Minutes

for the Physics Department Advisory Council meeting
held Saturday, November 16, 2002 in UH134.

Present:   J. Constantinescu, G. Groeschl, D. Keyser, K. Menningen, D. Nehlsen, P. Rybski, S. Sahyun,
R. Setchell, E. Stepanov, M. Wickliffe

 

I.          The meeting was called to order at 10:03am.

II.        Ken Menningen reviewed the following:

A.       Current status of the department

i.           New Faculty

ii.         Connection with the Mathematical & Computer Sciences department

iii.        New Physics - Engineering Emphasis major

iv.       New 3-2 Engineering program

v.         New curriculum

1.         Energy

2.         Light & Color

3.         From Einstein to Star Trek

4.         Expanded Senior Seminar

vi.       Society of Physics Students

B.        Our vision for the future

i.           Renovation of Upham Hall

1.         Teaching facilities

2.         Research facilities

ii.         Undergraduate research

1.         Spectroscopy

2.         Astronomy

3.         Physics Education

iii.        Curriculum development

1.         Modified 170 sequence

2.         Modified electronics sequence

3.         Modified modern physics sequence

iv.       Student recruitment

1.         Web page

2.         Enhanced fact sheet

3.         Letters

v.         Public outreach

1.         Physics Day

2.         Astronomy lectures

3.         High School groups

III.     A discussion among the Council members then began:

A.       General questions and comments:

i.           A member inquired about the degrees offered by our program.  We offer Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in physics.  There are four emphases: graduate school, industrial, engineering, and education.

ii.         Several members commented that the new building must have adequate storage space for physics demonstration equipment, and it must be stored as close to the classrooms as possible.

iii.        Several members suggested that we emphasize the concepts of physics to our students and stress that they are even more important than the mathematical skills that students learn.  Many students from America lack fundamental training in physics, or if they have the training, too many of them have cheated their way through or memorized too much instead of truly knowing the fundamental principles really well.

iv.       A member commented that there are two kinds of engineering:  design of components and machines using first principles and mathematical models, or design of machines using predetermined choices among components.  Students who are preparing for the first kind of engineering should have a thorough understanding of forces.

v.         A member commented that the lack of awareness of what physicists do represents a recruiting impediment.  Both high school and college physics programs should emphasize career opportunities.  Employers should be made aware of the special skills that physicists have so that they can make informed hiring decisions.

vi.       A member suggested that UWW invite practicing physicists to campus to make presentations about what they do and how they use their physics knowledge for their career. 

vii.      A member suggested that we provide 11”×17” posters advertising our department for high schools.  The posters should emphasize our best equipment such as the scanning tunneling microscope, fuel cells, etc. in order to generate student interest in our program.

viii.    A member commented that there is currently a lot of interest in engineering among high school students these days.  Recruitment of physicists from among students in their junior year of high school is important because many career decisions are made at that time. 

ix.       Two members recommended that we contact regional companies such as WE Energies and Gilman Engineering to place engineering students into internships. 

B.        Suggestions for changes to our curriculum:

i.           One member suggested that the 170 sequence could incorporate career presentations by practicing physicists to generate interest in the physics major, especially at the beginning of the year.  Such presentations might be even more effective in high school, when many career decisions are made.

ii.         Two members stated that it would be very beneficial if UW-Whitewater could provide a pedagogical methods course for secondary education physics BSE students.  We should also consider imitating the UW-River Falls summer teacher institutes here at Whitewater.

IV.     It was decided that the Advisory Council should meet yearly, and that the next meeting will be in mid-November 2003, schedules permitting.

V.       The meeting adjourned to the luncheon at 11:57 am

Respectfully Submitted,                                                     cc:   Chancellor Miller

                                                                                                      Provost Telfer

                                                                                                      Dean Lee

                                                                                                      Dean Ross

Kenneth L Menningen                                                                     University archivist

Physics Department chair                                                                Advisory Council members