Re: [Phys-l] Graduation gift ideas

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

If you think they will be doing any teaching a copy of Arons "Teaching
Introductory Physics" would be very appropriate.  It also is a good book as
a refresher for things like qualifying exams because it spells out some of
the common misconceptions and how students think.  This could be very
valuable.  And or course there are any number of popular books about science
and bios which could be added to the list.

This is in a way a very personal gift, so you really need to know the person
well.  Many students now a days don't read much for fun, so that might be a
problem.  A one year student subscription to the AAPT might be a nice thing,
and TPT has many popular articles while AJP has more in depth physics.  Of
course they might already have a subscription.

But perhaps just a sympathy card might be appropriate.  In the old days I
would have appreciated a nice pair of work gloves to help with hauling led
bricks!

John M. Clement
Houston, TX 

> I was recently asked to recommend gift ideas for a soon-to-be 
> graduate of a
> physics program who is headed to pursue a PhD.  I believe her
> interests/graduate work will either be on optics or something 
> related to
> angular momentum (information was passed to me second-hand by a
> non-physicist).  I came up with a bunch of books that sounded 
> interesting,
> and I suppose a nice gyroscope is fitting, but I was 
> wondering if any list
> members had any other non-book suggestions, or could 
> recommend a "nice"
> gyroscope, whatever that is.
>
> No suggestion is too crazy!