Research

Publications and citations

Our own peer-reviewed work, our talks, and a running list of the studies and classrooms that cite Physics Toolbox.

Our publications

Peer-reviewed articles and book chapters by the team.

17 entries
2026
Building embodied intuition for graphs with smartphones Vieyra, R., Megowan Romanowicz, C., O’Brien, D., Vieyra Cortés, C., & Johnson-Glenberg, M. C. (2026). Building embodied intuition for graphs with smartphones. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 119(1), 34-42. https://pubs.nctm.org/view/journals/mtlt/119/1/article-p34.xml [Downloadable PDF]
2025
A heliocentric pedagogy: Sun-anchored science with NASA HEAT Vieyra, R., López, R. E., Ambrose, B., Cid, X., Donelan, D., & Willoughby, S. (2025). A heliocentric pedagogy: Sun-anchored science with NASA HEAT. The Earth Scientist, 42(1), 39-44. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1arAycu3omy7iKg5H0VyyFiTyfNMR9HRV/view?usp=sharing [Open Access]
2024
Making motion meaningful: Mapping body movements onto graphs Vieyra, R., Megowan Romanowicz, C., Johnson-Glenberg, M. C., O’Brien, D., & Vieyra Cortés, C. (2024). Making motion meaningful: Mapping body movements onto graphs. The Science Teacher, 91(3), 57-64. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00368555.2024.2404956#abstract [Open Access]
2023
Evaluating learning of motion graphs with a LiDAR-based smartphone application Megowan-Romanowicz, C., O’Brien, D., Vieyra, R., Vieyra, C., & Johnson-Glenberg, M. (2023). Evaluating learning of motion graphs with a LiDAR-based smartphone application. Proceedings of the Physics Education Research Conference 2023. https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=16587 [Open Access]
2023
Harnessing the digital science education revolution: Smartphone sensors as teaching tools Vieyra, R., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., O’Brien, D. O., Vieyra Cortés, C., & Johnson-Glenberg, M. (2023, 01). Harnessing the digital science education revolution: Smartphone sensors as teaching tools. In S. Asim, J. Ellis, D. Slykhuis, & J. Trumble (Eds.), Theoretical and Practical Teaching Strategies for K-12 Science Education in the Digital Age. IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/harnessing-the-digital-science-education-revolution/317351 [Open Access]
2023
Physics in a space science context: Two learning sequences to teach about the properties of electromagnetic waves and fields Vieyra, R. & López, R. (2023). Physics in a space science context: Two learning sequences to teach about the properties of electromagnetic waves and fields. The Physics Teacher, 61(5), 364-367. https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/pte/article/61/5/364/2887589/Physics-in-a-Space-Science-Context-Learning [Open Source]
2022
Immersive learning experiences in augmented reality (AR): Visualizing and interacting with magnetic fields Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2022, 04). Immersive learning experiences in augmented reality (AR): Visualizing and interacting with magnetic fields. In S. Macrine & J. Fugate (Eds.), Movement Matters: How Embodied Cognition Informs Teaching and Learning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edited-volume/5306/chapter/3752381/Immersive-Learning-Experiences-in-Augmented [Open Access]
2020
Gamified physics challenges for teachers and the public Vieyra, R.; Vieyra, C.; Pendrill, A.-M., Xu, B. (2020). Gamified physics challenges for teachers and the public. Physics Education, 55(4), 1-7. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6552/ab8779/pdf
2018
Teaching students metacognition through discipline-based research and technology Vieyra, R. (October 2018). "Teaching students metacognition through discipline-based research and technology." Chapter in Einstein fellows: Best practices in STEM education, 2nd Ed. Peter Lang, Inc. https://www.peterlang.com/view/9781433150982/9781433150982.00029.xml
2017
Kitchen physics Vieyra, R., Macchia, S., Vieyra, C. (February 2017). Kitchen physics. The Physics Teacher, 55(2), 87-90. https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.4974119
2016
A simple wind tunnel to analyse Bernoulli's principle Macchia, S. & Vieyra, R. (7 December 2016). A simple wind tunnel to analyse Bernoulli's principle. Physics Education, 52(1). https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6552/52/1/013004/meta
2016
Evaluating the use of flight simulators for the NASA/AAPT "Aeronautics for Introductory Physics" educator guide Genz, F., & Vieyra, R. (2016). Evaluating the use of flight simulators for the NASA/AAPT "Aeronautics for Introductory Physics" educator guide. Selected papers from the 20th international conference on multimedia in physics teaching and learning, pp. 139-148. (Related work on computer simulations and mobile apps.)
2015
Turn your smartphone into a science laboratory Vieyra, R., Vieyra, C., Marti, A., Monteiro, M., & Jeanjacquot, P. (December 2015). Turn your smartphone into a science laboratory. The Science Teacher, 82(9), 32-40. https://my.nsta.org/resource/102882/turn-your-smartphone-into-a-science-laboratory
2014
Analyzing Forces on Amusement Park Rides with Mobile Devices Vieyra, R., & Vieyra, C. (March 2014). “Analyzing Forces on Amusement Park Rides with Mobile Devices.” The Physics Teacher. Vol. 52, pp. 567-56. https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/pte/article-abstract/52/3/149/277442/Analyzing-Forces-on-Amusement-Park-Rides-with?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Our presentations

Conference talks, workshops, and posters.

55 entries
2025
Low-cost, high-impact learning: Teaching STEM with phones Christopher, R. & Vieyra, R., (2025). Low-cost, high-impact learning: Teaching STEM with phones. [Workshop]. STEMteachersDMV. Washington, DC.
2024
Building embodied intuition for graphs with smartphone motion games Vieyra, R. & Megowan-Romanowicz, C. (2024, September 26). Building embodied intuition for graphs with smartphone motion games. [Workshop]. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Chicago, IL.
2024
Building embodied tuition for science graphs with smartphone motion games Vieyra, R. & Megowan-Romanowicz. (2024, March 22). Building embodied tuition for science graphs with smartphone motion games. [Workshop]. National Science Teaching Association. Denver, CO.
2024
Gesture and embodied actions across the XR spectrum: “Fleshing-out” virtualized learner profiles Johnson-Glenberg, M., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Vieyra, R., O’Brien, D., Yu, S.-P., Liu, F., & LiKamWa, R. (2024, April 13). Gesture and embodied actions across the XR spectrum: “Fleshing-out” virtualized learner profiles. [Panel and poster]. American Education Research Association. Philadelphia, PA.
2024
Physics in an Earth and space science context: Activities for high school and college from the AAPT NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) Vieyra, R., López, R., Ambrose, B., Cid, X., Donelan, D., & Willoughby, S. (2024, December 9). Physics in an Earth and space science context: Activities for high school and college from the AAPT NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) [Poster & Presentation]. American Geophysical Union. Washington, DC.
2023
Do you see what I see? Vieyra, R. & Vieyra Cortés, C. (2023, November 4). Do you see what I see? [Workshop]. HBCU STEM Metro Alumni Alliance High School Career Day. Washington, DC.
2023
Embodied math and science learning with smartphones Vieyra, R., Vieyra, C., & O’Brien, D. (2023, June 26). Embodied math and science learning with smartphones. [Workshop]. Meeting of the International Society for Technology Education. Philadelphia, PA.
2023
Evaluating learning of motion graphs with a LiDAR-based smartphone application Megowan Romanowicz., C., O’Brien, D., Vieyra, R., Vieyra Cortés, C., & Johnston-Glenberg, M. (2023, November 2). Evaluating learning of motion graphs with a LiDAR-based smartphone application. [Poster]. Center for Integrative Research in Computing and Learning Sciences. Alexandria, VA.
2022
Do you see what I see? Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2022, November 5). Do you see what I see? [Workshop]. North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Greensboro, NC.
2022
Do you see what I see? Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2022, November 19). Do you see what I see? [Workshop]. HBCU STEM Metro Alumni Alliance High School Career Day. Washington, DC.
2022
LiDAR motion ranger on your iPhone to teach kinematics graphs Vieyra, R., Vieyra Cortés, C., O’Brien, D., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Johnson, M. (2022, July). LiDAR motion ranger on your iPhone to teach kinematics graphs. [Poster]. American Association of Physics Teachers Summer Meeting 2022. Grand Rapids, MI.
2022
Mobile sensors: Increasing developers’ environmental awareness Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (2022, April 21-22). Mobile sensors: Increasing developers’ environmental awareness. [Presentation]. DroidCon Lisbon 2022, Lisbon, Portugal.
2022
Translating embodied cognition to the classroom: Immersive learning experiences in augmented reality (AR): Visualizing and interacting with magnetic fields Vieyra, R. (2022, May 27). Translating embodied cognition to the classroom: Immersive learning experiences in augmented reality (AR): Visualizing and interacting with magnetic fields. [Panel]. Association of Psychological Science. Chicago, IL.
2021
Energy in magnetic fields and solar flares: A hands-on activity and preliminary assessment Vieyra, R., Ambrose, B., Bailey, J. M., Cid, X., Donelan, D., Johnson-Glenberg, M., Lopez, R. E., Megowan Romanowicz, C., Vieyra, C., & Willoughby, S. (2021, August 2). Energy in magnetic fields and solar flares: A hands-on activity and preliminary assessment. AAPTSM21. [Virtual poster]. American Association of Physics Teachers.
2021
Seeing Earth’s magnetic field from another perspective Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2021, November 12). Seeing Earth’s magnetic field from another perspective. [Workshop]. National Science Teachers Association, National Harbor, MD.
2020
Enhancing developers’ environmental awareness through mobile sensors Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (2020, June 16). Enhancing developers’ environmental awareness through mobile sensors. [Presentation]. Android Meetup DC hosted by Capital One, Washington, DC. Video
2020
MAGNA: MAgnetic General kNowledge Assessment Megowan Romanowicz, C., Vieyra, R., Johnson-Glenberg, M., Lopez, R., & Vieyra, C. (2020, July 21). MAGNA: MAgnetic General kNowledge Assessment. AAPTSM20. [Virtual poster]. American Association of Physics Teachers.
2020
Virtual STEMM education care package: Stay safe, stay schooled, stay sane Hogan, D., Kossover, Z., Lee, N., Vieyra, R. (2020, June 17). Virtual STEMM education care package: Stay safe, stay schooled, stay sane. [Virtual presentation]. The Science & Entertainment Exchange.
2019
ARCore: Visualizing the Invisible Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2019, November 26). ARCore: Visualizing the Invisible. [Presentation]. DroidCon San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
2019
ARCore: Visualizing the Invisible Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2019, November 26). ARCore: Visualizing the Invisible. Presentation given at DroidCon San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
2019
ARKit: Visualizing the Invisible Vieyra R. & Vieyra, C. (2019, September 9). ARKit: Visualizing the Invisible. iOSDevCampDC. Plenary presentation given at the public meeting of Capital One iOS developers, McLean, VA. Video
2019
Do You Know What I See: Visualization Tools for Physics Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (2019, November 16). Do You Know What I See: Visualization Tools for Physics. PhysCon2019. Presentation given at the AIP Physics Congress 2019. Providence, RI.
2019
Visualizing Magnetic Fields with AR Vieyra, R., Vieyra, C., Megowan Romanowicz, C.; Johnson, M; and Lopez, R. A. (2019, July 25). Visualizing Magnetic Fields with AR. PERC19. Presentation given at the meeting of the Physics Education Research Topical Group, Provo, UT.
2018
Bringing Active STEM Learning through an Experiment-Based Game Challenge Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (July 2018). "Bringing Active STEM Learning through an Experiment-Based Game Challenge." STEM Forum. (Submitted). Philadelphia, PA.
2018
Sensors for Smartphone Science Vieyra, R. (Spring 2018). "Sensors for Smartphone Science." Gothenburg University & Lund University. Seminars. Gothenburg & Lund, Sweden. INVITED.
2018
Smartphones as Global Lab Tools: Experiences across Europe, Africa, and the Americas Vieyra, R., Vieyra, C., & Hogan, D. (2018, March 16). Smartphones as Global Lab Tools: Experiences across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. NSTA18. Poster and round table discussion at the meeting of the National Science Teaching Association Global Conversation Poster and Share-a-thon workshop, Atlanta, GA.
2017
Consideraciones Pedagogicas en el Uso de Smartphones para la Ensenanza de la Fisica Vieyra, R. (18 November 2017). "Consideraciones Pedagogicas en el Uso de Smartphones para la Ensenanza de la Fisica." AAPT-MX Section Meeting. San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Plenary. INVITED.
2017
Introducing Mobile Sensors through Free Gamified App Challenges: Physics Toolbox Play Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (7 January 2017). "Introducing Mobile Sensors through Free Gamified App Challenges: Physics Toolbox Play." American Association of Physics Teachers Winter Meeting. San Diego, CA.
2017
Smartphone Physics Marti, A.; Monteiro, M., Vieyra, R.; & Vieyra, C. (February 2017). "Smartphone Physics." American Association of Physics Teachers Winter Meeting. Atlanta, GA. Workshop. INVITED.
2017
Smartphones as Global Lab Tools: Experiences across Europe, Africa, and the Americas Vieyra, R., Vieyra C., & Hogan, D. (16 March 2017). "Smartphones as Global Lab Tools: Experiences across Europe, Africa, and the Americas." Global Conversations at National Science Teachers Association
2017
Telefonos Inteligentes para la Ensenanza de la Fisica Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (17 &18 November 2017). "Telefonos Inteligentes para la Ensenanza de la Fisica." AAPT-MX Section Meeting. San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Video. Workshop. INVITED.
2017
Using Physics Toolbox Apps to Teach about MEMs Technology Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (8 January 2017). "Using Physics Toolbox Apps to Teach about MEMs Technology." American Association of Physics Teachers Winter Meeting, San Diego, CA.
2016
Fisica Lezioni e Problemi: Meccanica Ruffo, G.; & Lanotte, N. (2016). "Fisica Lezioni e Problemi: Meccanica." Zanichelli. Italy. pp. VIII, 33, 69, 105, 139, 209, 241, 281, & 343.
2016
Fisica Lezioni e Problemi: Termodinamica, Onde, Elettromagnetismo Ruffo, G.; & Lanotte, N. (2016). "Fisica Lezioni e Problemi: Termodinamica, Onde, Elettromagnetismo." Zanichelli. Italy. pp. 373, 437, 471, 589, & 623.
2016
Five Smartphone Physics Lessons for Teaching NGSS' DCI Forces and Motion Vieyra, R.; Vieyra, C.; Jeanjacquot, P.; Marti, A.; & Monteiro, M. (19 July 2016). "Five Smartphone Physics Lessons for Teaching NGSS' DCI Forces and Motion." American Association of Physics Teachers national conference, Sacramento, CA. Poster.
2016
Smartphone and Tablet Physics: Unanswered Questions in Educational Technology Vieyra, R. & Vieyra, C. (19 July 2016). "Smartphone and Tablet Physics: Unanswered Questions in Educational Technology." American Association of Physics Teachers national conference, Sacramento, CA. Presentation.
2016
Smartphone Science with Free Physics Toolbox Apps Vieyra, R.; Vieyra, C. (21 October 2016). "Smartphone Science with Free Physics Toolbox Apps." Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Peoria, IL. Workshop.
2015
Evaluating the Use of Flight Simulators for the NASA/AAPT Aeronautics for Introductory Physics Educator Guide Vieyra, R., Genz, F., & Bresges, A. (9-11 September 2015). "Evaluating the Use of Flight Simulators for the NASA/AAPT Aeronautics for Introductory Physics Educator Guide. 20th International Conference on Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning. Munich, Germany. Related work on mobile apps and gaming.
2015
Free Mobile Sensor Apps for Data Collection and Analysis Vieyra, R. (March 2015). “Free Mobile Sensor Apps for Data Collection and Analysis,” National Science Teachers Association national conference. Chicago, IL.
2015
Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (27 July 2015). "Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space," poster session, American Association of Physics Teachers national conference. College Park, MD.
2015
Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space Vieyra, R. (12 September 2015). "Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space," presentation, Scienza della Citta, Italian Physics Teachers Association. Naples, Italy. INVITED.
2015
Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space Vieyra, C. & Vieyra, R. (22 August 2015). "Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space," webinar presentation, Northern California Nevada Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Nevada. INVITED.

Published references to Physics Toolbox

Studies and articles by others that use or cite the apps.

157 entries
2017
Laboratory study of the conservation of energy law with a smartphone Pierratos, T. (2017). "Laboratory study of the conservation of energy law with a smartphone." Science in Education, vol. 14, pp. 17-23. Greece.
2017
Physics Search Physics Search. (September 2017). pp. 2-5. Taiwan.%E7%89%A9%E7%90%86%E6%90%9C%E6%9F%A5%E7%B7%9A%E7%AC%AC18%E6%9C%9Febook.pdf)
2016
Mecanica com o accelerometro de smartphones e tablets Vieira, L. & Aguilar, C. E. (2016). "Mecanica com o accelerometro de smartphones e tablets." Fisica na Escola. Vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 8-14.
2016
Rahmenbedingungen eines skalierbaren Mobile Payment Systems Kohlhuber, T. (2016). "Rahmenbedingungen eines skalierbaren Mobile Payment Systems." Graduate thesis. pg. 33. Germany.

References on the web

Blog posts, course pages, and other mentions.

84 entries
2016
MAC0209 selected course experiments MAC0209 selected course experiments. (November 2016). Brazil.
2014
California State Science Fair, USA. The Effect of Neodymium Magnets on Induction Loop Traffic Detectors. (April 2, 2014). California State Science Fair, USA.
2014
La Fisica Con Gli Smartphone a Mirabilandia La Fisica Con Gli Smartphone a Mirabilandia, (2014). Mirabilandia, Italy.
2014
PowerPoint from University of Sydney, Australia. Biomechanics Augmentation Device V & V Testing. (2014). PowerPoint from University of Sydney, Australia.
2014
Technology blog, Germany. Smartphone mit Android. (May 2014). Technology blog, Germany.
2014
University of Glasgow, College of Education, Scotland. Top Koppetens 2014. (April 4, 2014). University of Glasgow, College of Education, Scotland.
2014
University of Lund, Sweden Attraktioner. (September 13, 2014). University of Lund, Sweden