I joined AAPT in 2012 as an undergraduate physics student researching physics education. At the suggestion of my mentor, Angie Little, I attended the 2012 Winter Meeting in Ontario, CA, to learn more about physics teaching and physics education research. I was thrilled to meet welcoming and supportive people at the meeting, and I now consider them to be some of my dearest colleagues and friends. Since then, AAPT meetings have played an integral role in developing my ideas and building friendships and collaborations.
I enjoy being a part of the AAPT community because it is a place where research and practice come together. My graduate work involves the design and research of several settings: 1) a summer camp in modern physics and engineering design for high school girls, 2) an undergraduate physics seminar that engages students in physics research, and 3) a learning assistant (peer-educator) course for undergraduate engineering...