Transcript Why Take Physics?

Caroline Le Dain Burgess
Faculty of Science
McMaster University
[email protected]
WHAT I WON’T TALK ABOUT
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Stats (jobs, employment
rate, salary)
Static picture of the past
WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT
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My Sources
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High School Physics
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University Physics
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Physics in Level I and Beyond
Physics versus Engineering
B.Sc. In Physics
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Versatility and Dynamism
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Career Paths
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Dialogues with high school math and science
teachers and students through outreach
Conversations with high school students and
parents at OUF and McMaster Open Houses
Dialogues with undergraduate and graduate
students in Science (including coop students)
Dialogues with alumni (including Faculty of
Science Career Nights)
Dialogues with faculty in Science
Member, McMaster Student Experience Task Force
Benefits
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Problem solving with math
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Requires and encourages
discipline, time
management, practice and
perseverance
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Can’t cram for it
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Admission requirement for
Engineering and several
entry level programs in
Science
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Admission requirement (or
equivalent) for most
Honours Science programs
that start in 2nd Year (e.g.
Honours Biology)
Barriers
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Weak math skills (familiarity
versus mastery)
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Perception that it is “hard”
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GPA anxiety related to
university (or med school)
admission
Benefits
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More problem solving with
math (+ computer
programming) that can be
applied to many fields
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Encourages discipline, time
management skills,
perseverance (takes time to
learn and to gel)
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One full year of physics (with
lab) is the standard for many
med schools and other
programs in the Medical,
Health and Life Sciences
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Many can do “easy” you stand
out when you demonstrate that
you can do “hard”
Barriers
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Weak math skills
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Requires a certain level of
commitment, discipline, time
management skills,
perseverance
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GPA anxiety (getting into med
school)
Similarities
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Problem solvers with strong
math skills
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Easy to move between
disciplines at the undergrad and
grad level
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Many physicists hold
“engineering” jobs (except those
that require a “Professional
Engineer” designation)
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Both degrees lend themselves to
interdisciplinary fields
Differences
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Engineering: more pragmatic
,“real world”, approach to
problem solving, more
proscribed program, fewer
electives, less flexible career
options
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Physics: more first principles,
fundamentals approach to
problem solving, more math,
more electives, more flexible
career options
Transferable Skills
Program
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Math
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Problem solving: world– math –world
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Scientific computing (programming)
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Modeling of complex systems
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Lab skills (instrumentation)
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Data analysis
Summer Research
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Research lab skills, experimental design,
more data analysis, more programming,
working in a team, reports, papers,
presentations, conferences
Coop opportunities
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Same as above plus industrial and
government environments, networking,
possibility for travel
Complements (electives)
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Math
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Computer Science (programming)
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Astronomy
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Biology
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Biochemistry
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Chemistry
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Material Science
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Electronics
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Optics
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Geology
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Economics
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Philosophy
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English (writing)
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Finance
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Business and many more….
CAREERS IN PHYSICS
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Optics and Photonics
Electronics/Instrumentation
Nanotechnology
Acoustics
Energy
Materials science (e.g.
microelectronics at Intel, IBM, etc.)
Telecommunications
Aerospace
Medical Imaging
Nuclear energy
Geophysics and seismology
Biophysics
Meteorology and many more…
NON-PHYSICS CAREERS
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Computer programming
Software development
Web design
Insurance (risk analysis)
Banking
Technical writing
Scientific reporting
Armed Forces and many more…
GRADUATE SCHOOL
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Physics, Astrophysics, Biophysics,
Geophysics, Medical Physics
Bioengineering, Electrical
Engineering, Engineering Physics,
Mechanical Engineering
Applied Mathematics
Chemistry
Meteorology
Neuroscience
Systems Biology
Medicine(MD/PhD)
Economics …
PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL
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Medicine
Dentistry
Law
Teaching
Financial Mathematics
Business
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Energy and Environment (from climate modeling to fuel-cell design,
biofuels)
Self-assembly at all scales (e.g. the cell membrane)
Origins of life
Bioengineering and Bio-inspired Engineering
Drug delivery and implantable diagnostics
Anticipatory medicine
Bioinformatics, tracking/modeling disease spread
Reconstructing ancient organism and ecosystem function from fossil
record
Bringing quantitative methods to descriptive fields (e.g. psychology,
sociology)
Biomechanics – sport (and injury) as biophysics
Ecology as economics and vice versa
Essential skills needed to solve all of these problems are learned in a
physics undergraduate program
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Facts can be picked up from anywhere,
including the web, relatively quickly
“World-Math-World” skill is universally
useful (now and in the future), but takes time,
discipline and practice to learn, so is rare
Physicists have the necessary math and
computer programming from a B.Sc.
62% of Ontario workers have PSE
Many can do easy, you stand out when you
demonstrate you can do hard