"Don't just read it; fight it! Ask your own questions, look for your own examples, discover your own proofs."  
                                                     -Paul Halmos

"I'll play with it first and tell you what it is later."
                                             -Miles Davis

The curriculum of lectures and structured laboratories described in the previous section provides the framework for the systematic study of physics . At some point, however, students are encouraged to venture forth on their own, to take advantage of the many opportunities for independent study and research offered by the Department.

Physics 462: Independent Study in Physics and Astronomy

Regardless of career objectives, students should consider taking Physics 462, Independent Study in Physics and Astronomy, during the spring of senior year. In fact, this course is required for all those who select the Bachelor of Science option as their degree. Physics 462 provides precious training for the work encountered after graduation, whether that work is in graduate study or in employment in technical or non-technical fields.

Physics 462 may only be taken with the permission of the Department, and there is a standard procedure for obtaining such permission. Any physics major is eligible, but must begin developing a project and receiving Department approval in the spring term of junior year. If you need an idea or have an idea of your own, discuss the situation with the Independent Study Program Advisor, who can describe possible projects and refer you to an advisor whose interests parallel your own. Probably the first thing your adviser will do after describing the possibilities is to send you to the library to do some background reading. After researching as much of the literature in your project field as possible, you should formulate a draft of your proposal, and take it to your adviser for his review. When the two of you are satisfied, it is ready to be submitted for departmental review. Since the process of preparing your proposal will probably take two months and is due in the Physics Department a week before the last day of classes, you should begin searching for a topic soon after the beginning of spring term of junior year.

Most projects are likely to be experimental rather than theoretical in nature, as it is difficult to do substantial theoretical work on  the undergraduate level. Computer projects  are possible, however, and the Department has a modest budget available for equipment for student projects. If equipment needed for your particular project is not available in the Department, make a list of the needed equipment, along with its manufacturer and price, and submit it with your proposal.

All proposals must receive Department approval before students can register for Physics 462. If your proposal is submitted promptly, the Department will take action on it in time for you to make revisions before the registration session, which normally occurs around the end of April.

Unforeseen problems are the rule rather than the exception in research; if you wait until the spring term of your senior year to start work on your project, you will most likely not get very far. Students are expected to do substantial work on their projects during the fall term even though they are not yet formally enrolled in Physics 462 . If you have an experimental project, plan to have your apparatus ready to take data before the end of the fall term. You will then be ready to concentrate on taking good data and interpreting it, instead of suffering last minute frustrations because of equipment problems.

The culmination of your project is a presentation of your work at a physics colloquium in April. This may be the first time you have given such a talk and you will certainly want to make sure that your hard work receives proper recognition, so you and your adviser should plan your talk carefully. It is a good idea to have practice runs to get your timing down and to iron out any difficulties. You are also required to submit a paper on your project to your adviser before your scheduled colloquium. This paper will be added to the collection of student project papers kept in the Physics Library.

Physics 452 Tutorial: Special Topics

Physics 474: Summer Internship

A summer internship is an excellent opportunity to participate in a research program at a major research laboratory and receive course credit. Government laboratories such a Brookhaven, Argonne, and Oak Ridge offer summer programs for students for which they are paid a modest stipend. There are also similar opportunities, normally for students between their junior and senior years, in industrial and university labs. If these programs meet certain standards, the Physics Department will grant one course credit for participation in these internships; students are required to submit a paper and present a colloquium on their projects in the fall semester following such internships. Physics 474 will count as one of the five courses permitted as a full load in the fall term.

 In many cases, selection for these programs is nationally competitive. Since many of the application deadlines are in January and February, interested students should discuss these programs with their advisors early in their sophomore or junior years. Information flyers are posted on one of the bulletin boards in the Student Lounge (Masters 206), as they are received, so feel free to take a look anytime. 

Independent Study and Research Without Course Credit

It is not necessary to be an upper-division student or to be enrolled in a course to do independent work in physics. Most of the professors in the Department have projects in which students may participate at any level. The Independent Study Program Advisor is available to help students select a project.