Nebraska Physics & Astronomy Summit Abstracts

Plenary Talks

UNO's Biomedical Physics at the Crossroads of Discovery and Economic Growth in Nebraska and Beyond

Alexey V. Krasnoslobodtsev, University of Nebraska, Omaha

The talk will spotlight UNO’s Biomedical Physics program, which prepares the next generation of innovators through an interdisciplinary curriculum bridging physics and life sciences. Aligned with Nebraska’s growing bioeconomy, the program equips students with skills to drive biomedical and technological innovation while meeting workforce demands locally and nationwide.

Qubit Touchdown: A Quantum Computing Board Game

Thomas Wong, Creighton University

Qubit Touchdown is a two-player, competitive board game that was developed to introduce students to quantum computing. The gameplay mirrors the rules of (American) football, with players taking turns moving the football to score the most touchdowns, and no knowledge of quantum computing is needed to play the game. We evaluated the game with 107 public high school students in Precalculus, Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics, and/or AP Physics 1 courses, and we found that (1) students' interest in quantum computing increased slightly, (2) students' self- confidence in their ability to learn quantum computing increased substantially; and (3) students widely considered the game accessible and fun. Thus, Qubit Touchdown could be an effective resource to introduce students to quantum computing. Free printables of the game are available, and professionally produced copies can be purchased on demand.

Breakout Sessions (30 minutes) - 11:00 AM

Engaging Physics Students with AI Study Skills: Using AI to Increase Comprehension and Retention of Physics Concepts

Steve McGahan, Iowa Western Community College, and Jason Testin, University of Nebraska, Omaha

This interactive session introduces physics educators to practical methods for guiding students on the use of Generative AI as a personalized study partner outside of the classroom. Participants will explore how students can prompt AI tools to create concept-specific study questions, visual diagrams, analogies, and concise study guides that reinforce the presented lecture and reading material. Attendees will experiment with AI prompting aligned to core physics topics, discover strategies for integrating AI-generated resources ethically and effectively, and learn how to help students evaluate AI output for accuracy and efficacy. The session emphasizes active learning, critical thinking, and extending engagement with physics content through responsible AI use.

Drawing Conclusions: Making Logical Leaps in the Science Classroom

Matt Burke, La Vista Middle School

What if your students’ doodles could become a key part of your lesson plan? This session explores the use of scientific sketching not as an artistic exercise, but as a critical thinking tool. Together, we will dive into a hands-on activity that uses shadow casting to help students uncover the shape of the Earth. Participants will then see how this low-cost, high-impact strategy can be used to visualize and understand other challenging topics. We'll explore how simple sketches can reveal the logical progression from throwing a ball to orbital motion and how the positions of the sun, Earth, and moon can be sketched to reveal the causes of eclipses. Attendees will walk away with ready-to-use activities and a plan for using sketching to stimulate scientific thought and build foundational knowledge.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Doug Showell, Papillion-LaVista High School

Vera C. Rubin Observatory brings the power of real data and interactive learning to educators and students around the world. Explore exciting topics in astronomy and astrophysics with user- friendly investigation tools. We will be looking at “Exploding Stars”, one of many ready-to-go lessons. We will also explore the Vera Rubin Telescope and future educational opportunities.

Exploring the Cosmos with the Seestar S50 Telescope

Francis Sierawski, John Paul Upmor, and Todd Leif, Creighton Preparatory School

Creighton Preparatory School's Astronomy Club, equipped with an alumni-donated Seestar S50 telescope, invites attendees to explore modern astronomical technology in action. Student members will demonstrate the fundamental setup and operation of this innovative smart telescope, showcasing its automated tracking, smartphone integration, and user-friendly interface that makes deep-sky observation accessible to all experience levels. Weather permitting, participants will witness live solar imaging demonstrations, learning how students capture detailed images of our Sun using appropriate filters and techniques—illustrating how student-led initiatives, alumni support, and cutting-edge technology combine to create meaningful STEM learning experiences.

Breakout Sessions (30 minutes) - 11:30 AM

High-Altitude Radiation Detection - Nebraska Engineering Track (HARDNET): Monitoring the Effects of Solar Activity on Atmospheric Radiation

Derrick Nero, Hiromi Nurse, and Faisel Yousuf, University of Nebraska, Omaha, and Stephanie Telles- Vega, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun intensified during the Spring of 2025. The NASA Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) Continuation project, which comprised nearly 30 universities, conducted high-altitude balloon tests for Beta, Gamma, and X-ray nuclear radiation increases in the upper atmosphere due to the intensified CMEs. The University of Nebraska at Omaha and Metropolitan Community College executed High-Altitude Radiation Detection - Nebraska Engineering Track (HARDNET) to test Beta, Gamma, and X-ray at high altitude (approx. 80,000 ft) through a series of three (3) consecutive high-altitude balloon (HAB) flights conducted before and after CMEs. Data confirmed increased radiation levels at altitude because of CMEs. The flights, tests, analyses, and reporting were performed by undergraduate students who have experience in HAB through a UNO General Education Science course, TED/STEM 2800 Science Experimentation and Engineering Design.

It’s Not Just Algebra: Assessing Student Thinking in Physics Problem-Solving

Chris Moore, University of Nebraska, Omaha

Long trails terminated by heavy rocks called “sailing stones" were discovered along smooth valley floors in Nevada, California, and on the surface of Mars. How are these heavy rocks moving across what seems to be a desert? In this workshop, you'll learn what productive representations your students can use to assist them in bridging phenomena, words, pictures, and mathematics in kinematics. Can your students solve complex kinematics problems using pictures, graphs, and deep understanding? They will. Can they use real data from recently published journal articles to answer authentic questions in kinematics? They will. Can you assess them based on their performance with real data, instead of rote algebra? You will. Based on research on expert-like problem-solving, the framework attendees will work through takes a three-dimensional approach, requiring science practices and crosscutting concepts that go deeper than rote algebraic manipulation.

From South Pole to science lab: teaching with neutrinos and IceCube

Pawan Gir and Martin Liu, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

What can ghostly particles from across the universe teach us about black holes, exploding stars, and the fabric of space itself? In this breakout session, we introduce participants to the science of neutrino astronomy, focusing on how the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole detects these elusive cosmic messengers. After introducing the physics and discovery potential of IceCube, the session will focus on educational resources developed by the IceCube education and outreach team. These resources include videos, virtual and interactive experiences, classroom-ready activities, citizen science projects, and printable materials. The materials are designed for use in middle school, high school, and undergraduate classrooms and are intended to connect current research with accessible, hands-on learning. Join us to learn how to bring real research, Antarctic science, and the excitement of particle astrophysics into your classroom.

Integrating Smart Telescope in the Astronomy Classroom

Judy Vondruska, South Dakota State University

This presentation explores the integration of the ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope into an introductory college astronomy course to enhance student engagement and understanding of observational techniques. By leveraging automated tracking, image capture, and app-based controls, the smart telescope allows students to conduct real-time sky observations with minimal technical barriers.

Breakout Sessions (30 minutes) - 12:00 PM

Taming AI in the Physics Classroom with Structured Student Input

Chris Moore, University of Nebraska, Omaha

Large Language Models (LLMs) hold promise for supporting physics learning, but their tendency to hallucinate and the cost of open-ended queries limit scalability. We present an approach that scaffolds student input into structured formats that both constrain the AI and deepen engagement. Our approach combines a semantic diagram editor, where students build vector-based representations of forces, motion, and fields with required tagging, with an equation editor that outputs structured math aligned with the diagram. Unlike image uploads, these diagrams are converted directly into a text-based, machine-readable format, eliminating the need for costly image processing. The paired inputs create a precise description of student reasoning that can be processed reliably by the AI, reducing hallucinations and lowering cost. For students, tagging and structuring diagrams make thinking explicit and reinforce representational fluency.

Branched Oak Observatory

Matthew Anderson and Michael Sibbernsen, Branched Oak Observatory

Matthew Anderson and Michael Sibbernsen are the co-founders of the Branched Oak Observatory, a non-profit sky park north of Lincoln. They will discuss the history of the observatory, describe the current buildings and resources, programming for visiting school groups, and details regarding upcoming events. In the 11 years since its inception, the observatory has grown tremendously, from an overgrown field to a vibrant astronomy education facility, including exceptional telescopes and dedicated volunteers. At Branched Oak Observatory, we bring the night sky down to Earth.

Addressing the Gender Gap in High School Physics With STEP UP

Laura Lusardi, Lincoln Public Schools and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln

While great strides have been made over the last decade to address the gender gap in physics, research shows that the gap persists. The American Physical Society has created a coalition of researchers, teachers, and community members to address the gender gap in high school physics, called STEP UP. STEP UP has written a series of free curriculum materials to be used in a high school physics classroom, including two lessons: one on careers in physics and the other on women in physics, and an Everyday Actions guide for teachers to self-evaluate their classroom procedures, instructional strategies, and interactions with students. Learn how to not only access these materials but also implement them in your own classroom from a certified STEP UP advocate and ambassador who has facilitated many STEP UP professional development opportunities and utilized these materials in her own classrooms.

Breakout Sessions (30 minutes) - 12:30 PM

Augmented Reality Software developed at UNL for outreach

Herman Batelaann, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

In this session, you will have a chance to wear an Augmented Reality headset and browse our developed software. This includes a dressed-up mammoth Archie for use at Morrill Hall, a 3D pool game, an electron microscope, streams of particles interacting with a field, optics, a laser, and the heat equation. We are happy to share the software for your use if you find something to your liking.

Conversation about the future of UNL astronomy educational resources

Evan Rich, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Many instructors who teach introductory astronomy courses rely heavily on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Astronomy Education Resources, including ClassAction questions, NAAP laboratories, and the newer cellphone-based simulations. With the passing of Kevin Lee last spring, who was the primary creator and steward of many of these resources, the astronomy education community now faces important questions about sustainability, maintenance, and future development. This session will be an open conversation about the current status of the UNL Astronomy Education Resources and the plans in place to ensure their short-term availability for instructors and students. We will also discuss longer-term opportunities and challenges, including preservation strategies, potential paths for continued development, and necessary updates to meet evolving instructional and institutional needs. In particular, we will highlight upcoming accessibility considerations, such as compliance with new Title II accessibility requirements. Attendees are encouraged to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas as we collectively explore how best to advance these widely used resources.

Citizen Science with a Unistellar Telescope

Kendra Sibbernsen, Metropolitan Community College

There are many citizen science projects in which students can participate using a telescope from Unistellar. With the support of SETI, Unistellar accepts observations from users of their digital telescopes around the world and analyzes their data to produce novel scientific results. This talk will show the results of some successful projects and explain how to get students, who may be novices in astronomy, to participate in a worldwide collaborative group that often concludes with their names listed as authors on professional papers. Successful measurements of comets, supernovae, asteroid occultations, and exoplanets have been taken, as well as artificial satellites, asteroid orbits, and spacecraft.

Breakout Sessions (1.5 hours) - 2:30 PM

The Skynet Robotic Telescope Network

Kent Reinhard, Southeast Community College

Skynet Robotic Telescope Network is an introductory-level undergraduate lab system where students use professional telescopes to collect data. Students take ownership of their images and use additional software tools to analyze these images. The lab structure of “Our Place In Space” is set up for use in any introductory astronomy class. The developed material of OPIS can be modified to integrate with how you teach your astronomy class. The more advanced lab work of “Astrophotography of the Multi-Wavelength Universe” can be used for a continuation study of astronomy or for more advanced classes in astronomy. Participants at the summit will be given trial accounts to Skynet and will be taken through the process of scheduling images. You will use existing images to see the processes that are involved in collecting data from these images.

Modeling Instruction in Science: Why It Works and How to Get Started

Derek Gilman, Omaha Burke High School, and Jason Testin, University of Nebraska, Omaha

This interactive session introduces the core principles of Modeling Instruction, a research-based approach that transforms science classrooms into spaces of inquiry, reasoning, and collaboration. Participants will explore the “why” behind the pedagogy, examine real classroom data on student outcomes, and engage in a hands-on activity to experience modeling in action. Ideal for teachers looking to boost student understanding and engagement in Physical Science, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology.

Designing In-Class Activities that Reshape Student Thinking in Introductory Physics

Ryan Riskowski, University of Nebraska, Omaha

In this session, I will share a framework for designing in-class activities that deliberately surface students’ intuitive models by inducing structured cognitive conflict and guiding them toward formal physical reasoning. Using examples from mechanics (circular motion and work–energy), participants will work through a short activity as students, and then we will deconstruct the underlying mechanisms and goals.

The approach emphasizes four instructional phases: inviting predictions based on physical intuitions, translating narratives into formal representations, introducing perspective or model shifts, and explicitly reconciling competing explanations. This structure reshapes how students approach problems and select appropriate models.

Participants will leave with a reusable template for building conflict-driven, model-centered activities that promote reshaping of student thinking.