The Bicycle in Culture, Science and Technology:
An International Conference Supported by the 
Association of Big Eight Universities

Project Directors

 Dean Zollman
Kansas State University

 and

 Robert Fuller
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

Table of contents:

Introduction

 The teaching of science, particularly physics, faces many problems. Included among those problems are the motivation of students, the lack of materials which the students see as relevant and which connect physics to other aspects of their lives, and the introduction of multimedia in all aspects of a student's life. Many different instructional materials have addressed these and other issues related to the teaching of physics. These types of materials have been developed in many different countries and have been aimed at many different levels of students. The purpose of this conference was to begin a collaboration which could combine and enhance instructional materials from several different countries. This collaboration would then result in new teaching materials which successfully communicated with modern students in many different settings and at the same time showed them some of the connections between science and cultural settings in different parts of the world.

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 Existing Materials

 

The conference opened with a description of existing teaching materials which are related to the physics of the bicycle. A short description of each of these materials follows.

Motion I and II from the PLON Project in the Netherlands

 The emphasis of the PLON Project was to show students how science could be connected to everyday life. To reach this goal the PLON developers chose to create a thematic approach to the learning of science. The themes were selected both because of their interest to students and because they could demonstrate some concepts of the science very well. One of the early units in the first phase of the PLON project was Traffic. In The Netherlands bicycle traffic is a significant component of the ways in which people move. Thus, part of the traffic unit was devoted to the bicycle.

 Each of the thematic units began with an introduction of the basic ideas of the theme and of the science. Following this general introduction the students would complete their own experimental investigations into the topics under study. Then, they would make presentations to their classmates and with the guidance of a teacher exchange ideas and come to conclusions about what they had learned in their investigations.

 A second phase of the project completed research on student learning during the thematic units. After a careful study the Dutch developers concluded that a more systematic and structured approach to the content of physics was needed. Thus, the traffic unit was incorporated into the present Motion 1 and Motion 2 materials.

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 British Open University

The British Open University students are quite different from "typical" students in most countries. Most students are 15-20 years older than the average student in the United States, work full time, and have family obligations. In addition these students do not come to a central campus but study at home. Thus, since its inception the Open University has emphasized the use of technology to deliver learning materials to the students.

 Several of the Open University courses have used the bicycle as a central feature or, at least, an important feature of the instructional process. A course which is now obsolete concentrated on materials and structures in engineering. It used the bicycle as a device which could be analyzed by the students so that they could understand both the forces being applied to the structure and the importance of proper selection of materials.

 A newer course on design uses the bicycle as an example of creativity and innovation. This course which has an accompanying video shows both the evolution of the bicycle, and some modern innovative designs. The videos which accompany the design unit show examples of various types of bicycles and discuss how the modern diamond-shaped bike evolved as the dominant design. Some of the materials on creativity feature inventors who have developed designs which are different from the diamond-shaped frame and which show bicycles which can be folded and put into the trunk of a car (or in British, "the boot" of a car).

To explore the capabilities of CD-ROM as part of an instructional project on the bicycle the Open University multimedia group created a CD-ROM by using some of the video from their design course. This CD-ROM was demonstrated.

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 Physics of Technology Module

In the early 1970s a project to create learning materials which were device-oriented was undertaken by the American Institute of Physics. As part of these materials a module on the bicycle was created. This module guided students through a series of experiments which helped them understand forces and energy as those concepts apply to the bicycle. The original materials were in print form only. However the bicycle unit is now available on the Physics InfoMall CD-ROM and thus can be placed into a hypertext format.

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 The Learning Team

The Learning Team is a not-for-profit company which distributes several CD-ROMs for science and mathematics teaching. Its first project, Math Finder, was developed in partnership with the Educational Development Center. The company also distributes the Science Helper CD-ROM which is a collection of elementary and middle school science lessons. The text of these lessons were scanned as graphics rather than entered as text. These materials come from the NSF Curriculum Reform Projects of the 1960s and 1970s.

Two new CD-ROMs which have been added to The Learning Team collection are RedShift, an astronomy CD-ROM, and Small Blue Planet which contains a large amount of NASA motion and still images of the earth. The Learning Team will also distribute the Physics InfoMall.

 Tom Laster, president of The Learning Team, discussed some lessons which his company has learned about the development and marketing of CD-ROM. These lessons include the need to define an audience, to determine who makes decision regarding development, to determine if technology is a barrier for the target audience, and to make the disc stand out among the large number which are now becoming available.

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 Visual Computing Group at MIT

 David Wilson discussed work of the Visual Computing Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This groups' effort includes the design of materials to get everybody up to speed and to a basic level before coming to design classes. It was started in 1984 when digital computers introduced a new delivery system for multimedia. That platform became obsolete rather rapidly and the group moved to a Hypercard environment rather soon. Interactive video lessons were created using a Macintosh and a two-screen system - one screen for the video and one screen for the computer output. The group is now in the process of moving its multimedia materials to a completely digital format and storing the images and video on CD-ROM. In some cases this is leading to difficulty because of the low quality and resolution of the video. Many of their materials require that students be able to see details. Thus, they are not able to use the quality of video which is available on most digital video systems.

 Dr. Wilson pointed out that electronic media are not always the best methods for a particular situation. Sometimes printed material can be better. However the search capability of electronic technology has a major advantage as does the ability to import material into one's own lessons and modify them appropriately. However, this process raises questions about copyrights and other intellectual rights.

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 Energy Transformations Featuring the Bicycle

This videodisc was one of a series created as part of a pilot project funded by the Annenberg/CPB Project. The overall goal of this videodisc is to guide students through a series of lessons in which they traced the energy flow through a bicycle. As part of the lessons students would compute work done while pedaling on a bicycle, analyze the ideal mechanical advantage of the bicycle system, analyze the actual mechanical advantage, see how much energy goes into overcoming wind resistance by watching wind tunnel tests, and determine the work done during stopping of bicycles. For each of the various parts of the overall lesson the students had variables which they could change or select and could see the video images related to those variables.

 This videodisc was designed to operate with a computer program which is available only on a very obsolete computer. However, by itself the disc provides a large number of computer images which demonstrate the basic concepts of energy in the bicycle.

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 Example Video Lessons

Charles and Roberta Lang showed examples of some lessons which could be created using the video from Physics: Cinema Classics. In addition to the videodisc, they used a computer program for analyzing the video and collecting data from scenes in which motion occurred. The program which they used was VideoGraph which has been created by Robert Beichner at North Carolina State University.

 Dean Zollman emphasized that with the digital video one can go beyond the simple methods of collecting data as we can with the analog technology. He demonstrated the use of Visual Space Time a program which completes synthetic video image processing and allows students to view an event from several different reference frames.

 Christopher Moore demonstrated the use of microcomputer-based laboratories which are used at UN-L in the multimedia laboratories. These laboratories include "regular" experiments, interactive video experiments, and experiments using the microcomputer based laboratories (MBL).

A short discussion about the applicability of calculator-based laboratories using the relatively new Texas Instrument system followed. These hand-held units which will sell for about $200 would enable students to take data on a bicycle, then download the data to a graphic calculator or to a computer.

 David Winch then discussed other devices which might go along with the digitized video and text. Included in these devices would be various types of transducers and probes which could allow the students to take data on their own bicycles. In looking at all of these materials we should be sure to engage the user while we are employing the technology and emphasize some of the international and cultural aspects and perspectives which the bicycle as an application of science provides.

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 Bicycle Research and Development

Chester Kyle discussed a large collection of research and development concerning the bicycle. These materials included original research published in journals for which he and David Wilson were significant contributors or editors. His "database" of information about the bicycle and research which has been accomplished is extremely large and provided much background information throughout the entire conference.

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 Unique Bicycle Designs

John Sotherland demonstrated an innovative suspension system for a bicycle. This bicycle which he built for his wife has a seat support beam of laminated carbon fiber. It damps the saddle to provide a much more comfortable ride than the standard diamond frame bicycle. The next great innovations in the bicycle are expected to be related to improved suspension systems.

 

These teaching, learning and technology tools and materials provide the basis upon which we can build this project. Each has components which could be incorporated into a multi-national, multi-grade level series of lessons for the teaching of science and technology in schools and colleges. Thus, these materials provided the background and a foundation for the rest of our discussions.

 

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 Developing the Project: Phase 1

The bicycle provides an example of technology which applies to many different areas of science. The basic principles of physics, mechanical engineering, materials, and design are all included in determining how a bicycle is built. In addition human physiology, physical education, and kinesiology are also represented in the basic way that bicycles are designed. Even psychology becomes important in acceptance of a design. For example, mountain bikes are the primary type of the bike sold in the United States, even in Kansas and Nebraska which haven't seen any mountains for a few million years. As we look at bicycles from different countries and see how their designs differ, we see how science and technology evolve within the local cultural context. Thus, the bicycle provides us with an application which is known to almost every student and which reflects science, technology and culture.

 

In addition to the content of science, technology and culture the bicycle also offers a way to teach various types of skills related to science and technology. The process of science can be developed by having students look at the various aspects and try to understand why these designs are preferred. This process can develop problem solving skills, the process of science skills, and an understanding of the design process of engineers.

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 Methods of Teaching and Learning

The primary method of teaching and learning should be through hands-on activities. The students should be actively involved in their learning, and they should be able to have some control over both the process of learning and the rate at which material is introduced. Thus, experimentation and other activities formed the central focus of the discussion. To expect wide-ranging adoption of the learning materials they must provide the hands-on experiences at relatively low cost. Thus, instrumentation must be either readily available and relatively inexpensive. While microcomputer-based laboratory materials are available in many physics and other classrooms, they are too expensive for some schools and colleges. Thus, many of the activities which involve physical measurements about the bicycle must be completed with simple laboratory tools such as spring scales, stopwatches, and metersticks. Simulation using the computer can also provide a form of hands-on activities. As part of the normal research and development procedures the major bicycle companies have a number of simulations which run on high-end workstations. We may be able to adapt some of these materials to student use or create digital animations from these simulations. The biggest problem will be obtaining the materials because they may contain proprietary information which the bicycle companies will not wish to make public.

 The video available from Energy Transformations videodisc, the British Open University videos, the Dutch video, and promotional films from the bicycle companies provide a source from which students can collect data. These videos would be available in such a form that the students could use standard video data collection techniques to complete the analysis.

Finally, students can learn much about the bicycle by "undoing it". Simply taking a bicycle apart and identifying the parts and their use and the related scientific value can help students understand the science and technology of the bicycle.

 \We may be able to enhance the motivation for learning by establishing various types of competition. These competitions could range from a contest to see who could stay balanced on a non-moving bicycle the longest to who could accelerate a bicycle most rapidly. Then, the students could analyze the various competitive events and apply the science of the bicycle. Design competitions which involve creating systems with various components maximized could also be attractive. For example, one could ask students to create a design which minimized the air resistance of the bicycle. A variety of physics and engineering would need to go into this procedure.

Computer games represent another form of competition which might be included in lesson designs. The Greg LeMond CD-ROM provides one model for a computer game which involves many aspects of the bicycle.

 In considering any type of competitions within the learning process we must be aware of cultural and gender differences in how students respond to this approach. Generally, males respond more favorably to competitive situations than do females. And, competition is viewed differently in different cultures. Since we want to be sure that all students feel equally motivated to study the bicycle, we must not make competition the central feature of the lessons.

 The pedagogical structure of the units should involve many components which have recently been found to be effective in the teaching of science and technology. Thus, the approach of presenting a theme as was done in the PLON materials and in the Physics of Technology materials is very valuable as is a project approach such as in the British Open University materials. We should see these materials with their non-traditional forms of pedagogy as replacement for the more standard materials in a science or technology class.

 Much of the materials should be adaptable to cooperative learning environments and small group interactions, and collaboration via the World Wide Web. Further, independent study and research by students who are particularly interested should be encouraged. Thus, we need to have a multi-level approach which allows students of different abilities, different interests, and different grade levels all to be part of the study of the science and technology of the bicycle.

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 Audience

In developing the materials we need to create a learning environment which can be used in a variety of different grade levels from early high school through early college. With a multimedia approach that provides different access or different levels of interactivity depending on the type of student such a multi-level set of learning materials should be easily attained.

 The learning materials must be attractive for students of both genders and all ethnic backgrounds. We also must remain cognizant of the differences, particularly of students' knowledge of technology, among urban, suburban, and rural students. Finally, we are developing a multinational project so we must be aware of the cultural and learning differences which exist in different countries.

 An additional audience for these materials may exist outside of the traditional school environment. For example, because the bicycle is available in many homes parents may find it an attractive way to work with their children. A market for home education students may also exist because the bicycle is a laboratory instrument which most homes have. Finally, a consumer market for parts of the materials might develop because of the large number of bicycle enthusiasts in almost every country.

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 Resources Needed for the Learning Materials

The resources which a teacher or school must provide for this project range from equipment to background knowledge to time required in preparing the learning environment. In developing the materials we must be aware of the physics and technology knowledge base which a typical science teacher brings to the classroom. Necessary background will need to be provided within the context of the project. Cost of equipment will influence the attitude of teachers and administrators toward this project. Thus, we must be able to maintain a project in which a large component of the materials can be used effectively at very low cost. Finally, we must consider the very limited time that most teachers have for implementing new materials. A project which allows quick implementation without a large amount of time being invested in the initial preparation is much more likely to receive a favorable reception than those which require significant learning and development before they can be used in the classroom.

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 Delivery Platform

For the near future we can expect that the delivery platform for multimedia materials in the high school or college classroom will be a personal computer based on either a Windows or Macintosh operating system. However, we cannot expect either of these two platforms to become the single dominant platform in the future. Thus, we will need to develop our multimedia materials for both of these systems. At the same time we need to remain aware of future developments, particularly in systems which are now considered game machines but are rapidly becoming as powerful present-day personal computers.

Instrumented Bicycles, particularly exercise bikes, represent another resource which may be available in many schools and colleges. While these devices would be purchased for exercise programs, they could be made available for a part of an academic year to study energy and forces. Further, we suspect that many such bicycles are gathering dust in the basements of students' houses where they were placed after a well intentioned exercise program came to an end.

Finally, interactive digital video provides a relatively low-cost way for data collection and analysis. Most schools will already have both the personal computer and video camera needed for such a method of data collection. A video capture board would allow them to record video similar to that collected for the Energy Transformations videodisc. Students could then analyze the video using any one of several video analysis programs. Even without the digital capture, students who had access to freeze-frame VCRs could do much of the data analysis.

 Thus, a variety of media exists to provide highly interactive materials for the study of the bicycle. In our design process we must be certain to include as many options as possible so that schools and colleges with different resources can use the materials effectively.

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 Development Approach

The project development will follow a rather standard procedure. First, as the result of this conference the overall goals for the learning materials will be established. Using those goals as a framework we will then need to develop a proposal which seeks significant government or foundation support to carry out the development procedures. Simultaneously with seeking external support we can continue to develop the concepts involved in the project and the collaborations to maintain to the international character of the teaching and learning materials. Once funding is achieved, the materials and curriculum development process can accelerate rapidly. We anticipate that after approximately 18 months of a large scale development effort we could begin the field testing and formative evaluation of the project. Following revisions based on the formative evaluation we would then complete a summative evaluation which could also include a significant pedagogical research component.

Throughout the process we could study how students from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds received various parts of the material and the changes needed to make the materials motivational and attractive for students in different countries.

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 Implementation

To have the materials implemented in a variety of settings and in different countries we will need to develop in- service materials for the teachers who will be using the curriculum. These materials need to include written teachers' guides and workshops at which the teachers may learn about the value of the bicycle as a teaching and learning tool. Dissemination and distribution must be included in all aspects of the design. With this inclusion we should be able to assure that we are aiming at an appropriate audience and that the market for the materials exists. Thus, it is important to have a marketing agent involved in the project from the beginning.

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 Setting the Goals

With the above information as a framework for the overall project we moved to establishing goals for the project. We established three main target groups: school science classes, college and university science and technology classes, and bicycle enthusiasts. To address these groups efficiently we divided the conference participants into three subgroups each of which was to address the following questions:

 

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 College and University Goals The goals for the college and university science and technology classes included

The materials needed to reach these goals include a multimedia CD-ROM which contains visual, audio and textual information in a database form. The software "front-end" which enables students to search the database and select different options depending on their level of interest and motivation is a critical part of such a CD-ROM. To assure that teachers feel comfortable with the material some materials in standard print form are needed. Further, computer-based laboratory or calculator-based laboratory activities should be included but may need to be made optional since not all colleges and universities have this equipment. Finally, kinesthetic activities which allow students to work with bicycles or stationary bikes and feel what some of the concepts tell us are important additional activities.

Optional activities may be a fantasy or adventure game which requires the students to integrate their knowledge of science and technology of the bicycle in order to successfully complete the game. For example, a fantasy bicycle tour in which the user must determine how to deal with different terrain and weather changes in order to complete the fantasy successfully could engage some students.

Another optional activity would be for a student or group of students to design their own bicycles or to make significant modifications to existing designs. These types of activities are more likely to occur with students who have significant building skills than they are in many university settings. Thus, we might anticipate that these types of activities and projects would be most useful in a college which has a strong technology education component.

Throughout the development of the college and university materials we must remain aware that college faculty are likely to adopt the materials only if they cover the topics which are traditionally covered. Thus, for example, the materials designed for introductory physics the units must cover the standard topics in physics.

 At the same time we must be aware of the way in which students learn today. We must pay attention to student preconceptions about both the science and technology and about the bicycle. We must make good connections with everyday applications, so the students will be motivated to learn the materials.

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 School Group

The major goals of the high school level materials must be to broaden the interest in physics and show both teachers and students how physics is integrated into other disciplines and interests. To reach this major goal we recommend that the materials have three separate approaches, each of which is targeted at a different audience. These audiences are middle school students, general students in the high school, and physics students in the high school.

 The middle school materials should approach the teaching and learning process in a thematic way similar to the PLON materials. They should apply science primarily to help middle school students understand the safety features of the bicycle and how to use those features effectively. These materials should also include information about being safe bike riders and how they can use their knowledge of the science and technology of the bicycle to become safer in their operation of the bicycle.

 The materials for a general audience at the high school level should be interdisciplinary. They should include a significant cultural component which describes and allows the students to learn about the history, physics and engineering of the bicycle. These materials should use only a limited amount of mathematics and develop most concepts of the science technology conceptually.

 The high school materials for the students who are enrolled in a physics class should be developed as a series of supplemental units which use the bicycle to provide relevant examples within the context of a traditional physics course. A series of self-standing modules which are based on the general conceptual and mathematical development in the Dutch Motion 1 and Motion 2 units would be most appropriate for this audience.

An optional set of materials would be a resource for highly motivated students. These resources could include materials which would guide students who are interested in independent research which they might use for projects such as a science fair.

 The high school materials should be prepared in a multimedia format which is stored on a CD-ROM. In developing the materials we need to assume that the students and teachers have a computer available although it might not be the most recent and most powerful type of computer. We should assume that the teachers have a bicycle available so that many of the activities can be performed using a bicycle in the laboratory or on the school grounds. Finally, interactive video components should be made available so that students can be engaged in these activities when doing a real experiment is not practical.

To assure that we engage the largest number of high school teachers in this project we must have a low-tech version of these materials as well. This low-tech version should require no more media equipment than a standard video cassette recorder. It should also use relatively simple equipment in the laboratory, for example, rubber bands, paper clips and simple measuring devices. However even with the low-tech version we should assume that the teachers and students will be able to find a bicycle because at least one student in every class will have a bicycle.

 The topics for which the materials should be developed include

 

With this set of materials we would have a series of modules which could be included throughout the year as students learn through a traditional physics curriculum.

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 Bicycle Enthusiasts Group

To engage bicycle enthusiasts in the process of learning about the science and technology of the bicycle we need to meet the following goals

 

The topics to be included include the mechanical engineering of the bicycle, the physics of the bicycle, and various human activities involved.

 For this audience the development must be conceptual and avoid the difficulties of the equations involved in bicycle motion. They must have a strong component on the human factors involved in bicycle riding in order to engage the audience.

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 The Next Steps

To take this project forward we need to increase the participation from science teachers outside the United States and to seek funding for the development of various components. To increase the non-U.S. participation we scheduled workshops in Great Britain and The Netherlands for May, 1995. The British workshop which will be held at the Open University will include curriculum and media developers at the BOU as well as other teachers who are interested in developments related to teaching with the bicycle. The workshop in The Netherlands which will follow the BOU conference by a few days will involve teachers in Dutch schools and colleges who have similar interests. The U.S. delegation will seek funding to attend these workshops.

 A proposal has been submitted to the International Program of the National Science Foundation for attendance at the workshops in Britain and The Netherlands. The NSF has indicated that this proposal will receive funding. Thus, conference participants will be able to continue the project. In addition a preliminary proposal has been submitted to a request for proposals from the Rome Laboratories. This RFP was aimed at research and development to show how the Internet could be used as a teachers' assistant. The international component of this program made it a natural contender for such a program.

In addition to seeking external funds we have also begun collecting additional materials for including in the multimedia database. All video components which were shown at the conference have been distributed to all of the participants. We have also obtained from David Gordon Wilson a complete set, on microfiche, of the bicycle research and learning materials developed by the late Frank Whitt. MIT Press has responded to our request for permission to include the book Bicycle Science by Whitt and David Gordon Wilson in any future CD-ROM database which we might develop.

 A small amount of funding has been secured from the British Open University to create a prototype CD-ROM to show how the project might develop. Ian Spratley and David Winch, who is on sabbatical at the British Open University, are completing this CD-ROM and will have it ready for our conference in May.

 Thus, the conference began a process which is moving forward and which will eventually result in the development of significantly new teaching and learning materials. At present the available funding is rather small so the progress is slow. However, we anticipate that this funding will increase in the near future and project can move ahead more rapidly.

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 Participants

Note: you may click on a persons e-mail address to send a message to them. (Not supported on all WWW viewers) Marcia Costello
437 North Bluff
Wichita KS 67208
316/651-0709
mlcostel@wsuhub.uc.twsu.edu

Robert Fuller
Physics Dept.
UNL
Lincoln NE 68588
402/472-2790
402/472-6234
rfuller@unlinfo.unl.edu

Frits Gravenberch
Natl Inst. for Curriculum Development
P.O. Box 2041
7500 CA Enschede
The Netherlands
53 840364
53 307 692
GRAVENBERCH@UTWENTE.NL

Chester Kyle
9539 N. Oldstage Road
Weed CA 96094
916/938-3127

Charles Lang & Roberta Himes Lang
Box 113
Uehling NE 68063
402/567-2554

Thomas Laster
The Learning Team
10 Long Pond Rd.
Armonk NY 10504
914/273-2226
914/273-2227
LTTom10504@aol.com

Christopher Moore
Physics Dept. UNL
Lincoln NE 68588
402/472-8685
402/472-6234
cmoore@unlinfo.unl.edu

Evelyn T. Patterson
Dept.of Physics USAFA
Colorado Springs CO 80840
719/472-2370
719/472-2947
PattersonET%DFP%USAFA@dfmail.usafa.af.mil

John Sotherland Mgr.
Precision Bicycle
3011 Spring Drive
Burlington WI 53105
414/534-4190
414-534-4194

Ian Spratley
The Open University
Production Centre
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6BH UK
0908 655521
0908 655300
IanS@oupc.bbc.co.uk

Darrell Wheaton
NETV UNL
Lincoln NE 69588-0747
402/472-3611
dwheaton@unlinfo.unl.edu

David Gordon Wilson
Room 3-455
Mass. Inst. of Tech.
Cambridge MA 02139
dgwilson@mit.edu

David Winch
Physics Dept.
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo MI 49007
616/337-7102
616/337-7251
winch@hobbes.kzoo.edu

Dean Zollman
Physics Dept.
Kansas State Univ.
Manhattan KS 66506
785/532-1619
785/532-7167
dzollman@phys.ksu.edu

Dr. Graham Dettrick , Australia, also had planned to attend the conference. Unfortunately, a last minute administrative decision at his university forced him to cancel his participation.

 School of Education,
Monash University-Gippsland Campus,
 voice: 051-22-6364, fax: 051-22-6361,
graham@giaed.cc.monash.edu.au

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