Improving Undergraduate Physics Education (IUPE) Award

The Amherst College Physics & Astronomy Department's primary mission is teaching physics and astronomy to the undergraduates at the College and research exploring the frontiers of our disciplines. Our program provides a foundation in theory and experimentation/observation for physics and astronomy majors. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive departmental climate in which all students feel capable of succeeding, are comfortable being their authentic selves in departmental spaces, and have access to the entire curriculum. Our commitment to physics and astronomy as liberal arts subjects leads us to stress the conceptual, historical, and philosophical context in which the essential ideas of contemporary physics and astronomy arose. At the same time, we aim to provide our majors with a robust technical basis (mathematical, statistical, and computational) for further study of physics, astronomy, or a range of related careers in fields such as teaching, journalism, data science, medicine, and other physical sciences (including planetary science, biophysics, engineering, and materials science).

The Morgan State University Department of Physics and Engineering Physics mission is to strive for a recognized level of national and international excellence in research, teaching, and to assure that students are given the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential in physics. The Department of Physics holds a vision to be a leader in producing the best and the brightest in Physics. We encourage various methodologies to foster strong leaders in Physics and Engineering Physics and to help encourage excellence in underrepresented minorities in S.T.E.M.

Trinity University Physics and Astronomy Department provides our students with a rigorous and inclusive classroom experience with ample opportunities for student-led research projects with faculty. Since 2019, the department has focused on encouraging students to become physicists as well as fostering a sense of belonging to a dynamic, inclusive community. These goals have been met with changes to both our curriculum and department traditions. We have recently added a degree in Applied Physics, which has attracted diverse students to our department. Through dedicated student spaces and thoughtful peer tutoring, we have encouraged a vibrant, cooperative environment for our students. Our faculty members are very research active, and our students have opportunities to work with state-of-the-art equipment on cutting edge research projects. We average better than 75% of our students participating in research projects, with about half traveling to national scientific meetings to present their work. Our majors are equally equipped with excellent scientific preparation as well as thorough training in scientific writing and oral and visual communications skills that prepare them for a variety of post-Trinity graduate school and career paths. During the 2023-24 academic year we graduated our most diverse class, with 60% female majors and 33% belonging to underrepresented minority groups.

University of California, Riverside Department of Physics and Astronomy's overall goal is to educate, and inspire students with a passion for science in general and physics in particular so they become creative thinkers and can fulfill their full potential as global citizens. Our undergraduate program provides a rigorous background in basic physics through coursework and encourages the students to participate in current research with world renowned faculty. The education will provide the students with scientifically trained mathematical, writing and analytical skills, ready to join the technologically trained workforce in a broad range of fields such as industry, education, medicine, law, engineering or science. Our undergraduates get personalized physics education through small classes that are tailored for physics majors with a view to building a learning community. The introductory class is split into groups of 2-3 students around white boards which envelope the classroom. The faculty member provides almost individual tutoring by engaging one group at a time in discussions of the lecture topic. In addition, special classes such as Physics 39 "Adventures in Physics" also incorporate professional and career development exercises such as research paper writing, scientific presentation, job search, resume writing, career counseling, research seminars etc.

University of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Department aims to provide for all students a rigorous education and inspiring professional experience through research, teaching and/or public engagement. As a flagship state university, we support students with a wide range of academic, racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our faculty emphasize innovative curriculum and the opportunities for mentored research and teaching. Surveys show that a great majority of our students engage in research, and we support many others as learning assistants in the classrooms. Our curriculum begins with introductory physics taught with an active, team-based learning(TBL) approach. TBL instills a sense of cohort and trains students to share ideas, work through gaps in understanding, and support and learn from peers. Our second-year physics curriculum includes two semesters of mathematical physics synchronized with the core second-year topics. Juniors and seniors can choose among tracks that provide depth in physics, a focus in another area of STEM, or training for teaching in high schools. Skills and professional development are integrated throughout the 4-year curriculum. Year 1 includes a fall professional development course, followed by a spring experiential course on framing science questions and designing experiments to answer them. Four semesters of lab courses train students in programming, data analysis, and experimental design. Subsequent courses train in computation, writing in physics, and presentations. Improvements to our program have come as the number of majors grew by a factor of 2.5 since 2009. The increased number of students has invigorated student clubs and study groups. Growth also helps students, especially those from under-represented groups, to form social networks. We have committed to enhancing student belonging by instituting a successful peer-mentor group for incoming students, anonymously surveying student perceptions of climate, paying for conference travel, reducing barriers to joining research labs, and supporting student organizations.