Re: [Phys-l] Getting more physics classes offered...

[Marty Weiss <martweiss@comcast.net>]

On Feb 8, 2009, at 11:09 AM, B. Esser wrote:

> I second what Marty recommends. When I started at my current school  
> (630
> students all girls) we had 1 physics class. We now have 8 first year
> classes and 2 second year classes.
>
> In addition to the "Wall" that Marty suggests I have former students  
> come
> back and talk to my classes. Last year a mechanical engineer alum  
> who is
> working for Rolls Royce came and talked about her experiences and  
> travel
> while working on the F136 engine. Another physics grad came and talked
> about her graduate studies in biophysics.
An interesting side note about the *Wall*.  In all the years I had it  
I also posted the names of all the seniors for that year and where  
they were accepted to college on the door to my room.   And, in all  
those years, no one EVER vandalized the *Wall* or the *College Door*.   
(This is extraordinary in a school known for graffiti and vandalism.)
> Do some labs in the hallways. Yes the slinky lab could be done on the
> floor of the lab but when in the hall the students passing by see  
> what you
> are doing. We also do a toy truck lab for constant motion in the  
> hall and
> bungee Barbie is a hit in the quad every year.

This hallway lab scenario reminded me of one rather big lab fiasco  
which, in the long run, turned out to be one of the biggest recruiting  
extras which could never be planned as such.   We were running  
shopping carts down the long hall filled with varying amounts of  
bricks for an energy/momentum lab.  One of the carts got out of  
control and crashed into a marble wall (an original structure from  
when the school was built in the '30's).  A marble slab popped out and  
fell to the tile floor, breaking in two.   The principal and others  
came running. (The physics room and hall was around the corner from  
the administrative area.) I saw my career flashing before my eyes.    
Luckily, as I stated before, the administrative was science friendly  
and liked what I was trying to do with lab activities, science fair  
projects, and the overall amount of positive exposure the science  
program was bringing to the otherwise dismal reputation of the  
school.  She looked at the broken marble and the hole in the wall and  
at first glared at me.  What could I say?  no excuse here.   Nothing  
further was said that day, and I guess she just wanted me to stew over  
it for a while.  The next day, I went into her office, apologized, and  
just stood there.  At first, she said nothing, but after a few seconds  
of silence, said,  "Look, you know we have to fix the wall and it will  
never look the same.  But, something else happened... students have  
been saying,  "That was SO COOL... I've GOT to take physics next year  
so I can do that!'   I have never heard kids so *up* about taking an  
academic class before."   Then, with a stern look,  "Just DON"T do  
that lab again!"   Needless to say, I never did that particular lab  
again, even though every year afterward the kids would ask at the  
beginning of the year,  "Are we going to smash the wall again?".   We  
made up for not doing that lab in other ways, like running sleds down  
the snowbank outside in winter, and throwing footballs across the  
courtyard from the third floor windows.  (The varsity quarterback  
threw it so hard he hit the frame of the 3rd floor window all the way  
across the courtyard, about 75 feet away.  But that's another story  
for another day.)  BTW:  the janitor glued the marble back up on the  
wall and while you can still see the crack, unless someone related the  
story, no one notices the broken piece.
> Like Marty, in some ways this was self serving. I could drop a  
> freshman
> general science for every additional physics section.  The bottom line
> however is that it is IMHO good for the students. We went from one  
> or two
> MSE (math science engineering) majors a year when I came to about  
> 12% of
> the class majoring (and finishing) an MSE major.
We never had that type of success, but we did have two or three kids  
who started out in college as physics or engineering majors.  Whether  
they finished is questionable, but at least they were motivated enough  
to begin as science majors instead of adding to the usual glut of  
social science majors from this school.

Marty
>