The PMT Program at the University of Utah

The Department of Physics is introducing a new Bachelor's degree program meant to produce graduates

• who know what the fundamental principles are that govern the way things work;
• who are familiar with the technical tools with which things are calculated and measured, and the limitations of these tools;
• who can effectively present their own work and judge the work of others.

A related Master's degree program, by adding one year of focused coursework, is meant to produce a graduate with concentrated preparation in a particular area. The key to achieving these goals will be three new year-long sequences developed for this program, but open to students from other departments. These sequences will be challenging and are meant for well prepared and highly motivated students.

The new course sequences, and the structure of the Physics of Modern Technology programs, are being developed with advice from local and national industrial partners.

Career Preparation
The rapid rate of technological change has important implications for technical careers. For a scientist/engineer, expertise in a particular technology is no guarantee of a secure or interesting job when one way of doing things is replaced by another; the ``leading edge'' of technology at graduation will be long discarded by the time a scientist/engineer reaches midcareer. There is a different but related problem for leaders in many managerial and decision making roles: those who control the allocation of corporate research funds, who advise on technology investments, who determine what projects should receive government or private grants. These leaders must have a real understanding of a wide range of fields but cannot be an expert in the engineering detail of each field. In developing new technologies, in understanding and evaluating new ideas, what is essential is expertise in the principles that govern physical processes. While the details of application change, the fundamental principles do not. The Physics of Modern Technology Programs provide career preparation for scientist/engineers who seek the flexibility to move into developing directions and for those who envision careers in technology leadership. It will be excellent preparation for careers such as journalism, patent law, medicine, and so forth. In these careers the graduate's real technical expertise will give them great advantages and will open doors to many possibilities not available to those who have taken more traditional educational paths to these careers. Some Program Details
The three innovative year-long sequences that form the capstone of the new program, are listed below along with the suggested year in which they are to be taken.

• Basic Applied Methods (PHYCS 3910 & 3920), in the junior year;
• Technical Communication and Scientific Judgment, PHYCS 4910 , in the senior year;
• Advanced Methods I and II (PHYCS 5910 & 5920), as part of the fifth year Master's program.

Basic Applied Electricity and Magnetism (PHYCS 3910) and Basic Applied Quantum Mechanics (PHYCS 3920) have an innovative structure in which basic theory, computation, simulation and laboratory exploration are tightly integrated and taught in a single room designed for this purpose. The images above the title of this document are from the PHYCS 3910 module on current flow, and illustrate the nature of the integrated approach. The resistance of a trapezoidal thin-film resistor is studied mathematically, analyzed with finite-element software, and tested experimentally. The senior course, Technical Communications and Scientific Judgment, will be a seminar-style course based on group projects and will focus on technical writing, oral presentations, and statistical design of experiments. Students will be closely supervised at both the Bachelor's and Master's level, and a coherent program will be tailored to each student's career goals. Possible detailed programs will include an emphasis on management and a possible minor in Business. Some Examples
PHYCS 3910 will be taught for the first time in the the fall of 2000, and PHYCS 3920 for the first time in the spring of 2001. For a better idea of the unique pedagogy in these courses, click on the buttons to see some examples.   Laplace's equation and the trapezoidal resistor
  Multipole moments and dual Helmholtz coils
Photographic Comparison
See a shocking comparison between the old way of teaching, and the PMT way.
  The Old Way of Teaching
More Information
If you may be interested in the PMT program, or in any of the new courses, please contact Lynn Higgs [at (801)581-7140; higgs@physics.utah.edu] or Richard Price [at (801)581-8691; rprice@physics.utah.edu]. The address for either is:
Department of Physics
115 South 1400 East
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT 84112