Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2017
Volume 62, Number 4
Monday–Friday, March 13–17, 2017; New Orleans, Louisiana
Session F49: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century CareersCareers Invited Undergraduate
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Sponsoring Units: FED Chair: John Stewart, West Virginia University Room: 396 |
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 11:15AM - 11:51AM |
F49.00001: 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] |
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 11:51AM - 12:27PM |
F49.00002: What the Industry Wants. How Physics Students can Prepare to Thrive in the Private Sector. Invited Speaker: Sandeep Giri The goal of this talk is to provide a window to physics undergraduates into what the industry wants. And thus, preparing them on what relevant hard skills to acquire, highlighting the types of experiences that are valued, and how to market themselves (interviewing, resume writing, networking). Physics majors can excel just as well as their engineering peers in the private sector. Professors can also gather insights in how to empower their students for successful transition out of academia. This talk is also a personal journey of a physics major, from a small liberal arts college, moving up the ladder in the tech industry in silicon valley. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 12:27PM - 1:03PM |
F49.00003: Effective Practices for Training and Inspiring High School Physics Teachers Invited Speaker: Karen Magee-Sauer It is well-documented that there is a nationwide shortage of highly qualified high school physics teachers [1]. Not surprising, institutions of higher education report that the most common number of physics teacher graduates is zero with the majority of institutions graduating less than two physics teachers per year [2]. With these statistics in mind, it is critical that institutions take a careful look at how they recruit, train, and contribute to the retention of high school physics teachers. PhysTEC is a partnership between the APS and AAPT that is dedicated to improving and promoting the education of high school physics teachers. Primarily funded by the NSF and its partnering organizations, PhysTEC has identified key components that are common to successful physics teacher preparation programs [3]. While creating a successful training program in physics, it is also important that students have the opportunity for a ``do-able'' path to certification that does not add further financial debt. This talk will present an overview of ``what works'' in creating a path for physics majors to a high school physics teaching career, actions and activities that help train and inspire pre-service physics teachers, and frameworks that provide the support for in-service teachers. Obstacles to certification and the importance of a strong partnership with colleges of education will be discussed. Several examples of successful physics high school teacher preparation programs will be presented. [1] American Association for Employment in Education, Education Supply and Demand Report 2014-15, www.aaee.org. [2] David E. Meltzer, Monica Plisch, and Stamatis Vokos, editors,~\textit{Transforming the Preparation of Physics Teachers: A Call to Action. A Report by the~}\underline {\textit{Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics}}\textit{~(T-TEP)}(American Physical Society, College Park, MD, 2012). [3] http://www.phystec.org/keycomponents [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 1:03PM - 1:39PM |
F49.00004: Physics Department Accreditation: Preparing our physics students to enter the workforce. Invited Speaker: Kathryn Svinarich Most undergraduate physics majors enter the workforce after graduation instead of heading to graduate school. For most careers, it's clear that subject matter knowledge is not enough. Graduates must be able to effectively articulate that knowledge to multiple audiences at vastly different levels of technical expertise. Foreign language skills, global awareness, an entrepreneurial mindset, and knowledge of societal context are all important to employers today. These facets of workplace readiness are incorporated into learning outcomes at the heart of the ABET accreditation process. Through ABET accreditation, we are assuring employers that our applied physics graduates are achieving these outcomes and are better prepared for careers, both in and outside academia. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 1:39PM - 2:15PM |
F49.00005: Best Practices in Physics Program Assessment: Should APS Provide Accreditation Standards for Physics? Invited Speaker: Theodore Hodapp The Phys21 report, ``Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers,'' provides guidance for physics programs to improve their degree programs to make them more relevant for student career choices. Undertaking such changes and assessing impact varies widely by institution, with many departments inventing assessments with each periodic departmental or programmatic review. The American Physical Society has embarked on a process to integrate information from Phys21, the results of other national studies, and educational research outcomes to generate a best-practices guide to help physics departments conduct program review, assessment, and improvement. It is anticipated that departments will be able to use this document to help with their role in university-level accreditation, and in making the case for improvements to departmental programs. Accreditation of physics programs could stem from such a document, and I will discuss some of the thinking of the APS Committee on Education in creating this guide, and how they are advising APS to move forward in the higher education landscape that is increasingly subject to standards-based evaluations. I will describe plans for the design, review, and dissemination of this guide, and how faculty can provide input into its development. [Preview Abstract] |
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