More on Summer REU Opportunities

As mentioned in a previous post, there are many opportunities for undergraduate research.  An excellent opportunity for the summer months is known as the REU, or research experience for undergrads.  These programs offer undergraduate research positions mostly during the summer months at a large variety of research institutions, including Universities and national labs.

For those of you interested in applying for a REU a list of participating institutions can be found here.  Also I’ve found that a google search will suffice just as well.  It will be a good idea to have an idea of the area of research you would like to do, so think about this while searching for a program.  This will help to filter your options, as there are plenty to choose from.  These positions tend to be pretty competitive, but that shouldn’t discourage you from applying.  Most of these institutions are particularly interested in minorities and women, so this is a great opportunity for everyone to get involved in research.

If you have plans on attending a graduate school, it may be wise to look for a position at the schools of interest to you, as that will allow you to get a better feel for the institution and meet several of the researchers and people there.

Application deadlines vary, but range from December to February, so get to work on finding a program and filling out the applications.  They mostly all require letters of recommendation from professors, so keep that in mind, since you will likely need to ask before the winter break.  You will also be asked to write and letter or interest or to respond to a variety of essay questions.

Physics and College of Science Scholarships

For those of you in the physics department a list of scholarships can be found here.  They vary widely in requirements and monetary value.  The best part is that you don’t have to apply for these, you are automatically considered for all scholarships within the physics department.  The best way to make sure you are qualified for these awards is to keep your grades up.  Other awards reward departmental service, undergraduate research, and various interests such as becoming a physics teacher.

On the other hand, the College of Science offers several scholarships which you will have to apply for.  Those can be found here.  Just click the link on the right toolbar to find out information about the various requirements and deadlines.  These scholarships tend to be more competitive and carry a higher monetary value, but if you feel that you meet the basic requirements you are strongly encouraged to apply.

Do your homework!

To all our readers: Homework is key, do it.

No, seriously though.  Your freshman level courses in all actuality are easy when you compare them to junior and senior year.  Get in the habit of doing all of you work, and getting it done before the night it is due.  This allows you time to discuss questions with the professor or friends, and prevents you from having to pull an “all nighter,” though I don’t really think that ever happens, unless you are camping out for an iPhone.  Junior year especially is challenging for most physics majors, and the homework assignments are not that short, and can take several hours to complete.  Also get to know that other students in your classes.  They likely have similar questions about the homework and it always helps to discuss a problem with someone.  A word of warning about working with others: For this to work to your advantage be sure you work with them and don’t just have them tell you the answers, otherwise you might as well not even do the homework.  For freshman that need help with homework, the department maintains common office hours for PHYS 2305 and PHYS 2306, use them if you need help.  Most importantly don’t be afraid to see your professors, it is their job to help you, but be sure to say thanks anyway.

Undergraduate Research

For those of you new to the department, many of the undergraduates at some point participate in undergraduate research within and/or outside of the department.  This is very important if you plan to go on to graduate school after graduation.

If you have some idea of an area of physics that you enjoy the most, that is the best place to start.  We have many faculty with a wide range of research interests so you will most likely find something close to what you want.  You can view professor’s research areas from the faculty page on the department website.

Some things to keep in mind before approaching a professor about research.  It will be to your benefit to have excellent grades and at least a mild understanding of your interests and their research area.  As long as you approach them when they aren’t busy doing a thousand things they will be willing to talk to you about their research.  Ask them about what it is they do and see if they are interested in taking on an undergraduate in their research group.  Depending on the professor you may work for a hourly wage or get class credit without pay.

Summer is also a great time to for research.  There are many REU (Research Experience for Undergrads) programs around the country.  Most of these are offered though Universities and major labs and run approximately 10-12 weeks in the summer.  These are great experiences because they allow you to see what else is out there and get to meet several more people in the physics community.

Professors are looking for talented hard working students, so as long as you do your part finding undergraduate research should not be a difficult task.  He is a link to some recent and current undergraduate research projects.

The Society of Physics Students

In your freshman seminar, you will begin to hear about something called SPS. What is SPS you might ask? SPS stands for the Society of Physics Students, but it is much more than that.

SPS is a student community dedicated to supporting each other in our major field of study, developing and maintaining relationships with our brilliant faculty, and strengthening the larger world SPS.

The center of the SPS at VT, is the SPS lounge. Only accessible to SPS members, the lounge (as we affectionately call it) is a student’s sanctuary. We study, have fun and relax, and help each other with homework. The fridge is always stocked with soda and snacks. There are blackboards, and whiteboards to tackle problems. There are computers for our internet needs. And couches for those time when we need to lay back and relax…or do homework on a couch.

Not only do we have a super cool room, but we also do lots of stuff! We have meetings every two weeks, where we discuss T-shirts, upcoming events, physics, watch movies (particularly movies with very bad physics, then we make fun of them!). We also have Coffee Donuts every other week (the weeks we don’t have meetings), where students and faculty hang out in the lounge talking it up with a cup o’ joe and donuts from our favorite bakery.

Some of the bigger activities include:

• Camping trips: sometimes with the Astronomy club…but either way, they are a blast!
• SPS Zone Meetings: each SPS is in an SPS zone (we are VA, DC, and MD), and every year there is a big get together of all the SPS’ in the Zone. We hosted one last year!
• Chez Robeson: A dinner and a show the SPS puts on for the faculty as a fundraiser every spring. The show consists of sketches making fun of the professors, making physics jokes, and bizarre dancing! Some sketches have included Mole or No Mole (a variation on Deal or No Deal using 6.022×10^23 boxes),

How do you become a member? Simple, when SPS comes by your Seminar in the fall, sign up! There is an application and a membership fee, but the fee is paid for by the Physics Department your freshman year!

Welcome to Virginia Tech, and I hope to see you all soon.

A Guide Post

As described to me by a professor of physics, there is a basic formula for success in this field. It is very general, so I will try to describe what is meant by each piece afterwards. These things do go in order, so keep that in mind.

1. Math Concepts
2. Physics Concepts
3. Applying Physics Concepts
4. Creating New Physics Concepts

Math Concepts

This is a pretty obvious thing. You HAVE to be able to do basic math in order to have any success these days in physics. Physics is written in the language of mathematics. All of our present understanding of the Universe is contained in mathematical laws and theories. And physics even has led to the formulation of new mathematics. Thus it is best that one knows the language well enough to be able to move into more complex territory.

Living on Campus

This should be some of what you need to know before you move on campus this August. I lived on campus for two years before moving off, so I hope I can shed some light on what it is really like.

A quick description of campus

If you want to follow along with a map, here you go. First the landmarks you should know. The drill field, located directly in the center of the main campus. This is a large open field that separates the academic side and dormitory side of campus. Burruss Hall, located centrally on the academic side of campus. This is the administration building and a very recognizable landmark for everyone. Dietrick Hall, also known as D2. This is the largest dinning hall on campus, also the place you had dinner at orientation. This is located conveniently in the middle of the dorm side of campus. The on campus bookstore and library are located just at the end of the dorm side of campus, just before you get to Squires.

The Cascades

If you enjoy hiking and waterfalls you should really check this place out, especially if you and your friends are looking for something to do before classes start.  It is a very easy hike, but then there is a pretty sweet waterfall at the end, and if you dare to brave the frigid waters you can swim a little too.

Directions

Travel west on 460 towards Bluefield.  You need to drive to a little town called Pembroke.  This takes roughly half and hour from campus.  Then take a right turn on Cascades Drive, you will see a large wooden sign the says something like welcome to the cascades, blah blah blah, don’t feed the bears, blah blah blah.  No bears, just kidding.  Okay now drive to the very end of Cascades drive, maybe 10 minutes to so, and you will be in a parking lot all of a sudden.  There is a small fee for parking, either 2 or 3 dollars, cash, and it is on the honor system.  Then you are there and free to hike.  It is about 2 hours total if you hang around the waterfall for a while, or veer off the trail for a little exploring.

If you think waterfalls are cool in the summer you should check this one out in the winter, because it freezes over.

Textbooks

There are a few options for finding and purchasing your textbooks.  Usually the cheapest way to do it is a combination of the following.

First Finding Your Textbooks

The Virginia Tech University Bookstore provides on their website a very convenient way to find the textbooks you need.  As long as you have your course CRN number (5-digits) and the course number (4-digits, ie. Phys 2305) you can find what the course books are.  First follow the link which takes you to the Campus Bookstore website.  The click the Textbooks link on the top of the page.  Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Click Here to Find Your Course Textbooks or Place a Textbook mail order . You now see a nice window where you can selectively choose your semester, dept, course number, and then your section/Prof.  Then if the Prof. has submitted an order for books for the class it will display the title and author as well as the price for used and new copies.

Once you find your books

Now that you know what you need you have a few options for purchasing the books.  First there is the one campus bookstore.  Then Volume II located in the University Mall.  There is a bookstore on Main Street downtown called Tech Bookstore.  My personal favorite is ordering my books from Amazon used.  The best option is just check all the prices online and go from there.

Words of Caution

A few things to be careful of.  Sometimes you may want to wait to purchase your textbooks until after you have attended the first class.  Unless explicitly notified by your teacher it is not guaranteed the books listed on the bookstore page will be used for a given class.  When buying used books through the bookstores give the book a really good look-through to make sure it is in acceptable condition for you.  When purchasing used from Amazon I always make sure of the condition of the book by checking the comments about the book in question.  Many sellers even offer brand new books at used prices.  Mainly because they are technically used but can’t be sold as new due to the book being re-shelved or have something called ‘ remainder marks‘ on the bottom of the page edges.  This can save you lots of money and you still get a really nice copy of the book.  So students manage to find the international versions of books.  The covers are often times different then the American edition, and usually say “not for sale in the US” on them.  Well they are sold for something like $10.  I’m not recommending this option, it seems sketchy to me.  Sometimes the books are slightly different in content as well, so be careful.

If anyone has any additional advice feel free to post it in the comments.

Freshman Physics

Just a quick note to inform you on some useful physics things.

MIT has a program called MIT OpenCourseWare where they record lectures given and then post them for free for anyone to watch.  Of particular interest would be the freshman physics lectures.  They have three total classes posted.  One on mechanics, one on electricity and magnetism, and one on waves.  You can also find and download the E&M ones on iTunes through the iTunes store.  All three courses are taught by Prof. Walter Lewin.  He is quite the character and makes learning physics even more enjoyable and very easy.  

They also offer several math courses as well.  Including differential equations and linear algebra.

So if you feel the need for extra help on a particular subject or just want to supplement your lectures here you should definitely check these out.