Events

PERL hosts a seminar series on physics and STEM education research during the academic year. Seminars are held on Wednesdays at 3:00pm in 1400 BPS and on Zoom (Meeting ID: 964 7070 3707, Password: PERSeminar).

To receive seminar announcements, join the PERL mailing list — see Getting Involved.

Looking for earlier talks? See Past Events.

Upcoming Events: Academic Year 2026-2027

The Impact of OPTYCs and Its Future

Kris Lui, Director for The Organization for Physics at Two-Year Colleges (OPTYCs)

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026 at 3:00pm in BPS 1400 and on Zoom at https://msu.zoom.us/j/96470703707, Meeting ID: 964 7070 3707, Password: PERSeminar

Abstract: In this talk, I will share how The Organization for Physics at Two-Year Colleges (OPTYCs) has made an impact on physics education nationally. Through surveys, analytics, and focus groups, I will show that physics-teaching faculty at two-year colleges (TYCs) have found OPTYCs to be extremely effective in mitigating known issues that this community faces. OPTYCs has helped to forge better connections across different educational sectors, but many gaps and areas for growth remain. I will end with a facilitated discussion on how the broader physics community can better recognize and embrace the TYC sector.

Bio: Kristine (Kris) Lui, Ph.D. is Director for The Organization for Physics at Two-Year Colleges (OPTYCs), an NSF-initiated program under the American Association of Physics Teachers. Prior to this role, Kris was a community college physics professor for 13 years. Through OPTYCs, she oversees professional development initiatives for faculty teaching physics and astronomy in the first two years of post-secondary education; the vision is to provide excellent educational experiences for all students, regardless of background, preparation, or aspirations. Kris has a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), and lives in Maryland.