University news
Archived article from Oct 6, 2003
Also in this article:
Lincoln School to share new lab with Rutgers
Graduate English department reports record number of job placements
RUCS collects supplies for New Brunswick schools
The Rutgers–Newark arts scene
Leath elected Senate faculty representative to BOG
Emmet Dennis leaving student affairs post
Graduate School’s reputation soars in half a century
Arthur Kinoy dies; famed civil rights attorney, Rutgers professor Emeritus
GSNB – anniversary activities
Rutgers–Newark researchers examine high-density urban poverty
Report ranks Rutgers’ Physics program among nation’s best
Rutgers’ physics program ranks among country’s best, and according to a recent report of the American Institute of Physics, is the sixth largest undergraduate physics program at a university in the United States.
In an evaluation of physics programs, the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics praised Rutgers as one of 21 thriving departments around the country. The accolades are for the program’s diverse introductory courses, four-track physics major program and joint physics degree program for astronomy majors, among numerous distinctions.
In an article in the September issue of Physics Today, in which the study results were published, the task force praised Rutgers’ advising system for undergraduate majors in the department of physics and astronomy and Mohan Kalelkar, director of the undergraduate program and associate chair of the department.
“Faculty and department leaders [at Rutgers] cite undergraduate advising as the most important factor that has led to the growth in the number of physics graduates, which doubled from about 20 in 1980 to 40 in 2000,” the report stated. “Students support that conclusion and express strong appreciation for the director’s concern for them as individuals and for the consistency of the advice they receive.”
Paul Leath, physics department chair, explained that while undergraduate physics programs shrank during the 1990s, Rutgers’ grew to become one of the largest programs in the country. Leath cites several reasons for this, including the quality of instruction and advising, but he said, “no doubt, a major factor was the introduction of four different tracks for physics majors seeking physics degrees for different career paths.”
With an addition of a new undergraduate degree in astrophysics and a new initiative to produce more high school physics teachers, the department expects further enhancements in its programs, Leath said.
The task force was made of members of the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics.
— Carla Cantor
Lincoln School to share new lab with Rutgers
Before the new science lab opened at Lincoln Elementary School in New Brunswick, science teacher Keith V. Thomas would sometimes move his seventh-grade physics class out to the hall. The classroom’s rickety wooden floor could not accommodate his lesson on Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion, which he teaches wearing in-line skates.
“Other teachers didn’t like the noise,” said Thomas, who is earning a master’s degree in education at Rutgers. “Now, they’re glad I’m behind closed doors.”
Since last March, Thomas has been teaching in a new, 1,200-square-foot science lab, courtesy of the New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative (NJ SSI) and the Graduate School of Education (GSE) at Rutgers. Together with the New Brunswick Board of Education, and with funding from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, they have created a $162,000 instructional lab that not only has a smooth tile floor — great for Thomas’ skates — but does triple duty in meeting the instructional needs of Rutgers and New Brunswick.
continued...
Page 1 of 6
Next >
|
