Bulletin of the American Physical Society
84th Annual Meeting of the APS Southeastern Section
Volume 62, Number 13
Thursday–Saturday, November 16–18, 2017; Milledgeville, Georgia
Session E2: Preparing Physics Students for 21st-Century Careers |
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Chair: Laurie McNeil, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Room: MSU Building University Banquet Room B |
Friday, November 17, 2017 8:30AM - 9:00AM |
E2.00001: They Won't All Grow Up to Be You: Preparing Students for Diverse Careers Invited Speaker: Laurie McNeil The Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP) was formed in response to a growing awareness in the physics community that undergraduate physics majors pursue a wide range of careers after graduation, with very few ending up employed as physics professors. The task force was charged to identify the skills and knowledge that undergraduate physics degree holders should possess to be well prepared for a diverse set of careers, and to provide guidance on how physicists could revise the undergraduate curriculum to improve the education of a diverse student population. Our report (issued in October 2016) is the result of the task force's reviews of employment data, surveys of employers, and reports generated by other disciplines, as well as meetings with physicists in selected industries and interviews with recent physics graduates employed in the private sector. As part of our study we also identified exemplary programs that provide models of how physics departments can ensure that all of their students are well prepared to pursue a wide range of career paths. I will summarize and illustrate the findings and recommendations contained in the task force's report. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 17, 2017 9:00AM - 9:30AM |
E2.00002: Physics and hard disk drives- an industrial career perspective Invited Speaker: Steven Lambert Hard disk drives are marvels of technology. Each drive shipping today includes magnetic tunnel junctions to read data, thermal expansion actuators to precisely adjust head-disk spacing to about 1nm, and data tracks only 70nm wide. An army of physicists, engineers, and materials scientists are responsible for a continuing stream of innovations that have made hard drives the essential enabler for data storage in ``the cloud''. Hard disk drive companies are just one of the numerous industries where physicists make essential contributions. I will use experiences from my 27 years developing magnetic recording technology in Silicon Valley to illustrate what it's like for a physicist to work in industry. I will highlight the skills that help to enable success in the private sector, and some of the challenges of transitioning from academia to industry. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 17, 2017 9:30AM - 10:00AM |
E2.00003: Prepare all students for success Invited Speaker: Susan Blessing Over the course of several years, the Florida State University Physics Department implemented course, advising, and support changes to better prepare students to succeed as majors in the department and in the future. I will discuss the changes and the evidence we have that they are working. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 17, 2017 10:00AM - 10:30AM |
E2.00004: Career Preparation in the Undergraduate Curriculum Invited Speaker: Brad Conrad Physics and Astronomy programs are a critical component of the STEM pipeline within the US and resources exist to assist departments, advisers, and students alike with undergraduate student career preparation. Through effective recruitment and preparation of undergraduate students, undergraduate physics programs have the potential to increase both the size and diversity of the STEM workforce. This talk with present data illustrating the full range of careers pathways that Physics and Astronomy undergraduate students can follow, detail how Departments can most effectively prepare their students for the full range of career options available to them, and highlight valuable resources for students, faculty advisers, and department leaders. This data driven talk will outline recent data, resources for Departments, and best practices. [Preview Abstract] |
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