THE CHANGING ROLE OF PHYSICS DEPARTMENTS IN MODERN UNIVERSITIES: ICUPE

AIP Conference Proceedings 399

Edited by Edward F. Redish, University of Maryland, and John S. Rigden, American Institute of Physics

October 1997, 1-56396-698-0, 1200 pages (2 vols.), illustrated, hardcover, 6x9, $165.00

Readership: Instructors/professors of physics and administrators in higher education.

During the Cold War, academic physicists were largely preoccupied with basic research and educating graduate students in their research specialty. With the end of the Cold War, support for basic research is decreasing. As a result, many physics departments are directing more attention towards undergraduate physics curriculum and new pedagogical methods. The International Conference of Undergraduate Physics Education examines undergraduate physics from three different perspectives: preparing baccalaureates for careers in the modern workplace; how undergraduate physics can more effectively serve engineering, chemistry, and computer science students; and the role of undergraduate physics in preparing students for teaching.