What Physicists Do
Physics 123 Spring 2018
(First 5 weeks) Fridays, 6a (3:30-4:30), Olin 141 1 Credit; S/CR/NC
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is pleased to announce this year’s Physics 123 Line-up. “What Physicists Do” is our annual series of five lectures by invited speakers, many of whom are Carleton Physics alumni. It is intended to introduce students to a broad range of real-world physics and to give some perspective on the kinds of work done by people with a physics background. The course is open to all interested students who have taken PHYS 151; those considering a major in physics are particularly encouraged to enroll.
The presentations are in OLIN 141 on Fridays during 6th period (3:30-4:30pm). The only requirement, beyond attending five talks, is to read an assigned article beforehand and then to submit a short (one page) typed essay afterwards commenting on both the talk and the reading. Speakers will be available for informal discussions over refreshments afterward. Questions: Arjendu Pattanayak, Olin 337, x7166, arjendu@carleton.edu
April 27 Aaron Heidgerken-Greene “The Science of Hands-On Interactives”
Museums present a unique pedagogical problem: how do you teach someone without directly interacting with them? To address this problem, many museums strive to create exhibits that present content to learners in engaging, hands-on ways. These exhibits must be understandable to new learners, yet appealing to people who may already know the content. Science museum interactives in particular strive to show real phenomena and demonstrate rather than simulate physical principles.
Solving all these problems while creating a durable and attractive physical object is what I do on a daily basis. The challenge and the joy of my work lies in solving engineering problems in elegant ways so that the exhibit inspires viewers to learn. Both physical fabrication challenges and digital code problems combine to keep the work interesting whether I am programming robot arms, working with high-speed cameras, welding or woodworking.