Nebraska Physics and Astronomy Summit

Mathematical and physical formulas against the background of a galaxy in universe.

March 7, 2026

STEM Trail Center
University of Nebraska at Omaha 

Omaha, Nebraska

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

This conference is dedicated to providing a variety of professional development opportunities in astronomy and physics education for college, high school, and middle school teachers across the state of Nebraska. A theme of this event is the use of instructional technology to improve our teaching of astronomy and physics. The conference begins with a keynote, an exhibition hall, and your choice of four breakout sessions. After lunch, the second keynote and longer workshop sessions close out the day.

DRAFT Schedule

8:30 am

Registration/Parking

9:00 am

Opening Welcome

Patrick Dussault, Associate Dean for Faculty, UNL College of Arts and Sciences


Keynote Presentation

Perennial Wisdom for Modernizing the Curriculum

Christopher Orban, The Ohio State University

10:00 am

Continental Breakfast, Hallway Booths, Poster Session, & Socializing

11:00 am

Breakout Sessions

Simulating Planet Formation | Evan Rich, Chris Siedell

Neutrino Citizen Science | Pawan Giri Martin Liu

Computational Modeling in VPython | Brian Townsend

11:30 am

Breakout Sessions

Modeling Cosmological Redshift | Tammy Blobaum

Discussion: Studio Physics & Scale-Up | Steve Ducharme

12:00 pm

Breakout Sessions

Quantum Operator Toys | Dan Claes

12:30 pm

Breakout Sessions

Simulating Planet Formation | Evan Rich, Chris Siedell

da Vinci Bridges | Larry Browning

1:00 pm

Lunch

Cather Dining Center, Lark Room

2:00 pm

Keynote Presentation

Can Drones Improve Tornado Forecasts
Adam Houston, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

3:00 pm

Breakout Session (1.5 hr)

Tricks of the Trade (in NanoScience and QM) | Steve Wignall

The Physics of Video Games | Chris Orban

HR Diagram Simulations | Kevin Lee, Chris Siedell

4:30 pm

Evaluations


Door Prize Raffle

(must be present to win)


Dismissal