Idaykis Rodriguez

The electronic structure of surface chains in the layered semiconductor In4Se3(100)

The ordered (100) surface of layered In4Se3 single crystals is characterized by semiconducting quasi-one-dimensional indium (In) chains. A band with significant dispersion in the plane of the surface is observed near the valence band maximum. The band exhibits an anisotropic dispersion with ∼1eV band width along the In chain direction. The dispersion of this band is largely due to the hybridization of In-s and Se-p orbitals, but the hybridization between In-s and Se-p and In-p and Se-p orbitals is also critical in establishing the band gap.

Communicating scientific ideas: One element of physics expertise

In this paper we present an alternative perspective to physics expertise research. Using Lave and Wengers theoretical perspective of Legitimate Peripheral Participation [4] as a guide to understanding expertise development, we redefine expertise from the perspective of physicists. We analyze data from an ethnographic, qualitative study of a physics research group and draw data from multiple sources to triangulate a definition of expert. Results show that a very critical part of becoming a physics expert in this physics research group is communicating ones scientific ideas through writing. Students perceive scientific writing as an important aspect of participating in the research group and it is a significant discussion point in the research meetings. Thus, it appears that learning to write a scientific paper is a process congruent to developing physics expertise.

Constructing a Model of Physics Expertise

Research on physics expertise has predominantly focused on cognitive differences between physics experts and novices where the novices are high school or introductory college students and the experts are university physics professors or graduate doctoral students. Most physics expertise studies declare the experts to be the physics faculty without justifying this decision. To establish more clearly the characteristics of physics experts, we conducted a qualitative interview pilot study of three university physics professors. The professors each had an hour‐long interview where they were asked about their experiences of becoming a physics expert. We present the analysis of the question, ‘What makes a physics expert?’ Analysis of the data resulted in the construction of a model of physics expertise, which indicates that a physics expert is a specific physics expert first, acquires general physics expert characteristics and then becomes an expert in physics or a boundary crosser.

Cookies as agents for community membership

When becoming a member of a community of practice, a novice must adopt certain community norms to participate, and these include the social norms of the group. Using the analytical perspective of Legitimate Peripheral Participation in a Community of Practice, this paper explores the social role of cookies as agents for community participation and membership in a physics research group. We analyze data from an ethnographic case study of a physics research group weekly research meeting. The mentors bring cookies to each meeting and view the cookies as a token of appreciation for the graduate students’ work. These cookies take on a subtler role of initiating guests and students into scientific conversations and participation. Via the cookies, members also share personal histories and stories that help members strengthen their membership. The study of social norms in this research group is part of a larger study of physics expert identity development.