| Research: A systematic study directed toward fuller scientific knowledge, or making an original, intellectual, and creative contribution to the discipline. Research also includes activities involving the training of individuals in research techniques where such activities are not included in typical instruction.
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Overview
Giving students the opportunity to participate fully in cutting edge undergraduate research is one of the of the most valued commitments of the JMU physics faculty. These research experiences provide you with one-on-one mentoring from faculty, training in the use of advanced scientific equipment, exposure to regional and national scientific conferences, the joy of making discoveries and amplifying the learning done in the classroom. A key element is the communication of your research results at regional and national meetings and publication in refereed journals. Students are encouraged to travel to meetings throughout the country to talk about their work and to meet with professional scientists.
Opportunities
The Department of Physics and Astronomy currently offers students opportunities to work in particle and nuclear physics, materials science, soft condensed matter, astrophysics and astronomy and computational physics.
More information is found here.
This research is funded from a variety of government and private sources, so it is possible to support some students for summer research. In most cases, students join a research group and obtain summer support by talking directly with the faculty member in charge of the research. In the case of materials science (funded by the National Science Foundation, NSF as a Research Experience for Undergraduates, REU), a formal application is required. Details can be obtained from Dr. Hughes, Dr. Paulson or Dr. Utter.
Although physics majors are required to accumulate at least two credit hours of research to graduate, many choose to do much more. Usually, course credit is given for work done during the academic year and summer research involvement is paid. Although the amount paid or summer research varies with the group and the experience level of the studnets, the stipend is typically between $3,700 and $4,000. In the case of the materials science REU, dormitory housing is also provided. All travel that is part of the research - conferences, visiting other laboratories and universities, etc. - is also paid for by the support agnecy.
Our students often find that their research takes them and their faculty advisors to laboratories and universities around the world. This includes such places as
- Duke University
- Fermilab
- Jefferson National Lab
- NASA Goddard
- Naval Research Lab
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
- Triangle Universities Nuclear Lab, Duke University
- University of Missouri-Rolla
- University of North Carolina
- University of Virginia
The results of the research done are most often presented by the students as posters or oral presentations at regional and national meetings such as
- American Chemical Society
- American Physical Society - March Meeting
- American Physical Society - Div. of Nuclear Physics
- American Physical Society - Southeastern Section
- AAPT - Chesapeake Section
- Council on Undergraduate Research
- Materials Research Society
- National Conference of Undergraduate Research
- Virginia Academy of Science
However, if you choose to work with a single group long enough, it is possible that your research can result in a paper in a refereed physics journal.
How do I Get Involved?
The key to getting involved in research is to talk with faculty. It is common for a few students, who do well their first semester at JMU and are comfortable with the course load, to contact faculty about research opportunities after their first semester. More commonly, this is done during the sophomore year. You are strongly advised to get involved in a research program as early as possible. Doing so opens several possibilities for your undergraduate career.
If you know what field you are interested in, getting started early gives you more time to develop expertise. Such a long-term committment to a project usually leads to presentations at conferences and occasionally, papers in refereed journals. A strong committment to the field of your interest means that your research advisor can write strong letters of recommendation to employers and graduate schools. You will have experience preparing and giving presentations and perhaps will be published. This is the best way to learn what doing physics is like and build your resume. Learning to balance course work and research to be sucessful in both is great experience for graduate school and the graduate schools know it.
Alternatively, you can choose to work in more than one research group. If you don't know what you might be interested in, this path has advantages. You are free to sample life in more than one research group, thereby getting a flavor of research in several fields. This can be helpful is learning what you do and don't like about research in selected areas. It is also a good way to pick up a wider variety of research skills. By spending time in two different groups it is possible get a much better idea about what you might wish to do in graduate school. It is also a great way to build skills for the first job. If you choose this path, it can also be a good preparation for graduate school, provided you don't switch too often. You need to plan to stick with a group long enough to actually get something done. As a practical matter, this usually limits students to a productive stay in no more than two groups during your undergraduate career. Remember, graduate schools and employers are looking for students who can carry projects to completion.
There are also summer research opportunities at other universities. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs at JMU and many other universities and national laboratories. You can search for sites you might be interested at the NSF web site. We often have students who choose summer research experiences in these programs at other institutions. With a little planning, this can provide several advantages. First, you can often join a program at a university that you might be considering for graduate school. This gives the opportunity to move to another part of the country and see what it is like, work with faculty to see what they are like and try a research program that you might return to as a graduate student. By choosing a different program each summer, you can sample several places and really get an idea of phyiscs or astronomy research is all about. Joinging an REU elsewhere can also provide the experience with working students form other institutions. (Remember: JMU has an REU program in materials science - you have have most of the advantages of a REU somewhere else right here on campus.)
Pursuing off-campus REU expereinces does have a down side. By staying at JMU and working with faculty who already know something about you from your course work, you are earning enhanced recognition from the faculty. This means that when it comes time to write letters of recommendation for work or grad school, you are a well-known quantity. This makes it easy for your research advisor to write a detailed letter for you. If you spend a summer off-campus, your research advisor will only know your work from that summer. This may limit their ability to fully discuss your capabilities. If you were to choose to do research only when away from JMU, then your ability to engage in longer projects is diminished obviously and the likelihood that you will publish any of your work is small. You will probably still give presentations, but your involvement in the research may well be more superficial.
Although summer research in an REU at another institution can be very rewarding, it is generally recommended that unless you have clear goals, research here at JMU is best. BY joining a group and pursing a single project of several years, not only do you make it more likely that you will publish with your faculty advisor, you make yourself more attractive to graduate schools. They are often looking for someone who can follow a project through to completion and show they can master all aspects of a scientific career.
You should also remember that many of the JMU faculty are in research collaborations with faculty at other universities and national laboratories. By working with JMU faculty on these projects, you will also have a chance to work with these colleagues. Being part of these collaborations can also help you make the connections to graduate schools, often more effectively than through an off-campus REU experience. As you make your plans for your undergraduate research career, you must weigh all these considerations. Please consult with faculty members or upper division students for more details.
| Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the concept, design, execution or interpretation of the research study. All those who have made significant contributions should be offered the opportunity to be listed as authors. Other individuals who have contributed to the study should be acknowledged, but not identified as authors.
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In deciding how to craft your undergraduate research career, you must weigh the pros and cons of each choice. Certainly, we have had students who followed one path and gone on to great things as well as students who've chosen the other path and done very well. You must choose the path that works for you.
All summer opportunities, at JMU or elsewhere, offer a stipend, so you can afford to do this on little, or sometimes, no extra money. The decision of whether to find summer research on-campus at JMU or off-campus with another institution is one to make armed with information. Talk to the faculty, your classmates, and search the web. Even though JMU Physics has only one formal REU in materials science, all our summer research programs function together. There is a lot of intereaction between students from all laboratories at JMU that make summers on campus fun and a real learning experience.
In either case, you are opening doors to future possibilities. Start down this path by first gathering information. Talk to upperclassmen who work in the labs that seem interesting to you. Talk to the faculty in charge of the research. Questions you might consider as you make your investigations:
- What would I be doing in the lab? Does this involve techniques or skills that I'd like to learn?
- What is the physics/astronomy we are trying to understand? Do I find this interesting?
- Do I like the students and faculty I'd be working with; will it be fun to do?
- What kind of committment to the group am willing to make?
- Do I want to start/continue the project during the academic year? Will I have time in my schedule?
Remember, you are not making a decision that will affect the rest of your life. Just because you work in materials science at JMU doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't study nuclear phyiscs in graduate school or get a job working with computers. The important thing is to get some meaningful research experience in some field.
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