Issue #3 Spring 2009
Power Advising in Physics
David Peak, Professor, Physics Department

Until about ten years ago, undergraduate advisement in the Physics Department was distributed among the faculty.  Until that time, advisement hadn’t been much of a burden, because Physics only had a total of about 30 majors, with a typical graduating class of three to five.  Despite the faculty’s light advising load, the central complaint voiced by exiting physics seniors concerned the poor quality of advisement inflicted upon them during their student careers at USU.

In response to this situation and borrowing heavily from successful strategies implemented by other physics departments (most notably, at Rutgers), the department removed ordinary advising from the purview of the faculty and placed it in the hands of a full-time academic advisor.  This had two salubrious consequences: it vastly enhanced the quality of information disseminated to the students and the tracking of their degree requirements, and it also allowed a small number of predisposed faculty to invent new activities and programs designed to increase student recruitment and retention. 

Remarkably, exit interviews with seniors now almost invariably cite advisement as the best thing the department does for its students, and praise the advisor, Karalee Ransom, as the most important person in students’ undergraduate careers.  The department now has more than 100 majors, with 20 or so graduates in a year (placing the program in the top 10 percent of BS physics producers in America) not uncommon.

The faculty-initiated efforts that have contributed to this turnaround include: (a) instituting undergraduate research as a requirement for all physics majors; (b) establishing a seminar course on “The Profession of Physics;” (c) reawakening a long-dormant Society of Physics Students (SPS) club and its companion Sigma Pi Sigma honor society; and (d) running an annual “boot camp” to prepare students to compete for national academic awards.

(a) At about the same time as the advising switchover, a required research experience was added to all of the department’s five bachelor tracks—so that physics students would have at least a taste of what science is really like before graduating.  While the requirement specifies a certain number of credits in the senior year, most physics students get involved in scholarly work outside the classroom much earlier—some for academic credit, some receiving stipends from faculty grants, and others doing it simply out of interest and curiosity.  Many eventually make presentations at professional society meetings; some become co-authors of publications.  The undergraduate research experience has energized the students, enriched the curriculum, and provided a springboard for applying to graduate schools and for finding jobs.  Example projects can be found at: http://www.physics.usu.edu/peak/UROP2008.pdf.

(b) Because of the growing numbers of majors in physics, the departmental advisor is confronted increasingly often with the student lament, “I like physics, but what can I do with a degree after I graduate?”  To help reduce student/advisor angst about this particular aspect of life’s uncertainty, a 1-credit seminar course entitled “The Profession of Physics” was developed to provide students with actual data on which to base their career plans.  Topics covered include: what physicists do in their jobs; how and where physicists get jobs; how to prepare for a career in physics or a physics-related area; the most valuable skills for a job in industry; typical salaries for BS, MS, and PhD physicists in industry, government employment, high school teaching, and academia; how to create a compelling CV; and so on.  This course has proven to be extremely popular among students and parents alike. For a course syllabus, see: http://www.physics.usu.edu/peak/phys_2400_fall08/index.htm.

(c) Though it was an active chapter throughout the 1980s, SPS at USU virtually disappeared for more than a decade.  Then, led by the energy and enthusiasm of student Jodie Barker-Tvedtnes, it reappeared with a vengeance. (For more information about Jodie, see http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=29605.)  SPS maintains an active outreach program for local schools of all grades that includes physics demonstration shows and star parties, and organizes and participates in various competitions and civic works.  The chapter has proposed and received funding for numerous grants and has hosted the first SPS Zone meeting in memory.  For these activities, SPS at USU has been named Outstanding Chapter by the national organization during three consecutive years.

(d) Starting in 2000, the department has become increasingly proactive in cajoling and preparing its most accomplished students to compete for national scholarships.  Each fall, six to twelve students are identified by the advisor and entered into a training regimen that educates them about award possibilities, gives them advice about and practice in writing interesting and convincing essays, and provides them with strategies for soliciting forceful letters of recommendation.  During the last eight years, these efforts have produced one Rhodes Scholar and one Rhodes finalist, a Marshall Scholar, a Fulbright Student Scholar, two NSF Graduate Research Fellows, and ten Goldwater Scholars or honorable mentions (see http://www.physics.usu.edu/awards.pdf).

In the Physics Department, recruitment and retention of engaged, high-performing students has been made possible by a combination of caring, hands-on, professional advice, maintenance of an active undergraduate research program that the faculty is committed to, socialization through club activity; and aggressive encouragement of its students to strive for lofty goals.  For more information, contact the Physics Department at (435) 797-2857.

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