Exploring hot topics in condensed matter physics and materials science

Lately, I have been contemplating hot topics in condensed matter physics and materials science that could be interesting for students seeking a suitable research group to carry out their PhD or B.Sc./M.Sc. research projects. I want to share my personal list with the readers of this blog. Disclaimer: Certainly, this list is incomplete and possibly highly subjective. Nevertheless, I do believe that it may serve as an inspiration for interested readers. 

Navigating nonlinear career paths -- a personal perspective

Today, I would like to share my personal motivation for studying physics and eventually pursuing a PhD. You will realize that my motivation has changed quite a bit over time, but I firmly believe that I always followed my heart and trusted my instincts. Perhaps the main takeaway from this blog post is this: Always follow your passion, stay open to new opportunities, and do not view shifting gears as a negative thing. I hope that my personal story will inspire some of the readers and encourage folks to chase their dreams. While many steps in my CV may seem logical and straightforward, I would state that, in some regards, my career has taken a nonlinear path.

 

My initial passion was astrophysics. As a kid, I was captivated by documentaries on German cable TV that dealt with black holes, supernovae, comets and the Big Bang. I also loved watching the science-fiction series "Stargate" and admired the role of the astrophysicist Dr. Samantha Carter, who could eloquently explain everything that is going on in the universe. In high school, physics was not necessarily my best subject, but I certainly did enjoy it. Other contendors for my future college major were computer science and electrical engineering, but ultimately I decided to pick physics. My decision was primarily driven by the hope to find answers to the big questions about the universe while still being able to secure a decent job in the future, since physicists appeared to be in reasonably great demand in the job market.

Augmented reality, computational physics, engaging students

Just in time for the weekend, here are a few brief items that contain interesting reads and food for thought on physics education: 

Post-lecture emails to students

A few days ago, I came across the following blog post by Dr. Brokk Toggerson, a physics lecturer from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst: 

"Reflections on Physics 132 Spring ’22 Part II – Something that has been evolving for a few semesters: After-class broadcasts"

This post really resonated with me, and I am glad to share it on my own Physics Education blog along with a few comments of mine. I started following a similar approach back when I was a teaching assistant for various physics, mathematics and computer science courses during my undergraduate and graduate studies, and to this day I am strongly convinced that this is a great way to enhance the students' learning experience. Personally, I think that this approach is applicable both for large enrollment courses (such as Dr. Toggerson's 600-student lecture) and smaller classes.      

"Any questions? No? Great, let's move on." -- Wait time and awkward silence in the classroom

I have no doubt that every educator is familiar with the following situation:

 "Are there any questions?"

"What is a harmonic oscillator?"

 "What is the difference between a metal and an insulator?"

etc.

We ask an (open-ended) question to engage our students and start looking around at their faces in the lecture hall or classroom. Most students seem to look down at their desk or simply stare into space. After what feels like eternity, we decide to break the awkward silence and answer the question ourselves -- or, in the case of the "Are there any questions?"-question, we would say something along the line of "No? Great, let's move on to the next chapter." 

The rise of artificial intelligence -- transforming education, industry, and daily life

This is a slightly modified version of an article that has appeared in the most recent Newsletter (September 2023 issue) of the IEEE Magnetics Society. I have tried to provide a very basic overview of artificial intelligence and its impact on our society. As this also includes physics education, I have decided to share a draft of this article as a blogpost. Certainly, I am aware that this is a highly controversial topic. As you may realize during reading, the main theme of the Newsletter issue was superheroes. Please feel free to share your own opinion down in the comments section or reach out to me directly via email: lonskymartin@gmail.com. Also, please take a look the the IEEE Magnetics Society Newsletter if you are interested.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer in various fields, revolutionizing the way we live, learn, and work. In the context of science and technology education, AI has opened up new frontiers, empowering both educators and learners to explore complex problems, develop innovative solutions, and shape the future. In this article, we will analyze the current and future impact of AI on education, with a particular focus on the role of ChatGPT. Additionally, we will touch on the influence of AI on the industry, engineering practices, and daily life. In doing so, we will also discuss potential dangers and controversial topics associated with AI.

Transforming an advanced physics lab course

Over the course of this semester, I am taking over the advanced physics lab course at our Institute of Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt. This task comes with certain responsibilities such as holding the introductory session, doing some paperwork and communicating with students as well as the supervisors of the individual experiments, but it also offers me the chance to renew and transform the overall structure of the course as well as selected experiments. 

I believe that the advanced lab course, which is typically taken by B.Sc. students (Bachelor of Science) in their fifth semester as well as M.Sc. (Master of Science) students, is of paramount importance for all future physicists because of the following three reasons: 

How to maximize your conference experience

Preliminary note: A modified version of this article is going to appear in the IEEE Magnetics Society Newsletter, so please enjoy this sneak peek and do check out the Newsletter if you are interested. 

Through my experience of attending approximately 20 conferences as an active researcher in the fields of experimental condensed matter physics and magnetism, I believe that I am qualified to share some thoughts on the various possible ways to make the most out of any conference, no matter whether you are a young and less experienced researcher or a seasoned professional.

APS March Meeting 2023 recommendations for physics education and related contents

This is a short post containing sessions that I recommend if you are interested in physics education, outreach, etc.:

Key messages of a short conference presentation on physics education

What sort of messages do I want to convey in a ten-minute presentation? I have started thinking about this question due to my upcoming talk at the March Meeting of the American Physical Society in Las Vegas. For the first time in my life, I will give a conference presentation on an education-related topic instead of rather technical condensed matter physics contents. Since the presentation time is so short, I think that it is worth spending some time to think about the key messages. In my talk I will focus on the incorporation of computational methods into physics courses by discussing a successful realization of micromagnetic simulation group projects in an elective magnetism class at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, together with Professor Axel Hoffmann.

Weekend food for thought

Let me share a few random points as weekend food for thought: 

Media hypes affecting physics teaching and a crisis in particle physics?

Today, I would like to share with the readers two interesting, physics education-related topics that have attracted my interest over the course of the last few days. 

Five ways of improving the learning experience for physics students

Prior to launching this blog I had written down numerous bullet points related to topics in physics teaching that I would deem important. In today's post, based on five selected points I would like to discuss how we could improve the learning experience for physics students by implementing changes in the physics curriculum, course syllabi, and teaching methods. Clearly, most the ideas can be traced back to my time as a postdoctoral research in the United States. 

Artificial intelligence and other novel technologies in physics education

We are living in a time of significant technological advances and breakthroughs. Increasing computational power facilitates extensive numerical simulations of material physics, astronomical objects such as black holes, weather and climate phenomena, and the dynamics of a global pandemic that we have been going through for a couple of years. Artificial intelligence based chatbots such as ChatGPT by OpenAI appear to have a disruptive impact on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Data science and big data are more established concepts that have already found their way into academic research as well as industrial applications. Quantum computing and brain-inspired computer chips are further examples of potentially disruptive technologies. Virtual reality and the so-called metaverse are expected to become increasingly sophisticated and relevant, too.