Mathematical and Physical Sciences Seminar

Executive Summary

Our team consists of 6 members, Joanne Leibe, Jackie Iseri, Bayard Nielsen, Brianne Smith, Sheryl Salamanca, and Bo Sun. With Joanne, Jackie, and Brianne as members of the DHC Third Year Project in which they conducted research on the attrition rate of students in the MPS major. After the data suggested that there was a natural attrition rate not limited to just certain ethnicities, our group’s goals shifted, with a vision statement to “Educate students about career opportunities in the Mathematics and Physical Sciences and to increase the retention rate of students within the divisions”.

To help make our vision come to fruition, we decided that a freshman seminar would be a perfect way for us to accomplish our goal. The course that we designed offers students to learn valuable skills and information about internships and possible careers in the MPS field. We invited guest speakers to present their careers to the students, while encouraging discussion in a small-class environment. We also provided the students information on the history and value of higher education, the exploration of potential career paths, the current state of the job market, and skill development for academic and personal success. The course’s educational objectives are to explore the real-world opportunities exist for MPS majors, to practice college-level written, oral, and interpersonal skills to better understand, value and appreciate campus and off-campus resources, and to develop real-world skills that students can integrate into their academic and personal life.

The majority of the planning and preparation was completed prior to the start of the course. After meeting with our sponsor, Dave Osleger, we submitted an application to the Teaching Resource Center, which was approved in a timely manner. We met regularly to discuss the finer details of the course, such as the number of guest speakers that would invite, as well as figuring out what other elements we wished to incorporate into the seminar. Finally, we finalized the syllabus, and divided the tasks and responsibilities of each member in preparation for the beginning of the class. We each were responsible for contacting and scheduling a speaker, with Joanne and Sheryl also leading a Resume Workshop, and kept each other informed of our progress regularly.

The students seemed to greatly enjoy the seminar, as they actively participated in discussions. We tended to even run out of time as there were so many questions that the students had. At the end of the term, we had the students’ research and present careers affiliated with MPS majors of their choice, and they have a lot of fun doing them. The careers that they chose ranged from Glaciology to Investment Banking, and it was a very different learning experience because they were able to listen to their peers.

Our final product consisted of a final presentation that we made to our sponsors, faculty, and staff both in DHC and the MPS majors in hopes of acquiring a sponsor to continue the course in future years. We have created a binder with all of our notes, minutes, and class materials such as the PowerPoint materials and handouts. Also, we included a list of past and potential future guest speakers for future proctors to contact.

Overall, the course was very successful, and all of the student leaders were very pleased with the results. We feel that the continuation of this seminar would be greatly beneficial to students, and will not take much work to hold in the future. In hindsight, one of the more difficult tasks was contacting the speakers and coordinating a time that would fit their busy schedules to speak to the students. However, besides that, once the planning was complete, it was quite easy to run the course. Future teachers need not worry as well; there is little work to be done if equipped with the binder, as everything is organized and ready to go.

We hope that this course will be offered in the future, especially if sponsored by the MPS majors or the Internship and Career Center. Students can learn so much, and it could be a first, albeit small, step in lowering the attrition rate suffered by the Mathematical and Physical Sciences majors.