Date
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Registration is now open-hit the big green button below!
Location
- Riverside City College, Math and Science Building, Room MTSC 106
- Address: 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506
- Coordinates: 33°58'16"N 117°23'00"W
- Parking Permit This parking permit can be used in any lot. Please print it and place it so it is visible through the front windshield of your vehicle. We will have some printed permits available on the day of the workshop.
The pic above on the right is a participant tunneling into the Riverside City College's Math and Science building, and getting trapped at the workshop!
Who Should Attend
Any physics educators from around the LA area (or anywhere else if you're willing to travel!) that want to energize their physics courses! The scope of this workshop is appropriate for physics teachers from high schools, 2-year colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities.
The workshop will include demonstrations and discussions about various aspects of integrating computational activities into physics courses at all levels from introductory to advanced. There will also be guided working time wherein participants will explore tested exercises, and will build an outline that will serve as the beginning of a plan for integrating computational activities into their specific courses. Finally, by participating in this workshop participants will become plugged into a growing and supportive community of like-minded physics educators dedicated to improving the physics curriculum. The support system includes a repository of developed computational materials as well as dedicated online and personal community support.
The workshop is the second in a series of annually occurring PICUP workshops in the LA area. We are looking to develop a community of like-minded instructors who teach computation in their physics classes.
Registration
|
Early Bird
(Deadline: April 24, 2026)
|
Standard
(after April 24, 2026, including walk-in on May 2)
|
| $10 |
$15 |
Register Here
Workshop Schedule
Schedule for Saturday, May 2
8:30-9:00 Arrival, Check-In, and Continental Breakfast
9:00-9:10 Welcome and Introductions
Sign In Here
9:10-9:30 PICUP and Vision for Annual LA Area Workshop
9:30-10:15 Session I: So, you wanna do computational physics (in intro physics)? - Gloria Ramos
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-11:15 Session II: What a drag! Projectiles, orbits, balloons, oh my! (Help! I have no clue what I am doing!) - Phillip Blanco
11:15-12:00 Session III: Panel: Computing in the age of AI -David Chappell (Vibe coding, learning python, evaluating how much learning is happening - how does that relate to job creation or losses?, other issues?)
AI Discussion Prompts
12:00-1:00 Lunch (And Workshop Photo)
1:00-3:45 Small Groups - Possible groups might be:
Excel, VPython, Python
Introductory level computational activities
Astronomy computational activities
Tutorials
Exercise Sets (what makes a good exercise set)
Exchange of ideas about integrating computation into your courses
3:45-4:00 Feedback for Future Meetings and Wrap Up
Engage with PICUP: Summer SLICE, Summer Virtual Workshop, Webinars
Questions/Need Help?
If you have any questions, or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact one of the workshop coordinators:
Tony Musumba, Physics, Riverside City College, Tony.Musumba@rcc.edu
Kelly Roos, Department of Economics and Finance, Bradley University rooster@bradley.edu
Andrew Morrison, Department of Natural Sciences, Joliet Junior College amorriso@jjc.edu
