Advising and Mentoring

Members of the Graduate Curriculum Committee advise incoming graduate students and graduate students who have not committed to a research field. The advisors meet both before and after initial discussions with students to develop standard guidelines and to resolve open issues. An academic review of entering students occurs at the end of the each semester to identify potential problems as early as possible and to offer guidance in preparation for the written comprehensive examination. All first year students are also required take a seminar course on ethics and scholarly methods in physics, taught by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). This course gives the DGS weekly contact with the new students, which aids in spotting potential problems and offers informal opportunities for counseling and advising. The Director of Graduate Studies receives mid-semester feedback on students performance from the faculty members teaching first year courses. Students who are struggling are asked to meet with the DGS. The Director of Graduate Studies or members of the Graduate committee meet with all first year students individually for additional course advising each semester, and to discuss attempting the written Comprehensive examination for entrance to the PhD program.

The Chair and the DGS also host two informal lunches with graduate students every year to discuss student concerns. This year the students requested student business cards. The Graduate School and the Department Chair approved the request. Creative Services created the cards online and the Graduate Student Council is currently designing a card template. The DGS discussed the Graduate School’s proposal to have the final PhD dissertation online instead of printed on paper. Students agreed that this would be an excellent idea.

The students would like to establish a small library in the Graduate Student Lounge in memory of Alvaro Roccaro, a graduate student who passed away two years ago. A memorial prize fund was also created in his name. Nominations were invited from the faculty, and the graduate committee selected a prize winner based on research and academic performance. The prize was awarded at the annual Dean Edmonds lecture, along with the prize for the Teaching Fellow of the Year and the Goldhaber Prize, which is awarded to the student with the best performance in their first year of the Physics PhD program.

Continue reading: Awards and Fellowships