Transforming U.S. Particle Physics Education: A Snowmass 2021 Study
Published in arXiv preprint, 2022
Recommended citation: Bitter, O., Hansen, E. V., Kravitz, S., Velan, V. & You, Y. Transforming U.S. Particle Physics Education: A Snowmass 2021 Study. arXiv:2204.08983 [physics.ed-ph] (2022) doi:10.48550/arXiv.2204.08983. https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.08983
Abstract:
The pursuit of knowledge in particle physics requires constant learning. As new tools become available, new theories are developed, and physicists search for new answers with ever-evolving methods. However, it is the case that formal educational systems serve as the primary training grounds for particle physicists. Graduate school (and undergraduate school to a lesser extent) is where researchers learn most of the technical skills required for research, develop scientific problem-solving abilities, learn how to establish themselves in their field, and begin developing their career. It is unfortunate, then, that the skills gained by physicists during their formal education are often mismatched with the skills actually required for a successful career in physics. We performed a survey of the U.S. particle physics community to determine the missing elements of graduate and undergraduate education and to gauge how to bridge these gaps. In this contributed paper, part of the 2021-22 Snowmass Community Planning Exercise, we report the results of this survey. We also recommend several specific community actions to improve the quality of particle physics education; the “community” here refers to physics departments, national labs, professional societies, funding agencies, and individual physicists.
On this Publication:
We developed this study to evaluate opinions on curriculum & method of learning, based on your experiences in education. We also expect to evaluate opinions on preparedness for future job performance.
The results of this survey have been compiled and published in the “Transforming US Particle Physics Education: A Snowmass Study” contributed paper, which is publicly available on arXiv.org. Results and recommendations from this survey may be included in the final report of the Snowmass project which will be provided to the Department of Energy as part of funding recommendations from the particle physics community.