PHYS 280 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Course Home Page

Current Announcements

Help for completing remaining course assignments: Please email your writing lab TA to arrange an appointment. There are no further general office hours for Physics 280 this semester.
Classwide Essay Extension: The RPv2 deadline has been extended to Wednesday, May 4 at 10:00 pm. Please submit your final RPv2 directly to the TA who is grading your research paper and cc the TA of your writing section
Final Exam Review Session: Saturday, May 7, 5:00-6:30 pm, in person, regular lecture classroom in Loomis (Rm. 144) unless otherwise announced. See also the Exam Resources page to help review for the final exam.
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 11, 7:00-10:00 pm, in person, Loomis Rm. 151, as per the official university schedule published in Course Explorer.
Final Exam Conflict: Please let Prof. Perdekamp know by Friday, May 6th at 10:00 pm if you require a conflict exam. In your email, include (a) your exam schedule (so that we can identify an alternative time for a possible conflict exam) and (b) remember to begin the subject line with 22p280. (University final exam policies)

Past Announcements

Peer Review Instructions

Upload your own RE3v1 to the secure document distribution and email it to your reviewer at https://my.physics.illinois.edu/secdocs by using the following these steps:

Browse for your RE3v1 and upload
Enter the NetID of your reviewer in the field below the recipient list and click "add"
Select "require login"
Keep the password field blank
Right-Click the file name in the box "Files attached to this file group": this will open a menu from which you select "copy link"
Paste the link into the email to your reviewer.

Complete your peer review by following these steps:

Review the RE3v1 you receive from your reviewee and submit the reviewed paper. Choose the RE3v1-review assignment. The assignment is due by Monday, 3-7, at 10 am (at the beginning of the writing labs). No late submission will be possible for review assignments.
Also email a copy to your reviewee. This can be done through the secure document distribution.

n.b. Please be careful in submitting your reviews or essays to the correct assignment! Several RE3v1 essays were submitted to RE3V1-review upload.

Updates to Resources

The Writers' Workshop has announced four events for this March to help writers improve their writing. Please visit our Resources page for more information.
To the Resources page, we have added advice on doing a library search starting with finding a discipline-friendly database that fits your research focus.
On the Resources page, you'll also find online writing resources—including a slideshow about integrating research and a guide to the difference between revising, copy editing, and proofreading—and subject matter resources—including a library guide and nuclear weapons timeline.

Research Paper Sequence

Research Paper Sequence Reminder: You are the sole author of your research proposal and paper.

In response to your completed research proposal (RPPv2), your partner will make suggestions about how you can expand your planning into a paper that includes insights from the perspective of his/her/their differing expertise (RPCR). These suggestions take the place of our usual form of peer review, and occur between the planning and drafting stages (rather than between drafts), but as with regular peer review your partner's recommendations do not transfer ownership or responsibility for the research paper (RPv1, RPv2).

This work process is even more collaborative than our usual form of peer review, but it is not the equal collaboration of co-authors. In real life, depending on how helpful your colleague has been, you might name him/her/them as a second author or add an endnote/footnote of acknowledgement instead. (That is not necessary here, unless you decide to actually submit your article to IJOIS, which we encourage.).
The Phys 280 Style and Format Guide has been updated to request single-spacing rather than double-spacing for assignment submissions. Writer's memos should also be single-spaced. Note: The only major assignment that retains double-spacing is the research essay, as it follows a different style guide than the one developed for the course. When the assignment page and rubric differ, please follow the assignment page. If an sample paper differs from the assignment page and/or rubric, please follow the assignment page.

Online Lectures Recordings and Slides

Did you know that the course has a channel on Media Space? Stop by here for recorded course lectures and writing lab videos. (A persistent link to this content is posted on the class Resources page.)
Lecture slides are available via TopHat and on the Schedule page of this website. Modules 1 and 2 have been updated for the current semester. Remaining modules will be updated on an ongoing basis.

Info on Non-Proliferation

Want to learn more about advocating for international nuclear non-proliferation, security, and diplomacy? Check out the Additional Phys 280 Information page on the course website. And read up on Dr. Frederick Lamb, one of Physics 280's founding faculty and 2022 chair-elect of the American Physical Society's Forum on Physics and Society, and nuclear physics alumnus Dr. Areg Danagoulian, an MIT professor who "has developed new technologies for detecting nuclear warhead materials, encrypting their technical details, and verifying their dismantlement."

COVID-19 Adjustments

GLBL/PHYS 280 will be held in person in Spring 2022.

Assignment Turn-In When Isolating:

If you are required to isolate and cannot attend class on a day when the paper copy of an assignment is due, please turn in yoru paper copy as soon as your isolation period ends. There will be no penalty.

Assignment Return When You or Your TA Is Isolating:

If you or your TA are isolating and cannot attend Writing Lab in person, your graded assignment will be returned via PEAR (Protected Email Attachment Respository). A PEAR intro with access link can be found here (requires NetID login).

Lectures:

The two first-week lectures will be via Zoom. Starting 1-25 lectures will be in person in Loomis 144.
TopHat questions will be used starting 1-25. As occasionally students may be not able to attend lectures in-person, Top Hat questions will be graded as extra credit assignments.
If you miss class for COVID-related reasons, please watch the corresponding recorded modules (both lecture and writing lab) of the online course, available at Media Space.

Writing Labs and Office Hours:

Writing labs and office hours will be held in person starting in the second week of the semester. If you can't attend an office hour in person, it also will be possible to meet with your TA via Zoom during office hours. Please contact them via email to notify them.

Office hours will be offered Tuesdays from 5-6pm and Wednesdays from 1-6pm.

(1) Tuesday office hours in person and via Zoom (if needed)

Simran Rathod (5-6pm)

(2) Wednesday office hours in person and via Zoom (if needed)

Aric Tate (1-2pm Zoom Only)
Angitha Bright (2-3pm)
Matthew Hoppesch (3-4pm)
Lavanya Upadhyaya (6-7pm Zoom only)
Malia Sayad (5-6pm)

Handouts:

You will access course handouts via a Student Handout Folder located in Google Drive. Please do not alter or delete handouts — download them for use.

Physics 280 "Secure Documentation" Tutorial:

Please refer to the following slideshow for a tutorial on how to conduct peer-reviews via the Secure Documentation submission portal.

Support

Please email your TA or the professor with any questions (remember to begin the subject line with 22p280).
For help in transitioning to online learning, visit the Grainger College of Engineering IT's Keep Learning page.
For help with connecting via VPN or for any other technology needs, visit Technology Services's Continuing Key University Activities page.
The Writer's Workshop has online appointments available -- their online appointments "use a combination of video / audio, chat, and a whiteboard space to share text."

Under the Supplemental Information tab of the course menu, you can find resources for exploring how nuclear weapons and arms control have shaped our modern cultural imagination. These are provided for personal growth and exploration.