Physics Colloquium: Transforming Physics Graduate Education: From Equitable Admissions to Student Success

Physics Colloquium
Transforming Physics Graduate Education: From Equitable Admissions to Student Success

Dr. Nick Young
Assistant Professor of Physics
University of Georgia

Event Details:
Graduate education in physics is crucial for training the next generation of leaders in industry, government, and academia, with the latter educating future generations of leaders in science and engineering. It is therefore important to examine both how students gain access to graduate education as well as their experiences that could support or hinder degree progress. In this talk, I describe the reform efforts that occurred in a physics department at one university as well as ongoing projects to better understand the landscape of physics graduate education. First, I’ll describe the implementation of a rubric-based holistic admissions process in one department and share results that suggests the implementation of the rubric resulted in a more equitable admissions process. Second, I’ll share lessons from this department and suggestions for other departments looking to revamp their admissions process. I’ll end with an overview of ongoing projects at the University of Georgia focused on how departments describe their programs to potential applicants, understanding graduate teaching assistant’s experiences, and retention rates in physics graduate programs. Together, these threads reveal critical intervention points for creating more inclusive and effective physics graduate programs.

Bio: Nicholas Young is an assistant professor of physics with a focus on physics education research at the University of Georgia. He earned his PhD in physics and computational mathematics, science, and engineering at Michigan State University, and he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation. His current research focuses on assessment in introductory physics courses and graduate education in physics.

Intended Audience: All are Welcome!

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