Re: grade inflation, etc.

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@HEP.ANL.GOV>]

        Yes, I think you are missing a great deal, and indulging yourself
in hyperbole with respect to the names that you mention.  Here, for
example, is Brittanica's comment on Darwin:


" The founder of the modern theory of evolution was Charles Darwin.
The son and grandson of physicians, he enrolled as a medical student at
the University of Edinburgh. After two years, however, he left to study
at Cambridge University and prepare to become a clergyman. He was
not an exceptional student, but he was deeply interested in natural
history. On Dec. 27, 1831, a few months after his graduation from
Cambridge, he sailed as a naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle on a
round-the-world trip that lasted until October 1836. Darwin was often
able to disembark for extended trips ashore to collect natural specimens."

   Note, first, that he was accepted at both institutions.  Note, second,
that he did not achieve fame either as a physician or a clergyman.  Note,
third, that somebody thought enough of him to take him aboard HMS Beagle,
a naval vessel, as a Naturalist {not as an able-bodied seaman).  Note,
fourth, that "not an exceptional student" is a phrase that has a wide
range of possible meanings.  My goodness!

  What you tell me about your "top physicists" leads me to suspect that
they can't express themselves in writing.  Physics is a form of
communication, and the ability to express one's self in writing is an
vital part of being a "top physicist".

 The grades that you give your students should ultimately represent
you warranty as to their ability to "perform physics".  If this is
not the case, then it is unlikely that I would want to hire any of
your graduates to work in a physics/engineering environment, or
recommend them for admission to my alma mater.  That's because there
are many students whose high grades are meaningful predictors of
their future performance.

 But if your students are not fluent in written English, don't send
them around.
                                Regards,
                                   Jack

Adam was by constitution and proclivity a scientist; I was the same, and
we loved to call ourselves by that great name...Our first memorable
scientific discovery was the law that water and like fluids run downhill,
not up.
                          Mark Twain, <Extract from Eve's Autobiography>

On Tue, 4 Jan 2000, Digby Willard wrote:

> In particular, I've noticed for several years that many of my top
> physicists don't earn A's in my course.  This is because lab work counts
> toward their grade, and they often don't write up the labs.
>
> This doesn't mean that they're lazy.  The students I'm thinking of do the
> labs...in fact, they usually get their lab partners through with superior
> results.  They show extraordinary curiosity and often do labs on their own,
> and study physics topics independently.  They seek extra challenge put a
> great deal of extra time into the study of physics.  Their test scores are
> excellent to amazing.  They love physics and they're really good at it.
> They just don't see any point in writing up the lab for my judgment when
> they already understand the lab.
>
> It's not just my students, either.  There was a posting about Banting, the
> Nobel laureate, and his lousy grades (I deleted it by mistake).  His lousy
> grades were taken as evidence of the superior standards of his time.  But I
> think there's another point that's missing here:  the great scientists
> often have lousy academic records.
>
> Darwin was pretty much out-and-out told he was useless for anything.
> Einstein had trouble at just about every level, and wound up in the patent
> office partly because he couldn't get recommendations.  Galileo got in
> constant trouble with professors for challenging Aristotelian physics.
> Schwinger flunked a chemistry course.  James Watson, if I recall correctly,
> was exempted from his university's doctoral requirement in organic
> chemistry after he almost blew up the lab.  Newton wasn't considered any
> good academically until he beat up the class bully and decided to beat him
> in school as well.  After that, he made himself number one
> academically...but only paid enough attention to his schoolwork to stay
> number one, and spent the rest of the time playing with toys.  Mendel
> wanted to be a science teacher, but flunked the exam....   The more I read,
> the longer the list gets.
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> Am I missing something here?
>
>
>
> Digby Willard