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Catherine Crouch

Black silicon: Microstructuring silicon with femtosecond lasers, at Physics Colloquium, University of Massachusetts-Lowell (Lowell, MA), Wednesday, November 14, 2001:
talk_416.pdf
Our research group has produced a novel form of microstructured silicon ("black silicon") with many surprising properties: near unity absorption, even below the band gap; production of photoelectrons in the visible and infrared; visible luminescence; and a strong field emission current. This talk will describe these properties and what is understood so far about their structural and chemical origin.
Peer Instruction: Turning a lecture into a seminar, at Physics Colloquium, University of California San Diego (San Diego, CA), Thursday, May 6, 1999:
talk_285.pdf
Education is more than just transfer of information, yet that is mostly what happens in large introductory courses - instructors present material (even though this material might be readily available in printed form) and students take down as many notes as they can. This format tends to reinforce the idea that learning is about acquiring information rather than gaining new ways of thinking. In fields such as physics, in which learning consists primarily of developing new thinking skills, this is disastrous. Students get frustrated because their study strategies are inappropriate, and thus... Read more about Peer Instruction: Turning a lecture into a seminar
Factors affecting gender disparity in introductory physics, at APS Centennial Meeting 1999 (Atlanta, GA), Tuesday, March 23, 1999:
talk_262.pdf
In America, the disparity between the performance of women and men in physics is a matter of common concern; however, it is poorly understood. Is this disparity observed among physics majors at elite institutions as well as non-majors in one-year introductory courses? Does this disparity depend on the pedagogical approach used to teach the class? The high school physics or mathematics background of the students? The gender of the instructor?
Teaching and Research: Inseparable responsibilities of the modern physicist, at APS Centennial Meeting 1999 (Atlanta, GA), Tuesday, March 23, 1999:
talk_263.pdf
Mention the word ""physics"" to the average high-school student and you are not likely to see many happy faces. Public opinion of science in general--and physics in particular--is not high. More importantly, misunderstandings about the goals and procedures of physics are rampant. In part, these problems arise because physics education has focused nearly exclusively on generating a steady supply of future physicists. The need to educate non-majors, let alone the public at large, has generally not been perceived as an important mission of physics departments. Now that the need for physics is no... Read more about Teaching and Research: Inseparable responsibilities of the modern physicist

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