Transcript PHENIX Overview - Nevis Laboratories

Graduate Education
in the Columbia Physics
Department
W.A. Zajc
Director of Graduate Studies
Overview

Size
18-19 admits per year (target set by GSAS)
 ~110 students in program


Ph.D. program
Required courses in first two years
 Qualifying exam
 Thesis research
 Dissertation defense
 Mean time to degree ~6.2 years


Support:

Years 1-2: Teaching Fellowship
 ~ 9 hours per week
 $2000 per month
of teaching obligations
(research assistantship in summer)

Subsequent years: Research Assistantship,
costs carried by grants
2
Admission Statistics

Clear increasing trend in
number of applicants
Increased selectivity
Time correlated with condensed
matter recruitments

Conscious effort to increase
representation of women in
admit pool
Admission Trends
400
Stormer
Pinczuk
Arrive
300
Applicants
200
Offers
100
0
Year Applicants US Applicants Offers Registered US Women
1992
179
43
15
0
1993
181
38
16
1
1994
262
37
13
1
1995
205
47
17
0
1996
213
52
17 7
6
1997
199
53
16 4
1
1998
169
51
56
18 5
3
1999
247
82
60
20 9
4
2000
240
67
59
19 6
6
2001
327
114
59
18 7
4
2002
343
123
55
19 5
5
2003
382
127
53
19 6
6
2004
387
150
52
20 11 3
7
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Percent Women
40%
20%
0%
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Graduate Student Composition

National origins
By undergrad institution…
 By citizenship ?


mini-CUSPEA
CUSPEA  CU S Physics E A …
 Columbia, CCNY, NYU
 Princeton…
 Select group determined via

 written
examination
 interviews by faculty from participating institutions

1-2 per year
4
Teaching

Average of 9 hours per week
One 3-hour laboratory per week
 Grading of lab reports
: 3 hours per week
 Preparation for laboratory: 1 hour per week
 Help room
: 1 hour per week
 Grading of lecture course examinations
(~14 hours per semester)


Contact hours contingent upon satisfactory
written +aural + oral competency

Internal CU program….
5
Awards and Honors

NSF’s…..

Presidential Teaching Awards
University-wide competition
 Three awardees in past N years:

Michael
Larkin (199?)
Chad Finley (200?)
Gabriel Perez-Giz (2003)

Other…..
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Required?? Courses

All five of the following formal introductory courses:

Two courses from the following phenomenological subject
courses:
G6037/ 8: Quantum Mechanics I and II
G6092/ 3: Electromagnetic Theory I and II
G6036 : Statistical Mechanics
G6050: Elementary Particle Physics
G6040: Nuclear Physics
G6018: Solid State Physics
G6010: Advanced Astrophysics
G6011: High Energy Astrophysics
G6060: Laser Physics



G6070 Biophysics
One of the following advanced theoretical courses:
G8047-8 : Advanced Quantum Mechanics I or II
G8069-70 : Particle Physics I or II
G8040
: General Relativity
G8066
: Theoretical Solid State Physics
G8050
: Advanced Mathematical Methods in Physics
One of the following special techniques courses OR a second
course from the advanced theoretical courses above:
G6099: Physical Phenomena
G6042: Experimental Methods
7 in Nuclear Physics
G6080: Scientific Computing
?

Discussion here about ongoing study by
Graduate Committee on course reform?
Examined offerings at peer institutions
 Roughly similar
 Some emerging sentiment to “modernize”
core offerings:

 Not


yet a proposal, but for example:
Reduce E&M to 1 semester
Replace with
- GR + Early Universe ?
- Non-linear phenomena?
- Computational methods?

Also: rationalize advanced particle physics
and field theory offerings
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Qualifying Examination



Offered once per year (January)
Level: ~advanced undergraduate
Format:

Three (4 hr) written exams:





Oral Examination by 3-person faculty committee
Pass/Fail status determined in faculty meeting following detailed
discussion of each student’s performance on written and oral
qualifying exam, and in course work:





Classical Physics (Mechanics, E&M)
Modern Physics (formal Quantum Mechanics, applied Quantum Mechanics, and
Relativity)
General Physics (Thermodynamics, Optics, HEP, Nuclear, Astrophysics, Atomic,
Condensed Matter)
Pass
 complete course requirements, begin research
Fail
 repeat entire exam following year
Conditional
 repeat specific section following year
Second failure  requested to leave program
Statistics: (Past 5 years):



96 students
22 repeats
2 failed 2nd attempt
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Typical Program
Courses
2-3 per Semester
Teaching
9 hr/wk
0
Summer
Research
Courses
2-3 per Semester
Teaching
9 hr/wk
(full time))
Qualifying
Examination
1
Qualifying
Examination(?)
THESIS RESEARCH (full time)
2
3
4
5
6
Dissertation
Defense
M. A.
M. Phil.
Ph.D.
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Distribution of Degrees




Broken down by Exp/Theory
By topic
~10% outside department
# stationed off-site?
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Time To Degree

Results from monitoring over past decade:

Times to Degree:
 All
(100%): Avg = 6.25y, Median = 6 y
 Experiment ( 54%): Avg = 6.29y, Median = 6 y
 Theory
( 46%): Avg = 6.21y, Median = 6 y
Time to Degree
Median = 6 years Average=6.25 years
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
12
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Years from Admit Date
10 11 12
Employment Data

Relatively good employment prospects for
PhD’s
Majority take postdoc
 Obvious influence of proximity to Wall Street

Year Postdoc Teaching Finance Industry Other Unknown
1998
7
2
4
1
1999
4
1
1
1
2000
4
1
6
2
2
2001
10
2
2
1
1
1
2002
5
2
1
2003
8
1
1
2004
12
1
13
Comparison

Data from AIP’s link to
http://www.gradschoolshopper.com/
Full-Time
Grad. Students
Chicago
Columbia
Cornell
Duke
Harvard
Illinois
MIT
Princeton
Stanford
UC-Berkeley
Yale
128
107
204
67
141(?)
253
249
100
150
239
89
First Year
Grad Students
Faculty
(Full Time)
22
20
41
9
22(?)
40(?)
45
24
22
38
16
41
37
49
38
47
66
77
41
32
51
36+10
14
Faculty
(Total)
Physics
GRE
48
872
41
832
72 ~800 min
61
679
892
80
766
77
41
45
760
61
840
41+10 590-990
Median Years
in Grad Study
6
5.76
5.4
7
5.5
5.8
5
5
5.9
Some Clever Summary
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Getting Information


Use
it!
Ask
!
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Placement Exams

Offered on Thursday, 02-Sep-04:
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon: G6092-3
(Electromagnetic Theory I and II)
 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM: G6037-8
(Quantum Mechanics I and II)


You are strongly encouraged to take
either (or both) of these exams
Pass: Credit for the course
 Fail : No record is kept


Re-visiting material you know well is
not a productive use of your time!
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Ethical Behavior (I)

Columbia University is an academic community
committed to fostering intellectual inquiry in a
climate of academic freedom and integrity. Its
members are expected to uphold these principles
and exhibit tolerance and respect for others. Thus,
the Graduate School condemns all forms of
misconduct and works strenuously to assure that its
students are accorded tolerance, dignity and
respect. Any graduate student who believes that he
or she is a victim of misconduct has recourse to the
mediation and grievance procedures developed by
the Graduate School. Students are encouraged to
discuss problems, questions, and grievances with
anyone in a supervisory position, such as an advisor,
director of graduate studies, department chair or
appropriate dean or university administrator...

Full details available at
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/G_D_Policy2003.p
df
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Ethical Behavior (II)

Columbia University is an academic community committed to
fostering intellectual inquiry in a climate of academic freedom
and integrity. Its members are expected to uphold these
principles and abide by the regulations of the University. They
are also expected to obey local, state and federal laws.
Students continue at the University, receive academic credits,
graduate, and obtain degrees subject to the disciplinary
powers of the University. The Trustees of the University have
delegated responsibility for student discipline to the deans of
the individual schools or divisions. Students should be aware
that academic dishonesty (for example, plagiarism, cheating on
an examination, or dishonesty in dealing with a faculty member
or other University official) or violence, threatening behavior, or
harassment are particularly serious offenses that will be dealt
with severely under Dean’s Discipline.

Full details available at
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/G_D_Policy2003.pdf
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Policy on Academic and
Personal Misconduct
The Graduate School prohibits academic dishonesty or
misconduct. Without trying to list every example, the
following illustrate the different forms that academic fraud or
misconduct can take:
1. Cheating on examinations or tests; also fabrication of data
and/or fabrication of results.
2. Plagiarism, the failure to acknowledge adequately ideas,
language or research of others, in papers, essays, dissertations
or other work.
3. Knowingly assisting others in plagiarism, by making one’s
papers, essays, or written work available for such use.
4. Misstatement or misrepresentation in connection with any
academic matter, such as in an application for admission or
financial aid, or during a formal inquiry by University officials.
5. Misuse, alteration, or fabrication of University documents,
records and credentials, including transcripts and I.D. cards.
6. Improper use of the library and its resources: theft or purposely
hoarding or hiding books or materials.
7. Misconduct in carrying out teaching or research responsibilities.
See appendix C for faculty guidelines. These guidelines apply to
anyone teaching or conducting research at Columbia.
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Your Role


Why this emphasis?
Because
You are joining a community of
scholars
 Whose medium of exchange is
individual ideas and research results


The community:
Your fellow students
 The Columbia physics faculty
 The associated research scientists,
post-docs, and technicians
 Similar groups at21other institutions

The Columbia Faculty

A broad department covering
Condensed matter
 Astrophysics
 “Particle” theory
 Experimental particle physics
 “Nuclear” physics


A department with
An illustrious past
 A bright future (you)

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Condensed Matter

Theory


Igor Aleiner

electron transport

Allan Blaer

Philip Kim
low-dimensional
nanostructures
Tim HalpinHealey

Aron Pinczuk
low-dim e systems
phase transitions and critical
phenomena

Tony Heinz
Surface physics w. lasers
Low T phase transitions

Experiment

Horst Stormer
low-dim e systems
Andy Millis

interacting e’s in metals
Tomo Uemura
mSR, high Tc
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Astrophysics

Theory


Andrei
Beloborodov

Charles Hailey
Gamma ray astronomy

Janna Levin
Amber Miller
CMB probes
theoretical astrophysics


Lam Hui
cosmology

Elena Aprile
Gamma ray sources, LXe-TPC
X-ray binaries, AGN, bursts

Experiment

Mal Ruderman
Reshmi Mukherjee
gamma rays, AGN
Compact objects

Stefan Westerhoff
HiRes, AGN
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“Particle” Physics

Theory




Norman Christ
LQCD

strings, cosmology

Daniel Kabat

T.D. Lee

Hal Evans
D0
Robert Mawhinney

LQCD

Janet Conrad
miniBoone, nuTeV (FNAL)
Everything

Gustaaf Brooijmans
D0, ATLAS
Brian Greene
strings, quantum gravity

Experiment
John Parsons
D0, ATLAS
Alfred Mueller
QCD, heavy ions

strings, black holes

Frank Sciulli
ZEUS
Erick Weinberg
Michael Shaevitz
NuTeV, miniBoone

Michael Tuts
D0, ATLAS

William Willis
ATLAS
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“Nuclear” Physics

Theory


Miklos Gyulassy
Experiment

QCD, heavy ion theory
Brian Cole
PHENIX, proton-Nucleus

William Zajc
PHENIX at RHIC
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To Learn More

Required:

Colloquium: (Mondays at 4pm)


Attend the Graduate Seminar!
Various regularly scheduled
seminars
Ask!
27
The Graduate
Experience

It’s the same:
Continue to take classes
 Grades continue to matter


It’s different:

You will make a transition from
a
student
to
a
researcher
to
 an

independent researcher
The experience will have a profound affect on
your entire career, in or out of science
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