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Rice Physics Outreach Program

 

Team Advisor/PI 

Michael Cone, Ph.D., Robert Beaird, Ph.D., and  Julie Hoeink, Ph.D. 

 

 

Project Description/ Research Team Goals

This team facilitates long-term undergraduate independent studies through course enrollment. Each student's project is supposed to be a high-quality science demo for outreach purposes, or a classroom/lab demonstration. Students work with the faculty advisors to select a demo project for a semester and then go on to design and develop the demo over the course of the semester or longer. We are very open to a wide variety of project ideas, but there must be some educational or outreach aspect to each project.

For example, we have a student working on a model Mars rover that will be capable of moving towards a sample of simulated Martian soil and do basic spectroscopy measurements on the sample. Another student is working on a muon detector; part of the project also incorporates getting the price of the detector as low as possible so that it will be a financially accessible project for high school students in their home country of India. Another student is working on a demo that uses induced alternating currents to launch a conducting ring into the air. All three of these projects involve a significant amount of design and development. For example, all three will produce PCBs and solder circuits onto the boards. This will involve testing and corrections as they work their way through the projects.  

We have our own workspace with a variety of tools, an electronics production area, a 3D printer and some basic machining tools. We are always expanding our list of equipment based on the needs of our student's projects. We have also coordinated with the Makerspace in the Moody Center for the Arts on many of our projects over the years.  

These projects have nearly all the features of real academic research: design, development, testing and re-design based on testing, as well as basic data analysis. The projects are also complicated enough students are very likely to experience one or more instances of failure as they work towards their goal--a very important lesson for those who want to pursue graduate-level research.  

Each student is expected to give a presentation to the entire team at the end of each semester. Over the years we have done this in multiple formats (powerpoint presentations, poster presentations, etc.).  

Students are encouraged to continue in the program in future semesters so that can play more of a team leader role for new students starting with the program. Students are also encouraged to take part in our normal RicePOP outreach activities throughout the year so that they can get a sense of what it is like showcasing science to a variety of audiences.

Issues Addressed 

  • Basic project development
  • Modifications to a project based on the results of preliminary testing
  • Basic data collection and analysis (when appropriate)
  • Presenting work to both the team and to outreach audiences
  • Basic science communication 

Research Methods and Technology

Since projects are chosen by students themselves, the methods and technology vary a bit from project to project. Typical examples of technology involved includes:

  • Use of 3D printers
  • Designing parts for basic machining
  • Designing and developing electronics components
  • Electronics testing (e.g., use of multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies and function generators)
  • Collection and analysis of data using a variety of interfaces (e.g., arduino, raspberry pi, creating apps to import detector outputs into a computer, etc.)
  • Basic programing 

All students are expected to determine what is needed to develop their project. Students put together parts lists, and in some cases work with 3rd party vendors to produce needed items (e.g., printed PCBs, machined parts, etc.).  

Students are also expected to investigate the basic science behind their project. Faculty advisors help with this, but we make sure the students know why and how their projects work. This is also very important for the science outreach aspect of the projects.  

Preferred Undergraduate Interests

Anyone who is interested in science and promoting science to the public

Academic Majors of Interest

Open to all majors

Prior Preparation/Requisite Experience

None required

Compensation 

Work study-eligible students may receive compensation from OURI.

Course Credit

We use the existing Physics 461 Independent Research course. Students can select the number of hours at the time of registration. 1 credit hour  per semester is the typical choice.

Team Meeting

We meet once a week to discuss progress, issues and plans for the coming week. The day and time of these meetings vary based on student and faculty schedules.  

Students are encouraged to work together with others taking the course. The faculty advisors also make themselves available to provide guidance, and assistance, when needed, as the students work through their projects.  

Actively Onboarding New Members

Yes

Ready to Apply?

Use the linked Google Form to submit your application!

Contact

For more information, please see the team's website or contact Dr. Michael Cone (mtc6@rice.edu), Dr. Robert Beaird (rpb5@rice.edu), or Dr. Julie Hoeink (jsh11@rice.edu)