Minutes of the Meeting of the NMT Physics Department

4:00 PM, 26 January 2006

352 Workman

Present: Gina Chavez, Jean Eilek, Tim Hankins, Peter Hofner, Danielle

Lucero, Ken Minschwaner, Raul Morales, Dave Raymond, Sharon Sessions, Richard Sonnenfeld, Dave Westpfahl, Lisa Young

Announcements

Danielle Lucero asks that the faculty consider volunteering to judge papers at the GSA research conference coming up on February 17.

Gina has prepared a single page, at a glance summary sheet for tracking progress of graduate students. These will be in a prominent place in the student files. Please help Gina to keep these up to date.

We have tried a preliminary exit survey of the December graduates and received helpful information. Gina is preparing a database of contact information for recent graduates whom we intend to survey in the near future. Please help Gina with affiliations and contact information.

Good News: Jean Eilek announced that the Long Wavelength Array will be receiving its first funding, about $4M per year for the next few years.

Danielle excused herself after the announcements so that the faculty could consider the results of the prelim.

1. Prelim Results

The Physics Department Preliminary Exam was given on January 18 and 20, 2006. Many thanks to Ken Minschwaner for chairing this year's Exam Committee, and thanks to those who provided exam problems, graded the problems, reviewed the exam, and helped proctor the sessions.

Ken circulated the scores of the seven candidates. Four students passed at the Ph.D. level, one came close to a Ph.D. pass and was directed to seek advice from his committee on how to proceed. Two passed at the M.S. level.

Jean Eilek kindly drafted letters appropriate to each possible outcome on the exam. Dave will edit them and circulate copies for comments. When the letters are acceptable to the faculty Dave and Gina will send the appropriate letters to the students.

2. Other Business: Department graduate student policies and procedures, including the Prelim

Our policies and procedures are unclear about how to proceed when a student comes very close to a Ph.D. pass on the prelim. They are also unclear on how to proceed when a student makes multiple attempts at a Ph.D. pass without succeeding. A committee composed of Tim Hankins, Danielle Lucero, Barry Sabol, Jean Eilek, Ken Minschwaner, and Dave Raymond was formed during our November meeting to review the existing policies and procedures. That committee will make an interim report two meetings from now.

Our next meeting will be an assessment meeting.

Meeting adjourned: 5:03p

2006-01-27T13:09:50