2014 Summer Reading List

I have discovered a chronic problem in my life: Difficulty making time to read. During the fall and spring terms, I'm overrun with grading, advising, committee work, meetings, managing up, fits and spurts of research & writing---and oh yeah, that whole teaching thing forms the center of it all. Today I discovered that I had ~3 months worth of articles and journal TOCs piled up in my task list.

I'd like to think this problem is localized to the fall and spring terms, but the spring term ended a month ago. The problem is, if I view fall and spring as burdens and summer as reprieves, I won't make time for important things, like reading articles outside of my immediate needs.

So, I'm going to try something different: I'm going to blog about what I read this summer. Perhaps by turning my desire to read into a project, I'll actually schedule it instead of letting it fill in the gaps. Here are the 13 papers currently on my list, and a brief explanation of why I'm interested in them.

• The Advanced Lab: Hallmark of an Outstanding Undergraduate Program (Reichert, AJP 82 3, 2014). JU Physics currently has no advanced lab, and I'm looking to better incorporate research skills into our curriculum.
• Thermodynamics of bread baking: A two-state model (Zurcher, AJP 82 224, 2014). Mmm... whole wheat physics...
• A model for incorporating computation without changing the course: An example from middle-division classical mechanics (Caballero & Pollock, AJP 82 231, 2014). Computational physics from the department that brought us the CLASS? #SignMeUp.
• Advantages of using a logarithmic scale in pressure-volume diagrams for Carnot and other heat engine cycles (AJP Shieh & Kan, AJP 82 306, 2014). We don't use log scales enough in undergraduate physics & engineering education, and we don't show where the Carnot efficiency comes from clearly enough. 
• Matrix Mechanics of the infinite square well and the equivalence proofs of Schrodinger and von Neumann (Prentis & Ty, AJP 82 6 2014). I'm hoping to better develop students' understanding of the relationship between the two formulations of quantum mechanics. If I can do so with the first problem we solve, hooray!
• A guide to hunting periodic three-body orbits (Suvakov & Dmitrasinovi, AJP 82 609 2014). A promising computational physics application for my students to work through.
• Writing Science Fiction Stories to Motivate Analysis of Journal Articles (Kontur, http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1403/1403.2435.pdf). Sounds promising!
• How physics instruction impacts students' beliefs about learning physics (Madsen, McKagan, & Sayre, http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1403/1403.6522.pdf). This paper is a meta-analysis of many studies using the CLASS.
• Teaching and physics education research: Bridging the gap (Fraser et al, Rep. Prog. Phys. 77, 2014). I'd like to learn more about encouraging faculty to adopt engaged learning practices.
• A Guided Inquiry on Hubble Plots and the Big Bang (Forringer, TPT 52 199, 2014). I'm hoping to use this in class, and in my discussions with YECists at church.
• The Confirmation of the Inverse Square Law Using Diffraction Gratings (Papacosta & Linscheid, TPT 52 243, 2014). I'll be teaching an intro-level optics course this fall, and currently don't do anything experimental with the inverse square law.
• Motivating Students to Do Homework (Kontur & Terry, TPT 52 295, 2014). Who doesn't have this problem?
• Teaching labs the Compass Way (Gandhi et al, http://arxiv.org/pdf/1404.6831v1.pdf). I'd like to learn how to make my labs into more authentic research experiences.

So, I have 11 weeks of summer left, so if I post my thoughts about 1-2 articles each week, I'll be through my entire list (just in time to start another...).

What does it mean to have tenure?

On May 2, 2014, I was granted tenure at Jacksonville University. This accomplishment represents five years of service to JU (at the culmination of 28 years of academic progress) and means a great deal to my future. I am very thankful to my family and friends (especially Amy Lane, who sits at the intersection of the two) for their support, encouragement, and patience. I am also thankful to my colleagues on JU's faculty and administration for their collaboration and mentorship---and, of course, for voting to grant me tenure!

As I've discussed this upcoming decision with many over the last several years, I've learned that many people don't understand what tenure is, why it exists, or how it is granted.

What is tenure?

I think a very concise description of tenure is found in JU's faculty by-laws: "The faculty member does not bear the burden to justify retention." Tenure is the relief of a faculty member having to prove the worthwhileness of her continued employment at the institution. It is the university making an indefinite commitment to retain the faculty member based on his already established worth and promise for the future; granting tenure is the university declaring that it wants the faculty member to be a staple of the community. In short, tenure is job security, of the sort not found in almost any other field or industry.

Why is tenure?

This description typically produces two types of responses: "Where can I sign up?!" or "That's not good!" Both of these responses come from the perception that tenure is security for the sake of comfort, based on the observation of what is sometimes the unfortunate result of tenure: Lackluster output.

Let me describe tenure in a way that is both more positive and more accurate to what universities intend it to be: The freedom to make mistakes.

Over the last five years, I have had to demonstrate my success in teaching, scholarship, and university service (which some, including me, would like to change to "Service and Leadership"). In doing so, I needed to stick to what I knew would work: Proven engaged teaching strategies (modified just enough to demonstrate innovation), promising research avenues (with sufficiently short turnaround time to produce publications by my tenure application date), and readily available service and leadership roles. If I ventured too far off the beaten path, I ran the risk of poor teaching evaluations, a lackluster research record, and being a faceless name on campus. That's not to say I couldn't (or didn't) take any risks at all, but in short, I had to demonstrate excellence and be able to clearly explain any failures.

I no longer have that burden. I am now free to make mistakes.

I am now free to innovatively adjust the delivery of my courses, and not have to fear the student reviews if the reforms misfire. Why? Because I have demonstrated that I can make a teaching plan based on proven learning principles.

I am now free to pursue unexplored or underdeveloped areas of research, and not have to obsess over my publication record. Why? Because I have demonstrated that I can plan, execute, and evaluate quality research.

I am now free to take on the service and leadership roles that I find to be important, and not feel guilty about saying no to other opportunities. Why? Because I have demonstrated my commitment to JU.

Tenure, in short, is a safety net; it allows the tenured faculty member to try stunts that would otherwise be potentially dangerous without it.

How is tenure granted?

I hope you see what a huge commitment tenure is on the part of the granting institution! Tenure is a decision by, quite literally, the entire university: One's closest colleagues, multiple levels of supervisors, a university-wide committee, and ultimately the President and Board of Trustees all have a say in the decision, and each looks at the tenure candidate with a critical eye toward the care of the university's students. This multi-layered criticality is why it takes so long for tenure decisions to comes through; I applied in October 2013 and just heard the final decision in May!

I hope this description has been helpful for you to be able to celebrate with recently tenured faculty members and to support pre-tenure faculty members.