PHYSICS 191: Introduction to Physics Careers and Research; Survey of BYU undergraduate physics and astronomy programs, careers in physics and astronomy, and current physics and astronomy research. Take first semester after registered as physics major.  FALL 2009

 

Professor: David Dean Allred, Office:  N265 ESC,   Phone 422-3489, cell; (801) 734-0418

Class Meetings:  Wednesday 12:00 noon—12:50 p.m. C215 ESC

Office Hours: MF 11:10a.m. – Noon; and by appointment,  

 

Text:  Physics News in 2008 (American Institute of Physics, New York, 2009); Physics-spotlighting exceptional research (new AIP online journal at http://physics.aps.org/ );http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200902/physicsstories.cfm 

alternates:  Science News and Physics Today  

 

Course Objectives:  According to http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgkth3zv_9fz37ccd9
Students will be able to: 

·         Describe examples of current research in physics or astronomy, explaining what questions are being asked by the investigators and why these questions are interesting.

·         Describe career opportunities available in physics and astronomy and the specific preparation necessary for these careers.  IN ADDITION

·         Find information relative to summer jobs, internships and graduate school.

·         Students who will graduate in more than 3 years will understand various study strategies in their advanced physics & mathematics courses.

·         Students who will graduate in less than 3 years will visit, during the last half of the course, several BYU research groups and discuss their senior thesis/ capstone possibility/plans with a faculty member.

Grading Method 1:  The grades for Physics 191 will be determined by

            * 25% Examination, I,

            * 25% Examination II, December 3, 2009

            * 45% Term Paper, due December 10, 2009

Grading method 2:  (report each week).

            * 25% Examination, I, October 15, 2009

            * 25% Examination II, December 3, 2009

            * 45% Attend/join outside activities to 15 points. (Brief statement required on each.)

5% will be awarded from meeting with the professor in a few-on-one situation to discuss your interests and career/postgraduate questions. An average grade of 70 or above will earn a passing grade for the course.

 

Examination I:  The first examination will be held in testing center.  Exam I will cover topics from the assigned text, Physics News in 2008. You will also be asked to specify the topic for your Term Paper on this exam. OR that you are doing grading method 2.

 

Examination II:  The second examination will also be held in testing center.    Exam II will cover topics from the weekly lectures in Physics 191.

Term Paper:  Your original term paper should be 2-3 ages in length and provide a short review of       any topic of current research interest in physics.  The paper should be written in newspaper style (meaning no footnotes are necessary) in such a way that it would have been understood and enjoyed by an imagined great-grandmother (possessing a third-grade formal education).  In addition to the assigned readings and the weekly lectures, you may find an excellent source for the subject of your term paper may be found on the web at http://physics.aps.org/ also http://www.sciencenews.org/

     Term papers are due in David Allred mail box in the Physics Department Office, Room N283     ESC, before the deadline of 12:00 noon Thursday, December 10, 2009.  

 

Focus:

     Throughout the course and particularly on the Examinations, we will be primarily interested in the following:                                       

What questions are being asked by the investigator(s)?

Why are these questions interesting?

What results have been reported by the investigator(s)?

 

Attend/join outside activities to 15 points.  (This will be discussed in class.)

  1. If you will graduate in physics, applied or options in the next 3 years it is important to get you in a research group where you can do thesis/capstone work. Activities will be concentrated on visiting various research groups. 7 points must come from these activities.
  2.  If you will NOT graduate in physics, applied or options in the next 3 years then the activities will be of a more general nature.  

The general rule will be 1 point/ hour of activity up to 3 points on it in any given day.

Everyone doing this option must do at least 5 points in Astronomy.  Report weekly in class.  Current summary.   I have put on it your email so you can find your data.   Here is the old current summary.

 

Here is a partial list of approved activities:

  1. Attending research group meetings (a max of 4 points must come from at least two different research groups).  The physics office will have list of times in 2-3 weeks.
  2. Planetarium shows (a max of 6 points.) Usually on Friday nights shows are at 7 and 8 pm.
  3. International Astronomy Year lecture. (1 pt. each.)
  4. Physics Colloquium http://www.physics.byu.edu/TalkList.aspx  starting with Prof. Davis’ today: 1 pt each.
  5. Approved Colloquia in other departments in topics such as planetary or geophysics. 1 pt each.
  6. Attending a BYU SPS activity.  One point each.
  7. Joining SPS, APS, AAPT or Astronomical Society of BYU. 1 points for each hour of service up to 10. http://www.physics.byu.edu/clubs/astrosoc/activities.aspx  
  8. Student education outreach. 2 points each encounter (though, no double counting if you are doing for another class.) Nonteaching majors get 3 points.    
  9. Reading a several page article in one of the “textbooks” and explaining to a class peer group what is exciting about it.  (1 pt/ hour up to 2 pts/ article.) Max. 10 pts.

And open to those graduating within the next three years in physics, physics-astronomy, applied physics, selected option etc where a thesis or capstone is required:

  1. Discussing your potential capstone/thesis with advisor. (1 pt)
  2. Choosing an approved project (4 points with 2 paragraph write-up of topic submitted to me.)
  3. Being my TA. I will take only 2.

 

SPEAKER SCHEDULE (DRAFT 2)

Monday, September 14, 2009

Wednesdays 12:00 noon—12:50 p.m.

Room C215 ESC

 

Date                             Speaker                                   Topic

 

September 2                 Allred                                       Careers in Physics, graduate work & postdocs

 

September 9                 David Allred                             Careers in physics & polarization phenomena

 

September 16               Ryan Camacho &                     Finding internships & snr. thesis in industry

                                    Gus Hart                                  Computational Solid State Physics

 

September 23              Duane B. Merrell                      Physics Education

 

September 30               Victor Migenes                         Astronomy & radio telescopy

 

October       7              Thomas Stephens                     Working at/for a National Lab; being on a space craft instrument team.

 

October     14              Ryan Hecox                             Medical Physics

October     21-22          Examination I             in TC

 

October     21              Kent L. Gee                         Jobs in Acoustics & Research @BYU

 

October     28             Steven Nichols                       Patent Law

 

November 4                 Dallin Durfee                          Matterwave Interferometry

 

November 11                  TBA (Prob. David Allred)    Material Physics research for Space.      

 

November 18                 Eric H. Hirschmann                Black Hole Physics

December   2               Justin B. Peatross                    Inventing β- carotene detection,
                    ALSO Examination II in TC                 Senior thesis & Laser Physics

                                       

December 9                 TBA    

 

December 10               Term Papers Due       12:00 noon.  (Place completed papers in Allred’s

mail box in the Physics Department Office, Room N283 ESC before the deadline at noon, Thursday, December 10, 2009.)          

 

* I am soliciting visitors to address the class during the open times concerning the following:  Medical physics, “What I wished I had known/done earlier” by senior students, Industrial physics, patent law, applications in physics such as Movie 3D glasses, geophysics, chemical physics and mathematical physics.   I also plan to fit in a discussion of summer internships at national labs etc.

 

Announcements Follow.