Department of Physics

1. Department of Physics Outline • Introduction/Vision Statement • Strengths and Weaknesses • History/Standing • Research Program (numbers) • Funding • Faculty Hiring/Retirement/Movement • How does the Department work • New Initiatives • Outreach • Facilities University of Maryland

2. Introduction • Vision for the Department • Be leaders in the field of physics research • Top 10 status • Leaders in innovation • Attract top faculty and students • Provide top quality educational experience • Strengthen our community (schools, labs, government) • Provide leadership at the University of Maryland • Strengthen the field of physics (outreach, diversity) • Provide positive environment within the Department for faculty, staff and students University of Maryland

3. Realizing the Vision • Commitment to excellence in all areas • Make outstanding hires – retain outstanding faculty • Be innovative in starting new initiatives & programs • Move in new research directions while reducing efforts in other areas • Provide support for our people (faculty, students, staff) • Provide a supportive environment • Mentor students and junior faculty • Take advantage of our location • Strengthen ties to local labs/government/universities • Aggressively seek funding - • research • new initiatives/partnerships • facilities • We need a commitment and strong support from the University to reach our goals • The University of Maryland has to want a top 10 Physics Department! • Reach out to our alumni and friends University of Maryland

4. Department Strengths • Quality of Faculty • Vast majority highly productive • Outstanding new hires • Research Program (quality, breadth & funding) • Quality of Students • Quality of Staff – both professional and support staff • Adaptability of faculty and staff– willingness to do new things • Location – near government labs – Internet II crossroads (MAX) • Connection to other units – IPST, IREAP, ECE, Materials • Shops • Education program – innovation, Lec Demo, Clickers • Using PERG findings and implementing them in the classes • University Support - College (CMPS), Provost • Collegial environment – collective decision making • Strong program for students (classes/research/social) • Strong outreach program University of Maryland

5. Department Weaknesses • Facilities • Quality of Space • Spread of Department • Quantity of Space • Cost of renovation • Infrastructure problems – HVAC/Power • State Support - Recent cuts • Reduced Fellowship/TA support – big impact on some theory groups • Increase in Grad Student TuitionResearch groups can’t afford RGAs • Need to raise TA/RA salaries in order to remain competitive w/o University Support • Rapidly rising undergraduate tuition – limiting our pool of students • Availability of startup and lab space for new faculty • Cutbacks in teaching lab renewal – crisis will result • Shop rates rising • More buyouts needed to run department  less graduate courses University of Maryland

6. Department History • Started as Department of Physics and Astronomy • Department grew from ~6 in 1953 to ~100 in 1965 under John Toll • Weber, Alley, Misner, Prange, Ferrell, Snow, Pati, Greenberg, Greim … • During the 60’s – 80’s Physics was really the only department at Maryland of academic distinction • “Physics Department with a University attached” • Center for Superconductivity Research added in 1988 • Astronomy separates ~1992 • Last External Review 1995 University of Maryland

7. Physics by Numbers • Faculty • 72 Faculty • 6 Assistant Profs • 8 Associate Profs • 58 Professors • 11 Distinguished Univ. Profs (out of campus total of 38) • 21 Joint Appointments (15 are with IPST) • Research Faculty • 34 Research Scientists • 61 Post-docs • Students • 200 Undergraduate Majors (up from 125 in 1999) • 200 Graduate Students (2/3 domestic incoming) • Staff • 31 Professional (exempt) • 21 Support (non-exempt) University of Maryland

8. + 0.2 - 0.2 US News – Top 20 Physics Programs (2002) • 1. California Institute of Technology 5.0 • Massachusetts Institute of Technology 5.0 • 3. Harvard University (MA) 4.9 • Princeton University (NJ) 4.9 • Stanford University (CA) 4.9 • University of California-Berkeley 4.9 • 7. Cornell University (NY) 4.6 • University of Chicago 4.6 • 9. University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign 4.5 • 10. Columbia University (NY) 4.3 • University of California-Santa Barbara 4.3 • 12. Yale University (CT) 4.2 • 13. University of Maryland-College Park 4.1 • University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 4.1 • University of Texas-Austin 4.1 • 16. University of California-Los Angeles 4.0 • University of California-San Diego 4.0 • University of Washington 4.0 • University of Wisconsin-Madison 4.0 • 20. Johns Hopkins University (MD) 3.9 • University of Colorado-Boulder 3.9 • University of Pennsylvania 3.9

9. Research Groups-PI Grants University of Maryland

10. The Research Program PAS - Particle Astrophysics ESP - Experimental Space Physics GRE - Gravity Experiment CME3- Condensed Matter Exp+ CSR HEE - High Energy Experiment PE - Plasma Experiment NLD - Nonlinear Dynamics PT - Plasma Theory CMT - Condensed Matter Theory PERG - Physics Education Research TQHN - Theoretical Quarks Hadrons and Nuclei AMO - Atomic  Molecular and Optics EN - Experimental Nuclear Physics GRT - Gravity Theory EPT - Elementary Particle Theory University of Maryland

11. The Research Program University of Maryland

12. The Research Program University of Maryland

13. The State Budget (excluding CSR) University of Maryland

14. Budget Issues • How did we survive the cuts? • Reduced the subsidy to the Electronics Shop by approximately 75%; • Shifted some of the salaries of staff associated with the Physics shops and stores to overhead of these units; • Reduced staff through attrition in the business office by 21% (3.5 FTEs); • Reduced staff through attrition in the teaching labs by .5 FTE; • Reduced the number of TAs required to assist in teaching – electronic homework grading; • Increased teaching loads for less productive faculty University of Maryland

15. Budget Issues • Reduced the number of instructors being used for teaching; • Reduced support to the teaching labs by 50%; • Reduced the amount of DRIF distributed to faculty for administrative expenses; • Established new procedures on the purchase of liquid helium to reduce the rental costs of containers; • Eliminated excess telephone lines; • Stabilized the financial structure of our shops and stores; • Established a royalty fee for the publication of lab manuals; • More buyouts (less graduate offerings – rotation system) University of Maryland

16. Faculty Changes in the Last 5 Years • Retirements in the last 5 years • Goldenbaum (EPL), Banerjee (NT), Dragt (DS), Fivel(EP), Prange(CMT), Misner(GR)… • Planning to retire this year • Roos(ENP), Chang(EXP), Pati(PT), Dorfman(Stat), Mason (SP) • Faculty who have left • Webb(CME/CSR), Ramesh(Mat/CSR), Venkatesan(CME/CSR) (partial) • Becker (PT) (leaving) • Retention keeps • Das Sarma(CMT), Gates(EPT), Williams(CME) University of Maryland

17. Faculty Changes in the Last 5 Years • New Hires • Michael Fuhrer – nano • Wolfgang Losert – NLD • Bill Phillips (AMO) • Steve Rolston (AMO) • Luis Orozco (AMO) • Bill Dorland (Plasma Theory) • Andrey Chubukov (CMT) • Eun-Suk Seo (CR) • Kara Hoffman (Part Astro) • Min Ouyang (CME) • Alessandra Buonanno (Gravity Theory) *Note: 3 female faculty hires last year University of Maryland

18. Current Faculty Searches • Particle Theory Phenomenology • String/Gravity (possibly 2 positions) • Nuclear Experiment (Dark Matter/Neutrinos/2bdk) • Lattice / QCD • Biophysics with IPST • Materials (offer underway – joint with Mat. Eng.) University of Maryland

19. Future Searches • Targets of opportunity – NAS members, etc • Biophysics – 1 more with IPST • CMT • Gravity Experiment • AMO Theory • Theme Group Searches • Cosmology • NLD University of Maryland

20. How does the Department work? • Rotating Chair (nominal 5 year term) • This is my 6th year of 7 • Three associate chairs • Undergrad • Grad • Facilities and Personnel • Financial Offices • CFO • Contracts and Grants, Billing, Purchasing, Payroll • Student Services • Advising – graduate and undergraduate • Grad admissions • Self-Support Units • Shops – electronic, mechanical, copy center • Chair’s Office • Coordinator – faculty affairs, development • Outreach – publications • Intranet interface – forms, searches, meetings, etc University of Maryland

21. University of Maryland

22. How does the Department work? • Priorities Process for Hiring • Elected Priorities Committee of six faculty plus Chair • Elected from research areas • Hearings held for all research groups • Annually updated five year hiring plan • Approved by faculty (up/down vote) • New directions like NLD have originated with this process • Last year’s committee • Produced new plan • Developed Theme Group concept • Three broad areas • Condensed matter and AMO • Particle, nuclear, astrophysics, GR • NLD, Plasma University of Maryland

23. Hiring Plan Search Categories I.Targets of opportunity in exceptional cases II. Searches to bolster core areas III. Searches in new areas IV. Searches seeking exceptional candidates in several related fields (Theme Groups). Some existing groups to move in new directions: Experimental Nuclear looking at neutrinos/DM Experimental Gravity looking at LIGO String and Gravity Groups moving together University of Maryland

24. How does the Department work? • Hiring Process • Search committee with broad composition • Candidates visit • Seminar (recorded) • Teaching interview (graded) • Meetings with faculty and chair • Choice or choices presented to departmental APT • Entire faculty votes on candidate (2/3 required). • Startup resources come from Dept/College/Univ. • Strong mentor program /teaching support • Success in promoting junior faculty University of Maryland

25. How does the Department work? • Elected Salary Committee • Reviews faculty accomplishments in research teaching and service • Advises chair on merit increases • Yearly Faculty Retreat • Day for discussion • Annual reviews for junior faculty • Meeting held with faculty mentor and jr faculty • Peer Review of teaching University of Maryland

26. Recent New Initiatives • AMO • Phillips hire generated funds ($450k/yr + $2M startup) • Two full prof hires plus future theory hire • Ties to existing IPST faculty /NIST program • Nanoscience • Campus initiative started by Ellen Williams • Two hires in physics so far (Ouyang, Fuhrer) • Kim building will provide shared clean room space • Joint Quantum Institute • JILA-like partnership with NIST • Strong institutional commitment – details being worked out. • Biophysics • Joint search with IPST underway • Joint Particle Theory program with JHU University of Maryland

27. Centers within Physics • Center for Superconductivity Research (CSR) • Major State Support • Faculty lines • Shared Facilities • MRSEC (shared with Engineering) • NSF Funded • Highly competitive • Major outreach component • Condensed Matter Theory Center (CMTC) – Das Sarma • State + LPS support • Center for String and Particle Theory (CSPT) – Gates & Mohapatra • State Support • Center for Multiscale Plasma Dynamics (CPMD) with UCLA - Dorland • DoE Support • East-West Space Science Center (WSSC) - Sagdeev University of Maryland

28. Outreach • Physics is Phun (~3k students per year) • Summer Girls • Question of the Week • MRSEC • GK-12 • Homeschooling • Summer Workshops for kids • Physics Olympics • High School visitation programs • Quarknet • Maryland Day • What’s New – Bob Park • World Year of Physics University of Maryland

29. World Year of Physics University of Maryland

30. Support Services • Computing • Building on 10 Based T network – rewiring underway • Established wireless throughout major areas • Departmental Server system is strong • Lots of computers in TA offices • Self-Support units • Shops • Stores • Copy Center University of Maryland

31. Departmental Computing • Services: • Web hosting (dept, research, personal), login, file service, backup, email, database, printing, software licensing, hardware acquisition/installation/maintenance • Hardware maintained (#PCs) • Desktops: Teaching labs (150), Open Workstation Lab (26), Student offices/lounge (30), Faculty/staff (140) • Servers: Unix cluster (13), Linux (8), Sun (6), Misc(3) • Network Storage: 2 TB Raid10 • Compute engines (new): 9 new high end machines • Network: configuration/debugging • Staff • 1 FTE supervisor for a staff of 4 others • Primary support in order: business computing, staff, teaching, research University of Maryland

32. Facilities • Facilities are a major problem for the Department • We lost a NAS member (Webb) because of infrastructure problems • 2002 fire resulted in loss of life and major disruption of research • The cost of renovation limits our ability to hire experimentalists • The conditions limit our ability attract theorists and students • We are running out of room to put new hires • It is a major task for Drew Baden (assoc Chair) and Lorraine Desalvo to keep things going. University of Maryland

33. Fundraising • University is doing OK, but few major donors for Physics • We raise $20k/yr for scholarships from our faculty! • Snow Scholarship (promote women in physics) • Zorn Professorships (2 endowed professorships) • Total ($1.6M) (recently available) • Bardasis Donation for Undergraduate Education • Total (~$1.M) (near future) University of Maryland

34. The Current Physics Building The Physics Building just after completion in 1950 The Physics building in 1967 before the addition of the lecture halls The building still has fuses in many places and was designed without provisions for central air conditioning The building was built when environmental control meant it had heat! University of Maryland

35. Potential Site for the new PSC *Current Physics Building is in red Proposed Site of The New Physical Sciences Complex is highlighted in Rainbow Colors. University of Maryland

36. Physical Science Complex (PSC) • PSC stats: • 3 phases of construction, 193k ft2 NASF, 372k ft2 GASF • Physics, IPST, Astronomy – all in one place! • Approximately $200M • Status… • The Plan has been accepted by the University and the Governor as of Jan 2005 • We will get planning money starting in FY 2010 • Few $M for architects and engineering July 2009 • Construction ~2 years later, begin Summer 2011 • We are actively working on looking for major donors to accelerate the project and to make the kind of facility we want. University of Maryland

37. Uppsala Physics Building University of Maryland

38. Summary • Top department with many strengths • Need a strong commitment from University to increase or even maintain our status • A major new facility (PSC) is essential • Resources to maintain programs/labs • Fellowship support • Increase graduate student stipends & TA Support • Funding Mechanism (Lab Fees) • Need to reduce our dependence on buyouts to get money for operating budget • The University of Maryland has to want a top 10 Physics Department! University of Maryland