 Physics
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Undergraduate |
| Physics Courses Faculty Research Events | Newsletter |
posted August 17, 2009 : (last updated on September 18, 2009)
( items added since the original posting are marked in red )
(Contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, G. Chottiner at gsc2@case.edu , for more information about any of these postings or to submit additional items.)
INDEX - JUMP DIRECTLY TO:
| Jobs - General Information | ||
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| Jobs - permanent | ||
| Jobs - co-op |
(posted August 17, 2009)
The department will be searching for (at least) two new faculty members this year. One will be a senior position and the other will be a junior position in experimental condensed matter physics. You can read more about these searches at http://www.phys.cwru.edu/jobs/CasePhysicsAd2009.pdf . We expect that both will hire undergraduates to work in their labs and they will supervise senior project students, so keep you eyes and ears open for news of further developments.
(posted August 17, 2009)
You may notice two new names associated with our introductory physics courses. Dr. Robert Deissler is teaching PHYS 121 and PHYS 221 in the fall while Dr. Timothy Atherton is leading PHYS 122. Dr. Deissler earned a bachelor degree in physics from CWRU in 1974. Dr. Atherton has been working with Prof. Rosenblatt's research group but also did some teaching last year.
(posted August 17, 2009)
Emeritus Professor Bill Fickinger has written a book about our department's illustrious history. You can read all about it at http://www.phys.cwru.edu/history/book%20page.htm .
(posted May 6, 2009)
Congratulations to Katherine Hagen, the winner of the 2009 Outstanding Capstone Project award given by The Executive Board of the Case Western Reserve University Women's Club. Her capstone was entitled "Analysis of Viola Vibrato Waveforms." Katherine is a double degree student in physics at Case Western Reserve University and at the Cleveland Institute of Music. You can see more about her project at Analysis of Violin and Viola Vibrato Waveforms
(posted May 6, 2009)
Physics department undergraduate student awards last year:
The B. S. Chandrasekhar Prize awarded upon completion of the junior year to a physics major who has demonstrated superior performance: Gareth Kafka & Kevin Vick
The Dayton C. Miller Prize to an outstanding senior in physics for the best thesis: Dustin Fisher
The Elmer C. Stewart Memorial Award to the outstanding senior in Engineering Physics: Zachary Tobin
The Krumhansl Family Prize to an outstanding undergraduate woman for her academic accomplishments in the sciences: Katherine Hagen & Katarzyna Oldak
The Leslie L. Foldy Award to the outstanding senior in physics: Amit Misra
The Senior Award for service and scholarship in physics: Jeremy Harchelroad
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(posted April 28, 2009 - from today's Case Daily)
Three Honored in Goldwater Scholarship Competition
Also recognized for their achievements in the field of science were honorable mention awardees ... Gareth Kafka, a third-year physics major. ... The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by public law in 1986 to honor the late Senator Goldwater through and to encourage the pursuits of science and engineering. For many award recipients, the Goldwater Scholarship is a step toward other honors, such as the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships and distinguished fellowships, such as the Fulbright.
(posted April 27, 2009)
Professor Corbin Covault joins a long string of physics faculty who have won the University's highest award for excellence in teaching. The announcement letter is copied below.
Dear Corbin,
I am pleased that a Wittke Student Selection Committee member was able to send you the news over the weekend and am now delighted to send you the "official" announcement that you have been selected as a recipient of the 2009 Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Congratulations to you! This is a prestigious award, and the competition, as always, was fierce this year. As you may know, two Wittke Award winners are selected each year. The other winner of the 2009 Wittke Award is Nancy DiIulio, Instructor of Biology.
The Wittke Awards are presented during the undergraduate diploma ceremony at Commencement, and I hope you will be able to attend. You will be hearing more about the program from Eric Dicken from University Programs and Events. The cash award of $4000 will be included in your May check from the university, and your name will go on the perpetual plaque that is located in Thwing Center.
The Wittke Student Selection Committee always takes its charge very seriously, and this year was no exception. I wish you could have heard the comments about your genuine concern for students, your ability to engage students, your enthusiasm in the classroom, and your sense of humor. (My personal favorite was an account of your teaching a class in reverse time.) As one of your nominator’s said, “His enthusiasm during teaching is hard to miss. He loves the subject and loves sharing his knowledge with students. He makes time for each individual student and pushes them to do their best. I have enjoyed every lecture he has taught.”
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Again, my sincere congratulations to you! You are very deserving of this honor, and I am so pleased that we can give public recognition to your dedication to outstanding teaching!
Mayo Bulloch
Advisor, Wittke Student Selection Committee
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(posted April 4, 2009) From the NY Times - Read the complete article at Martin J. Klein, Historian of Physics, Dies at 84
"From 1949 to 1966, Dr. Klein was a physics professor at the Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, now Case Western Reserve University. There he evolved from teaching physics to teaching its history. In 1967, he joined the faculty of Yale, and four years later became chairman of its department of science history."
"But, as Diana K. Buchwald, the current editor of the Einstein Papers Project, now based at the California Institute of Technology, said: “Before he became editor of the Einstein papers, Dr. Klein’s reputation as a major historian of physics had already been established. He published a number of remarkable papers, investigations of the birth and the foundation of modern physics.”
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(posted February 10, 2009; a message from Prof. Brown)
Channel 3 ran a six minute story last night based on the rapid growth of QED (Quality Electrodynamics), our CWRU-physics-dept.-incubated company, and its birthplace at 109 Rockefeller. Our former and present students are a prominent part of the video. (By the way, at least 10 of the present 45 employees are former undergrads, grads, postdocs, and staff.)
Another local company in the medical industry mentioned at the end, ViewRay, has similar growth and similar connection to CWRU physics, in that it too has our former students as executives, senior scientists and other technical people.
The link for the story is http://www.wkyc.com/news/health/health_article.aspx?storyid=106955&catid=7
This story was also noted on "The Sound of Ideas," yesterday, on the radio, 90.3 WCPN Ideastream
P.S. In particular, QED is hiring our undergrad bachelor's (with good GPA's) as fast as they show up for an interview, since a) it is slated to double in size in a year or so and b) their background is an excellent one for QED's needs. The special zeal for our former students is a result of how well the previous hiring of such people has worked out.
--
Robert W. Brown
Institute Professor
Department of Physics
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(posted January 6, 2009)
Here are some updates on comings and goings of faculty for the fall 2009 semester.
Prof. Philip Taylor is officially on sabbatical for the fall 2009 semester. He'll be in town, for the most part, but concentrating on research.
Prof Starkman is also on sabbatical this fall.
Prof. David Farrell has retired.
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COURSE & PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Students often request changes in course schedules. The instructor is free to change the schedule as long as all the students enrolled in the course (or likely to enroll) agree to the new time; this time must also fit the official university course time slots, which you can view at http://www.case.edu/provost/registrar/timegrid.pdf . Since it is generally very difficult to find a time that works for all the parties; the instructor may ask the student(s) requesting the schedule change to do much of the work of finding a mutually acceptable time.
Meetings, Conferences, Professional Societies, etc.
Watch this space for announcements of meetings relevant to Case undergraduates. Many meetings are still announced via paper. Postings for these meetings can be found on bulletin boards throughout the department. Regular meetings of the American Physical Society, including its Ohio Chapter, and other professional societies may be accessed via their web sites (listed at the end of this newsletter ).
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(posted August 31, 2009 )
Message to members of the American Physical Society's Ohio Section, Authorized by Elizabeth George, Secretary of OSAPS
*******************************************************************
Fall 2009 OSAPS/SOSAAPT meeting
Synchronization
of Coupled Nonlinear Oscillators
October 9-10, 2009
Ohio Wesleyan University
* Meeting Website: http://osaps.owu.edu
* Abstract Submission Deadline: September 18
* Preregistration Deadline: September 28
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from Argonne National Labs
Subject: Undergraduate Symposium at Argonne Lab: Call for Abstracts
Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:00:34 -0500
From: ugsymp <Ugsymp@dep.anl.gov>
** 20TH ANNUAL ARGONNE SYMPOSIUM FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS**
November 13, 2009, Argonne National Laboratory
*CALL FOR ABSTRACTS*
The Twentieth Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics invites undergraduate authors to submit abstracts on their research. The Symposium will be conducted Friday, November 13, 2009, at Argonne National Laboratory. All Symposium presenters and attendees are required to preregister and to pay an $85 registration fee. *The deadline for submission of abstracts and to register for the Symposium is September 14, 2009*.
Authors should prepare a 10-minute presentation and allow an additional 5 minutes for questions from the audience. Abstracts will be categorized under one of the following session titles: Analytical Chemistry, Astrophysics and Geophysics, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Computer Science, Condensed Matter Physics, Engineering, Environmental Science, General Biology, General Physics, Genetics, Genomics, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Materials Science, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Nuclear and Atomic Physics, Organometallic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Physics, Spectroscopy, and Structural Biology. *All abstracts MUST be submitted electronically. No abstracts will be accepted in a non-electronic format.*
*ABSTRACT SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION*
Instructions for preparation of your abstract (see Abstract Format), abstract submission, and registration information are available online at *http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_undergrad/ugsymp*
*The deadline for submission of abstracts and to register for the Symposium is September 14, 2009.
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(posted November 21, 2008 ) from the AIP
The Statistical Research Center has produced another set of four Physics Trends flyers. These are printable flyers intended for display. The new flyers can be downloaded from our web site at: www.aip.org/statistics/trends/phystrends.html . This set of flyers depicts:
Starting salaries for recent physics bachelor’s in five different employment sectors.
What physics bachelor’s said about whether they would still major in physics if they had the opportunity to be undergraduates again.
The starting salaries for recent physics PhDs employed in five types of positions.
The number of PhDs awarded recently in a dozen subfields of physics.
We hope that you find these flyers useful and informative. If you would like to receive a hardcopy hardcopy of this set of flyers please sign up
at:http://www.aip.org/statistics/signuptrends
Roman Czujko
Director, Statistical Research Center
American Institute of Physics
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(posted November 5, 2008 ) from the APS
To: Members of the American Physical Society
Thousands of physicists have now signed up for weekly email alerts from Physics , the new, free, online publication from the APS, and many more get timely notice of new features via RSS feeds. Your colleagues and fellow APS members have discovered the brief, clear, original commentary on exceptional papers from Physical Review Letters and the Physical Review series that you'll find in Physics. Expert-written commentaries, called Viewpoints, place selected PRL/PR papers in context and add explanatory detail; Trends provide a concise overview of an area of research which is of high, topical interest; Synopses summarize important papers that merit wider attention.
See for yourself whether Physics interests you:
Viewpoints
Trends
Synopses
To sign up for email alerts or RSS feeds, click here: Physics Alerts
If you find Physics worthwhile, please forward this message to your interested colleagues. To provide feedback on Physics, contact us at physics@aps.org.
Arthur Bienenstock
2008 APS President
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(posted September 30, 2008 ) from the APS
Enrollments and Degrees, 2006
This report provides in depth analysis of long-term trends on students studying physics and astronomy in the US. The findings show that degree production continues to rise. Undergraduate physics degree production has increased for the seventh consecutive year, with the class of 2006 up 47%
from the class of 1999. Astronomy undergraduate degree production has
increased sharply during the past decade, up 98% since a recent low in 1997. The number of physics PhD's produced in the class of 2006 is 26% larger than two years ago.
Roster of Physics Departments with Enrollments and Degree Data, 2007 and Roster of Astronomy Departments with Enrollments and Degree Data, 2007
These reports provide a detailed, department by department, listing of Fall 2007 enrollment and 2006-07 degree data for US degree-granting physics and astronomy departments. These data are frequently used by departments to compare their size relative to other departments in the country.
All three publications can be found on our website at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/undergradtrends.html .We hope that you find these reports interesting and useful.
Regards, Patrick Mulvey,
Lead Research Associate, Statistical Research Center American Institute of Physics,
301-209-3076, pmulvey@aip.org
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(posted September 16, 2008 ) from the APS
I'd like to alert you to Physics, a new, free, online publication from the APS, which provides original analysis and comment on selected exceptional papers within the extensive publications of Physical Review Letters and the Physical Review series. These are papers that we think you will find to be of particular interest, and with the commentary in Physics, you'll be able to place them in better and broader context.
In its weekly updates, Physics offers three original features, accessible to all physicists:
An Editorial outlines the goals of the publication in more detail. But let Physics speak for itself: for alerts and other ways to keep up-to-date with Physics, click here: Physics Email Alerts
If you would like to give us feedback on Physics please send us email at physics@aps.org
Arthur Bienenstock
2008 APS President
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(posted November 30, 2007 )
The AIP Statistical Research Center has produced another set of four Physics Trends flyers. These are printable flyers intended for display. The new flyers can be downloaded from: www.aip.org/statistics/trends/phystrends.html This set of flyers depict:
The predominant work activities of recent physics bachelor's working in three large employment sectors.
The number of first-year graduate students (US and foreign citizens) enrolled in physics PhD programs from fall 1997 through fall 2006.
The number of years of graduate study it took for recent physics PhD's to earn their degrees.
The salaries of PhD physicists and related scientists 10 to 14 years after earning their degrees.
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(posted September 18, 2007 )
The latest edition of the annual Enrollments and Degrees report is now available. This report contains in-depth analysis and long-term trends of physics and astronomy students in the US. Highlights include:
Gains continue in the number of physics bachelor’s degrees conferred, up 40% in six years.
US citizens continue to comprise the vast majority (~93%) of physics bachelor’s.
Physics PhD production has also increased, gaining 14% in a single year. The proportion of non-US citizens among the new PhD's has reached an all-time high of 60%.
Recent trends in first-year graduate student enrollments foretell continued increases in PhD production, with US citizens returning to a majority in a few years.
This report can be found at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/catalog.html
Regards, Patrick Mulvey, Lead Research Associate, Statistical Research Center American Institute of Physics
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(posted January 10, 2007 )
See http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2007/003.html for an AIP report concerning growth and changes in the number and types of students taking high school and college physics.
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Awards, Prizes, Scholarships, etc. for CWRU students
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SOURCE - The Office for Support of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/ugradresearch.htm is charged with supporting and promoting the research and creative efforts of our undergraduate students. Dr. Sheila Pedigo sheila.pedigo@case.edu is the director. SOURCE offers various awards and prizes for activities they sponsor.
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Paper postings sent by many graduate programs are displayed at the south end of the third floor hallway of Rockefeller. Electronic postings are now distributed through a dedicated email list-server. Instructions for accessing this listserver are posted at http://mamma-mia.phys.cwru.edu/mailman/listinfo/case-physics-grad-school . If you register for this mailing list, it would be best if you do so using an email address that identifies you as a CWRU student; otherwise you may find yourself booted off the list.
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(posted January 3, 2007) From AIP
The Statistical Research Center is occasionally asked about how well
physics majors do on the Medical Colleges Admissions Test (MCAT).
Although comparatively few physics majors take the MCAT's, they do very
well as a group. If any of your students are interested in pursuing a
medical career, they should visit the website of the American
Association of Medical Colleges to learn more about the undergraduate
coursework that is recommended.
To access the data on MCAT scores for physics and other college majors, see: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/mcat2003.pdf
Roman Czujko;
Director, Statistical Research Center ;
American Institute of Physics ;
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3843
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(received August 14, 2006)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has released the findings of its latest survey of international graduate students. The number of foreign students who were accepted into graduate programs in the US for the start of academic year 2006-07 increased dramatically compared to one year ago.
The sharpest increases were for students from China and India. Engineering and physical sciences were among the fields that showed the largest increases in the number of international students who were accepted into graduate programs. You can read or download the report on the CGS web site at: http://www.cgsnet.org/Default.aspx?tabid=240&newsid440=26&mid=440&&
Respectfully,
Roman Czujko,
Director, Statistical Research Center,
American Institute of Physics
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(received April 11, 2006)
Graduate Student Report: First-Year Physics and Astronomy Students, 2003-2004
This report describes enrollment trends, characteristics, subfields of specialization, types of support, and career goals for first-year physics and astronomy graduate students.
This report can be found at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/gradtrends.html
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(received November 6, 2001)
AIP's Physics Resources Center has launched a new website called GradschoolShopper.com. This site features a directory of graduate programs in physics and related fields plus useful resources for students and faculty. Visit http://www.GradschoolShopper.com .
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The following message sent to the department may be of interest to students considering graduate school.
Subject: National Doctoral Survey results
We are pleased to announce that the results of the 2000 National Doctoral Program Survey are now available online at http://survey.nagps.org/ Thanks to the support of over 200 graduate institutions, doctoral programs, graduate student associations, and professional societies, the survey was a tremendous success -- altogether over 32,000 doctoral students and recent Ph.D.'s assessed their program's educational practices. The survey, funded by a grant to NAGPS from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, was designed to assess student perceptions of the educational effectiveness of their doctoral programs based on the adoption of widely accepted best practices in doctoral education, as recommended by the Association of American Universities, National Research Council, and others.
Results are available at the level of individual doctoral programs, allowing program chairs, graduate deans, and student leaders to use the responses to inform local discussions of graduate education. Results for U.S. programs from which we received 10 or more responses are publicly available on the Web. Results for programs from which we received between 5 and 9 responses are available with a password to survey participants from the program, the program's chair, and administrators within the institution.
In addition to the results, there is a discussion forum set up for each program. We hope that these forums will help encourage further discussion on each program's educational practices. We invite you to review the results for your program and to share your thoughts on the discussion boards. When posting your comments, we invite you to share your thoughts on the successful and effective practices that your program has implemented.
The survey web site also provides discipline-level results as well as the opportunity to rank doctoral programs within a field based upon their implementations of recommended educational practices.
Jobs - School Year, Summer & 'Permanent'
(posted January 7, 2009)
Prof. Brown wants to get the word out that he knows of several job opportunities, mostly in the areas of medical physics and imaging. The opportunities include permanent jobs, co-ops, internships, summer positions and possibly some part-time, off-campus work during the academic year. If you are interested, contact Prof. Brown (rwb@po.cwru.edu , Roc 204/109).
Students looking for either summer or school-year jobs in the physics department should send a SHORT paragraph describing interests and experience. Be certain to mention if you are in the work/study program. You can email this information to gary.chottiner@case.edu . As Director of Undergraduate Studies, I maintain a database of students interested in jobs and forward this information to faculty and staff who contact me looking for student help. I keep submissions for about one year.
Many faculty do NOT contact me when they have open positions; rather they fill them with students who have contacted those faculty members directly. Students should feel free to approach faculty and staff with whom they'd like to work - in fact, this is how most jobs are filled. A personal contact, i.e. a knock on the door, is probably better than an email. You should however, follow up with an email that reviews your interests and experience.
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Many job postings now arrive electronically. To expedite the distribution of these messages to interested students, the department has set up an email list-server for information concerning academic year, summer and permanent jobs. Instructions for accessing this mail-server are posted at: http://mamma-mia.phys.cwru.edu/mailman/listinfo/case-physics-job . If you register for this mailing list, it would be best if you do so using an email address that identifies you as a CWRU student; otherwise you may find yourself booted off the list.
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The Case Career Center, http://studentaffairs.case.edu/careers/student/ , offers a variety of forms of assistance to students searching for career opportunities.
eCompass is the Case Career Center ’s online career management system. It enables users to search and apply for jobs and internships, schedule on-campus interviews, and post resumes for employer review. eCompass acts as a launch pad for connecting with alumni and researching companies and industries. A monthly calendar of Career Center events and deadlines is also included.
http://www.cleveleads.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=183 houses a network of college students and local professionals. Their mission is to ensure a talent-rich region that helps achieve economic growth by providing the best and brightest undergraduates with access and connections to area employers.
Career Center's Resources for Gaining Experience
What Can I Do With a Major in…? Search by major, and find information on typical employers and strategies to start careers centered on the area of study. It includes links to related professional associations and Case’s department homepages, including the following links
Case CareerLink for Employers! - Case Career Center
Case CareerLink for Students http://studentaffairs.case.edu/careers/partners/clstudent.aspx
Case CareerLink is the Case Career Center's online career management system. It serves as the clearing house for all practicum, internship, and full-time job positions, on-campus interviewing schedules, and employer information. You can access the Case CareerLink system using your Case network ID and password.
Occupational Outlook Handbook – Provides current job market information searchable by industry and occupation. It includes in-depth descriptions that feature sections on working conditions, responsibilities, earnings, necessary education/training, and job outlook. The section for physicists can be found at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos052.htm but remember that an undergraduate degree in physics will give you entree to a LOT of other types of jobs and post-graduate study opportunities.
Check out http://www.idealist.org/ for a "site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives."
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(posted October 16, 2008)
I just ran across some interesting information from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/oco/content/oohinfo_faq.stm#earn4 . Physics and some allied careers are listed in a table of the top 25 occupations, in terms of median earnings. Elsewhere they list 800 possible careers, so physics is pretty close to the top.
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(posted September 18, 2009 )
The Statistical Research Center (SRC) has posted data on the starting salaries of people who recently earned bachelor’s degrees across many large fields. As we are all painfully aware, the US economy has been in a serious recession. However, we are happy to report that recent physics bachelors have been getting among the highest starting salaries. Physics bachelor’s salaries are comparable to those offered to computer science bachelor’s and graduates in many engineering fields. Physicists’ starting salaries are quite a bit higher than people who earned bachelor’s degrees in other sciences, business, the humanities, or education. These data were collected and published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The data reflect salary offers made by campus recruiters during the last academic year. You can find the data on the SRC website at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/phystrends.html
Respectfully,
Roman Czujko ;
Director, Statistical Research Center ;
American Institute of Physics
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(posted August 27, 2008, from Case Daily)
Case CareerLink, the Career Center's online career management system, connects students directly to employers hiring for full-time permanent positions, internships and practicum's. Features include resume upload, virtual resume books, online On-campus Interview (OCI) scheduling, and sign-up for career events and Info Sessions.
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(posted August 20, 2010)
The following links were found via an article in Time magazine. I won't vouch for the methodology but you might find
http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp - Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary, physics is #6
http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/best-engineering-colleges.asp - Best Engineering Colleges By Salary Potential, CWRU is #25
http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/top-us-colleges-graduate-salary-statistics.asp - Top US Colleges Graduate Salary Statistics
http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/midwestern-colleges.asp - Top Midwestern Colleges in the US By Salary Potential, CWRU is #7
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Check out the American Institute of Physics Career site for general job search assistance and for specific openings http://www.aip.org/careersvc/ .
The AIP also collects and distributes statistical information about the profession. This reports which you can view at http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/emptrends.html describe the initial employment and educational paths pursued by physics and astronomy degree recipients at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. The report includes starting salaries, primary work activities, ratings of professional challenge and other aspects of initial employment. The report also describes the fields of study and types of support for physics degree recipients who continued their education.
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(added June 5, 2008)
We've been contacted by a company called AfterCollege, Inc. http://www.aftercollege.com/ which operates a jobs listing service. They've requested that we make their web site available to our majors. While we can't yet vouch for the information they provide, you might find it useful and you can access their postings for physics majors via the URL
http://www.aftercollege.com/groups/listings.asp?id=260203502 .
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Among the reports at the above URL is Who's Hiring Physics Bachelors? The AIP has a posting that lists many of the companies that have recently hired new physics bachelors in each state. The lists can be found at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/states/state.html.
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(posted December 3, 2008)
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics has sent the following message, which might be of interested to physics majors.
Are there careers in mathematics outside of academia? The answer is a resounding YES. The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) has published its latest brochure on applied mathematics and computational science careers outside of academia. The 20-page publication includes information on emerging career fields, examples of companies and organizations that hire applied mathematicians and computational scientists, and profiles of professional working in these fields today. The SIAM Careers Brochure answers many of the questions that high school and college-aged students may be asking with regard to career opportunities in the mathematical sciences, including:
- What's out there for someone with my interests and background?
- Where can I work?
- Where are the up-and-coming job opportunities?
- How should I pursue my studies?
- Who are the people working in industry today?
Profiles highlight professionals at Google, IBM, IDA, Merck, Michelin, NSA, and many other organizations and companies. With this brochure, SIAM hopes to increase young people's interest in and motivation for the study and pursuit of careers in the mathematical sciences. Since the previous edition in 2003, SIAM has updated the brochure to reflect the current fields of applied math and computational science and the emerging career opportunities for today's students. A free PDF version of the new brochure and a link-request for one free hardcopy can be found at http://www.siam.org/careers/thinking.php.
ABOUT SIAM: The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, is an international society of almost 12,000 individual members. These include applied and computational mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as other scientists and engineers. Members are researchers, educators, students, and practitioners from 85 countries in industry, government, laboratories, and academia. The Society, which also includes nearly 500 academic and corporate institutional members, serves and advances the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing a variety of books and prestigious peer-reviewed research journals, by conducting conferences, and by hosting activity groups in various areas of mathematics. SIAM provides many opportunities for students including regional sections and student chapters. Further information is available at www.siam.org.
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If you would like to apply for a GRADING JOB, contact gary.chottiner@case.edu . Include in your message your preferences for courses (or instructors). Also, please provide any possibly useful background information such as grading experience and your own course grades in your introductory mechanics, E&M and/or Modern Physics course. Fall 2007 positions are largely filled but your request will be kept on file for the future semesters. When a job opens, it's generally first offered to those qualified students who applied first.
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Many institutions still send paper postings; these are displayed on the bulletin board outside ROC 314. Note that many program deadlines are in February.
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There are many summer jobs available to physics majors through NSF- REU ( National Science Foundation - Research Experience for Undergraduates ) and other programs at various university and national laboratories. You can access the REU web site http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&from=fund .
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The Department of Energy web site http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/erulf/about.html contains information about summer internships at DOE labs. Many of these present excellent opportunities to participate in exciting research at world-leading institutions.
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For information about the summer REU program at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, visit the web site http://www.lerner.ccf.org/bme/education/reu/ or http://www.lerner.ccf.org/education/undergrad/
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(posted Dec. 22, 2003)
SPS Members and Advisors: For a broad list of summer science opportunities check out the new physics student website---The Nucleus---at http://www.compadre.org/student ; It has: 1) summer job listings, 2) a student lounge for chatting, humor, etc., 3) on-line physics polls and results of polls, 4) reviews of texts, 5) Einstein exhibits and more. It's personalizable and you get to contribute, if you like.
About the summer jobs - there are listings for summer jobs ranging from particle physics in Switzerland to education policy in DC to biomechanics in Malibu to astronomy in Hawaii. Just put in your favorite physics key word and search to see what listings are related to your keyword. If you don't put in a keyword then all the summer opportunities will be listed.
The Nucleus is part of the national physics digital library, ComPADRE (Communities for Physics and Astronomy Digital Resources in Education). ComPADRE's vision is to create a network of collections that provides learning resources and interactive learning environments.
Gary White ; Director, Sigma Pi Sigma and Society of Physics Students Assistant Director of Education American Institute of Physics One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740; 301-209-3007 ; FAX: 301-209-0839
GENERAL INFORMATION
The American Physical Society has various programs dedicated to educating students about careers in physics. You can learn more by visiting their web site at: http://www.aps.org/careers/
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(posted March 12, 2007) From AIP
A report and a web resource that you might find interesting have recently been posted to our web site.
Initial Employment Report: Physics and Astronomy Degree Recipients of 2003 & 2004
This report describes the initial employment and educational paths pursued by physics and astronomy degree recipients at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. It includes starting salaries, sectors and fields of employment, ratings of professional challenge and other aspects of their initial employment. The report also describes the fields of study and types of academic support received by the degree recipients who continue their education.
Highlights include: The percentage of new physics PhD's taking postdocs continued to rise for the fourth consecutive year, with 66% of the class of 2004 taking one. Over half of the employed physics bachelors accepted positions in the private sector, with two-thirds working in a field related to science, technology, engineering or math.
"Who's Hiring Physics Bachelors?"
The majority of new physics bachelors entering the workforce take jobs in science and engineering fields (see report above). The employers that hire these individuals span a broad spectrum, from Lockheed Martin and Google to the US House of Representatives.
We have recently updated a web resource that lists, by state, the names of many companies that have recently hired new physics bachelors. The lists may be useful to job seekers in identifying the variety of companies that hire physics bachelors and to physics departments wishing to strengthen contacts with local employers.
Both the report and the employer listing can be found at:
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/emptrends.html
Regards,
Patrick Mulvey ;
Statistical Research Center ;
American Institute of Physics
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(posted October 1, 2005 )
Every year Teach for America contacts the physics department to encourage applicants for their program. Today's issue of the NY Times contained a very positive article about this program. The following link will take you to a copy of that article - TeachForAmerica.htm .
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(posted October 21, 2004)
On Campus Interviewing -During fall and spring semesters, the Career Center located in Sears 206 hosts employers representing a range of industries and disciplines. These employers interview for interns and full-time employees while on campus.
http://studentaffairs.case.edu/careers/student/applying/default.html
Four-Phase Career Development Action Plan - an action plan for students while they are here at Case.
http://studentaffairs.case.edu/careers/student/services/plan.html
What can I do with a major in Physics? The WCIWAMI section provides information on careers typically related to physics. http://studentaffairs.case.edu/careers/student/majors/wcidwami.html
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The American Institute of Physics - Career Services web site, the leading career site for science and engineering jobs has launched it's new web site. Last month our web site received over 1,400,000 hits and over 13,000 Unique Visitors. The new web site utilizes a tracking system to manage resume responses and store all resume agent matches, as well as search resume database, track job page views and number of applications submitted. This new high-performance system is easy to use and also includes a more powerful search engine for faster search results. To assist you in your job matches, we have collected nearly 700 resumes from some of the most talented individuals in the science and engineering industry. See www.aip.org/careersvc/
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(posted Sept. 15, 2004)
The American Institute of Physics has published a book "Landing Your First Job: A Guide for Physics Students". This book, written by Dr. John Rigden, is indispensable for all students of physics. It contains the latest up-to-date information on preparing for and conducting that all-important first job search for bachelor through Ph.D. graduating students. With today's job market, it is essential that your students have access to this great resource. To order Landing Your First Job, visit (LINK NO LONGER WORKING) or call toll free at 1-800-SPRINGER. Enter or mention promotion code LYFJ-10, Mailsource LYFJD to receive a 10% discount.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions. ; Paula Melnick ;
American Institute of Physics
Career Network ;
One Physics Ellipse ;
College Park, MD 20740 ;
Tel: 301-209-3193 ;
Fax: 301-209-0841 ;
E-mail: pmelnick@aip.org
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Visit the following web sites for more information on co-op experiences: http://www.oesp.case.edu/ugcoop/ and http://admission.case.edu/admissions/learning/coop.asp .
Fellowships & Scholarships for life after CWRU
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The CWRU Physics and Astronomy Club has a web page at: http://www.phys.cwru.edu/~pac/ .
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The physics department operates a 'robot' to handle announcements of seminars and colloquia. All physics students should sign up for this robot service. To subscribe, send email to: physbot@narya.PHYS.cwru.edu . In the subject of the message write: subscribe . Complete instructions for use of the robot may be found at http://narya.PHYS.cwru.edu/~physbot/
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If you are a physics major, you should consider joining the American Physical Society, APS. Almost all professional physicists in the US belong to the APS and to one or more of its divisions, which specialize in various areas of physics. You can visit their Web site at http://www.aps.org/ to learn more about the organization. Student membership services are discussed at http://www.aps.org/membership/student.cfm . APS student membership is normally $25 per year but is now FREE for the first year . You might also want to browse the Society of Physics Students pages http://www.aip.org/education/sps/index.html
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LINKS (feel free to suggest additions)
http://www.aps.org/ - American Physical Society
http://aip.org/ - American Institute of Physics
http://www.aapt.org/ - American Association of Physics Teachers
http://www.spsnational.org/wormhole/wormhole.htm - Society of Physics students page
http://physicsworld.com/cws/home - PhysicsWorld: physics news, jobs and resources
Physics provides original analysis and comment on selected exceptional papers within the extensive publications of Physical Review Letters and the Physical Review series.
http://www.physicscentral.com/index.cfm This web site is brought to you by the APS and is meant to serve as a resource for the general public.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/ - NASA - Glenn Research Center on the west side of Cleveland
http://www.nsf.gov/ - National Science Foundation
http://www.compadre.org/student/ - resources for physics and astronomy undergraduates
http://www.advancedphysics.org/ - forum for discussion of physics at an undergraduate level
http://www.ucsusa.org/ - Union of Concerned Scientists; from their web site ' UCS is an independent nonprofit alliance of more than 100,000 concerned citizens and scientists. We augment rigorous scientific analysis with innovative thinking and committed citizen advocacy to build a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world.'
http://www.efbfweb.org/links.php - European Biophysics that requested this link on our newsletter.
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(posted May 9, 2008)
The following is a parting shot from the class of 2008, a description of superlative faculty they have known.
Jie Shan - professor most likely to sneak into the lab and break your experiments so you learn more from the class
Gary Chottiner - best shoe selection
John Ruhl - professor most likely to "surprise!" the class and fall over laughing
Dan Akerib - most likely to say "okay" and/or trip over furniture
Kathy Kash - professor we'd want to go back in time and party with most while she was in college
Robert Brown - best apparel (no questions asked)
Harsh Mathur - most creative computer file namer
Corbin Covault - most sexy socks and sandals combo
Tanmay Vachaspati - most likely to believe in magnetic monopole unicorns
Pete Kernan - most likely to lecture about beer brewing
Lawrence Krauss - most likely to interrupt you to answer his iPhone
Glenn Starkman - most likely to be the only person in the room to comprehend an entire CERCA talk
Craig Copi - most likely to be an Old Navy spokesperson
Charles Rosenblatt - most consistent dresser
Ken Kowalski - most likely to make a joke so dry the British would be impressed
Ken Singer - quiet and quick problem fixer
Gavin Buxton - most likely to cover up what he just wrote on the board while lecturing
Phil Taylor - most delightful accent
Rolf Petschek - most likely to use his beard as a blackboard eraser (that would be so cool!)
Don Schuele - most likely to take your knees out in a game of baseball
Walter Lambrecht - most likely to lecture from memory because he can't read his own notes
Tom Shutt - most likely to empathize with malfunctioning equipment
Cyrus Taylor - professor we'd most like to see more in the department, dammit!
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http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/index.html - What's New by Bob Park (Ph.D. advisor for the keeper of this newsletter) - an educated and opinionated look at science in the news.
http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/ - This web site is devoted to bad physics in movies.
http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/sci__tech/physics.html - physics trivia, with quizzes
http://www.spsnational.org/wormhole/humor.htm - humor according to physics students, including a section on how to tell if you are a physics major
http://stryder.as.utexas.edu/~pamela/pa_humor.html contains several humorous articles, such as
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/aboutcomics.html where Ph.D. stand for piled higher and deeper
http://www.physicscentral.com/experiment/colormephysics/index.cfm Instead of doodling during class, try printing and coloring in the drawings of famous physicists provided by Physics Central
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Rime of the Physics Student , By Yvette Cendes, a Case physics major
It's late at night, my mind is weary,
Eyes are bloodshot, vision's bleary,
I know not what I'm really thinking,
My sanity's surely winking.
Yet I stay up for I am not done,
With homework for P121.
My mind's back from temporary lull,
And contemplates a bouncing ball,
Then reason shouts out, with great diction,
"Idiot! You forgot friction!"
So I cross out all the numbers there
And hang my head in great despair.
I am at a loss and panicked too
Because I don't know what to do!
I factor out "t," I integrate,
But my mistakes do not abate.
I feel like a failure and a fool.
What's life like in the business school?
But I see through that confusing mist:
After all, I'm a physicist!
I know the movements of block and book
Using Laws from Newton and Hooke,
I know a bowling ball's energy
Based on its squared velocity.
I now see myself years down the line
Where physics glory is all mine,
The secret of dark matter I know
Having found the neutralino,
My proof is so clear and it's so bold
I win myself some Swedish gold!
But as I start my acceptance speech,
I hear a harshly ringing screech.
A startling thought to my mind does creep:
Oh my God I've fallen asleep!
It's eight in the morn, not late at one
And my damned homework's still not done!
I stare at my paper with a frown
And jot some garbled numbers down,
And before I can think any more
It's in my bag; I'm out the door,
And as I'm running I pray my best
That problem won't be on the test!
The Ballad of the Electronics Student by Yvette Cendes
Leaves are crunching on the ground
And in the sky sheep-clouds abound,
The sun tosses warmth each way
While below students bask away,
But down there you won't find me
'Cause I'm in lab for 203.
I return from my pained woe
To my circuit's LED glow,
Then I quickly give a shout
Because the lights have shorted out!
I feel pangs of fear and grief
As my partner shows disbelief.
"What happened?" I, aghast, say,
"Why did the voltage go away?"
My partner shrugs, lost like me
In this odd world of circuitry.
No doubt we're stuck in this rut
Because we missed something- but what?
No doubt in the latest lecture
There were points where, I conjecture,
While I gave poor attention
The whole crux was given mention.
So I curse and give a sigh
That this did somehow pass me by.
To my circuit I now turn
Recalling scant facts I did learn,
I place wires all around
And add more power and some ground,
More resistors I add too
Until the circuit looks brand new.
Confident, I flip the switch
And it lights up without a hitch!
Then, at no doubt divine whim,
The LED's splutter and dim.
I howl, 'cause I can't ignore
How we're worse off now than before.
I strike the board with my fist
As there's no answer in our midst,
And I don't care what I'd hit
'Til my partner says, "look at it!"
I do, and receive a fright
'Cause all the LED's are burning bright.
I exalt and give a cheer
Grateful to know the end is near,
And before we do much more
We're done with lab and out the door,
Hoping that, come writeup night,
We'll find that we were partway right!
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Song of the Physics Student by Yvette Cendes
I've always thought physics would be more fun
If once class let out we would be done,
Or just a few hours work, that would be fine
So's after midnight the hours were mine,
But it is late at night, well after one
And the physics homework's still not done,
So my wishes are naught, I heave a sigh
And give 250 another try.
I delete a for loop, and add an if,
But that gamble ends with a new quip.
A friend comes over to see what's the matter
But my small hope she soon does shatter:
"I have the same thing!" she exclaims, confused,
As Devil Program looks on, bemused,
"Your setup and loops are all the same
So I've no idea what's to blame."
I think I'd make a decent wager
That what you take from a physics major
Isn't about letting your knowledge grow
But learning, instead, how little you know
And learning how to land on your feet
While in the midst of crushing defeat
So I ignore the bad, write-up what's right,
Commence shutdown, and call it a night!
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After Receiving an Invitation to a Physicists' Ball:
(courtesy of Yvette Cendes, March 15, 2007 )
Volta was electrified and Archimedes was buoyant at the thought.
Ampère was worried he wasn't up on current research.
Ohm resisted the idea at first.
Boyle said he was under too much pressure.
Hertz promised that in the future he will attend with greater frequency.
Pierre and Marie Curie were radiating enthusiasm.
Born thought the probability of enjoying himself was pretty high.
Einstein thought it would be relatively easy to attend.
Heisenberg was uncertain whether he could make it.
Schrödinger had to take his cat to the vet, or did he?
Hawking said he'd try to string enough time together to make a space in his schedule.
Fermi declined because of a splitting headache.
Hooke said he'd spring into action.
Fourier wavered in his decision periodically.
Maxwell just waved at the postal carrier.
Siemens said he would be happy to gain admittance.
Babbage and Von Neuman both calculated they could be there, but Ada Lovelace got stuck in a recursion of trying to find proper clothing.
Watt thought it would be a great way to let off steam.
Galileo thought people were much too inquisitive about the whole thing.
Nobel thought the idea was dynamite, and was asked to give out prizes.
Van Allen said he would wear his new belt for the occasion.
Pauli was worried that he would be excluded and would have to split early.
Joule was the life of the party, with such energy.
After a couple of hours it got so hot in the ball room that Tesla had to turn on the AC.
Faraday, as usual, was caging drinks off of everyone.
Kelvin was there, cold and aloof as ever.
Higgs was having a field day teasing Chandrasekhar because he had reached his alcohol limit.
Teller should have followed Chandrasekhar's example, because he sure got bombed.
Hubble and his wife were charming. He wore a double breasted suit and she wore a simple red shift.
Cavendish wasn't invited, but had the balls to show up anyway.
There was one fellow running about hogging all the conversations. Everyone ignored him because he was such a Bohr.
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