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    Teaching Science: Transferring information or engaging the mind?, at Peer Instruction Workshop for Science and Math Teachers, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), Wednesday, May 5, 1999:
    talk_286.pdf
    THE MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER at Harvard University announces a workshop for middle and high school science and math instructors on Peer Instruction by Professor Eric Mazur. The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to exploit student interaction during lectures and focus students' attention on underlying techniques. It has been assessed in many case-studies using standardized, diagnostic tests and shown to be twice as effective as the conventional lecture approach to teaching. Peer Instruction is now employed in a wide range of science and math courses at the college... Read more about Teaching Science: Transferring information or engaging the mind?
    Peer Instruction: Discussion and 'brains-on' demonstration, at Peer Instruction Workshop for Science and Math Teachers, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), Wednesday, May 5, 1999:
    talk_287.pdf
    THE MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER at Harvard University announces a workshop for middle and high school science and math instructors on Peer Instruction by Professor Eric Mazur. The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to exploit student interaction during lectures and focus students' attention on underlying techniques. It has been assessed in many case-studies using standardized, diagnostic tests and shown to be twice as effective as the conventional lecture approach to teaching. Peer Instruction is now employed in a wide range of science and math courses at the college... Read more about Peer Instruction: Discussion and 'brains-on' demonstration
    Peer Instruction: Getting Students to Think in Class, at 1999 Sigma Xi Forum (Minneapolis, MN), Thursday, November 4, 1999:
    talk_297.pdf
    Most introductory undergraduate science courses are taught in large lectures. Although an efficient use of instructor time, passive lectures rarely challenge students to think critically in class, often reinforcing the common expectation that learning science amounts to acquiring information. Many students respond by memorizing facts or formulas without understanding the fundamental concepts. To actively engage students during class and focus their attention on underlying concepts, we have developed a student-centered approach to teaching large courses, Peer Instruction. Lectures are... Read more about Peer Instruction: Getting Students to Think in Class
    Femtosecond Techniques for Materials Scientists, at Tutorial Q at the MRS Spring Meeting (San Francisco, CA), Monday, April 16, 2001:
    talk_374.pdf
    Femtosecond Techniques 1. Linear and nonlinear propagation of light a. Propagation of electromagnetic waves in dense media b. Dielectric function c. Lorentz equations, Drude model d. Pulse dispersion c. Nonlinear response f. Second harmonic generation and inversion symmetry (*) g. Self phase modulation and self-focusing h. Continuum generation 2. Femtosecond measurements a. Pump-probe technique b. Dispersion compensation techniques (*) c. Representation of pulses; Wigner representation d. Temporal characterization of pulses e. Joint time-frequency measurements (*) f. Frequency-resolved... Read more about Femtosecond Techniques for Materials Scientists
    Femtosecond Techniques for Materials Scientists, at Materials Research Society Annual Meeting (Boston, MA), Sunday, December 1, 2002:
    talk_439.pdf
    The tutorial starts at a basic level, so everyone starts out on solid ground, but then quickly advances to state-of-the-art femtosecond techniques. The first part of the tutorial deals with the interaction of light with matter and, after refreshing some basic concepts of electromagnetism, moves on to nonlinear optical processes that are relevant for the propagation of femtosecond laser pulses. The second part deals with measurement techniques. Part of the tutorial will be taught in an interactive format. That is to say, the participants will work through a number of problems in small groups... Read more about Femtosecond Techniques for Materials Scientists
    An introduction to femtosecond laser science, at 2003 Photonics West Conference (San Jose, CA), Tuesday, January 28, 2003:
    talk_444.pdf
    Description: This interactively taught half-day course provides basic knowledge of measurements of and research with femtosecond laser pulses. Beginning with the basic principles of the interaction of light and matter, we?ll discuss the often non-standard aspects of the interaction of intense short pulses with matter. Using worksheets we?ll address a number of common conceptual misconceptions in an interactive and collaborative setting.

    Learning outcomes: This course will enable you to

    • understand the basis for the electronic and optical properties of...
    Read more about An introduction to femtosecond laser science
    An introduction to femtosecond laser science, at Frontiers in Optics Conference (Tucson, AZ), Sunday, October 5, 2003:
    talk_465.pdf
    General Course Description: This interactively taught half-day course provides basic knowledge of measurements of and research with femtosecond laser pulses. Beginning with the basic principles of the interaction of light and matter, we?ll discuss the often non-standard aspects of the interaction of intense short pulses with matter. Using worksheets we?ll address a number of common conceptual misconceptions in an interactive and collaborative setting.

    Benefits Learning outcomes:

    This course will enable you to

    • Explain the basis for the...
    Read more about An introduction to femtosecond laser science
    An introduction to femtosecond laser science, at Photonics West 2004 Conference (San Jose, CA), Sunday, January 25, 2004:
    talk_507.pdf
    This interactively taught half-day course provides basic knowledge of measurements of and research with femtosecond laser pulses. Beginning with the basic principles of the interaction of light and matter, we'll discuss the often non-standard aspects of the interaction of intense short pulses with matter. Using worksheets we'll address a number of common conceptual misconceptions in an interactive and collaborative setting.

    LEARNING OUTCOMES
    This course will enable you to:

    • understand the basis for the electronic and optical properties of solids and the interaction...
    Read more about An introduction to femtosecond laser science
    Peer Instruction for Science and Math Teachers, at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), Monday, March 1, 2004:
    talk_523.pdf
    The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center at Harvard University, in conjunction with the Cambridge-Harvard GK12 Program, announce a workshop for middle and high school science and math instructors on Peer Instruction by Professor Eric Mazur. The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to encourage and make use of student interaction during lectures, while focusing students' attention on underlying concepts and techniques. The method has been assessed in many studies using standardized, diagnostic tests and shown to be twice as effective... Read more about Peer Instruction for Science and Math Teachers
    Confessions of a converted lecturer, at Conversations about Active Teaching and Learning Faculty Seminar, Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), Wednesday, March 17, 2004:
    talk_502.pdf
    Education is more than just transfer of information, yet that is what is mostly done in large introductory courses -- instructors present material (even though this material might be readily available in printed form) and for students the main purpose of lectures is to take down as many notes as they can. Few students have the ability, motivation, and discipline to synthesize all the information delivered to them. Yet synthesis is perhaps the most important -- and most elusive -- aspect of education. Students get frustrated because they are unable to grasp simple concepts. Instructors get... Read more about Confessions of a converted lecturer

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