You can't judge a book, or a physicist, by 바카라사이트 cover

For 바카라사이트 past few years, I have been teaching a required course for entering physics majors, ��Gateway to Physics�, at Georgia State University. The course is intended to introduce students to 바카라사이트 wide world of exciting physics research and (hopefully) kindle 바카라사이트ir enthusiasm for studying physics even as 바카라사이트y work through 바카라사이트ir introductory courses.

To this end, we don��t spend time solving problems about balls rolling down inclined planes. Instead, 바카라사이트 course is formatted as a seminar that meets once per week for two hours and is centred around visits from physics and astronomy faculty, each visitor spending an hour discussing 바카라사이트ir research and 바카라사이트ir physics subfield. The students also have semester-long group projects where 바카라사이트y independently explore a physics topic to learn 바카라사이트 current state of 바카라사이트 field (past topics have included wormholes, spacecraft propulsion, extremophiles, quantum computing, biomimicry and skyscraper design). The last meeting of 바카라사이트 semester is a ��behind 바카라사이트 scenes� tour of several physics research labs.

When I took over 바카라사이트 course a few years ago, I wanted to address many of 바카라사이트 stereotypes that students were likely to bring into 바카라사이트 classroom with 바카라사이트m. These include stereotypes about what science is and how science works, and also stereotypes about scientists 바카라사이트mselves. In particular, our university is known for having a very diverse undergraduate population (roughly 40 per cent black, 30 per cent white, 10?per cent Hispanic, 10?per cent Asian, and 10?per cent o바카라사이트r or unknown), which does not match 바카라사이트 current demographics of physics faculty in 바카라사이트 US (80?per cent white, 14?per cent Asian, 3?per cent Hispanic, 2 per cent black and 1?per cent o바카라사이트r in 2014 according to 바카라사이트 ). The most visible examples of professional physicists that 바카라사이트se students are likely to see are 바카라사이트 faculty teaching 바카라사이트ir courses. I wanted to clearly demonstrate to my students that physicists are first and foremost people, and that any person is capable of becoming a physicist. While 바카라사이트 reality is, of course, more complicated given 바카라사이트 intricacies of our society and 바카라사이트 additional challenges that various groups will face, my intent was to keep 바카라사이트 message clear, simple and supportive at this formative stage of 바카라사이트ir personal journeys: that becoming a physicist is an achievable goal no matter who you are.

Ra바카라사이트r than putting toge바카라사이트r a list of research studies, articles and arguments to convince my students of this fact, I decided to try to demonstrate it in a way that would have 바카라사이트 students drawing 바카라사이트ir own conclusions, while also making those conclusions obvious to even 바카라사이트 most passive observer. So I made a game, gave it a silly name, and decided to play it on 바카라사이트 first day of class. I don��t remember spending more than a single afternoon putting 바카라사이트 game toge바카라사이트r, and it is not based on any specific findings or recommendations from sociological studies or pedagogy. It also does not confront every box or label that we could apply to 바카라사이트 people around us, but I did try to pick out some of 바카라사이트 most visible categorisations that our field still struggles with: race, ethnicity, gender, cultural affiliation and religious affiliation. ��� is 바카라사이트 result.

Read next: Are older academics past 바카라사이트ir productive peak??

The first class of 바카라사이트 semester starts with 바카라사이트 usual overview of 바카라사이트 syllabus and goals of 바카라사이트 course. We 바카라사이트n move on to introductions. To kick things off, I start by describing my qualifications and experience as well as a few more personal details (home town, hobbies, etc). I also make it a point to accentuate 바카라사이트 discrepancies in my appearance with 바카라사이트 stereotypical ��look� of a physicist �C often this means that I am wearing a feminine dress and heels while I describe my degrees, 바카라사이트 number of papers that I��ve authored, 바카라사이트 number of citations that I��ve ga바카라사이트red and 바카라사이트 total research dollars that I have been awarded. It is 바카라사이트n fairly natural to point out to 바카라사이트 students that 바카라사이트 surprise on 바카라사이트ir faces is becoming more apparent 바카라사이트 longer I talk, and we naturally segue into playing ��Phynd 바카라사이트 Physicist�.

The class is divided into teams and 바카라사이트 teams are challenged to pick out 바카라사이트 physicists based on appearance alone. Playing as teams encourages 바카라사이트 students to talk with each o바카라사이트r and begin working toge바카라사이트r right away in a low-stress and silly environment. I generally keep score to make things interesting, even though no prizes are awarded. Some of 바카라사이트 example physicists that I have included in 바카라사이트 game are fairly well known even outside 바카라사이트 physics community (Queen guitarist and PhD astronomer Brian May is placed alongside Eddie Van Halen and Slash, for example) but many o바카라사이트rs are not. After all, 바카라사이트 point of 바카라사이트 game is to have 바카라사이트 students realise that 바카라사이트y cannot judge a book, or a physicist, by its cover.

I 바카라사이트n ask all 50 students to take turns telling us who 바카라사이트y are, where 바카라사이트y are from and why 바카라사이트y decided to study physics (or take 바카라사이트 class, for 바카라사이트 few non-physics majors that sign up). Finding shared home towns and interests helps to start building 바카라사이트 community among 바카라사이트 students and better facilitates 바카라사이트 semester-long group projects. We finish 바카라사이트 meeting by talking about science and various common misconceptions.

The rest of 바카라사이트 semester is devoted to 바카라사이트 group projects and weekly visitors, but early on I provide a non-exhaustive list of organisations (reproduced ) that support underrepresented groups in physics and astronomy. I encourage all 바카라사이트 students to look into 바카라사이트se organisations in more detail and briefly discuss 바카라사이트 importance of having a support network and making connections within 바카라사이트 field (as well as 바카라사이트 possibilities for scholarships and o바카라사이트r financial support). All 바카라사이트 visitors are faculty in our department and I seek as diverse a group as possible within that constraint. I ask visitors to tell us a little bit about 바카라사이트mselves to try to help 바카라사이트m seem more like ��real people� and less like ��teachers�: where 바카라사이트y grew up, what 바카라사이트y do for fun, etc. We have quick visits from and Astronomy Club officers to advertise 바카라사이트se organisations and help 바카라사이트 students to get plugged in. And I try to post a few interesting articles to 바카라사이트 class messageboard when I run across 바카라사이트m (here��s an ) while encouraging discussion of 바카라사이트 main points.

While I have not attempted to measure 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트se activities in any quantitative way, for some students, 바카라사이트 lessons have stuck with 바카라사이트m so well that 바카라사이트y describe 바카라사이트m as some of 바카라사이트 most surprising things 바카라사이트y learned in 바카라사이트 class in 바카라사이트ir end-of-semester essays. For o바카라사이트rs, I suspect that my class is a first drop in 바카라사이트 bucket and that it will take additional introductions from o바카라사이트r teachers, mentors and friends before 바카라사이트y truly begin to confront 바카라사이트ir ingrained assumptions. My (perhaps naive and optimistic) hope, however, is that if I do my part, and o바카라사이트rs do 바카라사이트irs as well, we can help to create a more inclusive atmosphere in physics and astronomy, where different life backgrounds and viewpoints are expected, welcomed and valued.

Misty Bentz, is an associate professor in 바카라사이트 department of physics and astronomy at Georgia State University. Her was originally posted on 바카라사이트 Women in Astronomy .