Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2019
Volume 64, Number 2
Monday–Friday, March 4–8, 2019; Boston, Massachusetts
Session H60: Jonathan F. Reichert and Barbara Wolff-Reichert Award for Excellence in Advanced Laboratory Instruction: Incorporating State-of-the-Art Research into Advanced LabsEducation Invited Undergraduate
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Sponsoring Units: FED DCMP Chair: Peggy Cebe, Tufts University Room: BCEC 258A |
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 2:30PM - 3:06PM |
H60.00001: Laboratory courses and the professional preparation of physics majors Invited Speaker: Benjamin Zwickl Embracing career preparation as a goal of lab courses is one way to advocate for the maintenance and expansion of labs in the curriculum. If labs are seen as primarily supporting students’ conceptual understanding they are in danger of being replaced by virtual simulations optimized for teaching concepts. If labs are viewed as training grounds for the professional preparation of students as they pursue a range of STEM careers, labs become indispensable in the education of physics majors. Drawing from multiple studies of practicing researchers and engineers as well as PER on laboratory courses, labs will be shown to support both the technical competencies (e.g., measurement, data analysis, troubleshooting, design, modeling) and the "soft" competencies (e.g., teamwork, oral communication, documentation, self-directed learning) that are important for professional success. I will suggest ways in which lab courses can best utilize the unique features of the lab environment to explicitly and visibly support students’ professional preparation. |
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 3:06PM - 3:42PM |
H60.00002: Open-ended projects in undergraduate lasers and optics courses Invited Speaker: Chad Hoyt We describe an approach to undergraduate laboratories in two upper-level classes at Bethel University: Optics and Lasers. These courses integrate a standard lecture, lab exercises, and open-ended projects. The projects typically have a novel aspect. Examples include a lithium magneto-optical trap, plasmonics, digital and analog holography, ultrafast fiber laser optics, quantum optics and atomic and molecular spectroscopy. |
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 3:42PM - 4:18PM |
H60.00003: Designing (and re-designing) realistic research practices for undergraduate Advanced Labs Invited Speaker: Sara Callori Our institution is undergoing a quarter-to-semester transition, which has given our department the opportunity to assess and redesign how our instructional laboratories prepare students for futures within physics and other STEM fields. Currently, our one-quarter Advanced Lab course focuses on introducing students to contemporary scientific instrumentation and includes a relatively short independent research project. While both types of activities give students a taste of some facets of scientific research, they do not necessarily touch on other realistic research skills, such as oral and written communication and statistical and error analysis. Here I will discuss the “state of the lab” and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of our current course and how this assessment is contributing to a course and curricular re-design. This scales from upgrading current Advanced Lab instructions to promote more open-ended analysis, to newly implemented activities designed to build writing and computation skills, to a longer-term overhaul of the entire instructional laboratory curriculum. |
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 4:18PM - 4:54PM |
H60.00004: Advancing the Advanced Lab: Opportunities and Challenges post-BFYIII Invited Speaker: Joseph Kozminski In the last five years, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has approved recommendations for both the undergraduate laboratory curriculum and for computational physics in the undergraduate curriculum. These recommendations along with the Phys 21 report from the APS and AAPT Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs emphasize the need for physics programs to help students develop a range of transferrable skills and knowledge that prepares them for diverse job and graduate school opportunities post-graduation. The undergraduate laboratory is a place where many of these experimental, technical, analytical, modeling, and communication skills are addressed. In July 2018, the Third Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year (BFY III) brought together advanced laboratory instructors for a three-day conference with the theme of developing laboratory experiences that integrate experimentation, computation, and theory. Through hands-on workshops, plenary sessions, poster sessions, and small group discussions, participants considered how to transform their upper-level laboratory curricula to include high-impact experiences through which students can build this desired skill-set, develop good laboratory practices, and enrich their understanding of physics and the applications of physics across disciplines. This talk will address the recommended outcomes of the laboratory curriculum, things learned at BFY III, and challenges and opportunities for the advanced lab community in fostering the development of critical skills and competencies through authentic and engaging laboratory experiences. |
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 4:54PM - 5:30PM |
H60.00005: Jonathan F. Reichert and Barbara Wolff-Reichert Award for Excellence in Advanced Laboratory Instruction Talk: Engaging Students in Authentic Scientific Practices in Physics Lab Courses Invited Speaker: Heather Lewandowski Physics is an empirical science. Therefore, learning physics must include learning how to design and conduct experiments, analyze and interpret data, and revise models and apparatus. Physics lab courses at the introductory and upper-division levels are one of only a few opportunities for students to engage in these authentic physics practices. For many students, instructional labs are the only opportunity. However, these courses do not always have the students reach the desired learning goals. Our work looks to improve lab experiences by improving students’ competency with modeling of physical and measurement systems, troubleshooting skills, documentation practices, and views of the nature of experimental physics. |
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