Category Archives: Education

Ballistic and Nonballistic Trajectory: Career Path

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I’ve been adopted by three high school groups (so far). Last time I did this, there was a list of questions, so I got a head start on answering the ones I thought might be asked. The answers seem to have tunneled into the ether, however, but since questions about career path are likely to come up (and I haven’t done a post on that), here I go.

I’m not tempted to say “I didn’t take the typical career path” because I don’t think there is any such thing. Some might propose that the typical path is grad school to postdoc to university teaching and research position, but since only about a third of doctorates work in academia, and there are positions other than the university research professor (teaching-only positions, liberal-arts or community colleges) that’s not really “typical,” though it may be perceived to be.

I went to Hartwick College, a small liberal-arts school in the middle of nowhere Oneonta, NY, which was about two hours away from home (less now, since they put in a highway while I was there). I ended up there because the financial aid offered by my main choice, Cornell, was a tad less than I needed: they offered zero. (I was put on a waiting list and the money ran out before the candidates did). Between student loans, work-study, scholarships and grants, Hartwick was possible. I had AP credits for physics and calculus and overloaded my schedule one term to graduate early. (3.5 years)
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Why is This Class Necessary?

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Do Pre-Meds Really Need That Year of Organic Chemistry?

Feel free to replace this, mentally, with physics, and it can be applied to other endeavors. But here’s a joke that was posted on this topic at slashdot (which I found via another conduit)

A college physics professor was explaining a concept to his class when a pre-med student interrupted him.

“Why do we have to learn this stuff?” he blurted out.

“To save lives,” the professor responded before continuing the lecture.

A few minutes later the student spoke up again. “Wait– how does physics save lives?”

The professor responded. “By keeping idiots out of medical school.”

Lucky Me!

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I’ve been adopted. That’s right, the adopt-a-physicist program has two three groups that want to get to know me (professionally).

The email I got from the program coordinator says there are a few slots open, in case any physicists out there wish to participate. It’s included (nominally spam-proofed) below.

I was just reading through your profiles and it reminded me how much I love this program! There are a wide variety of careers and backgrounds represented, and there are over 100 classes that are eager to participate.

*Classes are “adopting” their physicists as we speak, and can do so until Sept. 25
*You can see the classes that have adopted you when you login in to www.adoptaphysicist.org and view your profile
*Physicists with pictures on their profile are generally first to go, so if you haven’t added one it’s worth thinking about

We still have room for some additional physicists–so if you know anyone that is interested, please have them email me at krand(at)aip.org and I’ll get them set up.

Forums will open on Sept. 29th!

I hadn’t included a picture, and was in fact entering some of my biographical information when the second group adopted me. I think now I won’t add a photo, lest I scare anyone away before selections are done. Then it will be too late, mwuhahahahaha! I’ll get to “converse” with them in a forum setting, and will of course point them here for some of my “lab stories” posts.

Are You Savvy?

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After figuring out that Dot Physics used to live next door to the “new” blog, I spent lunchtime looking through the old posts. And I found a link to a physics quiz at Intuitor.

Basic Physics Savvy Quiz

At Intuitor we have decided to fight back against the dark forces of ignorance and shine the bright light of truth on the wickedness of physics misconceptions through the lens of the Intuitor Physics Savvy Quiz. We have already taken a stand against the insultingly stupid movie physics foisted upon young and unsuspecting minds by the American Babylon called Hollywood. Yet, we find that bad physics thinking has already infected the minds of millions.

We urge you to take the Physics Savvy Quiz and find out if you have been infected by the heinous virus of physics misconceptions. The quiz is painless and consists entirely of true-false questions. These can be answered without making calculations and are taken from concepts taught in introductory-level high school or middle school physical science classes. In other words, if you have never taken high school physics and can barely do algebra, you should still be able to answer the questions

(If you want to skip all the introduction and explanation, the actual quiz is here)

It’s pretty good, generally free of ambiguity, using the scientific definitions of terms and testing concepts rather than memorization of facts. One possibly vague question: “negative acceleration” is used as “acceleration in the negative direction” of some arbitrarily defined coordinate system. Have at it. (Disclosure: I scored 100%. No, really. I was karving my initials on the moose I’m a professional. But please, try this at home. I was not on a closed course.)

They Don't Know They're Scientists

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They’re just systematically figuring out how to beat the computer by figuring out the rules, via hypotheses and experimentation.

How Videogames Blind Us With Science

At one point, Steinkuehler met up with one of the kids who’d built the Excel model to crack the boss. “Do you realize that what you’re doing is the essence of science?” she asked.
He smiled at her. “Dude, I’m not doing science,” he replied. “I’m just cheating the game!”

Is This a Con Job?

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Because this fire needs more fuel.

Why Girls Leave Science And Math – Confidence, Says Psychologist

The study confirmed that old stereotypes die slowly. Both boys and girls perceived that teachers thought boys were stronger at math and science. For boys this represented a support, while for girls it acted as a barrier.

Top barriers for all age groups and disciplines were test anxiety and subject difficulty. But these differed between boys and girls. In addition, the genders formed their perceptions of math or science based on the barriers and supports, but they often arrived at different views.

Ultimately, it’s perception, more than reality, that affects the person’s academic and career choices, says Fouad.

Add Grad Student and Shake Well. Ingredients for TA-ing

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How to be a good TA over at Built on Facts.

Disclaimer: I never did recitations as a TA in grad school, though I did tutor students (for a whopping 8 bucks an hour). I had just gotten out of the navy, where I had logged somewhere around 2500-3000 classroom teaching hours, so it’s not like I needed to acquire any lecturing skills. I did labs, which involved only a few minutes of lecture time, and then a lot of Q&A. I didn’t want the repetition of six or so recitation sections, and I knew (from being a student and having done undergraduate TA-ing as well) that labs didn’t always go the full three hours. So, does any of my advice or criticism really apply?

But what do my students say in their confidential evaluations? My scores are always pretty high, but the single most common good thing they have to say about me is this:

He speaks English.

Yeah, I got that a lot, too, as a TA. Which just goes to point out that student evaluations more-or-less follow Sturgeon’s law. 90% of them are crap. The student’s judgments are not always objective, nor do they usually give constructive feedback. They can like or dislike you, and give evaluations accordingly, based on criteria other than teaching quality. And that’s what many of them are — statements of whether the student like you, rather than your effectiveness. I remember one teaching evaluation in which the student complained about how I blocked the board some of the time and he couldn’t read it. He sat near the front in the left-hand row (as viewed from the back of the classroom). I’m right-handed and bigger than a breadbox. It’s physically impossible for me to not block part of the board, and the part I will block will affect those on that side of the class a little more. Basic geometry, really. But it didn’t stop the student from whining about it mentioning it.

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Bless His/Her Heart

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Back to School, Nifty Sayings & Bless Your Heart

Richie’s Nifty List of 5 Sayings You Can Probably Use Without Getting Fired

[…]

At a recent summer workshop, we decided that you can say just about anything as long as you end your statement with “Bless her heart” or “Bless his heart.” Now before you go off being a naysaying unbeliever just try saying these little ditties aloud and you’ll see what I mean…

“Oh my, she’s dumber than a bag of cat hair, bless her heart.”

“Oh my goodness, his classroom management skills are absolutely horrible, bless his heart.”

“She certainly gained quite a bit of weight over the summer, bless her heart.”

But Don't Put Us in a Home

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Adopt-a-Physicist

Fall 2008 Schedule

Teachers Registration: Now – Sept. 8 (or until full)
Physicist Registration: Sept. 9 – Sept. 15 (or until full)
Teachers adopt physicists: Sept. 16 – Sept. 23
Discussion forums open: Sept. 29 – Oct. 17

This effort is led by Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society, and aided by American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers. Technical support is through the ComPADRE Digital Library.

I did this two years ago, and a colleague did it last year; it sounded like the format had evolved to be a little more interactive. When I participated, I was given a list of questions, the students chose a subset to ask, and it was done through email via the teacher. Now it looks like there is a discussion forum, with more freeform interaction.