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Undergraduate Physics

3-Mar-2012 1

Undergraduate Physics at the University of IllinoisAg d :Agenda:

•Welcome Dale Van Harlingen, Head•University housing overview Mari Anne Brocker•IEFX – Freshman Experience Bruce Litchfield•IEFX – Freshman Experience Bruce Litchfield•Break•Physics curriculum Kevin Pitts•Study abroad Mike Lanceloty•Parallel

• Parents: financial aid Katianna Lindley• Students: university life Matt Feickert, Meredith Staub

•Lunch – meet students and faculty•CARE Dana Tempel•Physics careers, research Kevin PittsQ ti d i d •Question and answer period

•Parallel• Tour PHYS 403 lab Prof. Eugene Colla• More Q&A

http://physics.illinois.edu/3-Mar-2012 2

• More Q&A•Adjourn

Welcome!Welcome! Physics at UIUC:

– Ranked #2 in the nation in undergraduate engineering physics

– Ranked #8 overall (two surveys)

– Other national rankings:– Other national rankings: #2 in condensed matter physics #8 in quantum information #10 in nuclear physics #12 in elementary particle

physics


Tony Leggett receiving the Nobel Prize for Physics (2003)

Undergraduate Physics at the University of Illinoisat the University of Illinois

Toni PittsC di f R i i Ad i i d Coordinator of Recruiting, Advising, and Special Programs

Merissa JonesMerissa JonesAcademic Advisor

Kevin PittsKevin PittsProfessor of PhysicsAssociate Head for Undergraduate Programs


OutlineOutline The Department

Undergraduate Degree Programs– Choices of Major– CoursesCourses

Student Groups

Undergraduate Research Opportunities– REU– Senior ThesisSenior Thesis

What can I do with a Physics Degree?


By the numbersBy the numbers 60 faculty 290 graduate students 350 undergraduate students

$25M i t t f h $25M in grant support for research

We award We award– 65 Bachelor’s degrees/year– 40 Ph.D.’s per year

Average ACT score is 31


Charles Slichter receiving the National Medal of Science (2008)

Areas of Research Astrophysics Atomic and Molecular Optics Biological Physics Complex Systems Complex Systems Condensed Matter Cosmology High-Energy Physics Nuclear Physics Physics Education Quantum Information

Campus centers:– Institute for Condensed Matter Theory – Center for the Physics of Living Cells

Cl h ti ith Close research ties with:– National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA)– Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory– Argonne National Laboratory


go e a o a a o a o y

Undergraduate Degree ProgramsUndergraduate Degree Programs Engineering Physics

– Offered through Engineering College

Science and Letters Physics– Virtually identical to Engineering Physics Virtually identical to Engineering Physics

Specialized Physics– Most flexible physics curriculum

Physics Teaching Option– Includes secondary education minor

(and teaching certification)(and teaching certification)


Engineering PhysicsEngineering Physics Offered through College of Engineering 128 Hours required to graduate Curriculum features: “Elective Options”

[more on this in a minute]– [more on this in a minute]

Graduate school or industry track 3 years HS foreign language or 3 years HS foreign language or

3 college semesters satisfies language requirement


LAS Science and Letters PhysicsLAS Science and Letters Physics Offered through College of Liberal Arts

d S iand Sciences Curriculum features: “Elective Options”

– [more on this in a minute][more on this in a minute]

120 hours required to graduate Graduate school or industry track 4 years of HS foreign language or

4th-semester college language satisfies language requirementlanguage requirement


LAS Specialized PhysicsLAS Specialized Physics Offered through College of Liberal Arts

d S iand Sciences 126 hours required to graduate 4 years of HS foreign language or 4 years of HS foreign language or

4th-semester college language satisfies language requirement

“Option-oriented” curriculum (ideal for pre-med, pre-law, and physics related fields)related fields)

Very flexible in upper-level courses


LAS vs EngineeringLAS vs. EngineeringQ : What’s the difference between LAS Science and

Letters and Engineering Physics?

A: Nothing in the physics + math curriculum.– LAS physics majors must pay the college of

engineering college surcharge. (They utilize all of the same equipment/infrastructure.)

LAS/Engineering have slightly different general education requirements.

LAS requires 4th semester of foreign language. Engineering requires a few more hours.g g q Is one “more prestigious” than another?

– Not for grad school…maybe in the job market?


Degree RequirementsDegree Requirements “Core” Physics Courses “Core” Math courses

(+2 courses = math minor)

Supporting courses (Chem CS) Supporting courses (Chem, CS) General Education requirements Elective Options Elective Options Free electives


Introductory CoursesIntroductory Courses Introductory sequence (3 semesters)

– PHYS 211 –- Mechanics– PHYS 212 -- Electricity and Magnetism– PHYS 213 -- Thermal Physics (half-semester)– PHYS 214 -- Waves and Quantum Physics (half-semester)– PHYS 225 –- Relativity and Math MethodsPHYS 225 –- Relativity and Math Methods

Notes:– Courses have calculus prerequisites– Take PHYS 225 the same semester you take Phys 212– PHYS 213 and 214 are two half-semester courses (for

practical purposes, it’s a single four hour course)

What if you change your mind?– Calculus and PHYS 211-214 are required for most

engineering majors.


Introductory CoursesIntroductory Courses Introductory sequence (3 semesters)

– PHYS 211 -- Mechanics– PHYS 212 -- Electricity and Magnetism– PHYS 213 -- Thermal Physics (half-semester)– PHYS 214 -- Waves and Quantum Physics (half-semester)

Course format:– Lecture, discussion (interactive problem-solving), labs

Lectures are highly interactive using iClickers– Lectures are highly interactive using iClickers

New for fall 2011:Physics major-only discussion sections– Physics major-only discussion sections

– Register for one of these if you can, it’s ok if you can’t– Help to build a sense of community with our majors– Cover additional material when appropriate


pp p

Advanced Courses

Classical Mechanics (2) – Biophysics

Some courses required, many are optional

– Classical Mechanics (2)– Electricity and Magnetism (2)– Thermal and Statistical Physics

Quantum Mechanics (2)

– Biophysics– Subatomic Physics– Atmospheric Dynamics– Electronic Circuits– Quantum Mechanics (2)

– Classical Physics Laboratory– Modern Physics Laboratory

Physics of Music Laboratory

– Electronic Circuits– Introduction to

Physics Research– Senior Thesis– Physics of Music Laboratory

– Condensed Matter Physics– Atomic Scale Simulations

Senior Thesis– Light (optics) – Independent Study

all courses offered every semester or every other semester


other semester.

Elective OptionsElective Options Allows students to tailor curriculum to their needs

and interests.and interests. Examples:

– Professional Physics (this is the grad school track)– Astrophysicsop y– Biophysics– Bioengineering– Computational Physics– Materials Science– Physical Electronics– Earth Science

S i W iti– Science Writing– Pre-law– Pre-med– User defined

New options coming:•Nuclear physics•Energy/sustainability•Management


– User defined Management•Atmospheric science•…

Recent user defined optionsRecent user defined options– Electrical Engineering Technical Option– Geology/Geophysics Geology/Geophysics – Pre-Optometry – Mathematical Physics – Prep for Grad School in Library SciencePrep for Grad School in Library Science– Economics – Acoustic Engineering – Atmospheric SciencesAtmospheric Sciences– Acoustics – Biomedical Engineering – Nuclear Physics Nuclear Physics – Sustainable Technology Commercialization

http://physics.illinois.edu/9-Nov-2010 183-Mar-2012 18

PHYSICS


Teaching OptionTeaching Option Offered through Liberal Arts and Sciences

i j ti ith th C ll f in conjunction with the College of Education

Must complete a secondary education Must complete a secondary education minor

Apply to Science and Letters Physics ( h ll i d i (then tell us you are interested in teaching option after admission)

Contact advisor Prof. Mats Selen Contact advisor Prof. Mats Selen ([email protected])


Academic AdvisingAcademic Advising Every major is assigned an advisor and a

f lt tfaculty mentor– Advisor is the expert on

courses/programs/graduation requirements– Mentor is the faculty member, expert on

research/areas of study/careers

Required to meet academic advisor and mentor until PHYS 325 is taken

We are working on some new programs to further aid the mentoring process.


to further aid the mentoring process.

More on AdvisingMore on Advising Each student is assigned a faculty “mentor”

– Get to meet the mentor during first year– Degree to which you use the mentor is up to you

New for Fall 2011: we are going pair freshmen up with an upperclass student– They can help you learn the “things you need to

know”


More About UsMore About UsCurricula/Programs:

http://physics illinois edu/undergrad/curricula asphttp://physics.illinois.edu/undergrad/curricula.asp

Course web pages:http://physics.illinois.edu/courses/p //p y / /

Academic advising:http://physics.illinois.edu/undergrad/advising.asp


More about


http://physics.illinois.edu/undergrad/posts.asp

PHYS 199REL The Relevance of Physics New course spring 2012 For Physics majors onlyy j y Discuss the societal relevance of physics…

– Energy, space travel, nuclear power, weapons, electricity light radiation climateelectricity, light, radiation, climate

…and the relevance to physics majors– Careers, funding, educastion

Project-based– Career project, poster project, position

papers videospapers, videos.


Discovery Courses

Freshman-only courses

Enrollment limited to 19

Offered in many departments

Fall 2012– “Behavior of Complex Systems”– “Science and Pseudoscience”– “Physics of Electronic Musical Instruments”


Summer registrationSummer registration We will help you choose your courses during

summer registration It helps to review our summer registration. It helps to review our sample schedule and look at the course material before you come.

– Follow the admitted student checklist. You will be able to Follow the admitted student checklist. You will be able to select the date for summer registration.

Make sure to complete all placement exams prior Make sure to complete all placement exams prior to coming. Take these exams seriously!!!

You will spend the morning with your college and You will spend the morning with your college and meet with us in the afternoon.


Extracurricular ActivitiesExtracurricular ActivitiesPhysics Van

Society of Women in h


Physics SocietyPhysics

Student GroupsStudent GroupsPhysics SocietySociety for Women in Physics (SWIP)Society for Women in Physics (SWIP)Physics Van

http://physics.illinois.edu/undergrad/student-groups.asp Speaker meetings Social gatherings Seminars

“H t t i t d h l”– “How to get into grad school”– “Careers in Physics”

Faculty research talks Pizza meetingsPizza meetings Informal dinner with faculty Engineering Open House Physics demonstrations


Midwest Women in Physics Conferencey UIUC will host the January 2013 conference!! 200 women physics majors plus lots of p y j p

dignitaries. They’ll network, learn about careers, research and

graduate opportunities, discuss work/life balanceg pp , /


Teaching OpportunitiesTeaching Opportunities Upper-class physics majors might have an

opportunity to teach!opportunity to teach! It’s a great learning experience It looks great on your resume/cv Teaching assistants receive stipend Teaching assistants receive stipend Typical teaching load is 2 laboratory sections per

semester (~8-10 hours/week) Our TA’s are good…75% are voted as “excellent” Our TA s are good…75% are voted as excellent

by their students!

http://physics.illinois.edu/17-Apr-2010 323-Mar-2012 32

Undergraduate ResearchUndergraduate Research

On campus:– Work in a research lab

can earn individual study credit– Summer research through senior thesis project

Off campus– Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)– 10 week summer research program– Offered at many schools


PHYS 496/499 “Senior Thesis”PHYS 496/499 Senior Thesis


Emphasis on research and communication (speaking/writing)

Intro to Physics ResearchIntro to Physics Research Explore research fields Presentations Journal Club

I t d ti t i tifi i ti Introduction to scientific communication Oral presentations Scientific writing Scientific writing Introduction to research basics Collaborations Ethics


Senior Thesis Writing, presentations Poster session Symposium


SummarySummary It’s all about opportunity! Opportunities for variety in your physics

curriculum Opportunities to supplement your Opportunities to supplement your

education (working on those “people skills” employers love) with

i l i i iextracurricular activities Opportunities to do research as an

undergraduateundergraduate Opportunities for your future!


Contact InformationToni PittsCoordinator of Recruiting, Advising, and Special ProgramsEmail: tpitts@illinois edu Phone: 217 244 2948Email: [email protected] Phone: 217-244-2948

Merissa JonesAcademic AdvisorAcademic AdvisorEmail: [email protected] Phone: 217-333-9361

Professor Kevin PittsEmail: [email protected] Phone: 217-333-3946

Department of PhysicsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign1110 West Green Street


0 West G ee St eetUrbana, Illinois 61801-3080

undergraduate physics - hep.uiuc.edu · undergraduate physics at the university of illinoisat the...

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