News from the PhB program

Published in the Research School of Physics Event Horizon
Vol43 Issue5 20–24 February 2017

Call for Mentors:

With the start of the new academic year I will need more volunteers to act as mentors for our new PhB Physics students.

Mentors should be available to meet with the students a few times a year to chat with them about their progress in courses, ask them about research projects and be another point of contact between the university and the student. Many mentors organise small tours of the school or their labs for the student (and often the student’s friends!) and assist the students with finding research projects. Often students will do a project with their mentor.

Such interactions are usually beneficial for both parties and is great way to stay in touch with the undergraduate student cohort even if you don’t teach into the undergrad program. 

We will have a lunch for the new and retuning PhB students and mentors on Thursday 9th March. After the lunch a school walking tour will be organised for the students. Details to follow.

I will need 15-20 academic mentors. Please contact me on jodie.bradby@anu.edu.au if you are interested in being a mentor.  

Changes to marking of the PhB Advanced Study Courses (ASCs)

Also, from Semester 1 2017, all Physics-based PhB ASCs will now be marked via a panel. The panel will likely consist of 3-4 people who are supervising a PhB project that semester. This will remove the onus on the supervisors of having to secure an independent co-marker for projects and better meets ANU standards for marking (by ensuring that all the projects are marked to the same standard).

Ph’What’?

The 'PhB' is an undergraduate research-focused degree at ANU. The course is targeted at intellectually ambitious students who want to study at the highest level. One quarter of the studies, in the first three years, consists of individually tailored Advanced Studies Courses specifically designed to provide students with a strong base in research. These courses may consist of a reading course with a world-leading scientist or joining a research team to assist in the advance of knowledge. The fourth year is an Honours year centred around one of the science disciplines. Students must have a very high ATAR to be offered a place and maintain a HD average in all science courses throughout their degree.