Physics in a New Era An Overview (2001) / Chapter Skim
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5. Physics Education
5. Physics Education
Pages 89-106
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From page 89... ...
Part 11 Physics and Society
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From page 91... ...
A well-trained physicist is capable of moving quickly among different tech n ical areas, particu I arly i nto areas so new that they have not yet evolved into an engineering discipline. This ability of physicists to solve problems in a wide variety of fields is illustrated by the number of physicists-by-training who have gone on to win Nobel Prizes in other disciplines for example, Allan Cormak, Francis Crick, Max Delbruck, Godfrey Hounsfield, and Rosalyn Yalow won in physiology or medicine; Marie Curie, Walter Gilbert, Walter Kohn, Ernest Rutherford, and Alan Heeger won in chemistry; and Andrei Sakharov won for peace.
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From page 92... ...
Advanced undergraduate study in physics is undertaken by only a very small number of students, but they are fairly likely to pursue graduate study. In 1999, 31 percent of university and college physics graduates entered graduate programs in physics while an additional 19 percent went into other graduate programs (primarily engineering)
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From page 93... ...
AIR Statistical Research Center, College Park, Md.
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From page 94... ...
SOURCES: AIP High School Physics Teachers Surveys (1986-1987, 1989-1990, 1992-1993, and 1996-1997)
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From page 95... ...
One reason for the relatively weak training in physics of K-12 teachers is probably the minor role that physics departments now play in the training. The 22% 8% Major Minor Physics /O 4o/o n I Major Minor Physics Education FIGURE 5.4 Percent of high school physics teachers with physics degrees, 1996-1997.
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From page 96... ...
Implementing this approach will require the encouragement and cooperation of university administrations and education schools as well as changes within the physics departments. The importance of these changes was recognized in resolutions adopted independently by the American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, and the American Association of Physics Teachers.
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From page 97... ...
Sheila Tobias clocumentecl how introductory physics courses deterred many who took them Physics Bachelors 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1 000 Physics Bachelofs by_ \ All Bachelofs ~-~ O_ I I I I I I I I I I I T T T I I I I I I I I I I T T I I ~ I ~ I I i, 'I I I 1 1 1 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 98 All Bachelors 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 O Year of bachelor's degree FIGURE 5.5 Physics bachelor's and total bachelor's degrees produced in the United States, 1955 to 1998. SOURCES: American Institute of Physics Statistics Division, Enrollments and Degrees Report, 1 999, and National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 1999.
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From page 98... ...
Every field of natural science and engineering has made use of the instrumentation and experimental techniques developed by physicists; these techniques are an essential part of a physics education. Over the past two decades, the American Physical Society, the Amer can Institute of Physics, and the American Association of Physics Teachers, among others, devoted much attention to problems in introductory physics courses.
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From page 99... ...
In the various interactive learning formats, the instructors often became aware of student cl ifficu lties that they had not observed i n the less interactive lecture format. It was important to be able to document student performance in the traclitiona~ lecture courses so that student difficulties would not be (erroneously)
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From page 100... ...
The committee believes that high-quality introductory courses are essential for creating a 21st-century workforce, for fostering scientific literacy, and for attract) ng and retai n i ng talented American students to fu rther study in physics.
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From page 101... ...
Physics departments can work with schools of management to provide physics students with role models and business models for using physics to create new enterprises and new value within existing enterprises (see siclebar "Research Experiences for Unclergraduates"~. In physics, teaching and learning flow from research.
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From page 102... ...
The goals also include broadening the talent base in physics and other sciences: Many REU programs have succeeded in increasing participation by women and members of underrepresented minority groups. REU research experiences can be particularly valuable for students coming from smaller colleges that lack the laboratory facilities of larger institutions.
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From page 103... ...
These changes require corresponding changes in the graduate ancl postdoctoral education programs, changes that the committee describes below.
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From page 104... ...
, American Institute of Physics Statistics Division, Enrollments and Degrees Report. War 11, from eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union after the collapse of the latter, and from Asia during the last clecacle's political unrest in China have all brought highly talented individuals to this country.
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From page 105... ...
Strong physics training provides students with broad problem-solving skills and familiarizes them with a wide range of technologies and the underlying physical principles. This allows them to adapt easily and contribute to many different areas such as electronics, optics, and computational modeling.
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From page 106... ...
This conclusion is supported by the broader physics community through the resolutions of the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Institute of Physics. Achieving each of these goals will be difficult, requiring changes in university physics departments, encouragement from university administrations, and support from state and local education boards.
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