Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2010
Volume 55, Number 2
Monday–Friday, March 15–19, 2010; Portland, Oregon
Session T6: Graduate Education in Physics: Which Way Forward |
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: FEd FGSA Chair: Theodore Hodapp, American Physical Society Room: Portland Ballroom 253 |
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 2:30PM - 3:06PM |
T6.00001: The 2008 APS/AAPT Conference on Graduate Education in Physics Invited Speaker: ``Graduate Education in Physics: Which Way Forward?'' was a meeting of Directors of Graduate Studies from 66 PhD-granting physics departments, professional society representatives and other interested parties, to discuss issues facing graduate physics programs. I will discuss some of the recommendations emerging from the conference that related to (i) the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of some physics research and the need for curricular flexibility to accommodate courses in new areas of interest, (ii) recruitment and retention in general and in particular the failure of most physics graduate programs to attract under-represented minorities in significant numbers, (iii) the need to properly recognize the aspirations of the many graduate students who seek careers in industrial settings, and (iv) departmental responsibility for mentoring and professional development of graduate students. Addressing these and other issues will need action not only from individual departments, but also joint action with professional societies, industry collaborators and funding agencies. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 3:06PM - 3:42PM |
T6.00002: Graduate Education in Physics in the 21st Century Invited Speaker: Much has changed in the role of physics in the US in the last several decades. The US and the globe face many challenges in the 21st century that would benefit from physics approaches and training. Is our graduate education preparing Ph D's in physics for these challenges? [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 3:42PM - 4:18PM |
T6.00003: Physics at the Frontier: The Importance of Interdisciplinary Training For Graduate Students in Physics Invited Speaker: In this talk, I emphasize with examples from my own experience the growing importance of interdisciplinary physics, and discuss how one can and should prepare students to work with specialists in other disciplines. I also discuss some of the other challenges of working at the frontiers with other fields, including obtaining funding, designing projects, and publication, and how these need to be included in modern-day mentoring of students and postdocs. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 4:18PM - 4:54PM |
T6.00004: What can national laboratories contribute to graduate education? Invited Speaker: National laboratories are not traditional educational institutions and yet they have the potential to add significant value to the education of graduate students. National laboratories offer access to unique capabilities, for example light sources or neuron sources, enabling experiments that can be done nowhere else. The nature of the work done in a national laboratory may differ significantly from what is typical of university research. Differences range from the size of a collaboration, to the extreme interdisciplinary nature of the work, to the involvement of multiple principal investigators on a single project, to a strong focus on achieving a specific technical outcome. Most national labs host a significant number of graduate students, as short-term visitors, long-term residents which they pursue their thesis research, or in formal programs. I will discuss the value of national laboratory participation in graduate education, both to the students who work with or at national laboratories and to the graduate education enterprise as a whole. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 4:54PM - 5:30PM |
T6.00005: Enhancing Diversity in Physics: The Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program Invited Speaker: We describe the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program as a model for partnering with minority-serving institutions to increase the representation of women and minorities earning PhDs in astronomy and related disciplines. Since its inception in 2004, the Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge program has attracted 30 minority students, 60\% of whom are female, and with a retention rate of 94\%. When the first Bridge students completed their PhDs in 2010-11, the program will become the top awarder of astronomy PhDs to underrepresented minorities in the United States. Already, Fisk has become the top producer of physics Masters degrees to African Americans. We summarize the program's structure, approach, and research basis with the goal of providing a replicable model for other institutions seeking to build similar collaborative, research-based bridging partnerships. [Preview Abstract] |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2024 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700