Programs

Education and Outreach

APS-DPP hosts several free, interactive events where students, teachers, and the general public can explore familiar concepts of light, electricity, and magnetism with an unfamiliar state of matter - plasma! Join us to discover plasma science and fusion energy, learn about cutting-edge research, and find out about exciting career paths. Attendees will interact with physicists, engineers, and experts from national and international laboratories, universities, and industry who are ready to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for science while making the science accessible and engaging.

All events are organized by the DPP Education and Outreach Committee.

Interested in getting involved in outreach? Contact us!

For the Class of 2018 - Alumni

Graduate School Day

Saturday, September 25, 2021, 12-6 pm ET

A graduate degree in plasma physics can lead to exciting careers in academia, national laboratories, and industry. The APS-DPP Graduate School Day is an opportunity to learn about US graduate programs in plasma physics and the fusion sciences, learn about the application process, learn about fellowship opportunities for graduate students, and to network with other graduate students.

More Info & Registration

Contests

Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Awards

Every year, undergraduate students present plasma physics-related research conducted at their undergraduate institution or at internships across the country and internationally.  While their presence at the DPP conference is already an outstanding academic achievement, a panel of DPP member judges attend their poster presentations and award the top presentations with Outstanding Poster Awards at the annual Student Appreciation Reception.  The diplomas are presented by the APS-DPP chair and the awardees are invited to attend the APS-DPP banquet.

More Info & Recent Winners

Visual Science Communication Contest

Annual contest for DPP presenters with the purpose of fostering communication of research presented at the APS-DPP Annual Meetings via visual media (image and video) to the broader community and the public.
Submissions consist of either an image or short simulation video (less than 100 MB) representing your research presented at this year’s APS-DPP meeting. 
The top entry and the runner-up in each category and the runner-up will receive cash prices. The winning entries will be featured on the APS-DPP website and Twitter (@apsdpp).

More Info & Recent Winners

Science Teacher Day

The Pittsburgh Teachers Day will be held remotely in early 2022.

More Info & Registration

Science Teacher Day is a day of free professional development workshops for teachers to learn about plasma physics research and ways to incorporate plasma lessons and activities in the classroom. These "real-life" topics, seldom found in conventional classroom discussions or in school textbooks, provide tools to help teachers inspire students to understand the research challenges of plasma science and related applications. The workshop presentations, handouts, and classroom resource materials are designed especially for middle and high school teachers and targeted to satisfy state and national standards.
The workshop is held during the annual APS-DPP meeting and in 2021 will be available to local Pittsburgh teachers.

Read more: Why Teach Plasma Physics?

Plasma Science Expo

The next Plasma Science Expo will be in 2022.
*2021 cancelled due to COVID-19.

More Info & Registration

The Plasma Science Expo is an exhibition during the annual APS-DPP Meeting that focuses on hands-on science education. Students, parents, teachers, and the general public are welcome to attend. Examples of activities are:

  • Make lightning with a Van de Graaff generator.
  • Observe your fluctuating body temperature on a special monitor.
  • Participate in a "flow bubble" demonstration.
  • Manipulate plasma with magnets.
  • Watch an electromagnetic wave demonstration.
  • Play with plasma “toys.”
  • Learn how to confine plasmas magnetically in a fusion device by participating in a computer simulation.
  • Meet and talk with professional scientists and engineers in the field of plasma physics and learn about cutting-edge research.

Contributing laboratories, industries, academic institutions, and government agencies include: University of California, San Diego; General Atomics; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory; Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Iowa; Contemporary Physics Education Project; National Science Foundation; Sandia National Laboratories; U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fusion Energy Science, U.S. Department of Energy Defense programs, and many more.