handbook for physics majors - bowdoin college 14-15 final.pdf · year 2 1140 introductory physics...

Handbook For

Physics Majors

2014-2015

Bowdoin College Physics & Astronomy

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PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY WHERE WE ARE Physics and astronomy department offices, classrooms, introductory lab, and lecture hall are on the third floor of the Searles Science Building; teaching labs, research labs and the machine shop are located in the basement. The Mathematics and Computer Science Departments occupy the first and second floors. Searles underwent a major renovation in 1998-99, and is now a bright and welcoming home for the department. Classes in other departments also are scheduled in Searles classrooms and the lecture hall on the third floor. Searles 304 Mark Battle x-3410

Searles 320 Thomas Baumgarte x-3605 Searles 319 Department office (Emily Briley) x-3308 Searles 322 Gedanken Lab Searles 303 Madeleine Msall x-3818 Searles 305 Stephen Naculich x-3625 Searles 321 Dale Syphers x-3606

Searles 302 Karen Topp x-3611 Searles 123 Gary Miers x-3506 Searles 123 Kenneth Dennison x-4315

Searles 022 Elise Weaver x-3369


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RESOURCES The Gedanken lab (room 322) is intended for use by physics majors as a collaborative study space. Students in intermediate and upper level physics classes are granted swipe card access for evening and weekend use. Gedanken contains 5 PCs running Linux for student and faculty use. For computationally intensive work, students are also able to use the Bowdoin Computing Grid, a group of Linux servers which appear as one big, multiprocessor server. The physics and astronomy department is well equipped for both research and instructional experiments. Highlights include: Superconducting magnets and optical access cryostats designed for solids state physics research at magnetic fields up to 13.5 tesla and temperatures down to 2 Kelvin; a class 1000 clean room with a photolithographic mask aligner for patterning microscale circuits; high resolution intrinsic-germanium detectors for nuclear spectroscopy; a high power, cavity-dumped argon ion laser system and a high frequency ultrasound system for the study of non-equilibrium thermal transport; a 10-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and six 90mm Meade Maksutov-Cassegrains telescopes for astronomical observation; and a 500 Watt demonstration solar panel system. The college machine shop is housed in the physics department. The two machine shop staff members are highly skilled in precision realizations of faculty and student designs for research apparatus. The shop's major equipment includes three lathes, one of which is a computer-controlled multi-axis machining station, and two computer-controlled milling machines. Its resources are available for student instruction. ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE CREDIT INFORMATION

Individual academic departments at Bowdoin vary widely in how they award credit for students who have taken Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. For full details, please consult the college catalog. In general, all AP and IB exam scores must be submitted to Bowdoin before the end of the sophomore year for regularly admitted students or by the end of the first semester for transfer students. AP/IB credit will not meet a distribution or division requirement, even if the Bowdoin course equivalent does.

In Physics, students who received a score of 4 or higher on the Physics B exam will not receive an AP credit, but are exempt from taking Phys 1130 and do not need to take an additional course to replace Phys 1130 for major requirements. Minors are also exempt from taking Phys 1130, but must take at least four Bowdoin Physics courses.

AP credit will be granted if students earn a score of 4 or above on the “Physics C: Mechanics” exam and successfully complete Phys 1140 with a grade of C- or better. In order to receive AP


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credit, students should complete their course requirements before the end of their junior year. No AP credit will be awarded if a student takes Physics 1130.

No AP credit will be awarded for the Physics C: E & M exam.

The AP contact person in the Physics Department is Emily Briley, dept. coordinator (725-3308) INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PLACEMENT Students who have taken Higher Level IB Physics without the Optics Option and earned a score of 6 or 7 on the IB exam may receive one IB credit upon the successful completion of Phys 1140 with a grade of C- or better. Counts toward the major; majors are exempt from taking Phys 1130 and do not need to take an additional course to replace 1130. Minors are also exempt from taking Phys 1130 but must take at least four Bowdoin Physics courses.

Students who have taken Higher Level IB Physics with the Optics Option and earned a score of 6 or 7 on the IB exam may receive two IB credits upon the successful completion of Phys 2130 with a grade of C- or better. Counts toward the major; majors are exempt from taking Phys 1130 and 1140 and do not need to take an additional course to replace 1130/1140. Minors are also exempt from taking Phys 1130 and Phys 1140 but must take at least four Bowdoin Physics courses.

In order to receive IB credit, students should complete their course requirements before the end of their junior year. Any student who takes Physics 1140 is only eligible for one IB credit. Students who take Physics 1130 are ineligible for IB credit. REQUIREMENTS The major program depends to some extent on the student’s goals, which should be discussed with the department. Those who intend to do graduate work in physics or an allied field should plan to do an honors project. For those considering a program in engineering, consult page 7. A major with an interest in an interdisciplinary area such as geophysics, biophysics, or oceanography will choose appropriate courses in related departments. Secondary school teaching requires a broad base in science courses, as well as the necessary courses for teacher certification. For a career in industrial management, some courses in economics and government should be included. All students are held to the major requirements in the catalog at the time that they declare the major.

Requirements for a Major in Physics:

§ Mathematics 1600, 1700, Physics 1130, 1140, 2130, 2140, 2150; § One 3000-level Methods course (either Physics 3000, 3010 or 3020) § Two more approved courses above 1140, one of which may be Mathematics 1800 or

above, or Computer Science 1101 or above.


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§ At least 5 Bowdoin physics courses are required.

Requirements for Honors in Physics: § Mathematics 1600, 1700, Physics 1130, 1140, 2130, 2140, 2150, 3000, 4050; § Mathematics 1800; § Four additional physics courses, three of which must be at the 3000 level or above.

Requirements for a Minor in Physics: Four Bowdoin physics courses numbered 1130 or higher, one of which must be Introductory Physics 1140.

Requirements for a Major in Chemical Physics:

§ Chemistry 1102 or 1109, 2510; Mathematics 1600, 1700, and 1800, Physics 1130, 1140, 2130, 2150;

§ Either Chemistry 2520 or Physics 3140; § Two courses from Chemistry 3100, 3400 or approved topics in 4000 or 4001; Physics

2250, 3000, 3130, 3810 (same as Earth and Oceanographic Science 3050 and Environmental Studies 3957) or approved topics in 4000, 4001. At least one of these must be at the advanced level (numbered 3000 or above). Other possible electives may be feasible. Interested students should check with the departments.

Requirements for a Major in Earth and Oceanographic Science and Physics: The department does not participate in a formal interdisciplinary program with Earth and Oceanographic Science (EOS). However the departments of Physics and EOS have identified major/minor pathways for students majoring in physics with an interest in EOS (i.e. Physics major/EOS minor) and students majoring in EOS with an interest in physics (i.e. EOS major/Physics minor). Students pursuing the Physics major/EOS minor with interests in the solid earth discipline would be best served by selecting EOS 1105, 2005, and two of the following EOS courses: 2125,2145, 2165, 2215; those with interests in the surface earth discipline should select EOS 1305, 2005 and two from: 2335, 2345, 2315, 2355; those with interests in the oceanography discipline should choose EOS 1505, 2005 and two from: 2525, 2575, 2585, 2605, 2635.


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CORE COURSE SEQUENCE FOR PHYSICS MAJORS & MINORS: Students can begin their core physics courses in spring or fall. Sequence for students who begin by taking Physics 1130 in the spring:

Sequence for students who begin by taking Physics 1130 in the fall:

Students who take AP or IB Physics in high school and begin with Physics 1140 at Bowdoin can follow either sequence depending upon whether they begin Physics 1140 in fall or spring. Students may choose to take Physics 2150 before 2140 based on personal interest or scheduling preferences. Many non-core courses are offered on an alternate-year rotation. Students with great interest in a particular subject area should try to plan for these rotations. Faculty may be able to offer independent study supervision for rarely offered courses. Courses at the 3000 Level: In addition to the five required core courses, physics majors must take one 3000-level methods course (3000, 3010 or 3020) and three additional approved courses above the 1140 level. To fully prepare for graduate school in physics or engineering or to complete the requirements for honors work, students take four courses at the 3000 level and two additional courses at any level. Example Schedules: In order to complete the requirements for a Physics major and take advantage of the many worthwhile Physics courses, students often take multiple physics courses each semester. Each physics major chooses courses based on their particular interests in physics. Some students are more philosophical, some more experimental, and others highly mathematical. There is no single track for physics majors, but some example programs are shown on the next page.

Fall Course Spring Course Year 1 1130 Introductory Physics I Year 2 1140 Introductory Physics II 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity Year 3 2130 Fields and Circuits 2150 Statistical Physics

Fall Course Spring Course Year 1 1130 Introductory Physics I 1140 Introductory Physics II Year 2 2130 Fields and Circuits 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity Year 3 2150 Statistical Physics


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Example 1: an honors major1 who began the core sequence in the spring: Fall Course Spring Course

Year 1 Math 1600 1130 Introductory Physics I Math 1700

Year 2 1140 Introductory Physics II 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity Math 1800 2230 Modern Electronics

Year 3 2130 Fields and Circuits 2150 Statistical Physics 3000 Methods of Theoretical Physics 3010 Methods of Experimental Physics

Year 4 3140 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

2250 Physics of Solids

4050 Honors 3130 Electromagnetic Theory 4051 Honors

Example 2: A physics graduate school candidate2 who began the core sequence in the fall: Fall Course Spring Course

Year 1 1130 Introductory Physics I 1140 Introductory Physics II Math 1700 Math 1800

Year 2 2130 Fields and Circuits 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity Math 2208 Ordinary Differential

Equations Year 3 3000 Methods of Theoretical Physics 2150 Statistical Physics

2810 Atmospheric & Ocean Dynamics 3130 Electromagnetic Theory Year 4 3020 Methods of Computational

Physics 3120 Advanced Mechanics

2970 Independent Study Project 3810 The Physics of Climate Example 3: A student with advanced placement credit in physics and math: Fall Course Spring Course Year 1 1140 Introductory Physics II 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity

Math 181 Year 2 2130 Fields and Circuits 2150 Statistical Physics

3010 Methods of Experimental Physics Year 3 3000 Methods of Theoretical Physics 2250 Physics of Solids

3130 Electromagnetic Theory Year 4 3140 Introduction to Quantum

Mechanics 2260 Particles and Nuclei

3120 Advanced Mechanics 1 The additional required courses for the honors major are shown in shaded boxes. 2 Students who get a later start in the physics program and plan to go to graduate school can still be admitted to great graduate programs with fewer 300 level courses on their transcript. In that case, they should plan to take a few undergraduate courses to catch up in their first year in graduate school.


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Example 4: A pre-med3 physics major who began the core sequence in their second year: Fall Course Spring Course Year 2 1130 Introductory Physics I 1140 Introductory Physics II

Math 1800 1510 Stars and Galaxies Year 3 2130 Fields and Circuits 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity

3020 Methods of Computational Physics

Year 4 2240 Acoustics 2150 Statistical Physics Example 5: A physics and Spanish double major who studied abroad in junior year: Fall Course Spring Course Year 1 1130 Introductory Physics I 1140 Introductory Physics II

Math 100 Math 1800 Year 2 2130 Fields and Circuits 2220 Engineering Physics

3000 Methods of Theoretical Physics 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity Year 3 Study abroad year, could take some physics depending on country and language

ability. Year 4 2810 Atmospheric & Ocean Dynamics 2150 Statistical Physics

3010 Methods of Experimental Physics Example 6: A physics major intending to teach physical science at the high school level4 Fall Course Spring Course Year 1 Math 1600 1130 Introductory Physics I

(Chem 1109 or EOS 1105) Math 1700 Education 1101

Year 2 1140 Introductory Physics II 1510 Stars and Galaxies Education 2203 Math 1800 or Comp. Sci. 1101

Year 3 2130 Fields and Circuits 22140 Quantum Physics and Relativity (Chem 1109 or EOS 1105) 3010 Methods of Experimental Physics

Year 4 2240 Acoustics 2150 Statistical Physics Education 3301 & 33025 2260 Nuclear and Particle Physics

Education 3303 & 33046

3 This student would also take lots of biology and chemistry courses to fill the medical school admissions requirements. 4 This student would also need to take at least one course in Chemistry and one EOS course to satisfy the “Content Area” requirement for a Physical Sciences teacher. 5These courses must be taken together. (See Education Department section of the course catalogue.) 6 These are students teaching practicum and seminar, often taken after graduation. (See Education Department.)


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ENGINEERING PROGRAMS (3-2 OPTION; 4-2 OPTION) Bowdoin has 3-2 engineering program affiliations with Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, the California Institute of Technology, the University of Maine College of Engineering (open only to Maine residents), and Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering. The Columbia, CalTech, and Maine 3-2 programs require that a student complete the courses shown on the sample schedule (next page) in three years at Bowdoin. The student then applies to transfer to CalTech, Columbia, or Maine for the two years of the engineering program. This step requires the recommendation of the physics department chair and/or the department's 3-2 advisor to ensure that the student is well-prepared and is capable of succeeding in the engineering program. Currently Caltech invites students of superior academic achievement to apply and transfer into their 3-2 Program. Determination of acceptance is decided by the Caltech Upper-Class Admissions Committee. Admission to Columbia is guaranteed if the student takes the required Bowdoin courses and maintains a B+ (3.3 GPA) average. The University of Maine program is restricted to residents of Maine. Upon successful completion of the two years at the engineering school the student will receive the Bowdoin Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the engineering school. Note that as a transfer student, there is no fixed relationship between the financial aid being received from Bowdoin and any financial aid that may be offered from the engineering school. Students must apply for financial aid from the engineering school.

The 3-2 program at Dartmouth differs from the programs at Columbia, CalTech, and Maine in that the student completes his/her junior or senior year at Dartmouth as a part of the Twelve College Exchange Program. Upon successful completion of the senior year, the student receives the Bowdoin Bachelor of Arts degree in physics. The student may then apply for a fifth year at Dartmouth (admission to the fifth year at Dartmouth is guaranteed if the student has a C average or better during their first year at Dartmouth). Upon successful completion of the fifth year the student will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Dartmouth.

Acceptance into the 3-2 Dartmouth program is highly competitive and is limited to 25 students. Successful applicants normally have at least a B+ (3.3 GPA) average in their mathematics and science courses. If the student is receiving financial aid from Bowdoin, the aid continues to be from Bowdoin during the Twelve College Exchange year.


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More Options Columbia also offers a 4-2 option. Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Bowdoin can continue at Columbia for 2 years and graduate with a Master of Science degree in engineering from Columbia. Lastly, students may also apply as regular transfer students after 3 years at Bowdoin into any nationally recognized engineering program, earning only a degree from that engineering institution. It is important for students interested in the engineering programs to start planning early and be prepared to enroll in a rigorous course of study in the sciences and mathematics (see next page for sample schedule and requirements). Students interested in these programs should consult with Gary Miers, Laboratory Instructor in Physics (Searles Science Building - Room 125, Phone: 207 725 3506, [email protected]). Students are responsible for reviewing the web sites of the engineering schools regarding their deadlines and requirements for admission. http://www.seas.columbia.edu http://www.caltech.edu http://www.dartmouth.edu/thayer


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SUMMARY OF BOWDOIN’S COURSE DISTRIBUTION AND DIVISION REQUIREMENTS*

Distribution Requirements – 1 each Division Requirements – 1 each MCSR – Mathematical, Computational, Statistical Reasoning a – Natural Science and Mathematics INS – Inquiry in the Natural Sciences b – Social & Behavioral Sciences ESD – Exploring Social Differences c – Humanities IP – International Perspectives VPA – Visual and Performing Arts

*See Bowdoin College Catalog for complete details.

A SAMPLE SCHEDULE OF A STUDENT PARTICIPATING IN A 3-2 ENGINEERING PROGRAM MAY LOOK LIKE THE FOLLOWING**

1st Year

FALL 1. PHYS 1130(103)a MCSR, INS 2. MATH 1600(161)a MCSR 3. FIRST YEAR SEMINAR 4.

SPRING 1. PHYS 1140(104)a MCSR, INS 2. MATH 1700(171)a MCSR 3. 4.

2nd Year 1. PHYS 2130(223)a INS 2. MATH 1800(181)a MCSR 3. 4.

1. PHYS 2150(229)a 2. ECON 1101(101)b MCSR 3. 4.

3rd Year 1. PHYS 3000(300)a MCSR, INS 2. CS 1101(10)1a MCSR 3. 4.

1. CHEM 1109(109)a MCSR 2. 3. 4.

In addition to the above, students need to fulfill the following

to meet the distribution, division, and physics major requirements:

Distribution Division Physics Major 1 ESD 1 c Engineering courses 1 IP at Engineering School 1 VPA + at least 6 more non-science and non-math courses **Note that this is a sample schedule only and does not represent all possible schedules.

INDEPENDENT STUDY Intermediate Independent Study is offered at the 2100 level. The student and the faculty arrange topics. If the investigations concern the teaching of physics, this course may satisfy certain of the requirements for the Maine State Teacher’s Certificate. Prerequisite: a previous physics course at the 2100 level. Advanced independent study may be arranged by the student and the faculty. The prerequisite normally is a previous physics course at the 3000 level.


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HONORS In most years, we will have majors graduating with honors in physics. The requirements and guidelines for departmental honors are detailed in the next section. Summarized briefly, they include taking a few more physics courses than a regular major, and completing an honors project. The honors project is a research project in experimental, computational or theoretical physics, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member. In recent years, students in our department have completed projects in semiconductor physics, superconductivity and superfluidity, ultrasound, detector physics, quantum Hall effect, engineering physics, astrophysics, general relativity, elementary particle theory, as well as atmospheric and environmental physics. Several of these projects have resulted in journal publications and/or conference presentations. Students do not need to come up with a research project themselves. Instead, students interested in honors usually approach a faculty member. Faculty members will then suggest possible projects that fit well into their research programs, and are manageable given the student’s background. Honors students usually work on the honors project during their senior year. Often, students also spend the summer before their senior year at Bowdoin, supported by a research fellowship (see below for more information), and work with their supervisor on the research project. In some cases, an honors project may grow out of an REU project carried out elsewhere. Writing the honors thesis usually takes a good part of the spring semester. There is no particular deadline for signing up to do honors work. Some aspects, however, do have deadlines, such as the applications for research fellowships that provide summer support. Also keep in mind that some projects may require that you have taken certain classes, which may be offered irregularly. Therefore, you should discuss your interest in an honors project with a faculty member no later than the fall of your junior year. If you have a strong interest in a specific field, it is never too early to express this interest.

HONORS PROJECT GUIDELINES Course Requirements for Honors in Physics:

§ Physics 1130, 1140, 2130, 2140, 2150, 3000, 4050; § Mathematics 181; § Four additional physics courses, three of which must be at the advanced level

(numbered 3000-3999).

It is also possible to earn interdisciplinary honors, for which the course requirements are listed in the Bowdoin catalogue. In this case, a faculty member in either department may serve as the supervisor, but an initial research proposal has to be approved by both departments.


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The Honors Project: In addition to the course work, honors candidates complete an honors research project (and receive course credit for this work, Physics 4050/4051). Each research project is closely supervised by a faculty member, and often is part of an extended program of research by the faculty member. An honors project almost always constitutes original research; in some cases this research may result in a journal publication or a conference presentation. An important part of the honors project is the honors thesis; a written report on the research project that is due at the end of the spring semester (see below for a typical schedule). The report has to conform to the standard campus-wide formatting and submission requirements; details, as well as a host of resources for honors students, can be found at http://library.bowdoin.edu/services/services-for-honors-students/index.shtml. Candidates for honors in physics give an oral presentation on their research project at the end of the spring semester. These presentations are public, and are attended by faculty, students, and anybody else who is interested. Honors projects usually take the entire senior year, and sometimes get started even before the senior year (e.g. as summer research). In some cases it may be possible to complete an honors project in just one semester. Evaluation of Honors Projects: At the end of the spring semester the entire faculty in the department evaluates honors projects. The evaluation is based on both the honors thesis and the oral presentation. Key factors that affect the evaluation are the over-all quality and originality of the research, significance of the results, the student’s level of independence, as well as the written and oral presentation of the project.

Level of Honors: The department of physics and astronomy awards three levels of honors: Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors. The level of honors agreed upon by the department depends on both the evaluation of the honors project and the student’s course work in the department. Highest Honors will be awarded only to students who have an outstanding course record and have completed an exceptional honors project.

Typical Schedule of deadlines • Eleventh Monday of Spring Semester (usually the second Monday in April): Complete preliminary draft due to adviser for review • Thirteenth Monday (usually the fourth Monday in April):

Final draft due to department for faculty review

• Fourteenth Monday (usually the last Monday in April or the first Monday in May): Final draft returned to adviser, after faculty review

Discussion of student’s work by department faculty


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• Fourteenth Friday (usually the first Friday in May):

Final draft returned to student for final edits of honors thesis A 20-minute presentation to department faculty, students, other science faculty, parents, and visitors

• Fifteenth Wednesday (usually the second/third Wednesday in May):

Edited version due to adviser by noon. Level of honors voted by department faculty.

• Fifteenth Friday (usually the second/third Friday in May): Have 4 bound copies, including the original copy: One bound copy due in Physics Department office before noon

Provide another bound copy for the faculty adviser Deliver original bound copy to the Librarian in H-L on the same day Keep one copy.

• Sixteenth Monday (usually the third Monday in May): Level of honors announced by department faculty at the last College faculty meeting

RECENT HONORS PROJECTS

Daniel Palken, ’14 “Molding Phonons in Physical Detectors” [Msall] Soichi Hirokawa, ’14 “Yes, Photovoltaics are Effective in Maine: Measuring Power Production Along the Coast” [Msall] Alexander Edison, ’13 “Group-Theory Constraints on Color-Ordered Amplitudes in Non-Abelian Gauge Theories” [Naculich] Helen White, ’13 “Gravity Darkening and Brightening in Binary Stars” [Baumgarte] Michelle Burns, ’12 “Design, Construction and Calibration of a System to Precisely Measure Mechanical Properties of Mutable Collagenous Tissue and Connecting to Models of Viscoelastic Materials” [Syphers] Noah Kent, ’12 “Experimentally Observing the Onset of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect as a Function of Temperature” [Syphers]

Michael Patrick Mcgrath Mitchell, ’11 “Computer Modeling of Surface Acoustic Waves on water Loaded Surfaces” [Msall]

Alexa Nitzan Staley, ’11 “The Oppenheimer-Snyder Dust Cloud Collapse in Moving-Puncture Coordinates” [Baumgarte] John Philip Wendell,’11 “Modeling the Evolution of a Schwarzchild Black Hole in Five Spacetime Dimensions” [Baumgarte}


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Michael James Eldridge, ’10 “Maximal Slices of Slowly Rotating Black Holes” [Baumgarte]

Jason David Immerman, ’10 “A Novel Approach to Constructing Black Hole Puncture Initial Data” [Baumgarte]

Matthew Palmer Kwan, ’10 “Observing Surface Acoustic Waves in Crystals” [Msall] Morgan MacLeod, ’09 "The Merger of White Dwarf-Neutron Star Binaries” [Baumgarte] Andrew DeBenedictus, ’08 “Superstring Tension in the Presence of an Orientifold Plane” [Naculich] Keith Matera, ’08 “Shells around Black Holes: The Effect of Freely-specifiable Variables on the Constraint Equations of General Relativity” [Baumgarte] Benjamin Ripman, ’07 "Level-Rank Duality of twisted D-branes of the Sô(2n)2k Wess-Zumino-Witten Model" [Naculich] Eric Sofen, ’07 “A Study of Gases in Arctic and Antarctic Firn” [Battle] Ian Alexander Morrison, ’05 “Black Hole - Neutron Star Binaries in General Relativity: Effects of Black Hole Rotation” [Baumgarte] Ricardo Schmid, ’05 “Phonon Propagation in GaN” [Msall] Jonelle Walsh, ’05 “A Chandra Study of Abell 85” [Kempner] William Lathrop Klemm, ’04 “A Matrix Model Approach to the Calculation of Wilson Loops in SU(2) Gauge Theory” [Naculich] Aaron Lee Donohoe, ’03 “Biases in Inferred Inter-annual Variability of Atmospheric CO2 Due to Selective Sampling of Transport Models” [Battle] George Taylor Hubbard, Jr., ’03 “Inferring Temperature Records from Phenology Data by means of Time Series Analysis” [Battle]

Andrew Morris Knapp, ’03 “The Quasi-Equilibrium Approximation for Binary Inspiral: Analytical and Numerical Model Calculations in Scalar Gravity” [Baumgarte]

Monica Lynn Skoge, ’03 “Numerical Models of Black Hole-Neutron Star Binaries” [Baumgarte] Nicholas David Lyford, ’02 “Effects of Differential Rotation on the Maximum Mass of Neutron Stars” [Baumgarte]


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John K.L. Thorndike, ’02 “The Calculation of Wilson Loops Using the Non-Abelian and Abelian Stokes’s Theorems” [Naculich] Brian Nicholas Mohr, ’01, “Bolometric Phonon Detectors” [Msall]

Patrick Ryan Thompson, ’01, “AC Resistance and Thermal Relaxation Times in Nickel Wires” [Turner]

Sean N. Raymond, ’99, “Investigations of the Cosmological Constant” [Turner] Lauren G. Bernheim ’98, “Structural Analysis of a Rotating Spherical Truss” [Syphers] Matthew M. Engler ’98, “Angular Correlation of Gamma Rays from the Nucleus 178Hf” [Emery]

John R. Pavan ’98, “Trajectories of Dilatons and Axions in a Brans-Dicke Background” [Naculich]

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Physics majors are encouraged to apply for student jobs as graders, tutors, and summer research assistants. Occasionally an office assistant is needed. The pay scale currently is $9.50 per hour. The introductory courses are offered every semester, and students serve as graders and tutors. Graders may also be hired for other physics courses with large enrollments. Job descriptions for all jobs are available in the department office. Students who would like to apply for a position should speak to the department coordinator, Emily Briley. Students who are interested in future work may apply at any time.

SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAMS Every year the department receives information about a large number of summer research programs and internships available to physics students. There are a great variety of programs -- research in lasers and optics, or astronomy, or materials, or condensed matter, for example. In recent years, Bowdoin students have done summer undergraduate research in atomic physics at the University of Washington in Seattle, nuclear physics at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, and condensed matter physics at the University of Oklahoma. Some programs are especially for women physics students; some are limited to juniors, or seniors, or US citizens.


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Application deadlines for these programs fall throughout the year. Many are due by January 1st, so students must plan ahead and apply before winter break. Most applications require letters of recommendation from faculty members. Students who ask a faculty member to write a letter of recommendation should allow at least two weeks before the letter is due to be mailed. Students are encouraged to visit the physics website; within the “For Majors” tab there is a “Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities” link. Announcements are received throughout the year and added to the website.

Useful websites: http://www.aps.org/jobs http://www.aip.org/ http://www.air.org/education/sps/programs/programs.htm http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm.reu/start.htm

FELLOWSHIPS A number of Bowdoin-internal student fellowships are available to support research projects. More information, including a list of different funding opportunities, deadlines and application procedures can be found at http://www.bowdoin.edu/student-fellowships/index.shtml. Part of each application is a letter from a faculty member who supports the application and will supervise the student’s research. Typically, the application deadlines are in February, i.e. soon after the winter break. It is important to allow for enough time to put together a sound research proposal. Therefore, students interested in on-campus summer research should discuss these interests with faculty members in the fall semester.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT FOR PHYSICS COURSES

Students planning on taking introductory physics courses elsewhere need to obtain approval for transfer of credit prior to taking the course. Please refer to the Office of the Registrar for appropriate forms: http://www.bowdoin.edu/registrar/forms-policies.shtml#stu-forms.

If the student has already enrolled in, or completed, a course elsewhere, College policy states the student must petition the Recording Committee in order to have credit transferred. In order to transfer credit for physics courses, the course needs to be calculus-based and must have a significant lab component. For more details, please contact the Physics Department Chair.

APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL The department office receives graduate school information, which are posted on-line in the “For Majors” section of the departmental website. Another excellent reference in the department office is The Directory of Graduate Programs in Physics and Astronomy, published by the American Institute of Physics.


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Students should feel free to talk with any member of the department for information about graduate schools. Applications usually require a short essay by the applicant and three letters of recommendation. Please request your letters at least two full weeks in advance, preferably longer, since faculty are often deluged with requests for letters at a very busy time of the academic year. GRADUATE RECORD EXAMS (GREs) Most graduate programs in physics require both the general and the physics subject GRE tests, which most students take in the fall of their senior year. The physics subject test is currently offered in September, October, and April, with registration deadlines approximately one month prior to the exam. If asked, Prof. Stephen Naculich will assist students in preparation for the physics subject GRE. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Students need letters of recommendation from faculty members for a variety of purposes, including Bowdoin-based or national fellowships, REU programs, and applications for graduate schools. Some students request letters of recommendation from Bowdoin faculty years after they graduate. When deciding whom to ask for a letter of recommendation, think about who knows you best, and hence who can write the most detailed letter; such a letter will carry the most weight. This might be a professor with whom you have worked on a research project or a professor from your more recent and more advanced classes. Also take into account that writing a second letter for the same student is a lot easier than writing the first letter. Therefore avoid asking a new professor for each new letter.

In order to help faculty members write a supportive letter you should make an appointment, well in advance of the deadlines, to talk about the programs that you are planning to apply to, and about how they fit into your broader plans and aspirations. Compile a complete list of these programs, together with their deadlines, information on how the letter is supposed to be submitted (web-form, e-mail, or paper copy), and any other specific and relevant information. Complete any application forms, electronic or paper copies, as far as possible. If documents or letters need to be mailed, supply addressed envelopes.

ADVISING Students must declare a major and choose an advisor in the middle of their 2nd year. Physics majors are invited to choose their own advisors from the department faculty. Students often choose an advisor who they’ve enjoyed in a class or whose research area they find particularly interesting. While final approval for a course schedule is only given by the advisor, students are welcome to solicit advice on course selection from any faculty members.


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Students can enroll in Physics 1130 (Introductory Physics I) concurrently with Mathematics 1600. We encourage first year students who concurrently enroll in 1130 and Math 1600, or any students concerned about their level of mathematical preparation, to make themselves known to the course instructor. Some proactive attention is often all that is needed to help students with less mathematical background succeed in physics. All science majors are required to take Physics 1130, and many science majors also require Physics 1140 (Introductory Physics II). Advanced placement credit is available for students with qualifying scores on the AP exam. Students who have a strong background in Mechanics but no AP scores can be placed in Physics 1140 after consultation with the physics faculty. However, such students do not get credit for Physics 1130 and may need to take Physics 2130 (Electric Fields and Circuits) to satisfy major requirements for two semesters of laboratory physics. Students who plan to apply for graduate school are especially encouraged to share these plans with their advisors during their junior and senior years. DEPARTMENT RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS The department office is in Searles room 319. The office is usually open from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm. The department coordinator is Emily Briley, extension 3308, [email protected]. The physics website (bowdoin.edu/physics) has a section devoted to resources for our majors. There we compile current, regularly-updated information regarding graduate schools, paid summer research opportunities and permanent job openings. Homework solution sets for some courses are available for review in the departmental office (after the homework has been collected) as well as displayed near the homework boxes; students are encouraged to review the solutions to confirm their understanding of the material. The department offers free twice-weekly tutoring sessions for Introductory Physics I (PHYS 1130). PHYSICS CLUB The Bowdoin chapter of the Society of Physics Students is open to all students. The student leaders organize events where faculty and staff may join students for conversation. Club meetings are held occasionally throughout each semester to plan special events, guest speakers, and field trips.


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GEDANKEN LAB Searles 322 is a study room for physics majors. This lab is equipped with a number of PCs running the Linux operating system and a printer. Please contact physics dept. coordinator Emily Briley ([email protected]) if you wish card access to the room. The Gedanken Lab is a lab for Gedanken (thought) experiments. Einstein used such hypothetical experiments to clarify the implications of his theories.

FACULTY PROFILES

Mark Battle I am an experimental scientist whose present research crosses lots of boundaries. I study the controls on the composition of the atmosphere. How much CO2 was in the atmosphere 100 years ago? How much will there be in the future? Where does the CO2 that doesn't stay in the atmosphere go? What about CH4? What happens to N2O when it is released? As an undergraduate, I majored in physics and clarinet performance. As a graduate student, my focus was experimental high-energy physics, and my dissertation work was on semi-leptonic decays of the b-quark. When I finished graduate school, I changed directions substantially. Since then, I've been working on what some would call "biogeochemistry". I study the way in which carbon moves through the environment from one reservoir to another. I've also done some work with other compounds, such as N2O and CFCs. Most of this work relates to greenhouse warming and anthropogenic environmental change (with all of its political implications), but some of it is simply to satisfy my curiosity In all cases, the research requires time in the lab and in the field, often in Antarctica, Greenland or Central Massachusetts. I build devices for collecting samples. I use them to collect samples, and then analyze the samples I have collected. Interpreting the data is also part of the work, and usually involves computer models of the natural systems I am trying to understand. Thomas Baumgarte My field of research is relativistic astrophysics and numerical relativity. “Relativistic astrophysics” means that I study applications and effects of Einstein's general relativity that are important in astronomy; “numerical relativity” means that I study these effects by


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developing computer programs that can solve Einstein’s equations of general relativity on the computer. One important goal of my field of research has been to predict the so-called gravitational waves that are emitted by pairs of black holes, in the hope that these signals will soon be picked up by the new gravitational wave detectors that are currently being constructed in the US, Europe and Japan. More recently I have focused on the development of numerical methods that are suitable for the simulation of single, relativistic stars. Future applications of these methods include the gravitational collapse of relativistic stars, and in particular fully relativistic simulations of supernova collapse.

Madeleine Msall I am an experimental physicist. My research centers on the vibrational properties of solids and the transfer of energy between the vibrational and electronic modes. My particular expertise is the study of anisotropic (highly direction dependent) energy flow using phonon imaging techniques. A phonon image is a map of the energy flux pattern for a crystal after vibrational energy has been deposited in a small area. The symmetry of a phonon image is a reflection of the underlying crystalline symmetry. Careful analysis of the image structures provides a wealth of information about vibrational properties and energy transport, leading to applications in fields as diverse as materials testing and astrophysics. Recent projects include measurements of thermal transport in materials used in the CRESST and CDMS dark matter detectors and of the interaction of ultrasound with electrons in exotic quantum Hall states. Students in my lab have the opportunity to work with high frequency ultrasound, high power lasers, cryogenic systems (down to 2K), computer assisted data acquisition and modeling, and thin film patterning and deposition technology.

Stephen Naculich

My area of research is the theory of elementary particles, whose aim is to understand the smallest constituents of matter and the forces between them: electromagnetism, the weak force, the strong nuclear force, and gravity. The first three of these forces (but not gravity) are well understood within the framework of quantum field theory, which describes the interactions of point-like particles such as quarks and leptons. These theories also encompass various non-point-like objects, such as cosmic strings, magnetic monopoles, gluon flux tubes, and various other types of solitons. Much of my research has focused on the existence and properties of these more exotic objects in field theory. A major goal of my field is to find a unified theory of all the forces of nature. Apparently a framework more general than field theory is needed to describe the force of gravity. Within the last twenty years, a possible candidate for this role, superstring theory, has emerged. This theory, the only known quantum theory that incorporates gravity, posits that at the smallest scale everything is made, not of point-like particles, but of tiny loops of vibrating string. It also predicts that space-time is inherently ten-dimensional (rather than four-dimensional). In my research, I am studying relations between different string theories, the question of how non-gravitational forces arise in these theories, and of what happens to the extra dimensions predicted by string theory.


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Dale Syphers I am an experimental condensed-matter physicist. My research is often on electronic conduction in systems where the conduction takes place in a restricted dimensionality or restricted geometry, which is a multi-syllabic way of saying they are often confined to a plane, a line, a cylinder, or some other geometric/topological form. The host materials are usually either semiconductors or superconductors, and the experiments are often done at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. The main probe I use to study these systems is electronic transport, monitoring currents and voltages on the samples. Since many of these experiments frequently concern electronic devices and can be quite complex due to the temperature and magnetic field requirements, I also have become interested in studies on room-temperature analogs to some novel electronic devices that could be made with these restricted-geometry systems. Karen Topp I am a scientist because I love learning how things work, especially by hands-on experience. My Ph.D. from Cornell is in experimental low-temperature solid-state physics, but I branched out after that, doing a post-doc in medical ultrasound research. My focus is now on teaching, and in both lectures and labs I hope to convey the enthusiasm I felt as a student in figuring out the fundamental principles that seem to govern the physical universe. It still amazes me that someone with a basic understanding of physics can begin to explain the nature of things -- from the cosmic scale to the sub-atomic, from food science to music. To me, being a physicist is mostly to enjoy being curious.

STAFF PROFILES

Emily Briley I organize the student graders and tutors for the department, as well as keeping the administrative side of the department running smoothly. I graduated from Ball State University in Indiana with a major in English Education and a minor in Speech Communication and Theater Education. I am a pop culture geek and an Anglophile. I read a lot of fiction and occasionally write a bit as well. I love the gorgeous Maine winters and never tire of snow, though I prefer to enjoy it through the window from the warmth of my couch. Ken Dennison I grew up nearby in Freeport and majored in astrophysics and math at Williams. I then earned an M.S. in physics from Cornell where I was a teaching assistant for introductory physics courses. Watching physics come to life in the lab is fun, and I hope my students enjoy lab as much as I enjoy teaching it. When I'm not teaching, I like to work on research projects with Professor Baumgarte, and occasionally find some time to read novels.


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Ben King When not working in the physics machine shop, I work for a family business designing, building and distributing physics education kits, displays and experiments. This, and several years working in a physics lab, has given me a wide range of experience in the construction, repair and maintenance of all sorts of equipment. I enjoy the challenges of this type of work and appreciate the opportunity to hone and expand my skills while working here at Bowdoin.

Gary Miers I am a Mechanical Engineer who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette College. After an incredible twenty year engineering career that allowed me to engineer really cool stuff and to work with amazing engineers and scientists in Spain, Germany, and Brazil, I began teaching high school physics and chemistry. My teaching career culminated when I started teaching the Introductory Physics Labs and Electric Fields and Circuits Labs here at Bowdoin. The lab provides the perfect venue for students to enhance their data collection and analysis skills and to utilize hands-on experiments that further their understanding of the physics concepts that are presented in lecture. When not teaching I am always looking for books t0 add to my extensive rare book collection.

Bob Stevens

I build and repair apparatus to support the research and instructional needs of the College. I enjoy the work here, and I am interested in finding ways to provide some hands-on experiences for students. When students or other visitors wander down to the shop, I am very pleased to discuss the many interesting things that can be done here. My time spent away from this shop is filled with keeping up with the activities of my wife and two daughters. When we want to get away from it all, we go camping, canoeing, and fishing. In the winter, on a sunny day after a storm when the snow will pack, you may find us creating strange creatures at the end of our driveway.

Elise Weaver

I fell in love with Astronomy around age six, and have never looked back. In the pursuit of being an observational astronomer, I have a Master’s in Engineering Physics from Appalachian State University in the mountains of North Carolina--a place where I could learn to teach astronomy on one of the finest undergraduate arrays in the country and do astronomical research, all while learning about modern electronics and systems automation. I also have a long history of working with the public in both astronomy and physics outreach. Nothing makes me happier than showing people the night sky. My work here at Bowdoin is a bit more terrestrial. In addition to teaching Introductory Physics labs, my primary work is in the Electric Fields and Circuits labs teaching analog electronics and in the upper level Methods of Experimental Physics lab, where I get to branch out into all fields of physics. Because I am a generalist, all sorts of interesting projects cross my desk, including consulting on fine arts installations and computer science projects involving Arduinos. In my spare time, I work with children at the local elementary school doing science outreach, experiment with devices controlled by microcontrollers or some other gadgetry, and fiddle with the department’s telescopes. Why major in physics?


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What are the goals of the Physics Department for physics majors?

What should our physics majors have accomplished?

Thoughts from the Physics Department faculty: DALE SYPHERS

What are our goals for the physics majors? When I think about my goals for physics majors, I tend to focus on how we determine what we can understand about the physical world. These goals seem to divide themselves into two areas: 1) learning concepts and processes that apply to the physical world, many of which can be useful outside of physics as well, and 2) the mathematical and physical tools that allow us to relate our concepts about how things work to the observable physical world. Under the first category, I think important goals are:

• to understand the role of uncertainty, and what limits what you can know about a physical quantity

• to understand the inter-relatedness of the different fields of physics, and the unifying concepts

• to be able to generalize concepts and apply them to new situations • to become familiar with counter-intuitive phenomena and their analysis, and to

understand what this teaches • to understand the implications of concepts, physical laws, etc. and be trained how

to look for them. Taken together, understanding these concepts and processes teaches not just about the physical world itself, but also about a mode of thinking that is very valuable in analyzing virtually any situation.

Under the second category, important goals are:

• to understand how something is proven, and what the limitations are on our knowledge

• to be able to mathematically model a physical situation • to be able to use experimental equipment to determine a physical quantity • to become fluent in the language of mathematics through physical applications.

Understanding these tools and structures, and being able to use them, provides the link with the concepts and processes described above to be able to identify what we can understand about the physical world, and how we know it.

MADELEINE MSALL

Why major in physics?


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Students should major in physics because it is exciting and intellectually challenging. Physics majors enjoy discovering how things happen and speculating about why things happen. What should our physics majors have accomplished? An undergraduate physics major is an introduction to the analytical and experimental tools of a professional physicist. It should result in an appreciation of the power and beauty of those tools. Physics majors should be able to approach new problems confidently, identify general features of these problems, apply appropriate methods to their solutions, and communicate the consequences of such solutions effectively. Many of our students will not become professional physicists, but they should be able to apply their problem solving skills in any career. What are the goals of the Physics Department for physics majors? A physics major at Bowdoin should include a rigorous introduction to the mathematics and physics common to all subfields of physics within the framework of a strong liberal arts education. Thus, a physics major should include upper level courses in the humanities as well as upper level courses in mathematics and physics. A student majoring in physics at Bowdoin should have the opportunity for intense research experiences and concentrated study in a specific field, but such opportunities are not the focus of liberal arts education. A strong preparation for advanced work, coupled with general intellectual growth and good scholarship is our goal.

STEPHEN NACULICH Why, how, what? If you are interested in questions such as "Why is the sky blue?", "How does electricity work?", "What are quarks?", "How do superconductors behave?", and "Why is the universe curved?", then you should consider a major in physics. Physics asks fundamental questions such as these about the natural world, and teaches us how to study them experimentally and to model them mathematically. But more than just learning how the world works, physics majors learn an approach to problem solving. Faced with an unknown situation, they learn how to determine the relevant parameters, how to construct a quantitative model incorporating those parameters, and then how to analyze that model. It is these broad skills that make a physics training valuable not only to those who wish to pursue graduate study in physics, but also to those going into fields such as engineering, medicine and medical research, finance, and business consulting.

MARK BATTLE

Physics: why study it? If you look at my Faculty Profile, you'll see that what I do now doesn't really fall under the rubric of "physics" by most definitions. In fact, my last two positions have been in a Department of Geosciences and a School of Oceanography. However, my credibility and ability as a scientist came from training in physics. What I have been able to bring to my new field is eminently transportable and fundamental to


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all of science. As a physicist, you learn to formulate questions, design methods for answering those questions (both theoretical and experimental) and then apply those methods to come up with an answer. I think that physics prepares you particularly well for this because the systems you study are, by design, extremely simple: a frictionless pulley with a massless string, a single particle trapped in a box, a vibrating crystal. You don't spend your time worrying about whether the pulley is aluminum, brass or steel. Instead, you concentrate on the essence of the system. You take a few underlying rules (such as F = MA) and you learn how to mentally strip down a complicated system until you can apply these rules. In the course of studying physics, you build equipment to test your hypotheses. You learn mathematical techniques for solving the equations you have used to describe your system. You become familiar with statistical tools for dealing with the uncertainties inherent in the measurements you make. You grasp the few underlying rules that govern the way nature works at a fundamental level. But most importantly, you are trained to look at a problem with an inquisitive attitude, and say to yourself "How can I reduce this to a problem that is tractable, given the tools at my disposal?" Or "What tools do I need to have to find an answer to this puzzle?" What physicists offer (and share with the really good thinkers in all scientific fields), is an analytic approach that cuts to the essence of a problem. Now I'm really prepared to answer my rhetorical question. Physics allows one to appreciate the world far more profoundly, whether researching the controls on the greenhouse effect, or simply typing a message at a computer. Consider the latter: as I type this document, I understand how the computer works. I'm not referring the details of the software. I mean that I understand the way that electrons travel to strike the screen. Or the way the atoms on the screen excite and reradiate energy so that I can see different colors. Or the way energy is delivered to the computer through the electromagnetic field surrounding the power lines between me and the generating plant. When you simplify a system, you can really learn something about the underlying nature of our universe. And when you understand the details, you can better appreciate the richness of the splendid, complex entity that is a planet, a computer, a cell, a molecule or an atom. It doesn’t get much better than this!

THOMAS BAUMGARTE

Why major in physics? When you were singing "twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are" -- were you really wondering? If so, you should consider majoring in physics (and taking a class in astrophysics.)

Physics is a fascinating subject. You will learn about the most fundamental laws of nature, and will explore how they govern phenomena ranging from the interaction of the elementary particles to the evolution of the universe itself. In the process you will develop problem-solving skills -- you will learn how to separate unimportant details from


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the fundamental issues and how to reduce an overwhelmingly complicated problem to a well-defined and solvable one. In fact, what I like best about physics is the way it reveals the beauty and elegance of our mathematical description of nature. Ultimately, physics allows us to understand the physical processes that perhaps you have wondered about before: Why is the sky blue? Why does a violin sound different from a piano? Why does an iceberg float? And why does the little star twinkle like a diamond in the sky?? In addition to being a fascinating subject, physics has the benefit of opening the door to a large variety of future career paths. Academic careers, teaching and positions in scientific labs are obvious possibilities, but the problem solving skills that physics majors acquire are highly valued in various different branches of business as well.

NOTES FROM OUR PHYSICS GRADS Studying physics taught me how to sit down with a level head and use available resources in a strategic manner to solve difficult problems. Often times it required collaboration with other classmates to achieve that common end. The physics faculty have instilled in me the confidence and poise to problem solve which I can apply to many different aspects of my life. — Jay

Physics has taught me how to look at a problem from many angles. The “What if” question has sprung out of the lab and into the office. What helps recent graduates excel is the ability to anticipate the next step. It’s about thinking what might happen before it does and then preparing for it. — Eleni I have loved being a physics major at Bowdoin because of the fun and challenging courses I have taken with my fellow classmates. The small size of the department allowed me to really get to know the other physics majors, as well as the faculty and staff. —Melissa Bowdoin helped me make my dream of attending medical school a reality, and I was even able to get into quite a good school. Also, when during the second half of my time at Bowdoin I became very interested in physics and decided to pursue the physics major onto of the biochemistry major that I already had, I was able to fit all my classes in and the physics department sported a great set of engaging, brilliant physicists. I think my decision to pursue the physics major, even more than my choice to attend medical school, has changed my life for the better. The fact that Bowdoin is so strong in the biology/chemistry departments, and has such great teachers in the physics department, really made my time at Bowdoin eye opening. Whenever I had an


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intellectual passion, I was able to pursue it and get the courses I wanted, it was fantastic. — Max Environmental consulting and regulatory work is a mix of policy and science. I've found that having a technical background is very much a benefit in the environmental field. When I first graduated -- with a double major in physics and government -- and had little experience, it was my background in physics that helped me into my first positions. The ability to be analytical, whether it's in reviewing regulations, considering pollution control technology or structuring projects, has truly been an asset. — Jessica My physics classes trained me to systematically approach and solve questions and problems that I have faced in both specific job situations and general life experience. For someone who is not necessarily pursuing a career in physics, it is still a very useful liberal art major because it assures acquaintance with current scientific thought as well as the scientific method in general. – Ben

Most analytical jobs on Wall Street are now going to MBA graduates, but I emphasized my physics major as a viable substitute. Actually not as a substitute, but an advantage because the problem solving approaches and techniques are applicable. In the long run the thought process that I’ve developed through physics will be advantageous (in addition to understanding some of the technology better.) — Mike Coming into Bowdoin I was unsure of what I wanted to study, however as a senior I am very satisfied and glad I chose physics. The physics staff and curriculum have challenged me and thoroughly developed me as a student, all in a helpful and overall enjoyable manner. — Stuart

Physics studies at Bowdoin have proven valuable in my neuroscience research. The brain is just a massive neural network for processing and storing information. Unraveling it requires a solid science background and the type of analytical thinking acquired in studying physics — Bob

Although I never thought I would admit it, Physics 300 probably was the best preparation for Penn that Bowdoin provided. Not in the specifics, but rather in helping me to get in gear to handle weekly structures problem sets. It has given me a distinct advantage over a good many of my classmates. — Mark In nearly every job I’ve had, my understanding of physics and problem solving has played an overarching role in being successful. While I am never an expert in a given field, my ability to connect the efforts of multiple specialties helps guide the work of others. I would do it again. — John


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handbook for physics majors - bowdoin college 14-15 final.pdf · year 2 1140 introductory physics...

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