Physics 496 Introduction to Physics Research

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Physics 496Introduction to Physics Research
Spin of the Proton
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Physics 496Introduction to Physics Research

• Instructors Lance Cooper
  slcooper_at_uiuc.edu Celia Elliott
  cmelliot_at_uiuc.edu
• Alternate Titles
• Effective Communication in Science
• Rhet 3.141592654
• A hodgepodge of what physicists/scientists
  should know
• Things I wished my advisor had told me

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Our goals for you in Phys 496

• Help you learn to think critically
• About others work and yours!
• Help you learn methods to write and speak
  persuasively
• The scientific community (and just about everyone
  else!) tends to be skeptical, so you cant rely
  just on great results!
• Help you learn to navigate the scientific
  literature
• Researching existing literature is critical for
  planning future work, writing proposals, writing
  papers, etc.
• Help you learn to think like a physicist
• Thinking critically is part of this, but it
  is also useful to know tricks for making
  estimates and doing dimensional analysis
• In short, we want no less than to teach you how
  to become effective scientists and communicators!

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Components of the Course

• Writing/Presentation Skills
• Writing bootcamp (writing assignments and
  Computer Lab)
• Journal Club and research talks
• Final research paper
• Resources for Scientists
• How to use on-line databases useful for research
• Thinking Like a Scientist
• Thinking critically
• Scientific collaborations
• Making estimates in research
• Documenting your results
• Scientific Ethics
• Case studies
• Exposure to Physics Research (more later)

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Our expectations of you

• In-class participation mandatory attendance
• Written assignments
• Dont start too late!
• Id prefer that you e-mail a neat copy to me in
  Word, but an e-mailed pdf copy or a hard copy are
  OK also
• Early drafts are welcome
• Oral presentations
• Professional and polished
• Plan to use PowerPoint on my laptop
• Send to me via e-mail
• Final paper and talk on chosen research topic
• In the next week or so (for ungraded
  assignment 0) you will select a research topic
  around which many of the writing assignments will
  revolve

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Communication in Physics Physics 496 and 499

• Documentation of process
• logbook (web or hardcopy) / notebook
• figures / data plots
• internal technical note on key procedure or
  apparatus
• Oral presentations
• journal article summary ? will include a PRL
  style referee report
• research report to your colleagues
• Formal article
• final 10 page paper with all ingredients
  incorporated
• General science
• web-based physics highlight describing your
  research topic, with photo-documentation
• Conduct a literature survey
• How to investigate whats been done already
• Next Fall in Senior Thesis (Phys 499) if you
  choose to go on

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A typical week will involve

• Technical Communication
• lesson on effective writing and/or presentations
• In-class work on assignment (in Computer lab)
• small assignment due following week
• Some aspect of Research Methodology
• errors and uncertainties
• bias
• collaboration
• picking an advisor and physics topic
• thinking like a scientist
• Your presentations
• Discussions with prominent physicists

OR
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Tentative schedule of events
CLOSE TO CORRECT, BUT WILL EVOLVE
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Schedule of events (cont.)
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Schedule of events (cont.)
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Exposure to physics research

• Undergraduate Research Symposium
• This will be our class next Friday!
• GSAC Talks by Physics faculty (date to be
  determined)
• Attend this Saturday session (free lunch!)
• Colloquium - Every Thursday _at_ 400 Room 141
• Attend several of these
• Graduate Student Recruitment Open House (Mar 13)
• See how our dept. sells itself to graduate
  student recruits
• Seminar of your choice, http//www.physics.uiuc.ed
  u/Research/Seminars.html

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What about Summer Research and Physics 499?

• Research is NOT required for 496! (It is,
  however, required for 499)
• If youre interested in summer research and 499
• Identify a research group (consider external REU
  programs and local groups w/ support)
• Arrange summer support, with our help if
  necessary. We have support only for a limited
  number of students (12)
• First priority 496 juniors intending to go into
  499
• Second priority First juniors enrolled in 496
• BUT, Ill work hard to help everyone who wants to
  do summer research find support!