Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics

Important Information for Participants

Dates

• The main faculty development workshop will run from the morning of Wednesday, July 10 through the early afternoon of Sunday, July 14. To take full advantage of the workshop program, participants are urged to arrive in River Falls by the early afternoon of Tuesday, July 9, and schedule departure for late afternoon to early evening of Sunday, July 14.
• Participants who plan to attend the optional "Computational Basics" tutorials on Tuesday, July 9 should plan to arrive by early afternoon on Monday, July 8.

Purpose

The purpose of this workshop is to inspire participants to integrate computational activities into their undergraduate physics courses, and to assist the participants in developing and implementing a viable plan for the upcoming academic term.

The participants will be guided in their development of computational physics materials, using or modifying materials from the PICUP repository or other sources, to be used in their classes. The goal is for each participant, at the end of the workshop, to have a concrete, personalized plan for integrating computation into their upcoming course(s), as well as a complete set of computational exercises for their students.

The workshop coordinators will facilitate this work through a combination of presentations, group work, panels, and community discussion. Furthermore, the workshop is designed to be flexible to accommodate the interests and experiences of the participants.

Program

The Table below illustrates the prototypical agenda and schedule for the 5-day workshop. Because the program is driven by the goals of the participants, it is flexible and can vary from the prototype displayed.

Faculty Ownership and Community

The PICUP workshops stress faculty ownership. Faculty participants will be assisted in adopting, adapting, and/or creating their own computational materials that are amenable to their specific personal, and institutional situations. The workshop coordinators also support and encourage the use of computing environments and programming languages which are preferred by the individual faculty participants, and have expertise in a wide range of the popular computing platforms.

PICUP workshops also stress community development. Thus, a unique aspect of the PICUP workshops is the commitment, on the part of the workshop coordinators, to maintain contact with the workshop participants, and provide long-term support in the participants’ continuing computational physics educational endeavors. Participants are also invited and encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to be part of the larger PICUP organization.

Workshop Registration and Acceptance

• • Historically, there has been more interest in the workshop than available slots for participants.  Accordingly, it is necessary to implement an application process. While we will make every effort to accommodate all who apply, space is the limiting factor.
  • In the event that an applicant is not accepted for the 2019 workshop, the applicant will be apprised of other opportunities for participating in PICUP-sanctioned computational education activities.
  • Who may apply: All physics faculty, especially those who have not yet attempted to integrate computation into their undergraduate physics courses.
  • Applications are especially encouraged from faculty at Minority Serving Institutions, including but not limited to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities.
  • Teams of faculty from within an institution, or from a formal or informal consortium of institutions, are especially encouraged.
  • Prospective participants will be contacted very soon after submission of the workshop participation application (see below for application link), regarding their acceptance to the workshop. Accepted participants will then be directed to complete the registration process.
  • The workshop will run as scheduled from Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14.  Participants should plan to arrive in the afternoon on Tuesday, July 9, and depart in the afternoon or evening of Sunday, July 14. NOTE: Participants who consider themselves inexperienced with using a computer to solve physics problems, or those who would like a rudimentary refresher on "Computational Basics", should take advantage of the tutorials that will be offered during the day of Tuesday, July 9, and should, accordingly, make every effort to arrive in the afternoon of Monday, July 8.
  • Applicants will be added to the PICUP database of prospective participants. This database is used to manage the assessment activities by the PICUP evaluation team, and to allow participants to update contact information and to view their acceptance status. No information will be shared with external parties.

Expectations of Participants

• • Once accepted to attend the workshop, participants will be asked to formally register for the workshop.
  • As part of registering, participants must agree to assist in assessment of the workshops by filling out and submitting, in a timely manner, pre- and post-workshop surveys, as well as daily surveys during the workshop in River Falls.
  • Some participants may be contacted for additional information by the PICUP evaluation team.
  • Participants agree to attend every session of the workshop, except under special extenuating circumstances, and to put forth their best effort in developing their plan for integrating computation into their course(s) for ensuing academic term(s).
  • Participants agree to implement their developed plan for integrating computation into their course(s) in the immediately upcoming academic term(s), and to submitting, in a timely manner, periodic surveys and progress reports.

Costs and Scholarships

• • Accepted participants must register formally for the workshop and pay the registration fee according to the following schedule:

• • Housing (single occupancy) for 5 nights (or 6 nights, if attending the Computational Basics (CB) tutorials on Tuesday, July 9) will be provided for all registered participants.
  • All meals from dinner on Tuesday, July 9 (Monday, July 8 for CB attendees) through lunch on Sunday, July 14 will be provided for all registered participants.
  • A limited number of travel scholarships may also be available to faculty interested in attending the workshop. The scholarships will provide partial or full reimbursement of travel costs to and from the workshops. Preference will be given to faculty who demonstrably have no, or only limited, access to institutional travel support. Those interested in a travel scholarship should complete a scholarship application, to be sent to prospective participants upon receipt of the workshop application.
  • All other incidental expenses will be paid by the participants.

Withdrawing from the Workshop

If any registered participants choose to withdraw, they are requested to notify PICUP IMMEDIATELY by emailing the workshop coordinators, so that their seat can be made available to another person.

Questions/Need Help?

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please contact the Workshop Coordinators.

Application and Registration Procedure

ALERT: We are no longer accepting applications for the summer 2019 workshop.  To express interest in participating in the 2020 summer PICUP workshop follow this link: https://forms.gle/TogVpBJq9mT5QYHZ9 .