Browsing Through the Journals
- The number of students taking A-level
(advanced level secondary school) physics exams in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland this summer rose by 2.7% to over 31,500, according
to an article in the September issue of Physics World. Total
A-level entries in all subjects, in contrast fell by 6%. The numbers
taking AS-level physics, a physics exam taken at the end of the
sixth form, increased by 17.3% to almost 39,000. Fears that students
would try the new AS-level physics and then abandon the subject
were unfounded, it appeared, as a high percentage of those who
took AS-level physics in 2001 went on to do a full A-level in 2002.
The overall pass rate for physics was 92% at A-level and 85% at
AS-level. Meanwhile the number of students in Scotland taking Higher
physics fell by 4.4%.
- The Bakken Museum, which includes
about 2000 scientific and medical instruments is one of three Minneapolis
science museums described in an article in the May issue of Physics
in Perspective. Founded by Earl Bakken, the inventor of the
first wearable transistorized cardiac pacemaker and founder of
Medtronics, the collection focuses on "electricity in life," specifically
the historical role of electricity and magnetism in the life sciences
and medicine.
- A special feature on "Uncertainty,
Risk and Disaster" in the September issue of Physics Education includes
articles on "Teaching accuracy and reliability for student projects," "A
practical guide to open-ended course work investigations," " Extreme
value theory," "Challenger," and "Fire resistance of framed buildings."
- Women from 41 nations are assembling
the first international organization to promote the recruitment,
retention and networking of female engineers and scientists, according
to a story in October issue of The Institute, a publication
of IEEE. A landmark vote creating the International Network of
Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) was cast during the 12th
International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists July
27-31 in Ottawa, Canada. INWES is expected to become operational
next year.
- Although American universities
are producing new scientists and engineers at an unprecedented
rate of well over half a million a year, the supply of doctorates
in science and engineering may not be enough to meet recruitment
needs over the coming decade, according to an article in the July
issue of Scientific American. Since 1996 the number of science
doctorates has decreased, primarily because of the decline in degrees
earned by noncitizens who have been drawn to universities in China,
South Korea and Taiwan. The number of doctoral degrees granted
to U.S. citizens has apparently stopped growing and shows signs
of leveling off at about 16,000 to 17,000 annually, probably not
enough to meet our needs. Underlying the plateau is the failure
in recent decades of white American males to enter science and
engineering doctoral programs.
- The main scientific advisory panel
to the White House has joined the call for more research funding
for the physical sciences, according to a story in the 5 September
issue of Nature. A letter from the President's Council of
Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) calls for a funding
increase in fields such as physics and engineering to match the
five-year doubling of biomedical research at the National Institutes
of Health, which will be completed next year. Because Bush appointed
PCAST only last year, and it comprises scientists and engineers
friendly to the administration, lobbyists are optimistic that Bush
will heed its advice. Michael Lubell, APS director of public affairs,
calls the letter "a breath of fresh air." A similar story appears
in the 6 September issue of Science.
- More than 76% of physics lessons
for 11-14 year olds in the UK are taught by teachers without a
physics degree and more than one-third are taught by teachers without
a physics A-level, according to an article in the September issue
of Physics World. In order to support these teachers, the
Institute of Physics has embarked on a Supporting Physics Teaching
project, designed to develop the competence and confidence of non-specialists
teaching physics to 11-14 year olds. The project aims to produce
a set of 6 CD-ROMs covering the physics components of the science
syllabuses across Great Britain and Ireland. Each episode will
consist of three elements: the physics, the associated learning
challenges, and successful teaching approaches.
- If the process by which individuals
enter and progress through programs in mathematics, science, technology,
and engineering (MSTE) can be likened to a pipeline, the pipeline
is very leaky during the college years, according to an article
in the October issue of the Journal of College Science Teaching.
More than 40 percent of all students who enter college with an
interest in mathematics, science, and engineering majors leave
these majors between their first and second years. The pipeline
is even leakier for women, and the leaky pipeline continues into
the workplace. At least one university has instituted a one-credit
course that supports female students in their aspirations toward
MSTE majors and careers.
- "The Internet's Impact on Teacher
Practice and Classroom Culture" is the subject of an article in
the June issue of the T.H.E. Journal. One of the positive
results discussed is that students spend more time teaching each
other and even teaching the teachers. Given the massive amount
of information available on the Internet, any student is now able
to find information not formerly known by the teacher. Girls seem
to be as comfortable as boys in searching for information on the
Internet, in contrast to studies that show boys are more generally
more comfortable using computers than girls. The Internet changes
the face of the computer world from one centered on programming
and adventure games to one that includes a significant communications
focus.
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