RESUME’
Art Hobson
Emeritus Professor of Physics
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
479-575-5918, fax 479-575-4580, ahobson@uark.edu

Education

  1. Music (Honors), North Texas State University, Denton, 1955.
  2. Science (Magna Cum Laude), Kansas State University, Manhattan, 1960.

Ph.D. (theoretical physics), Kansas State University, Manhattan, 1964.

Dissertation title:  The Application of Methods of Statistical Mechanics to Problems in Electrodynamics.

 

History

Born 27 November 1934.

Music student, 1952-55, receiving B. Music in 1955 at North Texas State University.

US Army, in an Army band in Europe, 1955-57.

Physics student, 1958-64, receiving B.S. in 1960 and Ph.D. in 1964 at Kansas State University.

Married in 1959, 2 children in 1964 (Ziva) and in 1967 (David).

Divorced in 1970, retaining custody of both children (then ages 3 and 6).

Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Arkansas, 1964-68.

Associate Professor of Physics, University of Arkansas, 1969-74.

Professor of Physics, University of Arkansas, 1974-1999.

Research Associate, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Jan-July 1985.

Married Marie Riley in 1997.

Retired from teaching in May 1999, but remained active in creative academic pursuits.

 

Books Published

  1. Art Hobson, Concepts in Statistical Mechanics (Gordon and Breach, NY, 1971). Research monograph.
  2. Art Hobson, Physics and Human Affairs (John Wiley, NY, 1982). Liberal-arts physics textbook.
  3. Barbara G. Levi, Mark Sakitt and Art Hobson, editors, The Future of Land-Based Strategic Missiles, (American Institute of Physics, NY, 1989). APS/Forum study of strategic missiles.
  4. Art Hobson, Physics: Concepts & Connections, Prentice Hall, Englewood NJ, 5th ed 2010.  Adopted at over 130 colleges and several high schools.
  5. Chinese translation of Physics: Concepts and Connections, 2nd edition 2001 by Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 4th edition 2008 by Higher Education Press.
  6. Art Hobson, Marie Baehr, Earl C. Swallow, Laboratory Manual for Liberal-Arts Physics (Prentice Hall, Englewood NJ, 1995), to accompany Physics:  Concepts and Connections.

 

Articles Published

  1.  With Boris Leaf, “Evolution equation for relativistic particles,” Physica 31, 1227 (1965).
  2. “Divergent partition functions,” Physics Letters 19, 370 (1965).
  3. With C.K. Manka, “Variation of current in exploding wires,” J. Applied Physics 37, 1897 (1966).
  4. “Irreversibility and information,” J. Chem. Phys. 45, 1352 (1966).
  5. “Irreversibility and information,” Am. J. Phys. 34, 411 (1966).
  6. WithDavid Loomis, “Exact analysis of the ideal gas,” Physical Review 173, 285 (1968).
  7. “Irreversibility in quantum systems,” J. Chemical Physics 46, 1365 (1967).
  8. “Comment on the entropy principle,” American Journal of Physics 35, 165 (1967).
  9. “Irreversibility,” Physics Letters 26A, 649 (1968).
  10. “Further comments on irreversibility,” Physics Letters 28A, 183 (1968).
  11. “A new theorem of information theory,” J. Statistical Physics 1, 383 (1969).
  12. Concepts in Statistical Mechanics (Gordon and Breach, NY, 1971). Research monograph.
  13. “Interpretation of probabilities,” J. Statistical Physics 6, 189 (1972).
  14. With B. K. Cheng, “Comparison of information measures,” J. Statistical Physics 7, 301 (1973).
  15. “Ergodic properties of a particle moving inside a polygon,” J. Mathematical Physics 16, 2201 (1975).
  16. Physics and Human Affairs (John Wiley, NY, 1982). Liberal-arts physics textbook.
  17. “Feature course: Physics and Human Affairs,” Fed of Am Scientists Nuclear War Education Project, (1982).
  18. “Nuclear war and science teaching,” J. College Science Teaching, Mar/Apr 1983, p. 332.
  19. “Review of Missiles for the 90s,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Oct 1985, p. 46.
  20. The Small Missile, 125-page report filed at SIPRI, May 1985. Available from author.
  21. invited book review of Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, Am. J. Phys., 54, 1156 (1986).
  22. “US ICBM vulnerability in the 1990s,” Physics and Society, Jan. 1987, p. 2.
  23. “Missile vulnerability:theory and practice,” Appl. Phys. Comm. 6, 252 (1987).
  24. “ICBM vulnerability:calculations and predictions,” Am. J. Phys. 56, 829 (1988).
  25. “Land-mobile Midgetman,” Physics and Society, April 1988, p. 9.
  26. The Future of Land-Based Strategic Missiles, ed by B. Levi, M. Sakitt and AH, Am Inst of Phys, NY, 1989.
  27. “Minuteman/MX system:becoming vulnerable?” research article, op. cit., pp. 123-144.
  28. “The diad alternative,” research article, op. cit., pp. 159-168.
  29. “Survivability of mobile Midgetman,” research article, op. cit., pp. 191-212.
  30. “Survivability of superhard silos,” research article, op. cit., pp. 267-280.
  31. Invited book review of Nuclear Fears: A History of Images, Am. J. Phys., 57, 186 (1989).
  32. “Physics and Human Affairs:a way to integrate science and society,” Teachers Clearinghouse, Sp 1989, p. 11.
  33. “The problem with physics,” invited editorial in the American Physical Society Newsletter, October 1989.
  34. “The Stealth Bomber Will Harm US Defense,” Opposing Viewpoints: Nuclear Arms, 1990 Annual, Greenhaven Press, San Diego, 1990, pp. 101-3.
  35. “Strike ‘law’ from the physics books,” letter to Physics Today, April 1990, p. 122.
  36. “Why few take physics,” letter to Physics Today, April 1990, p. 112.
  37. “Introductory physics:trimming the bloated elephant,” Am J Phys, Feb 1991.
  38. “The ICBM basing question,” Science and Global Security, Vol. 2, p. 153 (1991).
  39. “Calculating silo-based missile vulnerability,” Science and Global Security, Vol. 2, p. 181 (1991).
  40. “Calculating mobile missile vulnerability,” Science and Global Security, Vol. 2, p. 187 (1991).
  41. “The ozone parable,” invited editorial, Am J Phys, Nov 1992, 971.
  42. “Japan:an energy efficiency model?” Physics Today, Sept 1992, 101-2.
  43. “Getting science and religion to talk,” Physics Today, April 1992, 120.
  44. “Seeing atoms?” The Physics Teacher, Sept 1992, 327.
  45. “May the force not be with you,” The Physics Teacher, April 1992, 196.
  46. “Ozone and interdisciplinary science teaching: learning to address the things that matter most,” Journal of College Science Teaching, Sep/Oct 1993, 33-37. This article was the cover story for this issue.
  47. “Fields, Waves, and Mysteries,” letter in The Physics Teacher, Sep 1993, 330.
  48. “Physics:Concepts and Connections.  A new textbook for the liberal-arts physics course.”  To be published in the Proceedings to the RPI Conference on the Introductory Physics Course.
  49. “Quantum theory and relevant education,” one of my editorials for Physics and Society, translated into Spanish and published in 1994 in Revista de Ensenanza de la Fisica, the Argentinian Reviews of Modern Physics.
  50. “Technological Topics and Existing Science Courses,” Journal of College Science Teaching, May 1994, 326.
  51. “Anti-Science Rhetoric:Do Not Entirely Dismiss It,” editorial in APS News, December 1994, p 5.
  52. “Will Nonscientists Choose Physics?” The Physics Teache, October 1995, pages 464-5.
  53. “OTA Needs Support from Scientists to Avert National Tragedy,” APS News, May 1995, page 5.
  54. “Education in Global Change” in A Planet In Our Hands, Proceedings of the International Conference on Science Education and Global Change, sponsored by the International Union for Pure and Applied Physics, pub. by the Eotvos Physical Society, Budapest, 1995, pp. 15-25.
  55. “Incorporating Sci Methodology into Introductory Sci Courses” Journal of College Science Teaching March-April 1996, 313-317.
  56. Paper from March 1995 NASTS meeting in Washington, DC, published in the Proceedings for the Tenth National Technological Literacy Conference, edited by Dennis W. Cheek and Kim A. Cheek (ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies, Bloomington, IN, 1995).
  57. “Evolution and creationism,” NSTA Reports (National Science Teachers Association), December 1995, page 3.
  58. “Heat is Not a Noun,” The Physics Teacher, September 1995.
  59. “Science Literacy,” Journal of College Science Teaching, about February 1996.
  60. “Evolution and the Physical Sciences,” Journal of College Science Teaching May 1995, p. 366.
  61. 4 editorials per year, in the APS/Forum quarterly Physics and Society, 1987-94.
  62. “Flexible Scoring for Multiple-Choice Exams,” with Debabrata Ghoshal, The Physics Teacher, May 1996, p. 284.
  63. “Teaching quantum theory in the introductory course,” The Physics Teacher, April 1996, pp. 202-210.
  64. “Relevant Science: STS-Oriented Science Courses for All the Students,” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Science, Vol 16 Nos 1/2, pp. 13-15.
  65. Book review of James Kunstler’s Geography of Nowhere, in Teacher’s Clearinghouse Newsletter, Spring 1996, pp. 35-6.
  66. “Incorporating scientific methodology into introductory science courses,” Journal of College Science Teaching, March 1996, pp. 313-7.
  67. Book review of Richard Rhodes’ Dark Sun, in Teacher’s Clearinghouse Newsletter, Winter 1996, pp. 21-4.
  68. Book review of Richard Rhodes’ Dark Sun, in American Journal of Physics, June 1996, pp. 829-31.
  69. “Relevant science–for all the students,” TIES Magazine of Design and Technology Education, September 1996, pp. 24-27.
  70. “A new textbook for the liberal-arts physics course,” in Conf on the Introductory Physics Course, edited by Jack Wilson (Wiley, 1997), pp. 285-290.
  71. “Physics education in the USA,” GIREP newsletter, Feb 1998, pp. 2-4.
  72. “Academic bias toward research cripples American undergraduate science education,” letter in Journal of College Science Teaching, Sep 1998, p. 7.
  73. Book review of Herman Daly’s Beyond Growth, in Teachers Clearinghouse, Fall 1998, pp 30-32.
  74. “Suggestions for combating science anxiety”, APS News Opinion column, Oct 1998, p. 4.
  75. Art Hobson, Physics: Concepts and Connections (Prentice Hall, Englewood NJ, 1st ed 1995, 2nd ed 1999).  The 2nd ed has been adopted at over 100 colleges and 4 high schools.  The 3rd ed will be published in 2002.
  76. Chinese translation of Physics: Concepts and Connections, to be published in China in 2001 by the Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers.
  77. “Science literacy and departmental priorities,” letter in American Journal of Physics, Mar 1999, p. 177.
  78. Book review of Herman Daly’s Beyond Growth, in Physics and Society, Apr 1999, p. 15.
  79. “The right thing can be the popular thing to teach,” letter in The Physics Teacher, Apr 1999, p. 196.
  80. “Should physicists dismiss speculation?”, letter in Physics and Society, Apr 1999, p. 12.
  81. “Teaching versus research: why we don’t reach out,” letter in Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 1999, p. 2.
  82. ÒReply to Chodos regarding foreign students,Ó letter in APS News, Dec 1999, p. 4.
  83. “Relevant physics for everyone: teaching societal topics in introductory physics courses,” Proc of Interant Conf on Sci Educ, Szeged, Hungary, 2000, pp. 101-107.
  84. ÒGlobal warming,Ó letter in Physics and Society, Apr 2000, p. 11.
  85. “Teaching Societal Topics in Introductory Physics,” translated into Chinese and published in the Chinese journal Science (similar to our Scientific American), Vol 52, No. 2, pp. 27-29.
  86. “Teaching modern physiucs in introductory courses” letter in The Physics Teacher, Oct 2000, p. 388.
  87. “Designing science literacy courses,” Journal of College Science Teaching, Oct 2000, pp. 136-7.
  88. “It’s long past time to get serious about global warming,” Guest Editorial in Teachrers Clearinghouse for Science & Society Education, Fall 2000, p. 2.
  89. “Revitalize your introductory courses with modern topics such as SETI,” GIREP newsletter, Nov 2000, pp. 1-3.
  90. “Teaching relevant science for scientific literacy,” cover article in Journal of College Science Teaching, Dec 2000, pp. 238-243.
  91. ÒTeaching social topics in science classes,Ó Science Education International (the journal of ICASE), Dec 2000, pp. 10-13.
  92. “Teach the good stuff:’modern’ physics in introductory courses,” Proc of Barcelona GIREP meeting, Summer 2000.
  93. “Science literacy: teaching relevant science to all citizens” Proc of Barcelona GIREP meeting, Summer 2000.
  94. Letter “Teaching modern physiucs in introductory courses,” The Physics Teacher, Oct 2000, p. 388.
  95. Letter ÒResponse to ÔCreationism versus physical scienceÕ,Ó APS News, Jan 2001, p. 4
  96. “No ‘Kansas’ in Arkansas,” report on UA petition supporting the teaching of evolution, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, Jan-Mar 2001, p. 6.
  97. “Growth in undergraduate physics at University of Arkansas, part 2,” Forum on Education Newsletter, Spring 2001, pp. 25-26.
  98. Letter “Education must capture student enthusiasm,” Physics Today, April 2001, p. 94.
  99. Letter, “The language of physics,” pub in Am J Phys, June 2001, p. 634.
  100. “Enlivening introductory physics with SETI,” cover story article, The Physics Teacher, October 2001, pp. 436-441.
  101. Letter, “Physics after retirement,” APS Forum on Education newsletter, Summer 2001, p 5.
  102. Letter “More on Women in Physics” The Physics Teacher, May 2002, p. 260.
  103. Letter on pseudoscience and creationism, APS Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2002, p. 2.
  104. Letter, “Teaching quantum physics,” in Physics Education (UK), Sep 2002, p. 457.
  105. Book review of George Gamow and Russell Stannard, The NEW World of Mr Tompkins, Physics In Perspective, Oct 2002.
  106. Letter, “Women in physics and scientific literacy,” Physics and Society, Oct, 2002.
  107. Letter, “Merits of advanced placement reexamined,” Physics Today Dec 2002, p. 12.
  108. “All nations need to require science literacy courses for all university students,” GIREP (Internat Phys Educ Rsch Group) newsletter, Jan. 2003, pp. 6-7.
  109. Book rev of “The NEW World of Mr Tompkins” Physics In Perspective, Vol. 4 No. 4 (Winter 2002).
  110. ÒPhysics, Energy and the Environment,Ó Physics Education, Mar. 2003, pp. 109-114, lead article in a special edition on energy and the environment.
  111. ÒAll nations need to require science literacy courses for all university students,Ó Physics Education, Mar. 2003, pp. 178-179.
  112. ÒThe Population Game,Ó The Physics Teacher, Apr 2003, pp. 227-233
  113. ÒSolar blackbody spectrum and the eyeÕs sensitivity,Ó Am J Phys, Apr 2003, p. 295.
  114. ÒEvidence that science literacy college courses have a significant natinal impact,Ó Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2003.
  115. Examples of Bush administrationÕs manipulation of science,Ó APS News, Aug 2003, p. 4.
  116. ÒDesigning Science Literacy Courses,Ó in Teaching Science in the Two-Year College, NSTA Press, 1903, pp. 45-46.
  117. ÒThe Population Game,Ó (condensed form of an earlier article), in International Newsletter on Physics Education, October 2003, pp. 7-10.
  118. Review of ÒThe NEW World of Mr Tompkins,Ó reprinted in Forum on Education Newsletter, Fall 2003.
  119. ÒEnergy flow diagrams for teaching physics concepts,Ó The Physics Teacher Feb. 2004, 113-117.
  120. Letter, ÒHands-on simulation,Ó The Physics Teacher Mar 2004, 132.
  121. Book review, “Climate protection strategies for the 21st century,” Physics and Society, Apr 2004.
  122. Letter, “Energy and Work,” The Physics Teacher May 2004, 260.
  123. “Words Matter,” Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2004, pp. 2-4.
  124. “Comments on Sustainability,” Teachers Clearinghouse Newsletter, Spring 2004, pp. 10-11.
  125. Book review, Science Literacy for the 21st Century, in Perspectives In Physics, Vol. 6 No. 3 (2004), p. 365.
  126. “Economics as if Earth Mattered,” originally an article in Northwest Arkansas Times, reprinted in Teachers Clearinghouse Newsletter, Fall 2004, p. 1.
  127. Letter, “The wave function and reality,” Am J Phys, March 2005, p. 197.
  128. Review of Population and its Discontents, in Physics & Society, April 2005.
  129. Letter, physics for the few needs to become physics for all, Forum on Education Newsletter, Spring 2005, p. 3.
  130. Article, “Electrons as field quanta:A better way to teach quantum physics in introductory general physics courses,” Am J Phys, July 2005, pp. 630-634.
  131. Letter, Teaching about evolution in physics courses, Journal of College Science Teaching, Sep 2005.
  132. Letter, “Considering physics first,” The Physics Teacher, Nov 2005, p. 485.
  133. Letter, “Considering physics first,” The Physics Teacher, Nov 2005, p. 485
  134. Letter, “AP physics: irrelevant, boring, and too difficult,” APS News, Nov 2005, p. 4.
  135. Letter:”The evolution of intelligence,” The Physics Teacher, Dec 2005, p. 566.
  136. Article: “Science and Society: we’re not paying our dues,” The Physics Teacher, Apr 2006, pp. 266-256.
  137. Letter: “Repeated Problem Solving, Am J Phys, May 2006, p. 374
  138. Columns in the Northwest Arkansas Times every 2 weeks, Apr 2002-present, mostly science-related; see articles at  wordpressua.uark.edu/ahobson
  139. “Teaching E=mc2: Mass Without Mass,” The Physics Teacher Feb 2005, p. 80-82.
  140. “Physics and Society: we’re not paying our dues” The Physics Teacher, April 2006, pp. 255-256.
  141. Letter “Repeated Problem Solving” publishing in American Journal of Physics, May 2006, p. 374.
  142. Letter, “Thoughts on pseudoscience,” The Physics Teacher Sep 2006, p. 327.143.
  143. Guest editorial, “Science literacy and backward priorities,” The Physics Teacher Nov 2006, pp. 488-489.
  144. “Millikan Award Lecture, 2006: Physics for All,” Am J Phys, Dec 2006, 1048-1054.
  145. Article: “Winning the Climate Race,” Physics & Society, Vol. 37, No. 1, Jan. 2008
  146. Article: “The surprising effectiveness of college scientific literacy courses,” The Physics Teacher, Oct 2008,pp. 404-407.
  147. Article: Book review of Gus Speth’s “The bridge at the edge of the world,” Physics & Society Oct 2008, pp. 15-16.
  148. Article: Book review of Richard Wolfson’s Energy, Environment, and Climate, in American Journal of Physics, Dec 2008, pp 1174-1175.
  149. Letter: “General relativity for all college students,” American Journal of Physics, July 2008, p. 607.
  150. Letter:  “Response to David Williams on global warming,” Physics & Society Oct 2008, p. 12.
  151. Letter: “Response to ‘The Scandal of Quantum Mechanics'” accepted for publication in American Journal of Physics. 
  152. Letter, “College scientific literacy courses make a big difference,” APS Forum on Education Newsletter, Fall 2008, pp. 3-4.
  153. Letter, “Response to ‘The scandal of quantum mechanics” by N. G. Van Kampen, Am. J. Phys., April 2009, p. 293.
  154. Letter, “College scientific literacy courses make a big difference,” Forum on Educ Newsletter, Su 2009, 4-5.
  155. Book Rev of Chris Mooney & Sheril Kirshenbaum, Unscientific America, pub in Teachers Clearinghouse Newsletter, Fall 2009, pp. 50-52.
  156. Letter:  “Response to ‘The Real Scandal of Quantum Mechanics,” Am. J. Phys. 77, 870-871 (Oct 2009).
  157. Letter, “College Scientific Literacy Courses Make a Big Difference,” Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2009, 4-5.
  158. Article, “Global warming:  lessons from ozone depletion,” Physics & Society, January 2010, pp. 20-22.
  159. Book rev of Chris Mooney & Sheril Kirshenbaum, Unscientific America, pub in Forum on Education Newsletter, Fall 2009, pp. 3-4.
  160. “Global Warming: lessons from ozone depletion,” Physics & Society Jan. 2010, pp. 20-22.
  161. Book review of Energy, Environment, and Climate, by R. Wolfson, Physics & Society Jan. 2010, pp. 29-30.
  162. “The plausibility of global warming,” The Physics Teacher Jan. 2010, pp. 77-78.
  163. Book review of Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum, Unscientific America, pub in Forum on Education Newsletter, Fall 2009, pp. 3-4.
  164. “What the world needs now:  scientific literacy,” Purdue University College of Science “Insight” magazine, Spring 2010 (by invitation).
  165. “What the world needs now:  scientific literacy,” Teachers Clearinghouse Newsletter, Spring 2010, p 2.
  166. Review of James Hansen’s book “Storms of My Grandchildren,” in Physics & Society, July 2010, pp. 22-23.
  167. Review of James Hansen’s book “Storms of My Grandchildren,” in Teacher’s Clearinghous for Science and Society, Summer 2010, pp. 23-24.  .
  168. “A better way to increase physics majors:  greater emphasis on concepts,” APS Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2010, pp. 9-11.
  169. “Global Warming: lessons from ozone depletion,” The Physics Teacher, Nov. 2010, pp. 525-527.
  170. “Zhao Kaihua’s Rrole in promoting scientific literacy in China,” in Memorial Volume for Zhao Kaihua’s 80th Birthday (Higher Education Press, Beijing, 2010), pp. 15-21; also the preface to Physics: Concepts and Connections (Chinese translation of 4th edition) is reprinted on pp. 342-343.
  171. Letter “The definition of mass,” The Physics Teacher, Jan. 2010, pp. 4-5.
  172. Letter “Teaching the scientific process,” The Physcs Teacher, Feb 2010, p. 84.
  173. Letter “Response to Rehfuss and Berger,” The Physics Teacher, Nov. 2010, pp. 502-3.
  174. Letter Comment on Physics for Future Presidents, in Physics & Society, Oct 2010, pp. 3-4.
  175. Article “Teaching elementary particle physics: Part I,” The Physics Teacher, Jan. 2011, pp. 12-15.
  176. Article “Teaching elementary particle physics: Part II,” The Physics Teacher, Mar. 2011, pp. 136-138.
  177. Article “Writing for non-scientists about physics,” The Physics Teacher, May 2011, pp. 298-299.
  178. Letter “Time-symmetric quantum mechanics questioned and defended,” Physics Today, May 2011, pp. 8-9.
  179. Article “Teaching quantum uncertainty,” The Physics Teacher, Oct 1011, pp. 434-437
  180. Article  “Teaching quantum nonlocality,” The Physics Teacher 50, 270-273 (May 2012).
  181. Article “And the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics goes to …the accelerating universe!” The Physics Teacher 50, 468-469 (Nov 2012).
  182. Article “Measured responses to quantum Bayesianism,” letter to the editor, Physics Today, Dec. 2012, p. 11.
  183. Article “There are no particles, there are only fields,” Am. J. Phys., Mar. 2013, pp 211-223.
  184. Article “Two-photon interferometry illuminates quantum state collapse,” accepted for publication, Physical Review A.
  185. Letter “Response to ‘Who speaks for science?'” Physics and Society, Apr. 2013, p. 10.

 

 

Talks at professional meetings, 2008-present

  • Contributed talk: “The surprising effectiveness of college science literacy courses,” AAPT national meeting, Edmonton, Canada, 19-23 July 2008.
  • Poster: “What is an electron,” AAPT national meeting, Edmonton, Canada, 19-23 July 2008.
  • Visiting lecture, “Global warming,” in Issues in Agriculture course, in February and again in October 2008.  Spoke on “Global Warming.”
  • Contr talk, “Infusing social topics into introductory physics courses,” joint meeting of AAPT/AAAS, 12-16 Feb 2009, Chicago.
  • Poster, “Every nation should require college scientific literacy courses for all,” joint meeting of AAPT/AAAS, 12-16 Feb 2009, Chicago.
  • Poster, “Quantum physics should be taught as a field theory,” joint meeting of AAPT/AAAS, 12-16 Feb 2009, Chicago.
  • Organized and chaired session on “Physics and society education,” APS meeting, Washington DC, 16 Feb 2010.
  • Invited:  “Physics literacy for all students,” APS meeting, Portland OR, 17 Mar 2010.
  • Invited:  “Teaching relevant physics for scientific literacy,” University of Connecticut, Storrs, 26 Mar 2010.
  • Poster: “Teaching the scientific process in introductory physics,” AAPT meeting, Portland, OR, 17-21 July 2010.
  • Invited:  Gave the sermon at Fayetteville Unitarian Fellowship, 22 Aug, “A scientist looks at religion.”
  • Poster presentation, “What is a quantum?”, at the national conference of the Am Assoc of Physics Teachers, Omaha, NB, Aug 2011.  •
  • Invited talk: “Strategies for building scientific literacy,” keynote speaker, AAPT-AOK Section meeting, 14-15 Oct 2011, NWACC, Bentonville, AR.
  • Poster, “Teaching quantum physics: There are no particles, only fields,” national conf. of Am Assoc of Physics Teacheers, Philadelphia, Aug 2012.

 

 

Other activities

  • Editor of Physics and Society, the quarterly newsletter of the American Physical Society’s Forum on Physics and Society, from 1987 through June 1996.I have significantly upgraded the quality of this quarterly by including research articles andt it is nearly of professional journal quality.  I retired from this position in June 1996, and since then have served as book reviews editor for the newsletter.
  • Member of the Executive Committee of the APS Forum on Physics and Society, 1997-2000.
  • GK-12 NSF project approved, I am Principal Investigator, but this is Greg Salamo’s proposal. 6 years, $2.75 M, split 50-50 by NSF and UA. We will start our first full year this summer, 2002.  Meetings held during Mar-June.
  • AAPT representative to the AAAS Physics Section during 2008-2010.

 

Organizations

American Physical Society (APS)

APS Forum on Physics and Society

American Association of Physics Teachers

National Science Teachers Association

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Federation of American Scientists

Union of Concerned Scientists

Curriculum development

  1. Physics and Human Affairs.An introductory physics course for non-scientists.  About 225 students per semester, 500 per year.  Fills a general-education science requirement.  Includes all the great principles of physics, emphasizing modern physics.  This highly interdisciplinary course places physics in its social, philosophical, and historical context.  Contextual topics include energy resources, the global warming problem, nuclear power, nuclear war, the methods and validity of science, the history of nuclear weapons, contrasts between Newtonian and post-Newtonian physics, the meaning of quantum theory.
  2. I wrote a new textbook for the Physics and Human Affairs (PHA) lecture (see above).It was published in 1995 by the Prentice Hall Publishing Company, 2nd edition in 1999.
  3. Physics and Human Affairs Lab.I developed and manage the lab.
  4. I co-authored a new lab manual.Entitled Laboratory Manual for Liberal-Arts Physics, it is a collaborative effort by myself along with Marie Baehr and Earl C. Swallow of the Department of Physics at Elmhurst College Illinois.  The Lab Manual was published in 1994 by the Prentical Hall Publishing Company.  I provided the basic direction for the lab manual, and rough drafts of about half of the experiments.  The new lab manual is being used for the first time in PHA lab during the Spring of 1995.

 

Awards and honors

  • Elected to the 18-member National Council of the Federation of American Scientists, 1988-91.
  • Master Teacher Award for 1989, Fulbright College of Arts and Science, University of Arkansas.
  • Editor, Physics and Society (quarterly publication of the American Physical Society’s Forum on Physics and Society), since 1987.
  • Received a citation from the Council of the American Physical Society on 28 October 1990, for my work with Physics and Society. The citation reads:  “Resolved:  That the Council of the American Physical Society commends Professor Art Hobson, University of Arkansas, for his outstanding development of the Newsletter of the Forum on Physics and Society.  He has transformed it into a first-class quarterly of news and substantive articles.  The Council recognizes Professor Hobson’s successful efforts to enhance the value of Physical Society membership through the creation of this excellent medium of communication with the members of the Forum.”
  • Elected to Fellowship in the Am Physical Society, “for outstanding development of the Newsletter of the Forum on Physics and Society, and for numerous other contributions in the area of physics and society,” Nov 1992.
  • Invited guest lecturer (3 lectures) at the Arkansas Governor’s School, Conway, Arkansas, 30 June 1994.
  • Invited guest lecturer at the Fulbright School of Public Affairs, 15 July 1994.I have been an FSPA lecturer every year for the past several years.
  • Received 30-years service award, 13 September 1994.
  • Received a commendation and plaque from the APS Forum on Physics and Society, in recognition of nine years of editing the Forum’s quarterly newsletter Physics & Society, May 1996. The plaque reads: “For nine years of dedicated service as editor of Physics & Society.  Through his contagious enthusiasm and provacative views, he has transformed the newsletter into a cited journal that informs and stimulates.”
  • Awarded the Millikan Award by American Association of Physics Teachers “for notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics,” AAPT meeting, Syracuse, NY, 25 July 2006
  • Appointed in 2007 to the editorial board of The Physics Teacher for 3 years.
  • Appointed to Governor’s Commission on Global Warming in 2007. Served two years.
  • Awarded Omni Peace Hero Award, Fayetteville Omni Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology, for lifelong work in environmental stewardship.

 

Teaching

Taught physics courses at all levels, beginning in 1964.  Taught liberal-arts physics continuously since 1978; by 1998-99 the class size had grown to 500 students every semester.  Student evaluations of this course were quite good (especially since this was a physics course for non-scientists, to fulfill a science requirement), consistently around 4.0-4.2 on a 1 to 5 scale.