Physics weighs research, instruction
Less funding, more teaching cuts studies for professors; students pursue summer programs to fulfill graduate school requirements
Nick Tabor
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: News
With only five declared majors in their department, Hillsdale College's physics professors offer their students plenty of personal attention. But physics students also need research experience for most graduate school programs, a requirement that they can't fulfill on campus.
Assistant Professor of Physics Cyrill Slezak said this is mainly because school policy prohibits the physics department from accepting government funding, and it's nearly impossible to find private funding for physics research.
"Pretty much all physics research tends to be on a larger scale," Slezak said. "My work is not fundable on a private level. It's too basic."
Slezak said most undergraduate students conduct research by helping with professors' projects. When there's no research for them to help with, students have to look elsewhere, he said.
Slezak said that even if Hillsdale's professors could accept government funding, they still wouldn't have enough time or equipment to conduct research.
Since there are so few physics majors, the college has little cause to hire another physics professor, he said.
But in order to provide a complete physics program, the professors have to teach a certain number of courses. Physics professors teach 12 credits per semester, while most Hillsdale College professors teach nine.
"What [that] means is that you don't have time to do research, or even keep up on the research," said Adam Smith, associate professor of physics.
Currently, two of the college's four physics professors conduct privately-funded research.
Ken Hayes, associate professor of physics, said he conducts non-funded research for the
"Review of Particle Physics," a scientific journal published every other year. He said he's never employed students in his research, though, because the material is too advanced for undergraduate students.
But Hayes said the college will find private funding for a research project if a professor applies for it. He said that's how the department obtained all the equipment in its quantum optics laboratory.
Hayes said he encourages students to apply for summer research internships, especially if they plan to attend graduate school.
Junior Walter Pettus interned at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois last summer, where he studied isotope analysis while serving as a lab assistant.
"It was pretty much like what you would expect from a summer job," Pettus said. "I did random tasks around the lab."
He said Slezak encouraged all the students in his class to look for research internships and recommended Web sites to assist in their searches.
After Pettus found a handful of internships, Slezak and Physics Department Chairman Jim Peters helped him decide which ones to apply for, Pettus said.
Pettus said his internship perfectly supplemented Hillsdale's physics curriculum.
"I got a lot of hands-on experience," he said. "[That] experience is pretty much invaluable, coming out of a small school like Hillsdale."
Slezak said his own graduate school options were limited because he didn't conduct enough research as an undergraduate.
"For them to have a good shot at graduate school, they need to have research," Slezak said of his current students.
But Hayes said the research opportunities at Hillsdale are just as good, if not better, than the opportunities available at universities.
"If you're going to work closely with a faculty member at a grad school, you have to be a grad student," he said. "The main difference here is that students do get to work in a research lab, with the professors."
"They're at no disadvantage whatsoever," he said.
Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff agreed.
"Hillsdale turns out to be a pretty good bang for your buck if you're a physics major," he said of the college's student-to-faculty ratio.
Hillsdale College Collegian 2007
Assistant Professor of Physics Cyrill Slezak said this is mainly because school policy prohibits the physics department from accepting government funding, and it's nearly impossible to find private funding for physics research.
"Pretty much all physics research tends to be on a larger scale," Slezak said. "My work is not fundable on a private level. It's too basic."
Slezak said most undergraduate students conduct research by helping with professors' projects. When there's no research for them to help with, students have to look elsewhere, he said.
Slezak said that even if Hillsdale's professors could accept government funding, they still wouldn't have enough time or equipment to conduct research.
Since there are so few physics majors, the college has little cause to hire another physics professor, he said.
But in order to provide a complete physics program, the professors have to teach a certain number of courses. Physics professors teach 12 credits per semester, while most Hillsdale College professors teach nine.
"What [that] means is that you don't have time to do research, or even keep up on the research," said Adam Smith, associate professor of physics.
Currently, two of the college's four physics professors conduct privately-funded research.
Ken Hayes, associate professor of physics, said he conducts non-funded research for the
"Review of Particle Physics," a scientific journal published every other year. He said he's never employed students in his research, though, because the material is too advanced for undergraduate students.
But Hayes said the college will find private funding for a research project if a professor applies for it. He said that's how the department obtained all the equipment in its quantum optics laboratory.
Hayes said he encourages students to apply for summer research internships, especially if they plan to attend graduate school.
Junior Walter Pettus interned at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois last summer, where he studied isotope analysis while serving as a lab assistant.
"It was pretty much like what you would expect from a summer job," Pettus said. "I did random tasks around the lab."
He said Slezak encouraged all the students in his class to look for research internships and recommended Web sites to assist in their searches.
After Pettus found a handful of internships, Slezak and Physics Department Chairman Jim Peters helped him decide which ones to apply for, Pettus said.
Pettus said his internship perfectly supplemented Hillsdale's physics curriculum.
"I got a lot of hands-on experience," he said. "[That] experience is pretty much invaluable, coming out of a small school like Hillsdale."
Slezak said his own graduate school options were limited because he didn't conduct enough research as an undergraduate.
"For them to have a good shot at graduate school, they need to have research," Slezak said of his current students.
But Hayes said the research opportunities at Hillsdale are just as good, if not better, than the opportunities available at universities.
"If you're going to work closely with a faculty member at a grad school, you have to be a grad student," he said. "The main difference here is that students do get to work in a research lab, with the professors."
"They're at no disadvantage whatsoever," he said.
Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff agreed.
"Hillsdale turns out to be a pretty good bang for your buck if you're a physics major," he said of the college's student-to-faculty ratio.
Hillsdale College Collegian 2007
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