SPIN-UP: How to Increase the Number of Physics and Astronom

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SPIN-UP How to Increase the Number of Physics
and Astronomy Majors in Your Department
New Faculty in Physics and Astronomy Workshop
November 6-9, 2003
Robert C. Hilborn Amherst College
Support from American Association of Physics
Teachers, American Physical Society American
Institute of Physics The ExxonMobil Foundation
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Outline

• Some statistics on physics and astronomy degrees
• The scientific environment for PA
• SPIN-UP site visits and survey
• What makes a department thrive?
• Take home lessons

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Some Statistics

• 27-28 of high school students take physics. The
  is growing! 5050 men/women!!
• 70-75 of US high school students go on to
  2-year, 4-year colleges and universities.
• BS degrees awarded in math, physical science,
  engineering declined dramatically beginning in
  1985.
• The number of life science students going on for
  careers in basic research declined.

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Physics Bachelors Degree Production
Source AIP Statistical Research Center
Enrollments and Degrees Report, and NCES Digest
of Education Statistics
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Astronomy Degrees
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ConcepTest 1

• In the US, what is the most probable number of
  BS/BA physics graduates per year per department?
• (1) 1-2
• (2) 3-6
• (3) 7-10
• (4) 11-15
• (5) 0
• Some data 760 BA/BS physics depts.
• About 4000 BA/BS physics degrees per year

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National Statistics
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The Changing Place of Physics
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Summary of theNew Environment

• Changing role for physics in the universe of
  science
• Changing student population
• demographics
• preparation
• interests
• Changing National Focus
• emphasis on K-12

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A Puzzle
Why and how did some physics departments increase
the number of undergraduate majors during the
1990s while most experienced substantial declines?
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National Task Forceon Undergraduate Physics

• Sponsored by
• American Association of Physics Teachers
• American Physical Society
• American Institute of Physics
• ExxonMobil Foundation

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National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics
J. D. Garcia (U. Arizona) S. James Gates (U.
Maryland) Robert Hilborn (Amherst College),
Chair Ruth Howes (Ball State), Co-Chair Ken Krane
(Oregon State) Elizabeth McCormack (Bryn
Mawr) Laurie McNeil (U. North Carolina-Chapel
Hill) Jose Mestre (U. Massachusetts) Tom OKuma
(Lee College) Doug Osheroff (Stanford) Carl
Wieman (U. Colorado) Joseph H. Taylor (Princeton)
Ex Officio AIP- J. Stith, J. Hehn APS-J. Franz,
F. Stein AAPT-B. Khoury, W. Hein PKAL J. Narum
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Strategic Programs for Innovations in
Undergraduate Physics
SPIN-UP
Supported by ExxonMobil Foundation American
Institute of Physics American Association of
Physics Teachers American Physical Society
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SPIN-UP

• Site Visits to 21 thriving undergraduate
  physics programs.
• Survey (with AIP) all 761 bachelors degree
  granting physics programs in the US (74
  response).
• Report and Analysis Available through AAPT web
  page (Projects -gt National Task Force on
  Undergraduate Physics)
• Physics Today, September 2003

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ConcepTest 2

• What is the median number of physics bachelors
  degrees awarded per Ph.D.- granting department in
  the U.S.?
• (1) lt 6
• (2) 6 ? N ? 12
• (3) 13 ? N ? 20
• (4) gt20

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Physics Department Statistics
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Thriving Undergraduate Physics Programs

• Produce gt 4-5 times the national average of
  physics bachelors degrees (for their type of
  institution).
• Actively engage students in the life of the
  department, including research.
• Are viewed as excellent departments for both
  majors and non-majors.

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Site Visit Departments
SPIN-UP

• Angelo State University
• University of Arizona
• Bethel College
• Brigham Young University
• Bryn Mawr College
• Colorado School of Mines
• Cal State San Luis Obispo
• Carleton College
• Grove City College
• Harvard University
• University of Illinois
• University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse

Lawrence University North Carolina State
Univ. North Park University Oregon State
University Reed College Rutgers
University SUNY-Geneseo University of
Virginia Whitman College Site visit teams
employed about 65 physics volunteers.
Could have done another 20 /-
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What is a physics program?

• Recruitment, advising, mentoring students.
• Engaging students in research.
• Providing appropriate and excellent courses for
• all students, not just majors.
• Talking to and getting feedback from your
• students and to faculty in their home
  departments.
• Building a sense of community among physics
• students and faculty?
• Informing students about and preparing them for
• diverse careers.

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What Makes an Undergraduate Physics Program
Thrive?

• Strong and sustained departmental leadership
• Well-defined sense of mission
• Recruit and retain students
• Challenging and supportive program
• Career information - alumni
• Introductory courses
• Prof. development and mentoring
• Multiple-tracks/options
• Research experiences early and often
• Emphasis on the entire program of the department,
  large fraction of the faculty engaged.

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The Resistance

• I was hired to do research.
• My evaluations are great of course my students
  are learning!
• Reform is just dumbing down the curriculum.
  (see quote from Lloyd Taylor, 1938)

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Some SPIN-UP Survey Results

• 500/759 physics departments graduate lt 5
  majors/year
• 54 Ph.D.-granting
• 42 masters-granting
• 394 bachelors-granting
• The undergraduate program is remarkably
  standard across institutions.
• 84 of the departments offer several alternative
  tracks.
• Some correlation (with exceptions) between
  recruitment, community-building, career and
  professional development and number of bachelors
  degrees awarded.
• 60 report significant changes in curriculum
  over the last several years.

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Bob Ehrlichs Survey of Departments with Large
?N/N

• 28 Big Losers
• tend to blame external factors
• 7 Big Gainers
• Recruitment, retention efforts
• Reformed curricula and pedagogy, particularly at
  introductory level
• Multi-track, flexible majors program
• The Physics Teacher, March, 1999

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Connections

• Sheila Tobias Revitalizing Undergraduate
  Science (1992)
• Alan Tucker, Models That Work, MAA site visits
  to undergraduate math programs 1995.
• Jim Collins From Good to Great (2001).

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Take Home Messages

• A physics program is more than the courses.
• The department is the critical unit for change.
• All reform is ultimately local. One size does
  not fit all.
• Revitalization is never finished.