The Physics Phenomena
Small Department Enjoys Big Rewards

Tucked away in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center, five faculty members and an average of five physics majors per class are transcending their small numbers and rapidly positioning Wittenberg’s physics program as a national leader in the field.

“In research, teaching, student success and community outreach, we are having an impact on the Wittenberg community that goes way beyond our small numbers,” said Dan Fleisch, associate professor of physics.

A recent external review of the department supports Fleisch’s assessment. The review, conducted by Robert Teese, professor of physics at Rochester Institute of Technology, commended physics faculty members for their leadership role in using the results of physics education research to promote conceptual learning in their classes. The report also praised the high quality of research by Wittenberg physics students.

“One of the things that is distinctive about Wittenberg’s physics department is the extent to which we support student-initiated ideas for research and independent studies,” said Elizabeth George, associate professor of physics and department chair.

“In most physics departments, undergraduate student involvement in research is limited to helping with ongoing faculty research projects, whereas about half of our recent senior thesis projects were initiated by the students themselves. A sampling of recent student-initiated research projects includes using polarized light to characterize biological samples, developing methods for remote sensing
of radioactive materials, building a radon detector and computer modeling of systems of neurons,” George explained.

In addition to presenting at regional conferences, physics majors are also securing prestigious summer internships as well as entry into the world’s best graduate schools in physics and astronomy.

Junior Rebecca Cooper, for example, will intern at MIT’s Haystack Observatory this summer, while sophomore Louise Niu and junior Erica Snipes will intern in the physics departments of the University of Michigan and the University of California-San Diego, respectively. Wittenberg’s physics program alumni have also been admitted to Ph.D. programs at such institutions as the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Arizona, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame.

Much of this success stems from the department’s collective desire to transform the entire student-centered educational experience. From pioneering the use of podcasts to enhance studentlearning to creating quality circles to peer instruction so as to stimulate class discussion to utilizing just-in-time teaching techniques, the faculty works diligently to do whatever it takes to inspire and engage students in the learning process.

“We’re also doing what we can to reach out to students well before they begin
making college decisions,” Fleisch said.

Along with Girl Scouts Science Night and open houses in Weaver Observatory,
the physics faculty actively assists with Wittenberg’s Young Women’s Summer
Institute, works with high school engineers and helps with State Science Day.

“The physics department has an amazing story to tell,” Fleisch said, and “the results have been truly rewarding.”

-Karen Gerboth ’93