Main goals of the 293 class

Introduction to basic research principles, including literature searches, graphing and presentation
Introduction to sample growth and characterization
Practice in research and scientific communication (in both oral and written form)
Learning to seek feedback from peers and various advisors on how to improve research
Learning how to take ownership of your own research (AKA don't wait on the professor to bug you)

Fall 2026 Lectures

August 18What you will be learning in Physics 293
August 20Distinguishing types of magnetism
August 25The novel magnetism our group discovered
Planned Schedule

Select Fall 2025 Lectures

Distinguishing types of magnetism and a brief project preview
Our magnetic discovery and discussing the project you might do
Characterizing materials with x-ray diffraction focus
Raman data, finding peak locations, and introducing peak fitting
An introduction to Excel and mention of other useful programs for graphing/fitting and the Excel example file
Lorentzian fitting example
How to write and give a good talk (some information on abstracts, see Additional Materials for rubrics)
Future research and funding/scholarship opportunities