, I will suggest some alternatives that are likely better to foster conceptual links. Finally, several questions concerning IBSE will be briefly discussed, including evaluation and transitions between various levels of teaching. Through all these questions, the importance of the challenge discussed in this address reveals to be crucial. This fact should be fully taken into account if, in the long term, students are to attain conceptual achievement and a degree of intellectual satisfaction beyond mere excitement.