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[Phys-L] Re: SACS question



Our astronomy course has a physics prefix. It has always been taught by
a physicist. Currently I am the one teaching it. We are accredited by
the North Central Association and they have never questioned this.

I have been an amateur astronomer for a long time, and have built
several telescopes Thus, even though my thesis work was in the area of
nuclear physics, I had a lot of experience with the night sky and with
telescopes before I started teaching astronomy, so there was no problem
there. With a nuclear physics background, coming up to speed on star
evolution was easy and I might do as good or better of a job on that
than someone with an astronomy degree. I had to learn a bit more about
planet evolution.

Frankly, anyone who got an astronomy degree more than 10 or 15 years
ago, and has mostly taught since then, would have to do the same
self-training I did.

It is interesting that there is a different view in chemistry.
Inorganic chemistry is taught by an inorganic chemist, and likewise for
organic, physical, and analytical. If you want an ACS-approved program
you minimally have to have a faculty member in each of those four areas;
even at a small university like mine. But in a small university there
seems to be an understanding that a PhD in physics can teach astronomy,
mechanics, optics, thermodynamics, etc. regardless of the thesis
specialty.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu
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