Physics 342: Introduction to Research
Fall Semester 2008

Homework

Comments

Homework

Comments

Please number the items in each assignment you turn in to match the numbering I use. Makes it a lot easier to grade when I know what question you are answering.

1. One Paragraph summary (See above for description) of the popular-level article you brought to class on Thurs. Aug. 28.
   
2. A one paragraph discussion of one of the case studies from On Being A Scientist
3. Go to the Ask the Ethicist website and pick a column. Discuss (in two paragraphs) that column and what your answer would have been.
4. A list of at least 2 areas of physics or engineering of interest to you. Provide a few sentences on why each of them is of interest to you.
5. Sign up for a RefWorks account. Go to the Library website, Under "Research Tools" on the grey menu bar, select RefWorks and sign up. You must be on the campus network to do this. Provide a print out of the 'congratulations' screen that appears once you manage to log in.
   

Homework 2 (Due Thursday, Sept. 11)

1. One Paragraph summary of the technical-level article you brought to class on Tues., Sept. 9.
   
2. Write a few paragraphs addressing the similarities and differences between general and technical articles in the sciences. You will have to specific about what you found to be similar between the two media and what you found to be different.
3. List of 2-5 specific topics of interest to you in the areas you identified last week (NOTE: I am looking for 2 to 5 topics total, not 2 to 5 on each area).

1. Choose one of the specific topics of interest you identified last week and find some current popular and technical (peer-revised) articles in that field. Look through those articles and develop a "reading list" of articles/references covering that topic. HINT: If you can't find articles covering the topic, you may need to select a new topic (but come see me first).
2. Read completely at least one of the general audience and one of the technical articles from your reading list. Provide a one paragraph summary of each of the articles.
3. A lot of academics have strong opinions about the use of Wikipedia as a resource. Please read Wikipedia's Article on Criticism of Wikipedia and answer the following questions. Be sure to clearly explain your reasoning:
1. Should Wikipedia be considered "peer-reviewed" if anyone can spot and error and correct it?
2. What difference is there between Wikipedia and traditional peer-reviewed publications?
3. Can Wikipedia serve a role in scientific research

Homework 4 (Due Thursday, Sept. 25)

1. Read completely at least one additional general audience and one additional technical article from your reading list. Provide a one paragraph summary of each of the articles.
2. Fill out the "Senior Project Proposal Cover Sheet" from the Senior Project website. Consider this a rough draft. Do not worry about a budget for now, although if you have a budget ready, brownie points for you.
3. You should have chosen a Journal style to follow. Briefly outline some of the key features/issues your will have to address with that style and provide documentation for the style (providing the URL to the website outlining the style is fine).

1. Read completely at least one additional general audience and one additional technical article from your reading list. Provide a one paragraph summary of each of the articles.
2. Revise your Senior Project Proposal draft to include a proper budget. If you don't need external funding, explain what department resources you will be using in detail. [Please provide the original draft you turned in with Homework 4 as a reference.]
3. Provide a revised a "reading list" of articles/references covering your senior project topic. Revisions should be based on the reading you have done (if the references from those articles provided new material to consider, add it). [Please provide the original reading list you turned in with Homework 3 as a reference.]

Homework 6 (Due Thursday, Oct. 9)

1. Read completely at least two additional technical articles from your reading list. Provide a one paragraph summary of each of the articles.
2. Earlier in the semester we talked about the structure of a formal paper, outlined in Part 2 of the Writing Scientific Manuscripts article. Consider that another common way of communicating scientific knowledge is a talk or colloquia. View one of the following physics-related colloquia here:
   • Exoplanets: Interiors, Atmospheres, and the Search for Habitable Worlds by Sara Seager [MIT] (50 minute QuickTime Video)
     
     For centuries people have wondered, ``Are we alone?'' With over 250 exoplanets known to orbit nearby stars, this question has moved from science fiction to mainstream study. Now that the existence of exoplanets is firmly established, a new era of ``exoplanet characterization'' has begun. A subset of exoplanets--called transiting planets--pass in front of their stars as seen from Earth. Transiting planets have opened a whole new opportunity for exoplanets, because their physical properties, including average density and basic atmospheric properties, can now be routinely measured. The race to find habitable exoplanets has accelerated with the realization that big Earths orbiting small stars can be both discovered and characterized with current technology. These ideas will lead us down a path to the ultimate goal of space-based discovery and characterization of Earth analogs.
     
     
   • Spooky Actions At A Distance? by N. David Mermin [Cornell] (79 minute YouTube Video)
     
     Einstein's real complaint about the quantum theory was not that it required God to play dice, but that it failed to "represent a reality in time and space, free from spooky actions at a distance." I shall use the rhetorical device of a computer-simulated lecture demonstration (a cartoon version of recent experiments in Vienna) to explain both the appeal of Einstein\'s criticism and the remarkable act that the "reality" he insisted upon is nevertheless unattainable. I will assume no background in quantum physics (or any other physics) but late in the lecture, in convincing you of the hopelessness of Einstein\'s vision, I will ask you to engage in a kind of reasoning not unlike a (very easy) Sudoku puzzle.
     
     
   • Energy Trends & Technologies by Steve Koonin [Caltech and Chief Scientist at BP ] (length: 91 minute YouTube video)
     
     The world's demand for energy will grow by some 60% in the next 25 years. Satisfying that demand in an economical and environmentally acceptable manner is one of the most significant challenges facing society. New technologies will play a central role in meeting this challenge, albeit conditioned by the economic, social, and political contexts in which they are developed and deployed. The presentation will focus on the major forces shaping the World's energy future and the technologies required to respond to them.
     
     
   • Precision Cosmology by Max Tegmark [MIT] (length 47 minutes) [NOTE: The video you want to see starts at minute 39 and 33 seconds into this RealVideo stream.
     
     In his “little ride” from Earth into the far reaches of space and time, Max Tegmark demonstrates the success of new technologies such as orbiting space telescopes and super computer number crunching that enable scientists to test their theories of the universe. Tegmark remarks, “30 years ago, cosmology was largely viewed as somewhere out there between philosophy and metaphysics. You could speculate over a bunch of beers about what happened, and then you could go home, because there wasn’t a whole lot else to do.” But “now we’re so spoiled, with a few clicks of the mouse, we can zoom out ‘til the whole galaxy is just a little dot, and other dots are not stars but other galaxies.”
     
     Tegmark illustrates not just our planet’s place in space, but the layout of the entire known cosmos as well, relying in particular on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and NASA satellite maps, which help animate 3D renderings of the universe over time. Scientists are closing in on a “consistent picture of how the universe evolved from the earliest moment to the present,” expanding, cooling and clumping over its 14-billion-year history. Tegmark pays tribute to MIT colleague Alan Guth, whose inflation theory predicts not just a really big universe, but an infinite one, with parallel universes. As fantastic a concept as this appears, Tegmark says, “I feel inflation is testable.” Scientists can increasingly take the measure of a vast cosmos, with real numbers.
     
     
   After viewing the talk, write a short (1-2 paragraph) commentary comparing its structure to the structure of a paper. Specifically address the similarities and differences between the colloquia presentation and a written manuscript?
3. Provide a reasonable timeline for your Senior Project proposal. It may be a good idea to review the "Senior Project Checklist" from the Senior Project website to see at a minimum what items you need to address in your timeline.
4. Provide an outline of your Senior Project proposal presentation. If you are using Presentation software, you should clearly state what you plan to present on each slide. If not, you should provide the equivalent amount of detail of the issues/topics you will need to address in your proposal presentation. Plan for a 10 minute talk to present an introduction to the background necessary to understand the problem you will be dealing with in your project and the solution you intend to provide.

Senior Project Proposal Presentations

Due Thursday, October 16 for Ross, Heather, Fenner, and Kristin.

Due Tuesday, October 21 for Matt, Steve, Deepsha, and Rajesh.

Your Senior Project presentation should aim at a 8-10 minute talk (that includes a few minutes for questions). You want to tell the audience what is interesting (scientifically) about this project and how you will accomplish your project goals. Don't kill us with PowerPoint slides!

Your presentation will be evaluated using a modified form of the Senior Project rubric.

This is your final Senior Project proposal. Based on the feedback you have recieved throughout the semester, this proposal should include:

• Cover sheet
• Project description (no more than 2 pages): the description should include citations to your references.
• Reading list/References
• Budget (if necessary)
• Timeline

Your presentation will be evaluated using a modified form of the Senior Project rubric.