Faculty

The Washington University Physics Department's greatest strength lies in its wealth of quality instructors from all parts of the world who bring their individual teaching philosophies and perspectives to bear upon the teaching mission. Here, to give their views on today's academic challenges, goals, and opportunities in physics are professors Willem Dickhoff and James Miller.

Dr. Willem H. Dickhoff (left)
Dr. James G. Miller (right) Does teaching play a significant role at a Research University? Washington University is of course a Research University. This doesn't mean that teaching takes a back seat. Quite the contrary: by paying careful attention to all issues related to teaching in this department we have been able to almost double the number of physics majors during the last four years. This trend is completely opposite to the national trend that continues to show a substantial decline in the total number of bachelors degrees in physics. Students who come to Washington University to study science today require a different approach than students in the past. This is mostly related to technology but also to changes in culture. A standard physics lecture from 20 years ago may well fail to keep most of todays audience awake unless the instructor is extremely gifted. Research has also shown that conceptual understanding by means of standard physics instruction is not as good as it should be. For these reasons we engage students in our year-long introductory course intellectually in the classroom by using Eric Mazurs "Peer Instruction" method. The more spectacular consequence of this method is that part of the lecture time students are talking in class with each other about conceptual understanding of physics questions. Physics I and II (Physics 197/198) is a special introductory sequence intended for students with a strong interest in physics. The special atmosphere and common interest in physics makes teaching this section a special delight.

Does recruiting for a physics major make sense in todays world? You bet! I know of no better way for a student to learn how to solve NEW problems. A physics education provides both a technical and theoretical background to acquire these essential skills. A flexible student will therefore be able to apply these skills in completely different settings. While most of our graduates go on to graduate school in physics, there are just as many who either successfully apply to Law, Business, and Medical Schools or succeed in securing a job right after graduation.

- Dr. Willem H. Dickhoff

Let me build on Professor Dickhoff's remarks, which he began by asking, "Does teaching play a significant role at a Research University?" such as ours. Many of us were drawn to careers as Professors because of the stimulation provided by sharing knowledge with intelligent, motivated students. In my 30 years on the faculty I have always been impressed with the extraordinary quality of the students that Washington University attracts. The role of a Professor in a Research University is not only to share a body of established knowledge but also to actively contribute to broadening and deepening the knowledge base. The excitement that accompanies new discoveries is quite contagious and that excitement is often felt and amplified by students in our courses. The opportunity to be taught by Professors who are uncovering new knowledge is one of the strong points of the Physics Department. By long tradition, Professors in all of our undergraduate courses, beginning with the introductory (Physics 117 - 118) sequence, are active researchers. Physics majors are also strongly encouraged to affiliate with one of the research groups. Every students who takes advantage of this opportunity learns physics in a qualitatively different environment than that of the classroom, a setting in which previous and concurrent classroom instruction takes on a significant new meaning. Some outstanding students have earned authorship on manuscripts published by my Laboratory based on research conducted during their undergraduate years.

In addition to a full range of traditional core-physics courses, we offer a number of non-traditional physics courses of special interest to students whose interests lie in the biological sciences. Among these is Physics of the Heart (Physics 314). The official description of that course states that it is "a lecture and demonstration course, of particular interest to premedical and life science students, which deals with the physics of the cardiovascular system." Since I introduced that course in 1976, a total of 786 Washington University undergraduates have completed Physics of the Heart. It is a tribute to the extraordinary quality of our undergraduate students that 53% of the alums of Physics of the Heart have gone on to earn the doctorate, with about half earning the M.D. and half earning the Ph.D. As Professor Dickhoff's remarks indicated, whether one's plans focus on a career in traditional physics or in quite different careers such as medicine or law, the Washington University Physics Department provides a challenging and highly stimulating undergraduate experience.

Dr. James G. Miller