Phys 461 - Physics Research Seminar - Fall 2009

Instructor

Dr. Don Smith has primary responsibility for the reseach seminar, although other Guilford faculty will likely sit in when they have time available. Don's office is in Frank 234B, and his office hours are listed on his schedule. He is available at other times, please make an appointment.

Meeting Times and Locations

Class: F 2:30-3:45 PM; F233.

Departmental Seminar: W 2:30-3:30 PM; F220.

Learning Outcomes/Objectives

Students participating in this seminar will design and work on independent research projects. Students will become proficient at orally presenting scientific ideas to a technical audience. Students and faculty will critique student presentations in preparation for each student's final thesis defense given to a public audience and a faculty committee and / or a presentation at a scientific conference.

Course Description

This seminar is designed to help all students who are doing research projects, including senior theses, outside of their regular class work. Students invariably become stuck during the course of the research process and it is the responsibility of the class to help each researcher think about how s/he might solve her/his current problem and move forward on her/his project. For those research groups that contain more than one student, members may alternate speaking responsibilities or may share in the week's presentation.

Ultimately, the results of these projects will be presented as senior theses and / or as talks at a professional conference (e.g., National Conference on Undergraduate Research, North Carolina Academy of Science) and/or at the Guilford Undergraduate Symposium. To prepare for these events, each student will periodically be asked to give practice talks about their project at the weekly Physics Department Seminar.

The seminar consists of a weekly meeting on Friday afternoons. Each week, each student will give a summary of the current status of their work. This summary may take the form of an informal conversation, but when the work is far enough along, the student will be asked to report through a formal scientific presentation. Some students will spend the time investigating topics of interest as they seek to design a senior thesis project. Others who have a research proposal already accepted by the department will carry out their projects.

An additional component of this seminar is primarily aimed at those seniors who are developing their thesis projects and intending to graduate this year (although younger students will also benefit). We will spend some time throughout the semester on developing career skills such as writing a strong resume, how to write a cover letter, and hopw to write a statement of purpose as part of a graduate school application. Participation in these activities is expected of all seminar attendees, regardless of the individual's career plans.

When submitting a senior thesis, please follow the Guilford College thesis format guidelines.To aid in the formatting of theses, you may wish to write your thesis in LaTeX.

Course Requirements

The primary requirement for this seminar is active participation. You feedback and assistance to other students is at least as important as your own work. Because this seminar requires the active participation of all members of the class during each meeting, attendance is mandatory. If you miss more than two classes, for any reason, you will not receive credit for this course.

Each student will give a presentation each week to the class about the status of her/his project, including a description of what s/he intend to do during the following week. Audience members will ask questions, offer scientific advice / suggestions, and critique the presentations.

As members of the Physics Department community, it is crucial to be active in the events of the community. Without active participation, the camaraderie and strong connections that the department fosters will dissolve. In particular, it is important to participate in the weekly department seminar. Registration in the Department Research Seminar carries with it the requirement that you attend the department seminar.

Furthermore, you must give at least one of your formal presentations to the department seminar, after you have given it to the Research Seminar. This presentation should be scheduled with Don Smith at least a week in advance and should be completed before the end of the semester. There is a limit to how many presentations gan be given in a single day's seminar, so do not leave this until the last minute.

Required and Suggested Readings

There are no required textbooks for this seminar. Because each student will be conducting her/his own independent research, each student will develop her/his own reading list specific to her/his research project.

Attendance

Because this seminar requires the active participation of all members of the class during each meeting, attendance is mandatory. If you miss more than two classes, for any reason, you will not receive credit for this course.

Grading

To receive credit for this seminar each student must:
  1. Have no more than two absences - excused or otherwise;
  2. Come to the seminar fully prepared;
  3. Give satisfactory formal presentations to the class about her/his project and its status;
  4. Provide the class and me with a description of what s/he is going to do on her/his project during the following week;
  5. Participate in the research seminar in a constructive manner;
  6. Give at least one satisfactory presentation at the weekly departmental seminar during the semester or present work at the Guilford Undergraduate Symposium; and
  7. Receive approval for a research project by the faculty of the physics department.

Academic Honor Code

The National Science Foundation [Regulation on Research Misconduct 45 C.F.R. Part 689] defines plagiarism in scientific research as the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. You must write or say, "I have been honest and have observed no dishonesty" (or, equivalently, "Pledged") on all work presented in oral or written form to indicate that you have followed these scientific guidelines. Alleged violations of the Academic Honor Code will be handled in the manner described in the Student Handbook.

Availability of Student Accommodations

Guilford complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing a process for disclosing disabilities and arranging for reasonable accommodations. The policy may be found online. Students who require accommodations must complete a disabilities disclosure form and submit it to the Disability Services Coordinator, located in the Learning Commons (x2253), along with the appropriate documentation. It is the students choice to disclose difference/disability information to individual instructors. However, only students who provide their instructors with a 504 Accommodations Agreement may receive accommodations. All disability information is treated confidentially and is not a part of your academic record.