Physics Commons^™

Research Experiences Via Integrating Simulations And Experiments (Revise): A Model Collaborative Research Project For Undergraduate Students In Co2 Sorbent Design, Anthony Griffin, Neziah Smith, Mark Robertson, Bianca Nunez, Jacob Mccraw, Haoyuan Chen, Zhe Qiang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduate research experiences are an instrumental component of student development, increasing conceptual understanding, promoting inquiry-based learning, and guiding potential career aspirations. Moving one step further, as research continues to become more interdisciplinary, there exists potential to accelerate student growth by granting additional perspectives through collaborative research. This study demonstrates the utilization of a model collaborative research project, specifically investigating the development of sorbent technologies for efficient CO2 capture, which is an important research area for improving environmental sustainability. A model CO2 sorbent system of heteroatom-doped porous carbon is utilized to enable students to gain knowledge of adsorption processes, through combined …

Magnetic Properties Of Polycrystalline Spinel Oxides From Solid State Reaction, Camden Olds

Honors Theses

Spinel crystal materials of nickel, cobalt, and iron oxides have seen abundant research for their strong conductivity, ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties, and their catalytic uses. These can be synthesized by a number of means. This project explores the use of the solid state synthesis method, which benefits from simplicity, of this family of materials, looking for interesting phase shift lines in the triangle between of varying compositions of these three metals.

Nickel cobaltite and other related spinels were synthesized from two different solid state approaches and characterized using XRD and SQUID magnetometry. The range 0.5-0.6 of molar ratios of nickel …

Online Test Administration Results In Students Selecting More Responses To Multiple-Choice-Multiple-Response Items, Alexis Olsho, Trevor Smith, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman, Andrew Boudreaux, Suzanne White

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

We developed the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) to assess students' quantitative reasoning in introductory physics contexts. The PIQL includes several "multiple-choice-multiple-response"(MCMR) items (i.e., multiple-choice questions for which more than one response may be selected) as well as traditional single-response multiple-choice items. In this paper, we discuss differences in performance on MCMR items that seems to result from differences in administration method (paper versus online). In particular, we find a tendency for "clickiness"in online administration: students choose more responses to MCMR items when taking the electronic version of the assessment. Student performance on single-response multiple-choice items was not affected …

Smartphone-Based Approach To Demonstrating Relativistic Aberration Of Light Using Electronic Circuit Analogues For Undergraduates In The Philippines, Samuel Martirez, June Capin, Shayne Venancio, Perine Bianzon, John Gabriel Rivera, Benjamin Dingel, Clint Dominic Bennett

Physics Faculty Publications

Previously, we demonstrated an electronic circuit analogue of one of Special Relativity's (SR) phenomena called the Relativistic Aberration of Light (RAL) (European Journal of Physics, 42, 015605, 2021), which describes the change in the angle an observer sees a light source relative to their direction of motion at relativistic speeds. It used typical bulky laboratory equipment such as (i) function generators, (ii) oscilloscopes, and (iii) power supplies together with our all-pass filter (APF)-based electronic circuit analogue to perform experiments. In this paper, we present a novel smartphone-based experimental set-up performing the same experiment, but we replace the bulky and expensive …

Bbt Acoustic Alternative Top Bracing Cadd Data Set-Norev-2022jun28, Bill Hemphill

STEM Guitar Project’s BBT Acoustic Kit

This electronic document file set consists of an overview presentation (PDF-formatted) file and companion video (MP4) and CADD files (DWG & DXF) for laser cutting the ETSU-developed alternate top bracing designs and marking templates for the STEM Guitar Project’s BBT (OM-sized) standard acoustic guitar kit. The three (3) alternative BBT top bracing designs in this release are
(a) a one-piece base for the standard kit's (Martin-style) bracing,
(b) 277 Ladder-style bracing, and
(c) an X-braced fan-style bracing similar to traditional European or so-called 'classical' acoustic guitars.

The CADD data set for each of the three (3) top bracing designs includes …

Bbt Side Mold Assy, Bill Hemphill

STEM Guitar Project’s BBT Acoustic Kit

This electronic document file set covers the design and fabrication information of the ETSU Guitar Building Project’s BBT (OM-sized) Side Mold Assy for use with the STEM Guitar Project’s standard acoustic guitar kit. The extended 'as built' data set contains an overview file and companion video, the 'parent' CADD drawing, CADD data for laser etching and cutting a drill &/or layout template, CADD drawings in AutoCAD .DWG and .DXF R12 formats of the centerline tool paths for creating the mold assembly pieces on an AXYZ CNC router, and support documentation for CAM applications including router bit specifications, feeds, speed, multi-pass …

Stem Club, Camden Jones, Erica Gesner, Amber Gadeken

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of this club is to introduce various topics stemming from different fields in science. We hope to excite the students about science and show them how important it is to their everyday lives. This club also aims to provide free education to underserved communities.

Hands-On Stem: Chemistry, Physics, And Other Science Resources For K-12 Education, Lisa Ahlberg, G. Brendan Cross

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Can Women Science?: A Climate Survey To Address Gender Inequity In Wwu’S Geology And Physics/Astronomy Departments, Raina Shaw

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This research study aims to assess and analyze gendered differences in student perceptions of the environment and climate in WWU’s Geology and Physics & Astronomy Departments. Underlying hypotheses involve the perceptions, comfort, and discrimination of women and gender minorities in male-dominated spaces. We also theorize that these gendered differences will increase with seniority and more so within physics than in geology. In addition to testing these hypotheses, we sought to collect relevant student feedback on factors that influence their perceptions of the climate & environment, to identify areas for future study and formal program assessment. From 56 respondents, this study …

Building A Quantum Engineering Undergraduate Program, Abraham Asfaw, Alexandre Blais, Kenneth R. Brown, Jonathan Candelaria, Christopher Cantwell, Lincoln D. Carr, Joshua Combes, Dripto M. Debroy, John M. Donohue, Sophia E. Economou, Emily Edwards, Michael F. J. Fox, Steven M. Girvin, Alan Ho, Hilary M. Hurst, Zubin Jacob, Blake R. Johnson, Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, Robert Joynt, Eliot Kapit, Judith Klein-Seetharaman, Martin Laforest, H. J. Lewandowski, Theresa W. Lynn, Corey Rae H. Mcrae, Celia Merzbacher, Spyridon Michalakis, Prineha Narang, William D. Oliver, Jens Palsberg, David P. Pappas, Michael G. Raymer, David J. Reilly, Mark Saffman, Thomas A. Searles, Jeffrey H. Shapiro, Chandralekha Singh

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Contribution: A roadmap is provided for building a quantum engineering education program to satisfy U.S. national and international workforce needs.

Background: The rapidly growing quantum information science and engineering (QISE) industry will require both quantum-aware and quantum-proficient engineers at the bachelor's level.

Research Question: What is the best way to provide a flexible framework that can be tailored for the full academic ecosystem?

Methodology: A workshop of 480 QISE researchers from across academia, government, industry, and national laboratories was convened to draw on best practices; representative authors developed this roadmap.

Findings: 1) For quantum-aware engineers, …

Cross-Disciplinary Learning Index: A Quantitative Measure Of Cross-Disciplinary Learning About Energy, Todd Haskell, Emily Borda, Andrew Boudreaux

Physics & Astronomy

The structure of many science programs at the college level assumes that students are able to draw on and integrate ideas from multiple disciplinary contexts. However, most assessment tools focus on learning in the context of a single discipline. We describe the development and validation of an instrument to measure how well students are able to combine energy ideas from different disciplines into a coherent understanding of a phenomenon. The final version of the instrument consists of a pair of multiple-choice online assessments, along with a metric calculated from the assessment scores: the cross disciplinary learning index (CDLI). The items …

A Virtual Physics Laboratory For Remote/Online Learning, Themistoklis Chronis

Summer Community of Scholars (RCEU and HCR) Project Proposals

No abstract provided.

Work-In-Progress: Rapid Development Of Advanced Virtual Labs For In-Person And Online Education, Yiyang Li, Yuzhong Shen, Charles Sukenik, Brian Sanders, Pauline Delacruz, Justin Mason

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

During the closure of K-12 schools and universities thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators turned to web conferencing tools such as Zoom and WebEx to deliver online lectures. For courses with labs, some teachers provide recorded videos of real labs. Watching recorded lab videos is a passive experience, as the procedures and point of view are fixed, and students do not have any control of the lab and thus miss the opportunity to explore different options, including making mistakes that is important part of the learning process. One approach that holds great potential to enhance laboratory experience for online …

Forging Ahead And Adapting To Change: A Review Of The Initiatives Of The Isprs Student Consortium, Sheryl Rose C. Reyes, Charmaine A. Cruz

SOSE Affiliate: Manila Observatory

The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Student Consortium (ISPRS SC) is an international organization that represents a constituency of the students and the young professionals with common interests and goals within ISPRS in the areas of photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information science. The ISPRS SC Board of Directors strengthened the organization’s foundations and increased its engagement in the Society from 2016 to 2022. Given the current global health crisis, selected members of the Board of Directors continued to serve in the ISPRS SC for a two-year extension and developed creative strategies in navigating the new normal. Building …

Enhancing Student Learning Of Global Warming Through Reflective Writing, Liang Zeng, Guang Zeng

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The National Academy of Science has published studies showing strong scientific evidence that global warming is caused by human consumption of fossil fuels, yet recent surveys have shown young adults in the U.S. are disengaged or disagree with this fact. Accordingly, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published learning objectives to educate the world population on global warming and renewable energy by 2030. In this paper, we introduce a reflective writing activity physics educators can employ to foster a deeper understanding of global warming in introductory college physics and physical science courses, without overloading their teaching time.

Physics Inventory Of Quantitative Literacy: A Tool For Assessing Mathematical Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman

Physics & Astronomy

One desired outcome of introductory physics instruction is that students will develop facility with reasoning quantitatively about physical phenomena. Little research has been done regarding how students develop the algebraic concepts and skills involved in reasoning productively about physics quantities, which is different from either understanding of physics concepts or problem-solving abilities. We introduce the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) as a tool for measuring Quantitative Literacy, a foundation of mathematical reasoning, in the context of introductory physics. We present the development of the PIQL and evidence of its validity for use in calculus-based introductory physics courses. Unlike …

Reinvigorating A Technical Countering Weapons Of Mass Destruction Distance Learning Graduate Certificate Program, James C. Petrosky, Gaiven Varshney, Jeremy Slagley, Sara Shaghaghi

Faculty Publications

Current Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) demands can be divided broadly into policy and science. The science of chemical, biological, and radiological/nuclear weapons informs the limits of development, production, employment, operation, detection, risk characterization, human and material protection, and medical intervention. In short, the science of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) should precede and inform the development of policy. It is to this end that the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) CWMD program was re-established, providing a technical educational option for practitioners to understand the science behind a very technically challenging subject.

The Incubation Effect Among Students Playing An Educational Game For Physics, May Marie P. Talandron-Felipe, Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

The incubation effect (IE) is a problem-solving phenomenon composed of three phases: pre-incubation where one fails to solve a problem; incubation, a momentary break where time is spent away from the unsolved problem; and post-incubation where the unsolved problem is revisited and solved. Literature on IE was limited to experiments involving traditional classroom activities. This initial investigation showed evidence of IE instances in a computer-based learning environment. This paper consolidates the studies on IE among students playing an educational game called Physics Playground and presents further analysis to examine the incidence of post-incubation or the revisit to a previously unsolved …

Lessons From The Classroom – Assessing The Work Of Postgraduate Students To Support Better Hygrothermal Risk Assessment, Joseph Little, Beñat Arregi, Christian Bludau

Conference papers

The widespread adoption of transient simulation modelling tools by building design professionals to support hygrothermal risk assessment of building design specifications is a crucial component in a multi-pronged drive to reduce moisture risk in buildings. Structured upskilling is essential. Much can be learnt about the ways practitioners use such tools by reviewing the work of professional postgraduate student groups. Such review could inform the creation of a user protocol. Peer-review under the responsibility of the organizing committee of the ICMB21.

Identifying, Analyzing, And Using Discriminatory Variables For Classification Of Neutrino Signal And Background Noise In Multivariate Analysis In The Askaryan Radio Array Experiment, Jesse Osborn

Honors Theses

The Askaryan Radio Array Experiment, located near the South Pole, works to pinpoint specific instances of neutrinos from outside the solar system interacting with nucleons inside the Antarctic ice, emitting radio waves. I have taken data from the ARA stations which is presumed to be background noise and compared it to simulated data meant to look like a neutrino signal. I developed a suite of variables for discrimination between the two data sets, using a computer algorithm to generate a single output variable which can be used to distinguish noise events from signal events. I maximized this discrimination process for …

Electron Beam Dispersion Compensator Using A Wien Filter, Jackson Lederer

Honors Theses

When an electron beam travels through space, it spreads out over time which impedes the ability to work with short electron pulses in the lab. A Wien filter is a device consisting of perpendicular electric and magnetic fields which filters charged particles based on their velocities. For a specific velocity, the two forces from the two fields in the filter cancel each other out letting charges with that velocity travel straight through the filter. Charges moving at other speeds are deflected as they have a net force applied to them from the filter. If a particle is deflected from the …

Designing Research-Based Instructional Materials That Leverage Dual-Process Theories Of Reasoning: Insights From Testing One Specific, Theory-Driven Intervention, Mila Kryjevskaia, Mackenzie R. Stetzer, Beth A. Lindsey, Alistair Mcinerny, Paula R. L. Heron, Andrew Boudreaux

Physics & Astronomy

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Curriculum Development: Theory into Design.] Research in physics education has contributed substantively to improvements in the learning and teaching of university physics by informing the development of research-based instructional materials for physics courses. Reports on the design of these materials have tended to focus on overall improvements in student performance, while the role of theory in informing the development, refinement, and assessment of the materials is often not clearly articulated. In this article, we illustrate how dual-process theories of reasoning and decision making have guided the ongoing development, testing, and analysis …

Issues And Proposed Solutions To Team Based Assessment In University Physics Labs, Manqoba Q. Hlatshwayo

STEM Instructional Graduate Teaching Assistant Posters

Many education experts considers peer-to-peer education as the most effective way for students to learn (Peersdom, 2014). Western Michigan University (WMU) physics laboratories embraces this philosophy and has designed the assessment to be based on the team report. The assumption is that every team member contributed (not necessarily equally) to the work submitted by the team hence every team member should receive the same grade. This is a ubiquitous assessment philosophy in education, and some forms of additional individual assessment in team projects are strongly discouraged (David Boud et al, 1999).

There is no doubt on the effectiveness of peer-to-peer …

Improving Lab Experience For Students In Phys2080, Khushi Bhatt

STEM Instructional Graduate Teaching Assistant Posters

University Physics II (PHYS 2080) deals with providing hands-on experience with the experiments of electricity and magnetism. It aids students to develop computational thinking in physics through analysis of experimental and theoretical data using python programming language.

In Fall-2019, I taught the newly designed PHYS2080 class for the first time as per the requirements. During Spring-2020, I implemented some subtle changes using the skills that I gained through various teaching training. These changes are described in Methodology section. Data clearly shows improvement that was observed without lowering the expectations or changing the curriculum of the class.

Relative Impacts Of Different Grade Scales On Student Success In Introductory Physics, David J. Webb, Cassandra A. Paul, Mary A. Chessey

Faculty Publications

In deciding on a student’s grade in a class, an instructor generally needs to combine many individual grading judgments into one overall judgment. Two relatively common numerical scales used to specify individual grades are the 4-point scale (where each whole number 0–4 corresponds to a letter grade) and the percent scale (where letter grades A through D are uniformly distributed in the top 40% of the scale). This paper uses grading data from a single series of courses offered over a period of 10 years to show that the grade distributions emerging from these two grade scales differed in many …

Stay Calm And Focus On The Learning Outcomes: Tools For Taking Biophysical Chemistry Online, Maria Ballester, Brian L. Van Hoozen Jr., Arthur Sikora

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

Course specific learning outcomes are an important tool to define the scope of a course and can be very helpful when designing experiments and assessments. With slight modification, these learning outcomes can serve as a guide when transitioning to the distance learning format especially in courses with a traditional lab. Here we present such an example for the biophysical chemistry course.

A Lab Skills Diagnostic Test, John Zwart

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The American Association of Physics Teachers recommends that physics majors have proficiency in the following lab skills: constructing knowledge, modeling, designing experiments, analyzing and visualizing data, and communicating physics. I have developed a brief multiple-choice questionnaire to assess incoming students’ lab skill level in these areas. It was administered as both a pre-test and post-test for the first semester of introductory calculus-based physics. Preliminary results indicate that little improvement on the skills tested occurs without explicit instruction.

Toward A Framework For The Natures Of Proportional Reasoning In Introductory Physics, Andrew Boudreaux, Stephen E. Kanim, Alexis Olsho, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Charlotte Zimmerman, Trevor I. Smith

Physics & Astronomy

We present a set of modes of reasoning about ratio and proportion as a means of operationalizing expert practice in physics. These modes, or natures of proportional reasoning, stem from consideration of how physicists reason in context and are informed by prior work in physics and mathematics education. We frame the natures as the core of an emerging framework for proportional reasoning in introductory physics, that will categorize the uses of proportional reasoning in introductory physics contexts, and provide guidance for the development of reliable assessments. We share results from preliminary assessment items indicating that university physics students have difficulty …

Applying Cluster Analysis To Student Responses From Energy Surveys For Identification Of Commonalities In Their Understanding, Arianna Giguere

Honors College

Energy is a complicated model that has been developed to describe matter to matter interactions. Since energy can be challenging to define, there are inconsistencies among even teachers and physicists in how they define the concept. It is no wonder that students themselves carry misconceptions and confusions. While it may be difficult to teach, an understanding of energy from a young age is essential for the future of technology, climate change, and scientific discoveries. Middle school students in Maine are required to learn about energy transformation, conservation, and forms, and from 2011-2018, researchers at the University of Maine administered multiple …

Framework For The Natures Of Negativity In Introductory Physics, Suzanne W. Brahmia, Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Andrew Boudreaux

Physics & Astronomy

Mathematical reasoning skills are a desired outcome of many introductory physics courses, particularly calculus-based physics courses. Novices can struggle to understand the many roles signed numbers play in physics contexts, and recent evidence shows that unresolved struggle can carry over to subsequent physics courses. Positive and negative quantities are ubiquitous in physics, and the sign carries important and varied meanings. The mathematics education research literature documents the cognitive challenge of conceptualizing negative numbers as mathematical objects—both for experts, historically, and for novices as they learn. We contribute to the small but growing body of research in physics contexts that examines …