1. Preparing Physics Students for the STEM Workforce ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank two Society of Physics Students interns for their help with this project: Amanda Palchak, University of Southern Mississippi (summer 2011 intern) and Shouvik Bhattacharya, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (summer 2012 intern). This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Project No. 1011829, Expanding the STEM Workforce by Equipping Physics Bachelors Degree Recipients and their Departments to Address the Full Range of Career Options Thomas Olsen, Kendra Redmond *, Roman Czujko American Institute of Physics, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, * kredmond@aip.org 2012 SPS Summer Interns GOALS Identify characteristics of physics departments graduating students that enter the STEM workforce after a bachelor’s degree and are intentional about career preparation From these characteristics, determine best practices for physics departments preparing students to enter the STEM workforce Equip physics departments with best practices and related tools for preparing physics undergraduates for the STEM workforce, thereby increasing the number and diversity of physics graduates joining the STEM workforce after the bachelor’s degree What happens after the physics bachelor’s degree? More than 1/3 of graduates enter the workforce. Of these, more than half go into the private sector, nearly 3/4 of them in STEM positions. APPROACH Identify diverse physics departments graduating students that enter the STEM workforce (using data from the Statistical Research Center) and are intentional about career preparation (as indicated on department website) Discern effective practices through site visits of eight departments Compile and synthesize data to determine trends and common practices Explore how alumni can help physics departments meet local industry needs by piloting alumni boards at two institutions Disseminate findings through national meetings, regional workshops, online resources PHYSICS DEPARTMENT SITE VISIT LOCATIONS InstitutionTypeHighest physics degree Approx. no. bachelor’s per year No. physics bachelor’s/yr (3 yr avg, 2008-10) College of Charleston (Upcoming - Feb 2013) PublicBachelor’s220011 Univ. of Wisconsin Eau Claire PublicBachelor’s200016 Univ. of Wisconsin La Crosse PublicBachelor’s170023 Gettysburg CollegePrivateBachelor’s60011 Carthage CollegePrivateBachelor’s4508 Miami Univ. (Ohio)PublicMaster’s340014 Univ. of WashingtonPublicPhD775057 University of California at Davis PublicPhD635025 COMMON FEATURES AMONG PHYSICS DEPARTMENTS VISITED DISSEMINATION PLANS PHYSICS DEPARTMENT SITE VISITS Protocol Physics departments complete pre-visit questionnaire one month before visit Site visit teams meet with faculty, administration, staff, students, alumni, career center, and admissions department over 1-2 days Teams author reports describing the department and outlining key features contributing to workforce success; drafts reviewed by department chair for accuracy Site visit reports analyzed for common features and summarized into case studies Articulated faculty and staff commitment to the success of every physics student, regardless of post-degree ambitions and level of academic achievement Flexible curriculum / multiple degree tracks within the physics program Varied and high quality lab courses in the physics curriculum High value placed on student research and many opportunities for physics students to participate in research on and off campus Strong ties between the physics department and local industry Career information incorporated into physics classes (e.g. seminars) Strong physics department community that engages students of all levels Faculty remain connected to physics department alumni (often informally) Nationally, 3.8 physics bachelor’s degrees are earned per 1,000 total bachelor's degree earned (approximately 6,300 physics degrees per 1.7 million total degrees in 2011). ALUMNI BOARDS ON CAREERS Two physics departments are piloting Alumni Boards on Careers (ABCs) in spring 2013 to explore the benefits of engaging a department’s own bachelor’s degree recipients in providing career insight to the department and its students, the physics departments at Bates College and Texas State University-San Marcos FEATURES OF ABCs Composed of physics alumni from the department with career paths common among alumni from that department, thereby reflecting the local economy and job prospects Connects alumni to students, expanding the networks of both potential employers and employees Provides a mechanism for physics departments to receive feedback from alumni on their career preparation and suggest new departmental efforts related to workforce preparation Results will be disseminated primarily through national physics meetings, regional career workshops, and the SPS Careers Using Physics website, www.spsnational.org/cup National Meetings Upcoming sessions at AAPT Summer 2013 meeting and APS March 2014 meeting will feature talks by PIs and faculty from site visit schools about how physics departments can better prepare students for the workforce Faculty workshop will be held at AAPT Summer 2013 meeting Student workshop was held at the Sigma Pi Sigma 2012 Quadrennial Congress in November 2012, approx. 400 attendees Regional Workshops Composed of faculty component (focused on effective department activities for career preparation) and student component (focused on career skills, e.g. resume writing). Held in conjunction with annual Society of Physics Students regional meetings to emphasize local aspects of career preparation and increase attendance Online Final project report will be posted on the Society of Physics Students Careers Using Physics website along with information on ABCs, an exercise to help physics students identify their skills, tips for physics students on resume writing and interviewing, and other project materials Students at a 2012 Sigma Pi Sigma Congress workshop