PHY3464-SL – Nanoscience II: Technological Applications (Service-Learning)
SPRING 2017 (3 sem. hrs.) – Times Tu/Th 3:00-4:15pm
Instructor: Enrique del Barco Office: PSB 420
Office hours: Tu/Th 1:45-2:45pm
e-mail: [email protected]
Description: This course is the second of a three-course series on the fundaments Nanoscience and Nanotechnology which form the core of the Minor in Nanoscale Science and Technology offered by the Physics department. The courses are not progressive, i.e., they can be taken in any arbitrary order. The topics covered in Nanoscience II deal with the most relevant experimental advances in nanoscience and the applications in current and emerging technologies, including aspects of electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical, biological and environmental nano-engineering.
Students are expected to acquire a detailed but broad knowledge in an area that has become one of the broadest scientific disciplines worldwide, with the highest impact in current technologies and society, and with a great potential for future developments (i.e., nanotechnology).
Textbooks: Fundamentals of Nanotechnology (volume II), Gabor L. Hornyak, Jonh J. Moore, Harry F. Tibbals and Joydeep Dutta, CRC Press.
SERVICE-LEARNING (40%): PHY3464-SL is a UCF Service-Learning (SL) approved course. Students choosing this option, and in an effort to enhance the understanding of the topics covered in this course and to prepare students for an effective dissemination of scientific knowledge and research to society, will be engaged in outreach activities involving middle schools in the Orange/Seminole counties. This will allow students to work with a real world audience and will ensure that the significant time you put into your class project leads to meaningful results. A minimum of 15 hours of community service will have to be completed by each student in order to pass this course (see below for details). 40% of the course grade will be calculated according to your performance in this activity and not just by completion of the service hours.
How it works? Below there is a bulleted list of steps walking you through the Service-Learning activities which will be performed while we advance throughout the course.
- First week of classes: A large selection of nanoscience advances/news, with high current or potential impact in society and technology and with a direct relation to the topics covered in the course, will be presented to the class during the first week of classes. Students will be asked to do some research on their own during the following week on the news they find more interesting.
- Second week of classes: Students must select five topics of their choice, rank them from one to five, and email the list to the instructor by the end of the second week of classes. Students may accompany their choices with names of classmates with whom they are willing or do not want to collaborate in the research project. These emails will be treated confidentially.
- Third week of classes: The instructor will form groups of 2-4 students and assign a project to each of them following the selections by the students to the maximum extent possible, and communicate the results to the class at the beginning of the third week of classes.
- Third to Sixth week of classes: Each group will be put in contact with one of the participating K12 teachers. The students need to communicate with the K12 teacher and find out the particulars of his/her K12 class. More details about this will be discussed in class. Students in a group will work together during the following weeks to prepare the outreach product that they deem most convenient to disseminate their research findings to the K12 class. Dissemination products are varied and their selection must be done in agreement with the K12 teacher. The idea is that K12 teachers can make use of that product in their classes at future times, if this is what it works best for them. Some class time during the preparation weeks will be employed in advancing the projects, however, students are expected to work on the projects off-class (time computing as service hours).
- Sixth week of classes: Each group will present a draft of the on-going project to the class. The instructor and the rest of students in class will offer feedback to help improving the dissemination products.
- Eight week of classes: Each group will make a final presentation of the project to the class. Successful completion and delivery of the project will be used to calculate the Service-Learning grade portion (40%). The grade will be assigned based on evaluation by the instructor (1/2), the students’ audience (1/4) and self-evaluation (1/4).
- After the eight week of classes: Each group will present the project to the K12 class in a language/level accessible to their level.
- Before the end of the course:
- UCF Service-Learning showcase: Each group should prepare a poster to disseminate the results of their research/service-learning activity to present it at the UCF Service-Learning Showcase. Posters’ drafts will be reviewed in class before printing.
- On-line blog: The final products will be permanently displayed and accessible to the general public in the area through the existing UCF – High Schools blog highschoolscience.ucf.edu. Students must complete a post to showcase their research/Service-Learning project in the blog.
EVALUATION of the SL-PART OF THE COURSE:
a. Presentations of the project in class (15%)
b. Reflection paper at the end of the semester (15%)
c. Involvement and work with participating schools (10%)
* Students seeking a Service-Learning Certificate need to obtain a minimum GPA of 2.5 in four SL courses and 60 hours of community service. For more information visit: http://www.catalog.sdes.ucf.edu/academic_programs/pdf/Service_Learning_Certificate.pdf
You can find a list of -SL courses that UCF currently offers in this link:
List of designated Sl courses for 2014-2015
EVALUATION of THE NON-SL PART OF THE COURSE:
EXAMS (40%): 40% of your grade will be determined on the basis of two mid-term exams at the conclusion of each of the main course sections.
HOMEWORK (20%): 20% of your grade will be determined on the basis of homework assignments to prepare outside class and present orally in class. A standard Oral Presentation Rubric will be used to evaluate your presentations.
Grading scale: A 85-100%; B 75-84%; C 60-74%; D 50-59%; F 0-49%
This webpage will be frequently updated as the course advances.