Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2018
Volume 63, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 5–9, 2018; Los Angeles, California
Session H20: Topics in Physics Education II |
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Sponsoring Units: FED Chair: Laurence Cain, Davidson Coll Room: LACC 308B |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 2:30PM - 2:42PM |
H20.00001: Belmont SURFS: Early Engagement in Research Davon Ferrara, Robert Magruder, Thomas Spence In the summer of 2015, the Department of Chemistry and Physics piloted the Belmont University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs) program for the College of Sciences and Mathematics (CSM) with the goal of engaging rising sophomores and juniors in research earlier in their careers. Fellows participate in a six-week research project in exchange for a small stipend and housing, and present a poster a the end of the program and during the following fall semester. Since that first summer, the program has grown to include faculty and students from all four departments in CSM and faculty from Belmont’s graduate College of Pharmacy. The SURFs program has been highly successful in encouraging students to engage in research outside of their field, often interdisciplinary in nature, with a number of students continuing research with their faculty members after the summer and beyond what is required for graduation. Here we present details of the program, a breakdown of the first three cohorts and how successful the program has been on encouraging students to continue research beyond the end of the six-week period. We will also present cases in which the student has been motivated to seek or consider a career in research as a result of the SURFs program. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 2:42PM - 2:54PM |
H20.00002: The Physics Graduate Experience: Retention, Happiness, and Productivity Christopher Porter, Sara Mueller, Amber Byrum, Alison Koenka, Andrew Heckler To better understand the attrition rate of Physics PhD students, our multi-year study, still it initial stages, aims to describe the various pathways students navigate while enrolled in a physics Ph.D. program at Ohio State University. We investigate students as distinguished into three populations, by the student’s primary responsibility at the time of surveying. First year graduate students are focused on completing core coursework. Pre-candidacy second and third year students have their attention pulled between finishing coursework requirements and beginning research activities. Whereas post-candidacy students are primarily research, thesis, and employment-oriented. Via surveys, we measure Ph.D. satisfaction with a modified scale of happiness and rank students’ productivities by self-reported achievements of traditional graduate school milestones. Here we present preliminary results describing outlines of some of the common pathways taken by students, and present a multiple-regression model that suggests a student’s sense of belonging in their research group, effort cost, and recognition in the PhD program play critical roles in PhD satisfaction. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 2:54PM - 3:06PM |
H20.00003: Learning physics through understanding: Experiment based learning Hashini Mohottala We developed a new teaching technique to help our students better understand basic physics concepts. The tool was experimented in introductory level physics classes where majority of the students are engineering majors. The main objective was to expose students into Physics subject matter through hands-on, theory-based experiments. In these experiments we deviated from laboratory manuals while stay within the boundaries of the materials covered in the class. Groups were formed with five students in each. An empirical problem was given to each group along with some low-tech row material. In each group, members designed an experiment to find a solution to the given problem. The computers, sensors and other electronic data capturing equipment were excluded with an exception to cell phones during these exercises. The students were encouraged to follow old fashion techniques to gather data with a better understanding. These experiments were limited only for 45 minutes and arranged in weekly basis. The students were graded for their contribution, creativity in setting up experiment and accuracy of the solution. They were eager and excied to learn through these types of experiments |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:06PM - 3:18PM |
H20.00004: The Parallel Dipole Line Magnetic Trap: Experiment from The 2017 International Physics Olympiad, Indonesia Oki Gunawan, Yudistira Virgus, Herry Kwee, Jong Tan, Hendra Kwee We present a laboratory experiment of a new type of natural magnetic trap called parallel dipole line trap which was recently featured as the experimental problem in the 2017 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), Indonesia. The key feature of the trap is the recently-discovered 1-D "camelback" potential along the longitudinal axis [1]. The trap consists of a pair of transversely magnetized cylindrical magnets and a graphite rod as the trapped object. It serves as a "particle in 1-D potential" system that enables rich experiments covering diverse topics such as mechanics (harmonic and damped oscillator), electromagnetism (magnetostatics, diamagnetic levitation) and fluid dynamics (Stokes drag). Possible applications as seismometer and tiltmeter to monitor volcano were also presented. The experiment was well received by the IPhO international team leaders and could be used as a new and fascinating laboratory exercise with a fairly simple and affordable setup. [1] O. Gunawan, Y. Virgus, Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 062407 (2015); J. Appl. Phys. 121, 133902 (2017). |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:18PM - 3:30PM |
H20.00005: Integrating Ray-Tracing and Other Simulations Into Undergraduate Optics Courses Alexander Small Optics courses taught for in physics departments often emphasize (appropriately) wave optics and lasers, as these are areas of strength for physicists. However, many careers in optics require familiarity with optical design software, including in-depth familiarity with geometrical optics. On the other hand, teaching geometrical optics at a practical and sophisticated level can be challenging for physicists who are not trained as optical engineers, and it is easy for an inexperienced person to make misstatements about optical instrument design. In this presentation I will outline very simple ray-tracing projects that do not require the instructor to have a deep background in geometrical optics but do develop practical skills, including familiarity with professional ray-tracing software (e.g. ZEMAX, OSLO) and a confident and scientific mindset about using simulations to explore optical designs. The purpose is not so much to teach optical engineering as to prepare students to learn optical engineering in their subsequent careers. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:30PM - 3:42PM |
H20.00006: X-ray Diffraction Made Tangible Yuri Janssen, Daniel Parks Single-crystal x-ray diffraction is perhaps the most important tool for determination of crystal structures. It is therefore important to engage students in diffraction techniques. Demonstration of diffraction techniques, however, is hindered by invisibilities. Both the atoms and the x-ray radiation used to find them are invisible to the naked eye. Addressing these problems, we have developed a tool, a 3D model, with naked-eye visible model atoms. It produces visible-light diffraction patterns, recognizably similar to the x-ray diffraction patterns of the original crystal. We will discuss and demonstrate our tool, that, in a typical class-room setting, may enlighten students of any level. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:42PM - 3:54PM |
H20.00007: Taste and See That 'Physics Is Fun.' M Ponnambalam In 1899, during the Second Meeting of APS, its first president Henry Rowland called physics "the science above all sciences," and spoke about the "the intellectual pleasure" in its pursuit. In 1934, Einstein spoke of his "rapturous amazement at the harmony of Natural Law." In 1979, the popular science writer Gary Zukav said in his book, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, "Physics becomes pure enchantment." In spite of these, many countries, big and small, are finding it difficult to attract bright young minds to pursue physics. This author launched a multi-pronged Physics Outreach in Jamaica in 2006, and succeeded in nearly tripling the number of students doing Introductory Calculus-based Physics in his University. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:54PM - 4:06PM |
H20.00008: Reform of Physics Exam for College Enrollment In China MENG TANG, LEI YUAN The College Enrollment Examination (GaoKao) in China has experienced continuous reforms over the past twenty years. The whole education system is becoming more open in orientation and more flexible in framework. For example, in Zhejiang Province, one of the pioneers in education reform, Physics is no longer a compulsory subject for high school students who want to study science and engineering in university. Instead, it is now only one of the seven optional subjects. The official figures in Zhejiang Province indicate that a considerable decrease of students who sit physics test, which is 160,000 in 2011, 90,000 in 2017 and less than 60,000 in 2018 (estimated) out of a total of approximately 260,000 because physics is believed to be too difficult. Therefore, the authors of this paper aim to investigate (i) how to stimulate students’ interests in physics with the help of computer-aided demonstration and online resources; (ii) how to balance the level of difficulty over individual topics (iii) how to bridge the gap between Chinese and international education in K12 level by analyzing A-level in UK and SAT subject and AP in USA. |
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 4:06PM - 4:18PM |
H20.00009: How to teach quantum mechanics to 15,000 nonscientists James Freericks We describe a recently launched MOOC on EdX called Quantum Mechanics For Everyone which has emerged as the highest rated quantum MOOC on coursetalk. The course uses the Feynman/Styer methodology to teach complex quantum ideas like the delayed choice experiment, the quantum eraser, the EPR experiment, Bell's inequality experiments, the two-slit experiment, interaction-free measurements, and the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect through a series of lectures, interactive text, and computer-based simulations and tutorials. Students actively engage with the material and emerge from the course with an ability to describe complex quantum phenomena. The math background involves only high school algebra. We show some of the innovative features of the course and discuss basic guidelines for others trying to teach complex physics ideas to the public through MOOC vehicles. |
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