Each week this fall semester1, this blog will feature a series of posts about a given topic that is actively being researched by physicists today in the various subfields of physics.
In spite of the picture we often paint in our introductory courses, physicists do not spend their days calculating the acceleration of blocks down ramps. From elementary particles and condensed matter to black holes and galaxies, physicists study any number of complex systems built out of basic particles and interactions. (We use those ramps to help our students first learn about basic particles and interactions, but the problems quickly expand to encompass the entire universe!)
However, it's difficult for young physicists to learn about all the possible avenues of physics research, and so it's easy to feel like you've missed something and it's difficult to identify your research interests! So, each of these weekly series will highlight a currently active problem in physics research in an accessible manner by...
- Providing links to free-access articles. Each week, we'll include a popular article about the week's topic, an article that overviews the foundations of the week's topic, an article describing practical applications of the week's topic, and a recently published article highlighting new findings about the week's topic.
- Summarizing important key concepts and terms employed in each article, along with links to helpful explanations. Even if you never understand or even read the actual article, these explanations will be helpful and interesting!
Each of these posts will be shared via our Twitter and Facebook accounts, so follow and/or like us to see our updates.
So, how can you make the most of these series?
- Stay updated! Follow or Like us to learn the week's topics and follow the links to each day's post!
- Read each day's post! If you come across a term or concept you don't understand, click on the associated links! If you still don't understand, search for the term on Google; if you find a more helpful explanation, share it in the comments!
- Read each day's article! You likely won't understand the entire article, and that's okay! Journal articles are not meant to be memorized and recited, but to be treasure troves of knowledge where you gain one or two gems each visit.
- Discuss the article and topic with your classmates and professors! Ask questions of them, or in the comments of each post.
- If you find a topic particularly interesting, search for other references about it! You may have just stumbled upon a topic that carries you through a lifetime of learning and research.
- Finally, share what you've learned with someone else: A friend, a family member, an English professor... You'll be surprised at how much you've learned, and they'll b eager to hear it!
The series begin next Monday, September 1, with galactic cannibalism!
1 BTW - Did you know JU classes are on break all week for Thanksgiving this year?!↩
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