My poorly timed visit (first day of Christmas vacation) to the large public University of Panama was limited but informative.
The physics program is very small, with approximately 10 students working towards a Licenciatura and no masters program. The professors do not get paid to do research. 100% of the salary goes towards teaching, and of course the level of research being done suffers or doesn't exist.
Most interestingly, visiting professors do come to instruct fourth year students for a month or two, but also keep up the contract once back in their home country (for physics, Spain, Mexico, Germany and Switzerland were mentioned, but this applies to the other sciences as well) by streaming some of their lectures live from their home countries.
On a more global and standardized scale, this is an important approach that I hope to see implemented and it was a thrill to see this new initiative taking place in Panama. Linking these and other students up with more developed programs in the region could help better prepare them for higher-level work and free up time for their professors to do research. The professors could subsequently be linked to other researchers and upper-level instruction through similar or more advanced video-streaming and conferencing. The mentality to do this seems to already be in place at this particular institution.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
University of Costa Rica
The public University of Costa Rica (UCR) is the first true research institute that I've visited so far on this journey through Central America, and it's apparent that the academic infrastructure is quite comprehensive and well-developed. PhD professors, established masters programs, international publications, and a relatively large amount of resources, make UCR a potential hub for scientific development in the region. Getting the science departments and research centers at UCR to a truly first world standard should be an attainable goal as well.
My focus was again on the physics department, but before providing details of those interactions, mention of UCR's other high-level endeavors in the sciences and math are necessary.
Perhaps the crown jewel of research being done at UCR is the microbiology institute, which is self-funded independent of the broader university, has an international faculty and student body, and many researchers who devote 100% of their time to research. The institute is top-notch and at first-world standards.
The math department is also quite advanced and has strong links to foreign institutions. A masters program is offered at UCR, and a large portion of students who pursue PhDs at foreign institutions return to continue their research. I spoke with the director of the "Centro de Investigacion en Matematica Pura y Applicada" (CIMPA), a research platform set-up at UCR to connect mathematics professors within UCR with their international partners. The platform is basic, but it helps professors maintain contacts and initiate collaborations.
Now on to physics!
A PhD is required to be a full professor in the School of Physics at UCR. Since there is no PhD physics program at UCR, this means that each one of the 30+ members of the physics faculty has attained a substantial amount of instruction and training at foreign institutions. The familiarity with how first world research institutes operate, and the connections that are formed and often (though perhaps not often enough) kept, provide pipelines for future students and continued research collaboration.
This is a fine basis, and due to a common practice of students signing contracts guaranteeing a faculty position upon completion of their PhDs, many do return (though the numbers have been decreasing, likely due to this path lacking an attractive economic incentive return). Upon return, a 50/50 teaching/research position is almost always what is waiting, which in theory helps solidify the bachelor's and master's degree programs, and allows the new professors to continue their research.
I say in theory because while this process does work to some extent, it limits the amount of exposure the new professors have to research. They're expected to return immediately after completion of their PhD's, eliminating the potential to do more independent post-doctoral research.
The idea of a "distance post-doc" was proposed by Dr. Max Chaves, who provided a litany of other insights to the state of the program at UCR and the potential for improvement. Along with Dr. Chaves, Dr. Francisco Frutos Alfaro, Dr. Lela Taliasvhili, and several other professors helped paint a clear picture for how theoretical research is done at UCR. Other than the solid-state and nuclear physics institutes, which do have substantial resources, essentially all other forms of physics research fall into the theoretical realm.
We also spoke at length of the limitations for connecting with outside researchers (the inability to visit conferences and have the necessary face-to-face exchange of ideas that could lead to collaboration was emphasized as a major limitation), some noticeable disconnects that exist between the professors and the upcoming classes of students, and the need for the majority of UCR's physics professors to have more familiarity with the research processes at foreign institutions (beyond a PhD thesis). In essence, limit isolation and open the door for instruction and collaboration at all levels.
The students are always the key though, and their perspectives were progressive and informative. While research is not emphasized in the bachelor's degree program, the students do have the option to get involved at any of the four research institutes (solid-state, nuclear, space-sciences, and geophysics), or join with a particular professor. For example, one student named Rafael does cosmology research with Dr. Chaves, an opportunity that has clearly had a strong motivational influence on Rafael's interest in physics research.
The majority of the bachelor's degree students, while aware that UCR's program is much stronger than those in neighboring countries, still almost universally have the objective to leave Costa Rica upon graduation (even to pursue their master's abroad too, though some are interested in the internal master's program), and most say they see very little reason to come back. Lack of job opportunities outside of universities, and low-salaries within the universities, help drive this mentality.
Through elective courses in the curriculum, bachelor's students do have the ability to be introduced to certain higher level subjects, such as General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory and are granted the opportunity to take courses along with master's students if they demonstrate superior ability and motivation.
These more motivated students are also aware enough to know that they're unaware, meaning they feel there is a lack of opportunity to become familiar with many areas of modern research while at UCR. Research conferences are given almost weekly, and the students enjoy this, but only rarely do these conferences include researchers from foreign institutions, something for which the students have a strong desire.
I had a fine chat with Dr. Rodrigo Carboni Mendez, the director of the School of Physics and coordinator of the pre-grad program. I was introduced to a troubling phenomenon at UCR: filling quotas. It seems that because there is limited interest in certain fields, such as physics, many students with low entry scores that cannot get into more popular programs like microbiology or medicine, just enter UCR as physics majors (100 per year approximately). While almost all of these students transfer to other departments or drop-out (by 4th year, 10-12 students are left generally), this makes the first two years of basic physics classes unpleasant for professors and those students who are actually committed to receiving their physics degree due to the abundance of disinterested and incapable students.
Dr. Mendez is hoping to attract a larger number of more capable students by re-forming a Licenciatura program (in-between bachelor's and master's; currently at UCR, the structure is based primarily on the US university degree system), for students interested in physics that are more interested in finding a job that directly applies their physics skills but do not necessarily want to do pure research.
As for the master's program, I had an extensive discussion with the director of the program, Dr. Jorge Gutierrez (soon to be Dr. Rabbi Jaim Gutierrez, mazel tov!). A meteorological physicist, he oversees the four areas offered to physics masters students (General Physics, Astrophysics, Meteorological Physics, and Geophysics, all of which end in valid research and thesis publication). Using his many experiences in teaching, researching, and administration in meteorological physics as an analogy to other fields of physics, we discussed some of the difficulties (bureaucratic, economic, and philosophical) in forming international programs, platforms, and collaborations. It was an enlightening discussion from which I gained a lot of insight for future considerations and planning.
In all these meetings, the topic of what should happen next was discussed. Pre-grad students want greater access to foreign professors and their interests. Masters students want something similar, but through more in-depth instruction in upper-level courses and research. Professors themselves want to connect with more foreign researchers in an interactive environment, and they also want to increase the standard of research being done at UCR to facilitate a larger volume of publications. From past experience, universities in neighboring countries are just hoping to reach the standard that UCR has set.
How to address these needs is the core of this project.
Can Costa Rica take the lead in the region to help standardize science programs up to a level where all are capable of doing substantial research? Can UCR itself be better connected to first world research institutes to facilitate collaboration and high-level instruction? The minds are there. The technology is at the doorstep. Let's make it happen!
My focus was again on the physics department, but before providing details of those interactions, mention of UCR's other high-level endeavors in the sciences and math are necessary.
Perhaps the crown jewel of research being done at UCR is the microbiology institute, which is self-funded independent of the broader university, has an international faculty and student body, and many researchers who devote 100% of their time to research. The institute is top-notch and at first-world standards.
The math department is also quite advanced and has strong links to foreign institutions. A masters program is offered at UCR, and a large portion of students who pursue PhDs at foreign institutions return to continue their research. I spoke with the director of the "Centro de Investigacion en Matematica Pura y Applicada" (CIMPA), a research platform set-up at UCR to connect mathematics professors within UCR with their international partners. The platform is basic, but it helps professors maintain contacts and initiate collaborations.
Now on to physics!
A PhD is required to be a full professor in the School of Physics at UCR. Since there is no PhD physics program at UCR, this means that each one of the 30+ members of the physics faculty has attained a substantial amount of instruction and training at foreign institutions. The familiarity with how first world research institutes operate, and the connections that are formed and often (though perhaps not often enough) kept, provide pipelines for future students and continued research collaboration.
This is a fine basis, and due to a common practice of students signing contracts guaranteeing a faculty position upon completion of their PhDs, many do return (though the numbers have been decreasing, likely due to this path lacking an attractive economic incentive return). Upon return, a 50/50 teaching/research position is almost always what is waiting, which in theory helps solidify the bachelor's and master's degree programs, and allows the new professors to continue their research.
I say in theory because while this process does work to some extent, it limits the amount of exposure the new professors have to research. They're expected to return immediately after completion of their PhD's, eliminating the potential to do more independent post-doctoral research.
The idea of a "distance post-doc" was proposed by Dr. Max Chaves, who provided a litany of other insights to the state of the program at UCR and the potential for improvement. Along with Dr. Chaves, Dr. Francisco Frutos Alfaro, Dr. Lela Taliasvhili, and several other professors helped paint a clear picture for how theoretical research is done at UCR. Other than the solid-state and nuclear physics institutes, which do have substantial resources, essentially all other forms of physics research fall into the theoretical realm.
We also spoke at length of the limitations for connecting with outside researchers (the inability to visit conferences and have the necessary face-to-face exchange of ideas that could lead to collaboration was emphasized as a major limitation), some noticeable disconnects that exist between the professors and the upcoming classes of students, and the need for the majority of UCR's physics professors to have more familiarity with the research processes at foreign institutions (beyond a PhD thesis). In essence, limit isolation and open the door for instruction and collaboration at all levels.
The students are always the key though, and their perspectives were progressive and informative. While research is not emphasized in the bachelor's degree program, the students do have the option to get involved at any of the four research institutes (solid-state, nuclear, space-sciences, and geophysics), or join with a particular professor. For example, one student named Rafael does cosmology research with Dr. Chaves, an opportunity that has clearly had a strong motivational influence on Rafael's interest in physics research.
The majority of the bachelor's degree students, while aware that UCR's program is much stronger than those in neighboring countries, still almost universally have the objective to leave Costa Rica upon graduation (even to pursue their master's abroad too, though some are interested in the internal master's program), and most say they see very little reason to come back. Lack of job opportunities outside of universities, and low-salaries within the universities, help drive this mentality.
Through elective courses in the curriculum, bachelor's students do have the ability to be introduced to certain higher level subjects, such as General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory and are granted the opportunity to take courses along with master's students if they demonstrate superior ability and motivation.
These more motivated students are also aware enough to know that they're unaware, meaning they feel there is a lack of opportunity to become familiar with many areas of modern research while at UCR. Research conferences are given almost weekly, and the students enjoy this, but only rarely do these conferences include researchers from foreign institutions, something for which the students have a strong desire.
I had a fine chat with Dr. Rodrigo Carboni Mendez, the director of the School of Physics and coordinator of the pre-grad program. I was introduced to a troubling phenomenon at UCR: filling quotas. It seems that because there is limited interest in certain fields, such as physics, many students with low entry scores that cannot get into more popular programs like microbiology or medicine, just enter UCR as physics majors (100 per year approximately). While almost all of these students transfer to other departments or drop-out (by 4th year, 10-12 students are left generally), this makes the first two years of basic physics classes unpleasant for professors and those students who are actually committed to receiving their physics degree due to the abundance of disinterested and incapable students.
Dr. Mendez is hoping to attract a larger number of more capable students by re-forming a Licenciatura program (in-between bachelor's and master's; currently at UCR, the structure is based primarily on the US university degree system), for students interested in physics that are more interested in finding a job that directly applies their physics skills but do not necessarily want to do pure research.
As for the master's program, I had an extensive discussion with the director of the program, Dr. Jorge Gutierrez (soon to be Dr. Rabbi Jaim Gutierrez, mazel tov!). A meteorological physicist, he oversees the four areas offered to physics masters students (General Physics, Astrophysics, Meteorological Physics, and Geophysics, all of which end in valid research and thesis publication). Using his many experiences in teaching, researching, and administration in meteorological physics as an analogy to other fields of physics, we discussed some of the difficulties (bureaucratic, economic, and philosophical) in forming international programs, platforms, and collaborations. It was an enlightening discussion from which I gained a lot of insight for future considerations and planning.
In all these meetings, the topic of what should happen next was discussed. Pre-grad students want greater access to foreign professors and their interests. Masters students want something similar, but through more in-depth instruction in upper-level courses and research. Professors themselves want to connect with more foreign researchers in an interactive environment, and they also want to increase the standard of research being done at UCR to facilitate a larger volume of publications. From past experience, universities in neighboring countries are just hoping to reach the standard that UCR has set.
How to address these needs is the core of this project.
Can Costa Rica take the lead in the region to help standardize science programs up to a level where all are capable of doing substantial research? Can UCR itself be better connected to first world research institutes to facilitate collaboration and high-level instruction? The minds are there. The technology is at the doorstep. Let's make it happen!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua-Managua
The one and only University in Nicaragua with a physics department, UNAN-Managua is not exactly the ideal place to study for a talented and curious science student. There are some positives, foundations and motivated people, however.
The lack of opportunity, not just to research, but to even learn about, the broad spectrum of fields that physics encompasses, is striking. The incoming classes from the past two years have essentially one option; medical physics. There used to be geophysics and even a general physics bachelors program, but due to lack of interest (apparently no students at all entered for the general physics program three years ago so it was abandoned), the administration decided it would be a good idea to eliminate all other possibilities within physics and only offer the sexy title of "fisica de medicina."
This unfortunate decision worked if merely considering numbers (some 40 students have entered the medical physics program over the past year), but at least the vast majority are extremely uninformed as to what physics is, and the vast possibilities that reside within the field.
The fifth (final) year class is a different story. The seven students left in this class have varying interests (though predominantly geophysics, as a relic of the previous program), and have the common ambition of pursuing post-grads in foreign countries.
One of these fifth year students, Aitor, wants to study astrophysics, and spends his available time at the recently (2007) formed observatory, and studying on his own.
The observatory was built with the support of the Space Science School at UNAH-Tegucigalpa, and especially Marie Carias, the director of that program whom I'd lauded for her ongoing efforts in a previous post. One of her students, a Nicaraguan named Ligia Zavala, has been with the observatory since 2008, but at present there are only three professors working to further build the program, which has no official courses at present. They are attempting to educate high-schoolers to the possibility of studying astronomy, and hope that future entering classes at UNAN will help further solidify the program, which for now is part of the physics department.
A talk was set-up by the enthusiastic and well-intentioned director of the physics department, Karla Ubieta Huete. Between professors and students, 30-40 people were in attendance. A tough crowd, as it was difficult to get much of a discussion going, but nonetheless a productive exercise.
While the lack of interaction was likely mostly due to timidity, the limited specializations of medical physics and geophysics appears to have stifled the curiosity and awareness of most of the students as to what physics represents, and what scientific investigation is all about.
Also, what exactly is medical physics in the minds of these students, and why is it so popular in comparison to all other areas of physics? Two students mentioned forensics and their interest due to TV shows like CSI. Really, that's why you're studying physics? Needless to say, many first year medical physics students end up dropping out of the program after being introduced to general physics courses and calculus.
After the talk, Aitor led me to the newly-built Institute for Geology and Geophysics, well-isolated from the rest of campus. A modern facility devoted to research, and funded primarily through foreign investment, this place was a strange contrast to what I'd encountered exploring the main campus. There's a multi-national masters program in geology and all professors have post-grad degrees and the majority are Nicaraguan.
This institute is essentially the standard being aimed for in developing countries, and the positive is that its presence shows that high level research institutes can exist in places like Nicaragua. The negative is its isolation and unwillingness to include the pre-grad physics students at UNAN in research opportunities and higher-level instruction.
Politics between the physics department and the institute appear to be the primary problem, and Director Huete has hopes for mending the problems between certain people and establishing a sharing of resources. In addition to making this connection, her primary goals at the moment are to re-implement a general physics degree (2013 is the projected re-commencement), and establish a masters program. She's in contact with members of physics departments in several Latin countries to achieve this final end.
The lack of opportunity, not just to research, but to even learn about, the broad spectrum of fields that physics encompasses, is striking. The incoming classes from the past two years have essentially one option; medical physics. There used to be geophysics and even a general physics bachelors program, but due to lack of interest (apparently no students at all entered for the general physics program three years ago so it was abandoned), the administration decided it would be a good idea to eliminate all other possibilities within physics and only offer the sexy title of "fisica de medicina."
This unfortunate decision worked if merely considering numbers (some 40 students have entered the medical physics program over the past year), but at least the vast majority are extremely uninformed as to what physics is, and the vast possibilities that reside within the field.
The fifth (final) year class is a different story. The seven students left in this class have varying interests (though predominantly geophysics, as a relic of the previous program), and have the common ambition of pursuing post-grads in foreign countries.
One of these fifth year students, Aitor, wants to study astrophysics, and spends his available time at the recently (2007) formed observatory, and studying on his own.
The observatory was built with the support of the Space Science School at UNAH-Tegucigalpa, and especially Marie Carias, the director of that program whom I'd lauded for her ongoing efforts in a previous post. One of her students, a Nicaraguan named Ligia Zavala, has been with the observatory since 2008, but at present there are only three professors working to further build the program, which has no official courses at present. They are attempting to educate high-schoolers to the possibility of studying astronomy, and hope that future entering classes at UNAN will help further solidify the program, which for now is part of the physics department.
A talk was set-up by the enthusiastic and well-intentioned director of the physics department, Karla Ubieta Huete. Between professors and students, 30-40 people were in attendance. A tough crowd, as it was difficult to get much of a discussion going, but nonetheless a productive exercise.
While the lack of interaction was likely mostly due to timidity, the limited specializations of medical physics and geophysics appears to have stifled the curiosity and awareness of most of the students as to what physics represents, and what scientific investigation is all about.
Also, what exactly is medical physics in the minds of these students, and why is it so popular in comparison to all other areas of physics? Two students mentioned forensics and their interest due to TV shows like CSI. Really, that's why you're studying physics? Needless to say, many first year medical physics students end up dropping out of the program after being introduced to general physics courses and calculus.
After the talk, Aitor led me to the newly-built Institute for Geology and Geophysics, well-isolated from the rest of campus. A modern facility devoted to research, and funded primarily through foreign investment, this place was a strange contrast to what I'd encountered exploring the main campus. There's a multi-national masters program in geology and all professors have post-grad degrees and the majority are Nicaraguan.
This institute is essentially the standard being aimed for in developing countries, and the positive is that its presence shows that high level research institutes can exist in places like Nicaragua. The negative is its isolation and unwillingness to include the pre-grad physics students at UNAN in research opportunities and higher-level instruction.
Politics between the physics department and the institute appear to be the primary problem, and Director Huete has hopes for mending the problems between certain people and establishing a sharing of resources. In addition to making this connection, her primary goals at the moment are to re-implement a general physics degree (2013 is the projected re-commencement), and establish a masters program. She's in contact with members of physics departments in several Latin countries to achieve this final end.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua-Leon
Renewable energy research isn't exactly what I have in mind for this project, but popular areas such as this often have working and developing systems that are directly translatable in many ways to other forms of scientific research. Such was the case at UNAN-Leon.
With no physics department and a very small and poorly functioning math and statistics department, I turned my attention to the renewable energy department and research division.
There are 22 individuals in the masters program, nine of whom are teachers at the university. Msc.Jorge Isaac Cisne Altamirano is a Geochemist who studied in Iceland, and is one of the coordinators of the masters program. He described the system for completing a masters, which entails intensive year-long classwork followed by research and thesis work within industry, at a geothermal plant for instance.
A large number of classes are currently taught by visiting professors with PhD's from Spain, but Jorge's attitude towards this aspect of the program was something new. He sees the use of foreign professors as a step but not an overall necessity.
What he hopes to achieve is a self-sustaining program. The teachers already associated with UNAN-Leon, and some of the independent students as well, will become professors for the following classes of masters students. Over the years, this will progressively decrease the need to spend money on visiting professors, and in turn free up money to invest in better equipment and research. With better equipment and research opportunities, more will join the field, and it will continue to grow.
If this masters program progresses as expected, it represents an interesting and efficient model for getting scientific programs on their feet.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras: Astronomy and Astrophysics
The "Facultad de Ciencias Espaciales," located on a hill on the outskirts of campus, was a surprising find, physically and ideologically.
In 1991, following post-grad work in Spain, Maria Cristina Pineda de Carias returned to Honduras to set-up a small observatory and establish the Space Sciences department.
The fruits of Professor Carias' efforts are an established masters program in Astronomy and Astrophysics, along with a masters program in geographic science and technology (satellite cartography, ecological analysis, etc...), and cultural studies and research into historical Astronomical practices, specifically the Mayans.
Professors with PhD's from Spain and other countries frequently visit to teach classes and instruct on research, and the school publishes an annual journal that includes research from professors and students.
The principal goal of this institution is research, and all professors (most of whom studied in this very program) and students participate in research projects. Most masters students do periods of research in other countries, notably Spain and Argentina.
Norman Palma, who was my major contact here and later life-saver, is a prime example of what's been accomplished by Professor Carias. Norman received his Masters in Astrophysics here, which included research at an observatory in San Juan, Argentina. He followed his Masters with further study at Ohio University, then returned for a full-time position with paid research in the Space Sciences Department.
As of yet, there is no pre-grad program, and the Masters program consistently has few students (I believe five was the present number), but a pre-grad program is set to begin within the next year, and the hope is that this will increase the number of Masters program candidates. For whatever reason, perhaps for lack of awareness, rarely do students matriculate from the physics department to the Masters Astrophysics program, but perhaps that will change now with a large number of physics majors and potentially more professors to teach these students.
Above all, the current goal is to raise the level of research being done to the point where publications in international journals are possible. It's certainly not an easy process, but the progress displayed here shows what can be done with vision and a little support.
Side Note: After my visit, with my bike loaded up, I got a flat tire around 7pm on the highway near the university. Night-time with a broken down motorcycle with all my possessions in one of the most dangerous, gang-ridden cities in Latin America, was a potential equation for disaster. Luckily I was close enough to wobble to the University entrance, where I was able to get in contact with Norman. He drove me and my bike in his pick-up to the nearest tire place and invited me to stay in his house. Who says Astrophysicists don't have social graces??
In 1991, following post-grad work in Spain, Maria Cristina Pineda de Carias returned to Honduras to set-up a small observatory and establish the Space Sciences department.
The fruits of Professor Carias' efforts are an established masters program in Astronomy and Astrophysics, along with a masters program in geographic science and technology (satellite cartography, ecological analysis, etc...), and cultural studies and research into historical Astronomical practices, specifically the Mayans.
Professors with PhD's from Spain and other countries frequently visit to teach classes and instruct on research, and the school publishes an annual journal that includes research from professors and students.
The principal goal of this institution is research, and all professors (most of whom studied in this very program) and students participate in research projects. Most masters students do periods of research in other countries, notably Spain and Argentina.
Norman Palma, who was my major contact here and later life-saver, is a prime example of what's been accomplished by Professor Carias. Norman received his Masters in Astrophysics here, which included research at an observatory in San Juan, Argentina. He followed his Masters with further study at Ohio University, then returned for a full-time position with paid research in the Space Sciences Department.
As of yet, there is no pre-grad program, and the Masters program consistently has few students (I believe five was the present number), but a pre-grad program is set to begin within the next year, and the hope is that this will increase the number of Masters program candidates. For whatever reason, perhaps for lack of awareness, rarely do students matriculate from the physics department to the Masters Astrophysics program, but perhaps that will change now with a large number of physics majors and potentially more professors to teach these students.
Above all, the current goal is to raise the level of research being done to the point where publications in international journals are possible. It's certainly not an easy process, but the progress displayed here shows what can be done with vision and a little support.
Side Note: After my visit, with my bike loaded up, I got a flat tire around 7pm on the highway near the university. Night-time with a broken down motorcycle with all my possessions in one of the most dangerous, gang-ridden cities in Latin America, was a potential equation for disaster. Luckily I was close enough to wobble to the University entrance, where I was able to get in contact with Norman. He drove me and my bike in his pick-up to the nearest tire place and invited me to stay in his house. Who says Astrophysicists don't have social graces??
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras: Physics
The UNAH system is one of the largest in Central America, supporting over 40,000 students at their main campus in Tegucigalpa, along with satellite campuses in the other major Honduran cities. At the "Tegus" campus, over 100 of these students are within the physics department, a relatively large number compared to what I'd encountered so far. Numbers provide potential, but determination proves to be the most important factor in scientific inquiry, and this was found in abundance as well.
I began by briefly meeting with Dr. Alejandro Galo Roldan, the director of the Licenciatura (Bachelors/Pre-Grad) program in physics, and his very helpful colleague, Professor Carlos Tenorio, who arranged for me to give a little talk to his class later that afternoon.
I spent the next two hours speaking to the student-president of the physics program, a student in his final year of a double-major physics-math degree, Juan Junior Calderon. Juan and the other students he introduced me to provided a fresh perspective on various issues, especially the deficiency of secondary school education in Honduras and the ensuing unpreparedness of incoming physics students: With essentially zero useful science or math background, and classes/books commencing at a relatively high level at UNAH, many potentially capable students are forced to drop out or spend copious amounts of time catching up on basic studies on their own (another interpretation is that this leaves only the most motivated students left in the program at present...).
To continue on that theme, it was fascinating to learn how he and others came to study physics in the first place: Since science and math education is so deficient at all levels in Honduras, those with a natural curiosity find themselves watching discovery channel and other related educationally oriented programming, and when possible, do their own learning and searching on the Internet. Juan eloquently referred to his and the upcoming classes of students as "una nueva generacion."
The talk, with about 15 pre-grad physics students, was informative and focused on many of the common themes; the paucity of research opportunities, the lack and need for more scholarships, the need to exit the country to pursue higher degrees, the strong desire for having more comprehensive instruction and familiarity with modern research areas via visiting professors, and the hope that there will be reason in the future to return following post-grad degrees. These students also projected an intense aura of motivation; just for them to be there, despite all the obstacles, it couldn't really be any other way.
The afternoon concluded in a meeting with the director of the up-start masters program in "general" physics. The program is set to begin it's second stage, with the intention of graduating students who complete proper thesis work, and encouraging those graduating from the pre-grad program to matriculate. The first stage was providing professors lacking post-grad degrees to work towards them while continuing their teaching responsibilities, but this has met with some difficulties. The clearest obstacle for this program to succeed is the lack of resources available for doing proper masters-level research. Possible solutions, such as partnerships with foreign-universities that have superior resources, are being explored.
I began by briefly meeting with Dr. Alejandro Galo Roldan, the director of the Licenciatura (Bachelors/Pre-Grad) program in physics, and his very helpful colleague, Professor Carlos Tenorio, who arranged for me to give a little talk to his class later that afternoon.
I spent the next two hours speaking to the student-president of the physics program, a student in his final year of a double-major physics-math degree, Juan Junior Calderon. Juan and the other students he introduced me to provided a fresh perspective on various issues, especially the deficiency of secondary school education in Honduras and the ensuing unpreparedness of incoming physics students: With essentially zero useful science or math background, and classes/books commencing at a relatively high level at UNAH, many potentially capable students are forced to drop out or spend copious amounts of time catching up on basic studies on their own (another interpretation is that this leaves only the most motivated students left in the program at present...).
To continue on that theme, it was fascinating to learn how he and others came to study physics in the first place: Since science and math education is so deficient at all levels in Honduras, those with a natural curiosity find themselves watching discovery channel and other related educationally oriented programming, and when possible, do their own learning and searching on the Internet. Juan eloquently referred to his and the upcoming classes of students as "una nueva generacion."
The talk, with about 15 pre-grad physics students, was informative and focused on many of the common themes; the paucity of research opportunities, the lack and need for more scholarships, the need to exit the country to pursue higher degrees, the strong desire for having more comprehensive instruction and familiarity with modern research areas via visiting professors, and the hope that there will be reason in the future to return following post-grad degrees. These students also projected an intense aura of motivation; just for them to be there, despite all the obstacles, it couldn't really be any other way.
The afternoon concluded in a meeting with the director of the up-start masters program in "general" physics. The program is set to begin it's second stage, with the intention of graduating students who complete proper thesis work, and encouraging those graduating from the pre-grad program to matriculate. The first stage was providing professors lacking post-grad degrees to work towards them while continuing their teaching responsibilities, but this has met with some difficulties. The clearest obstacle for this program to succeed is the lack of resources available for doing proper masters-level research. Possible solutions, such as partnerships with foreign-universities that have superior resources, are being explored.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
No Mathematician Left Behind
Whilst sipping a café in the central park of Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras, I met a lovely 28 year old math teacher named Mariela.
Mariela was on a work trip from the capital city of Tegucigalpa, giving an introduction to “upper level” math instruction at the local university. Calculus 1 would be the climax of these talks, and Mariela had no illusions to the unfortunateness of this ceiling.
As a student, Mariela had always loved math and science. She thought at first that she would go into chemical engineering, but was driven away from it by her family and strong social pressure that suggested women were incapable of such a profession. She had to settle for a teaching degree in math, having no opportunity to study beyond two semesters of calculus.
Her daily job is teaching uninspired students uninspiring basic algebra in high school, with her jumping at any opportunity to visit small universities to teach slightly more interesting mathematics. She states with a passion her belief that her mind and heart have gone to waste, that she knows she could have done so much more.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Universidad de El Salvador
At UES I was able to see a small-scale pragmatic model at work.
Dr. Carlos Rudamas received his PhD in Germany, and followed with two post-docs there as well. He then decided to return to El Salvador to use his education and connections to help change a flawed system.
Dr. Rudamas has eight Bachelors physics students helping him in four areas of research. All these areas are of practical application to modern El Salvador, ranging from atmospheric spectroscopy to biophysics to renewable solar cells, and are within the limited means that Dr. Rudamas has to work with. He believes that the focus on research, in conjunction with upper-lever class work, prepares his students to pursue PhD's straight out of UES (he equates his implemented curriculum to a masters).
The connection to Germany is strong, and the more successful students are pipe-lined into PhD programs in Bremen and Frankfurt. Further progress is envisioned through structuring a joint PhD program between Germany and El Salvador (research and data collection in Germany, thesis and classwork in El Salvador, for example). One major goal is to get more PhD's teaching classes in physics at UES, as currently only two of some 25+ professors in the physics department have PhD's.
I had a fascinating chat with about 10 physics students. In contrast to Guatemala, almost all said that they wanted to come back after pursuing higher degrees outside. A strong sense of national pride was cited, along with the common theme of family. One kid said, "We're lucky to be able to go to school at all. We owe it to our country to come back and help in any way we can." We didn't get into specifics, but I sensed this was a reference to the brutal decades El Salvador had endured previously.
When asked about specific areas of study, all the students stated their interests as "practical" physics application, mostly in line with the research of Dr. Rudamas, but they also acknowledged that their lack of access and familiarity with other research areas has been unfortunate and limiting in choosing a future direction. They have a strong desire to have specialists from other areas come and give talks, and are open to other fields once given the opportunity.
Dr. Carlos Rudamas received his PhD in Germany, and followed with two post-docs there as well. He then decided to return to El Salvador to use his education and connections to help change a flawed system.
Dr. Rudamas has eight Bachelors physics students helping him in four areas of research. All these areas are of practical application to modern El Salvador, ranging from atmospheric spectroscopy to biophysics to renewable solar cells, and are within the limited means that Dr. Rudamas has to work with. He believes that the focus on research, in conjunction with upper-lever class work, prepares his students to pursue PhD's straight out of UES (he equates his implemented curriculum to a masters).
The connection to Germany is strong, and the more successful students are pipe-lined into PhD programs in Bremen and Frankfurt. Further progress is envisioned through structuring a joint PhD program between Germany and El Salvador (research and data collection in Germany, thesis and classwork in El Salvador, for example). One major goal is to get more PhD's teaching classes in physics at UES, as currently only two of some 25+ professors in the physics department have PhD's.
I had a fascinating chat with about 10 physics students. In contrast to Guatemala, almost all said that they wanted to come back after pursuing higher degrees outside. A strong sense of national pride was cited, along with the common theme of family. One kid said, "We're lucky to be able to go to school at all. We owe it to our country to come back and help in any way we can." We didn't get into specifics, but I sensed this was a reference to the brutal decades El Salvador had endured previously.
When asked about specific areas of study, all the students stated their interests as "practical" physics application, mostly in line with the research of Dr. Rudamas, but they also acknowledged that their lack of access and familiarity with other research areas has been unfortunate and limiting in choosing a future direction. They have a strong desire to have specialists from other areas come and give talks, and are open to other fields once given the opportunity.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Universidad de San Carlos, September 1st 2011
This is where things really started to kick into gear. USC is a large public University with seperate physics and math departments (though within the school of engineering for the time being), and one of the only masters programs in physics for all of Central America. While this masters program has been unsuccessful to this point, it shows a promising direction that the physics dept. at USC is trying to head.
In fact, for several years it has been the ambition of numerous principaled individuals, both internal and external, to form a seperate fundamental sciences and mathematics school. Leading the charge for this initiative has been the current physics department director, Dr. Edgar Cifuentes, along with the Guatemalan physicist Dr. Fernando Queveda (currently of the University of Cambridge and director of the theoretical physics institute in Triste, Italy).
I had the priveledge of spending the bulk of an afternoon speaking to Dr. Cifuentes in his modest shared office. It will be difficult to summarize the wealth of information and potential strategies and ideas that were imparted to me during these hours, but I came away with a much clearer vision of what I wanted to work towards.
As I had learned before, lack of scholarships limited the number of students who could study full-time, but also the salaries of the professors were so deficient that many of them had to take on second jobs. Many wanted to do some form of research, but either had no time, or were completely blocked through the nearly impossible process of applying for funding through the university. It was also mentioned that the donation of resources from foreign institutions, such as computers, often gets blocked or severely delayed by uninformed administrators.
It's the belief of Dr. Cifuentes, along with Dr. Queveda, that the first step towards legitimate post-grad degrees and eventual productive research, is the establishment of the seperate Sciences and Math school. This is to commence next year (2012), but only with Physics and Math. The Biology and Chemistry departments decided they were comfortable with their limited course flexibility and focus in pharmacy and health research, though they deal with many of the same obstacles as the Physics department. The Mathematics department has been reluctant to join, but is now committed it seems. The math professors are thought to be comfortable with their 100% teaching arrangement and likely didn't want to put in the extra effort of establishing a new curriculum, but the enthusiasm of the Physics department helped sway them.
By freeing themselves from the umbrella of the engineering department, new classes can be implemented that faculty and students alike can get interested in. Joining myself and Dr. Cifuentes for a portion of the afternoon was one Dr. Enrique Pazos, a Gravitation specialist who recently completed post-doc work at the University of Maryland and Georgia Tech. Dr. Pazos would like to teach a General Relativiy course in the new Math and Physics school, perhaps as part of a more comprehensive masters program.
After my meeting with Dr. Cifuentes and a tour through some very limited labs, I asked to speak to some students, something I now know is a crucial part of this process.
Within the informal "physics lounge," I gave an impromptu talk to 12 kids, which is about half of the current physics class. I found their response to what I had to say inspiring.
We went around the room, with each one expressing what area of physics specifically interested them. They were surprisingly informed of specifics in areas far removed from what was available in their physics curriculum; dark matter research, superconductors, supersymmetry breaking, searching for extrasolar planets, were just a few of the research areas mentioned as future ambitions.
Their excitement for the subject of physics was evident, but they all view their current status in the underdeveloped curriculum at USC as a mere stepping stone. They all plan to go for post-grad degrees in other countries, and the uncomfortable consensus as a response to whether they would come back was "I would love to, this is my country and my family is here, but what am I going to do with a PhD in physics here in Guatemala?"
This response gets to the heart of the problem. There are excited and bright students everywhere ready to contribute and anxious to receive a more complete education, but they need to leave to do it and have no incentive to come back (this is of course common to all fields in developing countries, but the aim here is to get students better educated so that they and their country can contribute to global scientific innovation). I posed the hypothetical question, "With better resources and the ability to connect with foreign institutions to continue your research, would you come back to Guatemala after the completion of your post-grad degrees?" The majority gave an emphatic "Si!"
In fact, for several years it has been the ambition of numerous principaled individuals, both internal and external, to form a seperate fundamental sciences and mathematics school. Leading the charge for this initiative has been the current physics department director, Dr. Edgar Cifuentes, along with the Guatemalan physicist Dr. Fernando Queveda (currently of the University of Cambridge and director of the theoretical physics institute in Triste, Italy).
I had the priveledge of spending the bulk of an afternoon speaking to Dr. Cifuentes in his modest shared office. It will be difficult to summarize the wealth of information and potential strategies and ideas that were imparted to me during these hours, but I came away with a much clearer vision of what I wanted to work towards.
As I had learned before, lack of scholarships limited the number of students who could study full-time, but also the salaries of the professors were so deficient that many of them had to take on second jobs. Many wanted to do some form of research, but either had no time, or were completely blocked through the nearly impossible process of applying for funding through the university. It was also mentioned that the donation of resources from foreign institutions, such as computers, often gets blocked or severely delayed by uninformed administrators.
It's the belief of Dr. Cifuentes, along with Dr. Queveda, that the first step towards legitimate post-grad degrees and eventual productive research, is the establishment of the seperate Sciences and Math school. This is to commence next year (2012), but only with Physics and Math. The Biology and Chemistry departments decided they were comfortable with their limited course flexibility and focus in pharmacy and health research, though they deal with many of the same obstacles as the Physics department. The Mathematics department has been reluctant to join, but is now committed it seems. The math professors are thought to be comfortable with their 100% teaching arrangement and likely didn't want to put in the extra effort of establishing a new curriculum, but the enthusiasm of the Physics department helped sway them.
By freeing themselves from the umbrella of the engineering department, new classes can be implemented that faculty and students alike can get interested in. Joining myself and Dr. Cifuentes for a portion of the afternoon was one Dr. Enrique Pazos, a Gravitation specialist who recently completed post-doc work at the University of Maryland and Georgia Tech. Dr. Pazos would like to teach a General Relativiy course in the new Math and Physics school, perhaps as part of a more comprehensive masters program.
After my meeting with Dr. Cifuentes and a tour through some very limited labs, I asked to speak to some students, something I now know is a crucial part of this process.
Within the informal "physics lounge," I gave an impromptu talk to 12 kids, which is about half of the current physics class. I found their response to what I had to say inspiring.
We went around the room, with each one expressing what area of physics specifically interested them. They were surprisingly informed of specifics in areas far removed from what was available in their physics curriculum; dark matter research, superconductors, supersymmetry breaking, searching for extrasolar planets, were just a few of the research areas mentioned as future ambitions.
Their excitement for the subject of physics was evident, but they all view their current status in the underdeveloped curriculum at USC as a mere stepping stone. They all plan to go for post-grad degrees in other countries, and the uncomfortable consensus as a response to whether they would come back was "I would love to, this is my country and my family is here, but what am I going to do with a PhD in physics here in Guatemala?"
This response gets to the heart of the problem. There are excited and bright students everywhere ready to contribute and anxious to receive a more complete education, but they need to leave to do it and have no incentive to come back (this is of course common to all fields in developing countries, but the aim here is to get students better educated so that they and their country can contribute to global scientific innovation). I posed the hypothetical question, "With better resources and the ability to connect with foreign institutions to continue your research, would you come back to Guatemala after the completion of your post-grad degrees?" The majority gave an emphatic "Si!"
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Universidad de Valle
The next day, August 31st, I arrived at the Universidad de Valle after a lovely four-hour walk through Guatemala City's heavily trafficked and poluted streets.
Another private university with no post-grad programs in math or science (only a masters in Pharmacology), I had two main meetings, one with the Dean of Science and Humanities, the other with the Director of the Physics Department.
The Dean was eager to speak of the positives of his school, stressing the Institute of Investigation and their commitment towards Biology and health-related research. Though from a different school, he also touted the resources of the engineering labs, which I was able to see first hand, and they are substantial.
The Physics Director, in contrast, painted a fairly bleak picture of the system the Physics Department operates under. She has a Masters in Particle Physics from Mexico, and was collaborating on some research through Fermi Lab, but had to give it up due to UdV's unwillingness to sponsor "impractical" research. She also said that a heavy bureaucracy exists through the ranks of the University that makes it nearly impossible to collaborate on anything with Universities in other countries. She says the four other professors in the Physics department with higher degrees are in similar positions, 100% of their work being either teaching or administrative, and everyone is frustrated.
Unlike at Galileo, UdV has an official physics major, but the students again just want to get out and have no incentive to come back. After the second year, all their books are in English, which better prepares them for study abroad. Zero research opportunities exist for these students since there is zero research being done by the faculy.
I took from this visit that there needs to be serious pressure and a change in mentality in order to get a private university like UdV, which has been around for several decades (unlike Galileo, founded in 2001), motivated enough to implement new programs and do substantial research. It's more the system than the lack of resources, both material and human.
Another private university with no post-grad programs in math or science (only a masters in Pharmacology), I had two main meetings, one with the Dean of Science and Humanities, the other with the Director of the Physics Department.
The Dean was eager to speak of the positives of his school, stressing the Institute of Investigation and their commitment towards Biology and health-related research. Though from a different school, he also touted the resources of the engineering labs, which I was able to see first hand, and they are substantial.
The Physics Director, in contrast, painted a fairly bleak picture of the system the Physics Department operates under. She has a Masters in Particle Physics from Mexico, and was collaborating on some research through Fermi Lab, but had to give it up due to UdV's unwillingness to sponsor "impractical" research. She also said that a heavy bureaucracy exists through the ranks of the University that makes it nearly impossible to collaborate on anything with Universities in other countries. She says the four other professors in the Physics department with higher degrees are in similar positions, 100% of their work being either teaching or administrative, and everyone is frustrated.
Unlike at Galileo, UdV has an official physics major, but the students again just want to get out and have no incentive to come back. After the second year, all their books are in English, which better prepares them for study abroad. Zero research opportunities exist for these students since there is zero research being done by the faculy.
I took from this visit that there needs to be serious pressure and a change in mentality in order to get a private university like UdV, which has been around for several decades (unlike Galileo, founded in 2001), motivated enough to implement new programs and do substantial research. It's more the system than the lack of resources, both material and human.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The Beginning: Galileo University, Guatemala
With a general objective in mind, but with no clue what to expect in reality, on August 30th 2011 I chose to visit the private Universidad de Galileo in Guatemala city. I figured this was an appropriate place to kick-start my project, a school focused on teaching science and communication, and named after the man considered to be the father of modern science and the scientific method of investigation.
One of the most important things I took from this visit was a knowledge of some of the obstacles all students and professors face in the developing world. Namely, with a lack of resources for scholarships, students are often unable to devote themselves full-time to their studies, which also translates to them having no time or inclination to get involved in research. The professors also are loaded with teaching requirements, and are rarely paid to pursue personal objectives. For both of these reasons, and many more I continue to discover, students have great incentive to leave their home countries to pursue higher degrees in the sciences, and little incentive to return.
An informative conversation about the state of the math and science curriculums within Galileo was had with three young engineers who were coordinators or developers within their respective departments, and all of whom received masters degrees from outside of Guatemala. One notable recent implementation that Miguel, of the "Department of Investigation and Development" was touting, were video lectures within their well-organized University database. These lectures allowed students to keep-up with class-work from home and complete their degrees in more reasonable amounts of time.
I was taken around to the limited physics and chemistry labs, then led to the systems department. Here I spoke with two more foreign-educated engineers who helped remind me of why I took on this project. While their resources are limited, they are devoted to developing projects of their own. Eduardo had been working on an electrical river-level monitoring device which would automatically raise or lower barriers to keep the water at optimal levels. It was his excitement about his work that inspired me more than the content of the project (this is more of a "development" project instead of research anyways); it made me wonder what this ambitious young man could do with more time and resources. The other engineer, Adrian, had helped develop an information-sharing system within Galilieo, and between other Universities in Guatemala, to help others know what work was being done and perhaps to collaborate. This is an important concept that should be extendable to a global level, and it was promising to see it already implemented locally here.
Computer resources were fairly extensive for a small university of around 3,000 students, but they are only used for classwork. Minus a small initiative for renewable energy and some small-scale work being done to develop new Apps for mobile devices, there is essentially zero research going on at Galileo. There are also no masters or PhD programs in any of the sciences or math. Nonetheless, the foundations are there and I found the visit to be enlightening and encouraging.
One of the most important things I took from this visit was a knowledge of some of the obstacles all students and professors face in the developing world. Namely, with a lack of resources for scholarships, students are often unable to devote themselves full-time to their studies, which also translates to them having no time or inclination to get involved in research. The professors also are loaded with teaching requirements, and are rarely paid to pursue personal objectives. For both of these reasons, and many more I continue to discover, students have great incentive to leave their home countries to pursue higher degrees in the sciences, and little incentive to return.
An informative conversation about the state of the math and science curriculums within Galileo was had with three young engineers who were coordinators or developers within their respective departments, and all of whom received masters degrees from outside of Guatemala. One notable recent implementation that Miguel, of the "Department of Investigation and Development" was touting, were video lectures within their well-organized University database. These lectures allowed students to keep-up with class-work from home and complete their degrees in more reasonable amounts of time.
I was taken around to the limited physics and chemistry labs, then led to the systems department. Here I spoke with two more foreign-educated engineers who helped remind me of why I took on this project. While their resources are limited, they are devoted to developing projects of their own. Eduardo had been working on an electrical river-level monitoring device which would automatically raise or lower barriers to keep the water at optimal levels. It was his excitement about his work that inspired me more than the content of the project (this is more of a "development" project instead of research anyways); it made me wonder what this ambitious young man could do with more time and resources. The other engineer, Adrian, had helped develop an information-sharing system within Galilieo, and between other Universities in Guatemala, to help others know what work was being done and perhaps to collaborate. This is an important concept that should be extendable to a global level, and it was promising to see it already implemented locally here.
Computer resources were fairly extensive for a small university of around 3,000 students, but they are only used for classwork. Minus a small initiative for renewable energy and some small-scale work being done to develop new Apps for mobile devices, there is essentially zero research going on at Galileo. There are also no masters or PhD programs in any of the sciences or math. Nonetheless, the foundations are there and I found the visit to be enlightening and encouraging.
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