A physics course is often the most difficult class in a student’s schedule. This can cause great stress, panic, and lead to a general dislike of the sciences. We will discuss causes of poor mental health due to anxiety induced by a physics course and how to avoid it. A good starting point is to have discussions with experienced instructors about key problems in the classroom and how they fix...
There is widespread acknowledgment that physics and astronomy must improve diversity, equity and inclusion overall. The University of Maryland is well suited to address this issue given the demographics of the surrounding area and the strength of its physics department. We present the design and implementation of a pilot high school summer research program aimed at students of underrepresented...
In a first semester of a three-hour per week introductory physics lab, students completed traditional laboratories on mechanics and heat, where student reports recorded experimental methods, analysis, and results. The second semester lab was implemented as a semester-long student project. The project consisted of building the structure and electronic system for a functioning remotely operated...
