Frames of Reference

I'm teaching PHYS309, Physics of the 20th and 21st Century, at UD this year and I thought I'd go ahead and show the first 9 minutes of this old, but illustrative, NSF film on Frame of Reference:

Is it helpful? We'll see what the students say.

Majoring in "Astronomy" at the University of Delaware

Potential students often find the information on astronomy for undergraduates at the University of Delaware confusing so I am writing this post.

Astronomy can be viewed as a branch of physics, and in order to go graduate school in astronomy you certainly need an understanding of physics similar to a physics major. Therefore, you will find that at U.S. colleges various Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees with names like "Astronomy" or "Astronomy and Physics." Our program is called "Physics with a concentration in Astronomy/Astrophysics." Regardless of the name, you'll notice they have more physics classes than astronomy classes and are almost identical to a physics major. There will also be lots of math. This major will prepare you for graduate school in astronomy -- or physics or another science for that matter. The course catalog for our major is here.

We also now have a minor in "Astronomy", just as you can minor in physics. Students majoring in engineering, math, and similar programs may find the astronomy minor suits their needs.

The fact that U.D. information guides list "Astronomy" as a minor but not a "major" is misleading because what could be called an astronomy major is instead called Physics with a concentration in Astronomy/Astrophysics.

If you are interested in this topic please contact me via the information at John Gizis's work webpage.

Physics Major to Electrician

I've been meaning to keep track of the stories of physics graduates. Here's one physics major who became an electrician:

"It woke me up," [the professor] said. "There is a strong anti-manual-work bias in this country. I fell prey to it, too."

Brian Jones, 30, sometimes feels it. Originally from southern Virginia, he studied physics on an academic scholarship to McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., hoping to get a job as an engineer with NASA or an aviation company after he graduated in 2002. He watched friends with lower grades land jobs through family contacts, but he couldn't find one. Then a friend suggested that he could make as much money as an electrician. He just finished his third year as an apprentice.

"It's not the same as a job with, say, Lockheed, with a lot of office politics," he said. "In the electrical trade, your knowledge and actions speak for themselves. The only downside is the prestige. If you say you work for a multinational, half-trillion-dollar company, versus, 'I'm an electrician,' it doesn't have the same ring."

If the pay is good and the work is satisfying, I say don't worry about "prestige." I think Jones has done well. The Post says:

Licensed journeymen can expect to be paid $65,000 to $85,000 a year, depending on overtime...

These will not be the people you call to fix a clogged toilet or plaster a hole in the drywall. Most gravitate to commercial construction, where digital equipment has made the ability to decipher technical manuals and complicated building codes crucial. Many aspire to be foremen or own their own business.

Physics Bachelors Degree Salary Information

The AIP has put out a new flyer (PDF) with starting salaries for new college graduates. It compares offers for Physics ($40K-$63K) majors to other fields, and they do pretty well.

As we are all painfully aware, the US economy has been in a serious recession. However, we are happy to report that recent physics bachelors have been getting among the highest starting salaries. Physics bachelor’s salaries are comparable to those offered to computer science bachelor’s and graduates in many engineering fields. Physicists’ starting salaries are quite a bit higher than people who earned bachelor’s degrees in other sciences, business, the humanities, or education. These data were collected and published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The data reflect salary offers made by campus recruiters during the last academic year. You can find the data on the SRC website at: http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/phystrends.html