Achievement

One of the major goals of the IGERT program is to prevent student overspecialization, in part by encouraging all students to become involved in both theoretical and experimental investigations. One instrument for achieving this goal is a modular course taught by a rotating roster of faculty members. Most of the modules include a hand-on component that is designed to reinforce classroom discussion. For example, Prof. Kyle Shen and Dr. Jonathan Shu offered a three-week module on Photoemission Spectroscopy -- a key technique in surface and interface analysis. The module started with a series of introductory lectures and then moved to examples drawn from current research. In an accompanying lab experiment, students analyzed their own samples on a shared x-ray photoemission spectrometer. Students outside of the IGERT program are allowed to participate on a space-available basis. The photoemission module attracted interest from across campus and was oversubscribed by more than 50%.