THE RUTGERS UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS PROGRAM

1
THE RUTGERS UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS PROGRAM

• Mohan Kalelkar
• Rutgers University

2
CURRICULUM OPTIONS

• Professional Option (B.S.)
• For students intending to go on for PhD in
  Physics
• Astrophysics Major (B.S.)
• Like the Professional Option, but for those who
  aspire to PhD in Astronomy/Astrophysics
• Applied Option (B.S.)
• Preparation for careers in industry, patent law,
  etc.
• Engineering double majors
• General Option (B.A.)
• Preparation for careers in high school teaching,
  health professions, business/finance, etc.
• Ocean Physics Option (B.S.)
• Preparation for careers in Marine Sciences

3
PHYSICS MAJOR GRADUATES

• 34 Professional Option
• 14 Astrophysics Major
• 20 Applied Option
• 32 General Option
• Ocean Physics Option just got going. First
  graduate in Class of 2008

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
32 33 39 34 41 45 (est.)
4
SEVEN (!) INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS SEQUENCES

• CALCULUS-BASED
• Honors Physics I, II, III
• For 100 students with Physics AP credits and/or
  in Rutgers Honors Program (2/3 are Engineering
  students)
• Analytical Physics IA, IB, IIA, IIB
• For 480 students who dont qualify for Honors
  Physics (mainly Engineering students)
• Extended Analytical Physics IA, IB
• For 150 at-risk Engineering freshmen who place
  into Precalculus REFORMED COURSE
• ALGEBRA/TRIG-BASED
• General Physics I, II
• For 550 students majoring in sciences that
  require Physics, including Premedical curricula
• Extended General Physics I, II
• For 140 students self-selected as being at-risk
• Physics for the Sciences I, II
• For 190 students majoring in sciences that
  require Physics REFORMED COURSE
• Elements of Physics
• For 190 students in Rutgers School of Pharmacy

5
PROFESSIONAL OPTION (B.S.)

• FALL TERM

• SPRING TERM

Year 1 Honors Physics I Physics Lab I Calculus I
Year 2 Honors Physics III Mechanics I Intermediate Lab Calculus III
Year 3 Electromagnetism I Quantum/Atomic Modern Physics Lab
Year 4 Intermediate Quantum Optics Honors Project
Honors Physics II Physics Lab II Calculus II
Thermal Physics Mechanics II Electronics Lab Ordinary DiffEq
Electromagnetism II Modern Physics Lab Partial DiffEq
Nuclei and Particles Solid-State Physics Honors Project
6
ASTROPHYSICS MAJOR (B.S.)

• Most course requirements are the same as for
  Professional Option, except
• Replace Year 2 Physics labs by two terms of
  Principles of Astrophysics
• Replace Year 3 Physics labs by
• Observational Optical Astronomy (20-inch
  telescope)
• Observational Radio Astronomy (10-foot telescope)
• Must take at least two Astrophysics advanced
  electives, out of
• Stars and Star Formation
• Galaxies and the Milky Way
• Introduction to Cosmology
• High Energy Astrophysics

7
APPLIED OPTION (B.S.)

• Any introductory Physics sequence, including
  introductory labs
• Two terms of introductory Chemistry, including
  Chemistry labs
• Four terms of Calculus (i.e. through Ordinary
  DiffEq)
• Course in Computing for Math and the Sciences
  (includes Matlab and Maple)
• Required Physics courses
• Advanced General Physics (two terms)
• Modern Physics
• Optics
• Thermal Physics
• Intermediate Lab
• Electronics Lab
• Modern Physics Lab

8
GENERAL OPTION (B.A.)

• Any introductory Physics sequence, including
  introductory labs
• Two terms of Calculus
• Six intermediate Physics courses, out of
• Advanced General Physics (2 terms) (REQUIRED)
• Modern Physics
• Physics of Modern Devices
• Physics of Sound
• Optics
• Astrophysics I or II or both
• Intermediate Labs (REQUIRED)
• Electronics Lab (REQUIRED)
• Six Natural Science courses (could be more
  Physics) but not courses intended for non-science
  majors
• Aspiring teachers commonly do 5-year program with
  Rutgers Graduate School of Education. After Year
  5, they get Masters Degree in Education and
  Teacher Certification.

9
UNUSUAL ADVANCED GENERAL PHYSICS COURSES

• Two terms, self-paced
• 26 units covering Physics topics
• Mechanics/Relativity 7 units
• Thermal Physics 5 units
• Electricity and Magnetism 6 units
• Modern Physics 8 units
• Each unit has some suggested reading and homework
  (not collected)
• No live lectures a few units have videotaped
  lectures
• In class, professor and two TAs circulate among
  students and answer questions about reading and
  homework
• When a student feels that she has mastered a
  unit, she is given a written quiz, which is
  graded Pass/Fail
• Final course letter grade depends mainly on HOW
  MANY quizzes were passed. For an A grade, must
  pass 10 quizzes and an oral exam

10
Graduate or Professional Schools for last two
graduating classes

• Columbia Univ (2 students)
• Duke Univ
• Georgia Tech
• Harvard
• M.I.T. (3 students)
• U. Maryland
• U. Michigan
• New York Univ
• Notre Dame Univ
• Ohio State (2 students)
• Penn State (2 students)

• U. Pittsburgh
• Princeton Univ
• Rutgers Physics (5 students)
• Rutgers Graduate School of Education (7 students)
• Rutgers Computer Science
• UC San Diego
• Texas AM
• U. Texas Austin
• Univ of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (2
  students)
• Yale Univ

11
Jobs right after Bachelors degree for recent
majors

• Edmund Optics
• Image Ware Systems (Biometrics)
• Thorlabs (Optics, Photonics)
• Petro-Lubricant Test Labs
• Kulite Semiconductors (Pressure Transducers)
• Lockheed Martin
• Farious Industries (Computer Servicing)
• Raytheon
• High Power Devices Inc. (bought by Intense Ltd.)
• ITT Corp
• Lucent Technologies

• Level 8 Systems (Electronic Medical Records)
• Prudential Insurance
• Deutsche Bank
• Bank of America
• Bloomberg
• PSEG (Utility in New Jersey)
• TUMI Inc.
• Accenture (Management Consulting)
• U.S. Marine Corps (3 in recent years)
• Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center

12
NOTABLE FEATURES OF OUR PROGRAM

• Single adviser for all our majors. It ensures
  consistency of advice, and avoids disruptions
  because of sabbaticals. Adviser gets to know all
  of our majors very well.
• Research opportunities abound for majors doing
  Professional Option and Astrophysics major.
• We award seven 7500 merit-based scholarships
  each year, exclusively for our majors, and
  winners selected by us. Two of these are
  reserved for women majors.
• We participate actively in recruitment of high
  school seniors who have been accepted by Rutgers
  Open House, Scholars Days, Scarlet Days, etc.
• Annual student-faculty banquet, heavily
  subsidized.
• Active SPS Chapter
• Monthly speakers, with free pizza and sodas
• GRE study sessions
• Field trips
• Two barbecues for whole Department
• Key challenges
• Only 24 of our majors are women
• Only 5 of our majors are Black or Hispanic
• We lose contact with too many of our majors after
  graduation

13
OCEAN PHYSICS OPTION (B.S.)

• In cooperation with Rutgers Department of Marine
  and Coastal Sciences.
• Most requirements are the same as for Applied
  Option. But require only four intermediate
  Physics courses instead of eight. Replace other
  four by
• Physical Oceanography
• Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems
• Oceanographic Methods and Data Analysis
• Special Problems in Marine and Coastal Sciences
• This Option is in its infancy. First graduate in
  Class of 2008.

14
STAFF SUPPORT FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

• Two staff members to run all aspects of all our
  introductory labs, including developing
  experiments, writing lab manuals, training and
  supervising lab TAs, doing equipment setups and
  takedowns, buying new equipment, etc. Also do
  lab setups for intermediate and advanced labs.
• One staff member to handle lecture demonstration
  support. Also do VERY extensive outreach.
• One staff member to handle all aspects of our
  reformed introductory sequence, including giving
  lectures, teaching one workshop and one lab
  section, training and supervising TAs, doing
  setups for labs and for lecture demonstrations,
  etc.
• One staff member to teach our primary
  algebra/trig-based sequence, as well as our
  sequence for at-risk students. He also has
  responsibilities not specifically for Physics.
• One staff member to teach and run all aspects of
  our reformed course for at-risk Engineering
  freshmen. She also has responsibilities not
  specifically for Physics.

15
CONCLUSIONS

1. Healthy 40 majors graduate each year. Multiple
   curriculum options (tracks) allow us to cater to
   students with diverse career aspirations.
2. Graduates get admission to very good graduate
   programs. Most of those who desire jobs after
   Bachelors degree do obtain them.
3. Single adviser system for all majors has worked
   very well.
4. Good research opportunities for majors who aspire
   to graduate study.
5. Seven endowed, merit-based scholarships awarded
   annually provide not only funding but also
   credentials to enhance graduate school
   applications.
6. Seven introductory Physics sequences cater to
   diverse populations.
7. Great collaboration with Rutgers Graduate School
   of Education.
8. Highly successful introductory courses for
   at-risk students.
9. Key challenges paucity of women and minority
   majors. Lose contact with too many majors after
   graduation.