Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2023
Volume 68, Number 6
Minneapolis, Minnesota (Apr 15-18)
Virtual (Apr 24-26); Time Zone: Central Time
Session D17: Undergraduate Education and Inclusion of EveryoneDiversity Education Undergrad Friendly
|
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: FED FDI Chair: Susan Blessing, Florida State University Room: Marquette VIII - 2nd Floor |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 3:45PM - 3:57PM |
D17.00001: Student identity modulates calculus proficiency and calculus self-efficacy Christopher Fischer, Jennifer Delgado, Sarah LeGresley We assessed changes in calculus proficiency and calculus self-efficacy occurring during the second semester of calculus-based introductory physics, which covers electricity and magnetism. We found that both final course grade and student gender were linked to changes in both quantities with women displaying larger gains in calculus proficiency than men and men showing larger gains in calculus self-efficacy. When combined, these data suggest that student identity may modulate the correlation between a student’s calculus abilities and their perception or self-evaluation of those abilities. These data may thus also indicate a potential contributing factor to gender-related differences in physics self-efficacy as well as the complexity of addressing those differences. Finally, both principal component analysis and network analysis of the data generated this same conclusion while also indicating an inverse relationship between student proficiency solving pure calculus exercises and calculus exercises in the context of physics. This is consistent with previous reports detailing that mathematics transfer to physics is difficult. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 3:57PM - 4:09PM |
D17.00002: Collaborative Group Quizzes as a Novel Formative Assessment Gerald Feldman While summative assessment can measure individual progress, formative assessment is more like a training exercise than a formal evaluation, and adding a collaborative element offers particular advantages. We have instituted a novel method for quizzes that combines individual student accountability with the benefits of collaborative group learning, thus leveraging these formative assessments as opportunities for meaningful student learning. Quizzes are multiple-choice, with half the points on individual work and half on group work. The group portion uses IF-AT scratch-off cards, which are similar to lottery tickets with five covered answer boxes. Students discuss the questions together, then get instant feedback by uncovering the box corresponding to their collective choice. If incorrect, they discuss further and scratch off a 2nd (or 3rd) box for reduced credit. The pressure in the individual portion of the quiz is mitigated by added points in the group phase earned through fruitful exchanges with other group members. Students find the group interactions highly engaging and the suspense of revealing the hidden answers quite stimulating. They consider their answers carefully, and this focuses their attention on the physics concepts being probed by the questions. Upon completing the quiz, all correct answers are revealed, and each student knows their score. This feedback loop, coupled with the group discussion and the self-correction option, provides a powerful learning experience for the students. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 4:09PM - 4:21PM |
D17.00003: Should we trade off higher-level mathematics for abstraction to improve student understanding of quantum mechanics? James K Freericks Undergraduate quantum mechanics focuses on teaching through a wavefunction approach with the representation in position space. This leads to a differential equation perspective for teaching the material. However, we know that abstract representation-independent approaches often work better with students, by comparing the series solution of the harmonic oscillator to the abstract operator method. Because one can teach all of the solvable quantum problems using a similar abstract method, it brings up the question, which is likely to lead to a better understanding. In work at Georgetown University and with edX, we have been teaching a class focused on an operator-first viewpoint, which we like to call operator mechanics. It teaches quantum mechanics in a representation-independent fashion and allows for most of the math to be algebraic, rather than based on differential equations. It relies on four fundamental operator identities---(i) the Leibnitz rule for commutators; (ii) the Hadamard lemma; (iii) the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula; and (iv) the exponential disentangling identity. These identities allow one to solve eigenvalues, eigenstates and wavefunctions for all analytically solvable problems (including some not often included in undergraduate curricula, such as the Morse potential). It also allows for more advanced concepts relevant for quantum sensing, such as squeezed states, to be introduced in a simpler format than is conventionally done. I will summarize the experiences we have had with this approach and describe what resources are available for others interested in trying the approach in their classroom. Together, we can help modernize quantum instruction, which is desperately in need of modernization for the second quantum revolution. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 4:21PM - 4:33PM |
D17.00004: Conducting Particle Physics Research with High School Students Peter J Dong Thanks to widespread media exposure, high school students are often very interested in particle physics. However, many students have to wait until college or even graduate school to study and do research in particle physics. But much of particle physics research involves writing and debugging software, creating histograms, and calculating efficiencies - all tasks that are possible for a talented high school student. This talk will describe a program in which high school students work together to complete a particle physics analysis. It will go over the highs, lows, and take-aways, and argue that similar programs are both possible and rewarding for researchers in any field who have the time to invest in these students. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 4:33PM - 4:45PM |
D17.00005: Developing Undergraduate Research in High Energy Physics at Minority Serving Institutions with Multi-Institutional Consortium Wing To Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) tends to have low research activity and focuses on teaching. Students from MSI often only have research experience during their Summer breaks, while students at research institutions have the opportunity to be involved in research year-round. This limits the research opportunity of undergraduates from MSIs and creates an inequity in their future applications into the workforce or graduate school. The GROWTH-MSI program, funded by DOE's RENEW Initiative, will increase accessibility and recruit a diverse workforce into High Energy Physics (HEP) from MSIs. The program will 1) support up to 20 undergraduate researchers year-round from 6 different MSIs, 2) build-up research infrastructures at two MSIs institution previously never been funded before in HEP. The MSIs in the consortium are: Calif. State Universities Stanislaus, Sonoma, Fresno, East Bay and San Francisco and UC Merced. Each cohort of undergraduate will be approximately 10 students. This allows the MSIs to offer an introductory particle physics course yearly, which is typically not available at these MSIs. Students and faculties will be connected to research institutions year-round to collaborate on research and shared seminar sessions. The research institutions are: SLAC National Accelerator Lab, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore Lab, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. This consortium will allow students, professors and research scientists to collaborate on various research projects in HEP. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 4:45PM - 4:57PM |
D17.00006: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts of the nEXO Collaboration Kirsten D McMichael nEXO is a planned next-generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiment, designed to be at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Within the international nuclear and astroparticle physics communities, we strive to be a leader and role model in the areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion while drawing inspiration from the trailblazers who came before us. In 2018 nEXO wrote and adopted its Code of Conduct and created a standing Code of Conduct committee. In 2020 nEXO founded its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to address our collective role in mitigating the social issues that sparked national discourse that year. The nEXO-DEI committee has created a mentorship program, started an internal DEI lecture series, initiated an internal newsletter and information hub, and began surveying our own collaboration on ways that we can improve our culture. This talk outlines the works of these groups, the progress they have made, and where the future of DEI in the nEXO collaboration is headed. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 4:57PM - 5:09PM |
D17.00007: "I just got a vibe": How women and LGBT+ physicists assess workplace inclusivity Madison Swirtz, Camila Amaral, Justin Gutzwa, Adrienne L Traxler, Ramon Barthelemy Physics Education Research (PER) has made great strides in gender and LGBT+ equity work in recent years, but this research has primarily focused on the discriminatory experiences people face and the failures resulting from them. While this work is critical for naming and revealing the prevalence of discrimination in physics, its solutions react to discriminatory environments instead of producing proactive solutions for creating inclusive environments. This study combines social network analysis with feminist, asset-based theoretical frameworks to qualitatively characterize the professional support networks of women and LGBT+ physicists, find which types of support and network ties contribute to job satisfaction and retention in physics, and compare results between job sectors. This talk will discuss preliminary findings from 54 interviews of women and LGBT+ physicists with PhDs working across academia, industry, and government sectors. Specifically, we will focus on the supports, policies, and practices that participants consider to be key when looking for and creating inclusive environments, factors that impact their decisions when navigating their careers. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 5:09PM - 5:21PM |
D17.00008: How well-intentioned white male physicists maintain ignorance of inequity and justify inaction. Melissa Dancy While the majority of physicists support equity efforts, those who hold identities which have historically been overrepresented in physics frequently unintentionally, and unknowingly, undermine these efforts. We report on an analysis of interviews with 27 self-identified progressive white-male physics faculty and graduate students discussing race and gender in physics. Using a critical discourse analysis we identify mechanisms by which these men uphold rather than dismantle inequity in physics by pervasively locating both the causes and solutions of inequity outside their sphere of influence, positioning themselves as powerless to act. We present and discuss three overarching themes, seen in our data, demonstrating how well educated, well-intentioned people of privilege maintain their power and privilege despite their own intentions: 1) Denying inequity is physically near them, 2) Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence and 3) Justifying inaction. As the majority population, and a population that holds tremendous power to shape culture and structure, white men are essential for reform. Little attention has been given to understanding the knowledge, beliefs, and actions of this group and yet such understanding is vital if progress is to be made. |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 5:21PM - 5:33PM |
D17.00009: APS-IDEA Facilitating Second-Order Change and Empowering Teams Tiffany R Lewis The American Physical Society's Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Alliance strives to empower and support teams from physics departments and laboratories to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at their home institution. The core principles of APS-IDEA are to center marginalized identities, utilize sensemaking, share leadership, and implement research-based transformational methods to achieve profound and lasting change. Recently, the program has shifted to a model of topical cohorts to support the formation of communities of practice around specific applications of the core principles. |
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