This meeting is hosted by the Department of Physics at Virginia Commonwealth University
with additional funding from
- Department of Physics and the College of Science at Virginia Tech
- Departments of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Virginia
Overview:
The Fall 2025 Meeting of the Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (CSAAPT) will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at the Monroe Park Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, VCU enrolls more than 28,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities across VCU’s 12 schools and three colleges.
The VCU Department of Physics has a robust research program that provides opportunities for our undergraduates to explore cutting edge physics and develop skills that prepare them for work in scientific research and industry. Our academic program includes both a traditional physics education and a special track for pre-medical students.
No membership required!
You do not have to be an AAPT or CSAAPT member to attend. We welcome participation of all physics/science teachers and students in the region (DC, DE, MD, VA and neighboring states) as well as anyone interested in physics education, or physics in general.
The semiannual CSAAPT meetings are a great forum to exchange ideas on novel teaching techniques and economical physics demonstrations, and to meet a fascinating cohort of physics education enthusiasts.
This meeting is semi-virtual. The in-person meeting venue will be at Virginia Commonwealth University. Further details can be found on the Meeting Location page. The Meeting will be broadcast on Zoom so that people from afar (both presenters and attendees) can join in.
Lodging Support!
We have limited funds to provide up to $360 in lodging support to high school physics teachers. Please see the Travel & Lodging Info page for more details.
Program:
- We plan to have a plenary talk by invited speakers (TBA), parallel sessions of contributed talks, a demo share-a-thon, etc.
- See below for how to contribute talks/demos.
- Details of the program will be announced here as they become available.
Invited Speakers:
Dr. Carl J. Williams (CJW Quantum Consulting LLC, CEO)
Title: From Quantum Mechanics to the 2nd Quantum Revolution
Abstract: 2025 was declared by UNESCO to be the International Year of Quantum, in part to recognize the foundation of Quantum Mechanics that was established in the mid 1920’s by Einstein, Bohr, Schrodinger, and many other pioneers. Those scientific underpinning gave the world the foundation for the 1st Quantum Revolution that transformed our society in the 20th Century with the transistor, laser, MRI scanners and other technology and devices. Today, we are at the beginning of the 2nd Quantum Revolution, that exploits the part of quantum mechanics that caused Einstein to state “God does not play dice with the universe!” After setting the context for this presentation, I will introduce key concepts such as superposition and quantum entanglement. I then describe how our control and manipulation of these provide the foundation for paradigm shifting technology that will transform the 21st Century. The presentation will conclude by providing an overview of this emerging quantum 2.0 economy and capabilities from atomic clocks so precise that one can observe the curvature of space time at 100 microns to quantum computers that leverage superposition and entanglement to process vast amounts of information simultaneously, promising breakthroughs in drug discovery, materials science, and optimization problems. For physics educators, this revolution presents both challenges and opportunities. Students must grasp counterintuitive concepts like wave-particle duality, quantum superposition, and entanglement—ideas that defy classical intuition. For society, we are entering an era where quantum literacy becomes essential for the next generation of scientists and engineers. As quantum technologies mature from laboratory curiosities to commercial applications, preparing students to navigate this quantum-enabled future becomes a critical educational imperative.
Bio: Dr. Carl J. Williams is the CEO of CJW Quantum Consulting LLC where he provides strategic advice to fortune 100 companies, small companies, and startups in the quantum technology space and supply chain companies wishing to develop a quantum strategy. He established CJW Quantum Consulting after a highly successful career at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he led the NIST Quantum Information Program since its establishment in 2000 and played a significant role in establishing the United States government policy that led to the National Quantum Initiative Act, including testifying before Congress. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has won several awards over his career for both science and scientific leadership. His career accomplishments include the establishment of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), the establishment of the Joint Quantum Institute, major leadership leading to the 2019 Redefinition of Treaty of the Meter, and more than 120 scientific publications. He is a member of the Global Future Councils of the World Economic Forum. Dr. Williams received his B.A. from Rice University in 1981 and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1987.
Contributed Talks and Demos:
We solicit contributions within the following parameters:
- 15-minute talk or demo (12 minute talk + 3-minute Q&A, both in-person and via Zoom)
Talk topic/demo can be anything pertaining to physics teaching - To submit the title and abstract of your talk, please register first and then click on Call for Abstracts in the menu
- The deadline to submit your title and abstract for talks and demos is midnight of Sunday, September 14, 2025.
- We plan to have a demo share-a-thon in the afternoon (no demo presentations in the morning).
- Contributors of talks/demos will be issued certificates of presentation. These will be emailed to you after the Meeting.
Registration:
- In-person attendance:
- Please use the in-person attendance registration form on the Registration page,
- The deadline to register for in-person attendance is midnight of Sunday, September 21, 2025.
- In-person attendees are requested the following registration fees to cover administrative and other costs:
-
- Instructors/faculty of 2-year and 4-year colleges/universities, employees of institutions/organizations/companies : $35
- K-12 Instructors, Retirees, Students, Guests : $25
- 1st-time in-person attendees : $15
-
- You will earn a CSAAPT membership for the academic year 2025-2026 once the above registration fee is paid.
- The registration fee is NOT payable upon registration. A link for you to directly pay the registration fee online will be emailed to you after the registration deadline.
- Please use the in-person attendance registration form on the Registration page,
- Remote Attendance:
- Please use the Zoom attendance registration form on the Registration page.
- The deadline to register for remote attendance is midnight of Friday, October 10, 2025.
- There is NO registration fee for remote attendees.
- Please note that the Zoom link for the meeting will not be made public and will only be emailed to registrants. The Zoom link will be sent to you in a Zoom or calendar invite, so please pay attention to what you are receiving in your email.
- Once on Zoom, please change your Zoom name to your full name followed by your affiliation in parentheses, e.g. Jane Doe (Richmond High School). This is so that we can identify your presence for the purpose of issuing your certificates of attendance.
- Please use the Zoom attendance registration form on the Registration page.
- Certificate of Attendance/Presentation:
- Certificates of attendance/presentation will be issued to both in-person and virtual attendees/presenters.
- If you need a certificate of attendance and/or presentation, please register your name exactly as it should appear on your certificate(s). No nicknames or pseudonyms, please.
- A detailed program in pdf can be generated by clicking on the "PDF" button at the top of the "Timetable" page (once the timetable is available).
- Certificates of attendance/presentation will be issued to both in-person and virtual attendees/presenters.
Important Deadlines:
- Application for Lodging Support: Sunday, August 31, 2025
- Hotel room-block cutoff: Friday, September 12, 2025
- Submission of talk and demo abstracts: Sunday, September 14, 2025
- Registration for in-person attendance: Sunday, September 21, 2025
- Registration for virtual attendance: Friday, October 10, 2025
Organizational Committee:
Carissa Capuano (Chair, Virginia Commonwealth University, VA)
Samanthi Wickramarachchi (Virginia Commonwealth University, VA)
Kent Yagi (CSAAPT President, University of Virginia, VA)
Jency Sundararajan (CSAAPT Vice President, University of Virginia, VA)
Alina Cinchocki (St. Christopher's School, VA)
James Freericks (Georgetown University, DC)
Muge Karagoz (CSAAPT, MD)
Kris Lui (AAPT-OPTYCs, MD)
Carl Mungan (USNA, MD)
John Ochab (Reynolds Community College, VA)
Renee Reisenweaver (Randolph-Macon College, VA)
Jason Sterlace (James Madison University, VA)
Stewart Williamson (Collegiate School, VA)
Tatsu Takeuchi (Virginia Tech, VA)
