Close friends are important drivers of adolescent behavior, including college attendance, according to Steven Alvarado, assistant professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences. In new research published March 4 in American Educational Research Journal, Alvarado reports that having college-bound friends increases the likelihood that a student will...
Category: Teacher of Physics
Researchers find evidence of elusive Odderon particle
For 50 years, the research community has been hunting unsuccessfully for the so-called Odderon particle. Now, a Swedish-Hungarian research group has discovered the mythical particle with the help of extensive analysis of experimental data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. In 1973, two French particle physicists found...
Scientist discovers a new type of ‘bi-molecule’ with applications for quantum sensors
Dr. Rosario González-Férez, a researcher at the Department of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics and the Carlos I Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics of the University of Granada, has published an article titled "Ultralong-Range Rydberg Bi-molecules" in Physical Review Letters. The results of the study show a new type...
Going forth with standardized tests may cause more problems than it solves
Despite the many ways that COVID-19 has disrupted schools, the U.S. Department of Education will not give states a pass on giving standardized tests to students this year as it did in spring 2020. That's according to new guidance the department issued Feb. 22. The guidance invites states to request...
Physics camp has proven benefits for high school girls
Even a small effort up front can boost the abilities and confidence of girls as they anticipate taking challenging science courses. A long-running summer program at Rice University and elsewhere that trains high school girls in basic physics concepts has proven successful in helping them thrive when they take on...
Motivation is a key factor in whether students cheat
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic caused many U.S. colleges to shift to remote learning in the spring of 2020, student cheating has been a concern for instructors and students alike. To detect student cheating, considerable resources have been devoted to using technology to monitor students online. This online surveillance has...
Professor seeks to help adults better communicate with children
Narissra Punyanunt-Carter co-edited the book 'Communication Begins with Children,' which helps adults who have children or work with children effectively communicate with them. "Don't touch the stove, dear, because the stove makes things hot and hot things can burn us," someone says to their 4-year-old as the child nods along...
Preschoolers should learn particle physics
The standard model of particle physics is a remarkable theory. Its underpinnings are established as robustly as those of any other field of scientific inquiry. Which is why I would like to make a modest proposal to particle physicists: Start talking to preschoolers about your work. “What?” you say. “Preschoolers?...
Helping engineers become good physics teachers from the Netherlands
Not all high school teachers enter university sure of their future career path. In the case of physics teachers, some get their start in physics-heavy fields such as engineering before switching to education. Yet in the Netherlands, where we live, and in many other countries, even those with a significant...