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Physics Education Research Conference 2026 Schedule

Potentials and Perils from AI in Physics Teaching and Learning

The Physics Education Research Conference will be held from July 22-23, 2026 in Pasadena, CA.

Maps: Parallel Session Rooms | Poster Session Room

Times (PDT) Wednesday, July 22, 2026
2:00pm
Ballroom D&E
Bridging plenaries and PERC Kickoff

PERC Kickoff
Speakers: PERC Organizing Committee

Making Sense of Chat-Based LLMs in Physics Education: Role-Playing Machines, Blurry JPEGs, and Conceptual Blenders

Speaker: Tor Ole B. Odden

How AI Became Good at Physics
Speaker: Bor Gregorcic

4:00pm
Exhibit Hall A
Poster Sessions with Coffee

Poster Session A (4:00-4:25pm).
Poster Session B (4:30-4:55pm).
Poster Session C (5:00-5:25pm).
Poster Session D (5:30-5:55pm).

6:00pm

Dinner event at the park

Join us for a casual evening of food, ice cream, and conversation at Central Park (South Section, 275 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena), just a 10-minute (0.5 mile) walk from the conference center (map). The gathering will take place from 6:00–9:00 p.m. following the poster session.

Dinner will be available to purchase from 6:00–8:00 p.m. from Pickles and Peas and Dina's Dumplings, with gluten-free and vegan options available. Complimentary ice cream will also be served, generously provided through a donation from Anne Leak.

Everyone is welcome. The park has water fountains, bathrooms, and some benches, but attendees may wish to bring a picnic blanket or other portable seating for added comfort. If you need assistance getting to the park, please contact Jayson Nissen at 406-581-1982.

 

Times (PDT) Thursday, July 23, 2026
8:00am
Parallel Sessions 1
Room 103

Community Connection
A Gathering of PER Students hosted by PERCoGS

Room 104

Juried Talks
Juried Talk Session 1

Room 105

Community Connection
Towards AI Resistance

Room 106

Poster Symposium
Rethinking Physics Assessment in the Era of Generative AI: Challenges and Opportunities

Room 107

Workshop
Designing Student-Led Near-Peer Mentorship Communities

9:20am
Ballroom Prefunction
Coffee Break
9:40am
Ballroom D&E
Plenary 3

AI and Educational Policy in an Unprecedented Future
Speaker: Odis Johnson, Jr.

10:40am
Parallel Sessions 2
Room 103

Round Table Discussion
Whither PER III: Growth Strategies for PER

Room 104

Community Connection
LGBTQIA+ PER Meetup

Room 105

Juried Talks
Juried Talk Session 2

Room 106

Talk Symposium
Faculty support for effective use of AI in physics education

Room 107

Workshop
Learn to Analyze Open-Ended Survey Data with Text Embeddings

Noon
Lunch (on your own)
1:30pm
Ballroom D&E
Plenary 4

Physics ML, Physical AI - Simulating Complex Physics Problems
Speaker: Mohammad Mohajerani, NVIDIA

2:20pm
Ballroom Prefunction
Coffee Break
2:40pm
Parallel Sessions 3
Room 103

Round Table Discussion
Centering Disability Justice in Physics: A Roundtable for Transformative Practice

Room 104

Community Connection
Solo PER: Growth and Support Mechanisms for Individual Researchers

Room 105

Community Connection
Connecting AI and Physics Education Research: Expanding Community and Collaboration

Room 106

Workshop
Playtest Game for Adventures with Emmy: a new STEM education tabletop roleplaying game

Room 107

Workshop
Flexible, Engaging, Effective: Reduced Seating Meets Adaptive Learning in Introductory Physics

4:00pm
Ballroom D&E
Closing Remarks
4:20pm
End of PERC

Parallel Session Rooms

Poster Session Room

Dinner Route Map

Dinner route map