Re: profs

[Sue Ramlo <R1SER@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU>]

On Thu, 26 Sep 1996 04:59:24 +0000 Trappe said:
> Joel's suggestion of using Enginering profs to teach physics is closer to
> reality than our smirks may allow us to consider.  I suggested at this
> summer's Professional Concerns Committee meeting of AAPT that this was an
> issue worth addressing, since the summer Invited Session of the
> Professional Concerns Committee was centered of the effects of downsizing.
>
> Historically, Engineering Departments have rattled their chains and
> threatened to teach our courses for us, but disdained the task of weeding
> out their own students (It was more pleasant to let us be the unpopular
> instructors).  As food for the grist:  Our Electrical Engineering School
> admits 500 freshmen into the program.  There are 64 slots in senior EE lab.
> Something must cause 80-90% to "change their minds."  Perhaps a Physics
> course would do it.................
>
> Karl

I have a couple of comments on this.  First of all, I avoid hiring part-time
physics instructors who have their degrees in engineering (except for one part
timer who went back to school and has been teaching high school physics for 6
years).  Engineers like to convert physics to their "own world" with different
symbols, etc.  I think the engineer who teaches physics well is more of an exce
ption than the norm.

Secondly, due to the poor job market for physicists, it's a lot easier to find
physics profs (to teach physics) than to find engineers to teach physics.  I
find it hard to believe that engineering departments would want to hire enginee
rs to solely teach physics (what would be the point?)

Sue Ramlo
Community & Technical College
at The University of Akron