PHYS 4990 -- Senior Seminar -- Spring 2008
Catalog description:
A capstone course for all physics majors, taken in the last spring semester before their graduation. Presentation of selected papers by students, faculty members and outside speakers at weekly departmental seminars. Discussion and analysis of experimental and theoretical studies in physics. Each student will make oral presentations to the seminar.
Seminar is an academic activity which brings together physics majors with the physics faculty on a regular basis. We hope that this activity will foster a feeling of "belonging" to the department and provide an environment in which the spirit of inquiry prevails as well as to provide a forum in which the students can display what they have learned.
Each person registered for the course must present two talks on a scientific subject. The length of each talk is 20 minutes. It is expected that each talk will stimulate several minutes of discussion on the part of students and faculty members present. Time will ordinarily permit two such talks to be delivered at one seminar meeting.
Students should treat seminar seriously. The speakers should conduct themselves as though they were making a formal address to a professional audience, including dressing and behaving in a professional manner. The talk should be more than a simple exposition. Quantitative and theoretical as well as qualitative and descriptive aspects of the subject should be included since the Senior Seminar is a senior-level activity in a technical field. Calculations and derivations of important equations should be included in the talk, using the storehouse of knowledge and abilities built up over the previous few years of courses. Talks on any engineering or scientific topic at this level are appropriate, but talks of the so-called travelogue type are not satisfactory. It should be assumed that the audience understands physics at the Physics 2212 level and has some basic knowledge of modern physics. The talk should begin and build from that level.
In addition to his/her own presentations, each student has the responsibility for listening to and participating in a discussion of each other paper presented. General activity in the seminar program will be considered along with the quality of the paper when the grade is established. Attendance each week is required of all the students enrolled in the course.
The Senior Seminar meets each Tuesday of the spring semester at 4:00 pm in Rogers 109. The seminar talks will be preceded by a refreshment period to which everyone, including visitors, is invited.
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