Session E1: Invited Presentation Saturday NES APS

Two-dimensional materials represent the next frontier in advanced materials for electronic applications. Their extreme thinness (3 or less atoms thick) give them great flexibility, optical transparency and an unsurpassed surface-to-volume ratio. At the sa

Graphene, a single atomic layer of carbon atoms, has attracted great attention worldwide because of its potential for novel science and technology. Recently, this interest has expanded to the much wider class of 2D materials that occur as layers of van-der-Waals crystals. While preserving graphene's flexibility and tunability by external perturbations, atomically thin layers of this broader set of materials provides access to more varied electronic and optical properties, including semiconducting and insulating behavior. In this presentation, we will discuss some of the distinctive optical properties of this emerging class of atomically thin 2D materials. Graphene has now been investigated across a spectral range from the THz to the UV. The optical properties reveal much interesting physics and also show strong tunability in response by means of external gating. Recently, atomically thin layers of semiconductors in the family of transition metal dichalcogenides (MX2 where M = Mo, W and X = S, Se, Te) have also been prepared and investigated. Although weak light emitters in the bulk, at monolayer thickness these materials emit light efficiently. We will describe some of the surprising properties of these systems, from strong and anomalous excitonic effects to valley selective excitation and control.   

Upper Level Physics MOOCs for Online and Blended Learning

I will describe some of the experiments in offering MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for upper level undergraduate and graduate physics courses at the physics department at MIT. As an example, I will discuss 8.05x: Mastering Quantum Mechanics, an online intermediate quantum mechanics course offered openly on the edX platform this Spring (2015). In addition to offering the MOOC, a selected group of MIT students is taking the course for credit, where contact hours are greatly reduced in favor of online activities. I will discuss the process of planning and creating 8.05x, the technologies used, and the differences between the MOOC and the MIT residential offering in terms of demographics, activity and performance. I will also extend the discussion to other past and planned upper level physics MOOCs where the MOOC is used to increase the flexibility of offerings of specialty courses, so students do not have to wait for the next time the course is offered and are able to take the course for credit either via a special offering or via self study.