Course Syllabus
Syllabus
PHYS 7820 - Faculty Research Overview
| Meeting Pattern: | Fridays, 10:40-11:35am | ||
| Meeting Location: | CSC 10-12 |
Instructor
| Instructor: | Kyle Dawson | ||
| Department: | Physics and Astronomy | ||
| Office: | INSCC 328 | ||
| Phone: | 801-581-4785 | ||
| Communication & Office Hours: |
"Walk-in" Hours: F 8:30-10:30am and by appointment. Email is the best way to contact me. I make every effort to respond as quickly as possible, and you can always expect a response within one business day. Please use my university email address (kdawson@astro.utah.edu) to contact me, and put PHYS 7820 in the subject line so your email can be given preference. |
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Course Description
Overview
| Course | PHYS 7820 |
| Department | Physics and Astronomy |
| Pre-Requisites | none |
| Credit Hours | 1 |
| Semester | Fall 2024 |
| Description | This is a one credit course to introduce incoming graduate students to the current research being performed by the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, with the aim of facilitating the matching of students and research advisors. It will consist of weekly presentations on current research by a rotating series of faculty members and discussions with current students in each research group. |
Goals & Objectives
Students will learn about research being conducted in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- appreciate the breadth of research conducted by faculty members in our department;
- articulate their own research interests;
- recognize faculty pursuing research aligned with their interests.
Required Materials
There are no materials required for this course.
Evaluation
Your performance in this course will be evaluated by:
- Attendance during the weekly class time (55%)
- Attendance will be taken during each class. You must attend at least 11 of the 13 scheduled classes throughout the semester. An excuse is not required for classes that you miss. Attendance at each class makes up 5% of your final grade.
- Two written reflections of at least 500 words (20% each = 40%)
- One written reflection should address a presentation given during the class, and one should address a presentation from a department seminar or colloquium.
- Reflections should be submitted via upload to the Canvas course site at any time throughout the semester. It is recommended that you not leave these assignments until the last minute.
- Post-survey to be completed during finals week (5%)
Schedule
| Date | Speaker | Title | Information |
| August 23 | Kyle Dawson | Intro to Research in P&A | https://www.physics.utah.edu/research/ |
| August 30 | Tanmoy Laskar | Chasing the Universe's most Extreme Explosions | https://tanmoylaskar.github.io/ |
| September 6 | Jordan Gerton & Kelby Hahn | Researching Student Sensemaking in Physics Labs | https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.020134 |
| September 13 | Kyle Dawson | Cosmology with Spectroscopic Surveys | https://www.desi.lbl.gov/ |
| September 20 | Qi Feng & Wayne Springer | Next-Generation Gamma-Ray Observatories in the Multi-Messenger Era | |
| September 27 | Yao-Yuan Mao | The Search of Small Galaxies in the Nearby Universe | https://yymao.github.io/ |
| October 4 | Tugdual LeBohec | Stellar Intensity Interferometry with VERITAS | |
| October 18 | Carsten Rott | Neutrino Astronomy: A New Window into the Extreme Universe | https://icecube.wisc.edu/ |
| October 25 | Mengxing Ye | Theories of emergent phenomena in quantum materials | https://sites.google.com/gcloud.utah.edu/mengxingye |
| November 1 | Dennis Soldin | Unveiling the Mysteries of Cosmic Rays with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory | https://icecube.wisc.edu/ |
| November 8 | Oleg Starykh | Quantum magnets and spin liquids | https://web.physics.utah.edu/~starykh/ |
| November 15 | Vikram Deshpande | Geometry and Topology in Condensed Matter | https://web.physics.utah.edu/~vdesh/ |
| November 22 | Christoph Boehme | Spin qubits based on organic solid-state frameworks |
Course Policies
Late Assignments
Reflections will be accepted at any time on or before December 6, 2023.
Grading
Grading for this course
55% of your grade will be based on attendance, and 40% of your grade will be based on two written reflections (20% each). An extra 5% will be based on the post-course survey. See Evaluation above for details.
University of Utah grading scale
| Letter | Scoring |
|---|---|
| A | 100% - 94% |
| A- | 93.9% - 90% |
| B+ | 89.9%–87% |
| B | 86.9%–84% |
| B- | 83.9% - 80% |
| C+ | 79.9%–77% |
| C | 76.9%–74% |
| C- | 73.9% - 70% |
| D+ | 69.9%–67% |
| D | 66.9%–64% |
| D- | 63.9% - 60% |
| E | 59.9%–0% |
Accommodations
Disclaimer
Accommodations will be considered on an individual basis and may require documentation.
Please contact your instructor and/or teaching assistant as soon as possible (preferably shortly before the semester begins) to request accommodations of any kind.
If you are unable to attend class for any reason, please email the instructor. A remote option can be arranged, and materials will be made available on Canvas.
Extreme personal circumstances
Please contact your instructor as soon as possible if an extreme personal circumstance
(hospitalization, death of a close relative, natural disaster, etc.) is interfering with your ability to
complete your work.
Religious Practice
To request an accommodation for religious practices, contact your instructor at the beginning of the semester.
Active Duty Military
If you are a student on active duty with the military and experience issues that prevent you from participating in the course because of deployment or service responsibilities, contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.
Disability Access
All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services (CDS). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.
If you will need accommodations in this class, contact:
Center for Disability Services
801-581-5020
disability.utah.edu
162 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Changes to the Syllabus
This syllabus is not a contract. It is meant to serve as an outline and guide for your course. Please note that your instructor may modify it to accommodate the needs of your class.
You will be notified of any changes to the Syllabus.
University Policies
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities.
All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability & Access (CDA). CDA will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.
In compliance with ADA requirements, some students may need to record course content. Any recordings of course content are for personal use only, should not be shared, and should never be made publicly available. In addition, recordings must be destroyed at the conclusion of the course.
If you will need accommodations in this class, or for more information about what support they provide, contact:
Center for Disability & Access
801-581-5020
disability.utah.eduLinks to an external site.
162 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Safety at the U
The University of Utah values the safety of all campus community members. You will receive important emergency alerts and safety messages regarding campus safety via text message. For more safety information and to view available training resources, including helpful videos, visit safeu.utah.edu.
To report suspicious activity or to request a courtesy escort, contact:
Campus Police & Department of Public Safety
801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Addressing Sexual Misconduct
Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information.
If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to university officials:
Title IX Coordinator & Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
801-581-8365
oeo.utah.edu
135 Park Building
201 Presidents' Cir.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Office of the Dean of Students
801-581-7066
deanofstudents.utah.edu
270 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
To file a police report, contact:
Campus Police & Department of Public Safety
801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
If you do not feel comfortable reporting to authorities, the U's Victim-Survivor Advocates provide free, confidential, and trauma-informed support services to students, faculty, and staff who have experienced interpersonal violence.
To privately explore options and resources available to you with an advocate, contact:
Center for Student Wellness
801-581-7776
wellness.utah.edu
328 Student Services Building
201 S. 1460 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Academic Misconduct
It is expected that students comply with University of Utah policies regarding academic honesty, including but not limited to refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresenting one’s work, and/or inappropriately collaborating. This includes the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools without citation, documentation, or authorization. Students are expected to adhere to the prescribed professional and ethical standards of the profession/discipline for which they are preparing. Any student who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for their profession/discipline may be subject to academic sanctions as per the University of Utah’s Student Code: Policy 6-410: Student Academic Performance, Academic Conduct, and Professional and Ethical Conduct.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on an individual assignment, and/or failure in the course. Academic misconduct, according to the University of Utah Student Code:
“...Includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one’s work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information…It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.”
For details on plagiarism and other important course conduct issues, see the U's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
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