2. The Challenges Only one-third of US high school physics teachers have a degree in physics or physics education. Less than one-third of US high school students take physics.

3. The Challenges The US faces a shortage of scientific and technical talent — in an era of reduced immigration — that may cripple our ability to compete in high productivity / high wage sectors, and our ability to remain dominant in defense and homeland security technologies.

4. The Challenges To achieve parity in physics teacher training and student participation with our economic competitors, we may need 1/ (1/3 x 1/3) = nine times as many highly trained physics teachers.

5. The Opportunities Less than one in four students at four-year colleges and universities takes a college physics class. Only one out of thirty of those who do take a physics class become physics majors.

6. The Opportunities Perhaps only one out of thirty of those physics majors will have a career as a high school physics teacher. 1/4 x 1/30 x 1/30 = 1 in 3600 = 0.03% of college students 1/30 x 1/30 = 1 in 900 = 0.1% of students who take an intro physics sequence

7. At Cornell: 1200 students/class take a 2 or 3-semester intro physics sequence, of which: 550 become engineering majors 600 become life, chemical and earth Science majors 25 become physics majors 0.5 complete an MAT in physics ed

8. Floating all boats How can we increase the number of physics majors? What can be done at the high school, college recruiting and admissions, and introductory course level?

9. Who are our target students? True believers in physics, or those for whom physics is just a useful and interesting tool?

10. Broadening our appeal How can we make the physics major more flexible and more broadly appealing to students who want to learn physics but don’t want to be professional physicists?

11. Changing perceptions How do we make high school physics teaching appealing to teenagers? How do we make it a respectable choice to our physical science faculty colleagues?

12. Institutional context Liberal arts / state colleges versus major research universities: What differences in strategy may be appropriate?

13. The Panel Michael Marder, Physics, UT Austin, Co- Director of UTeach Valery Otero, Education, UC Boulder, Director of Colorado LA Program Lane Seeley, Physics, Seattle Pacific, PhysTEC PI Gay Stewart, Physics UA Fayetteville, PhysTEC PI Me (Robert Thorne), Physics, Cornell U, PhysTEC PI

14. Questions 1.How to increase the number of physics majors? 2.Who are our target students? 3.How to make the physics major more flexible and more broadly appealing? 4.How to change the perceptions of students and faculty towards careers in secondary science teaching? 5.How does institutional context affect appropriate strategies?

16. Picking A Career Salary Status Interesting Work Meaningful Work Control of Work Sufficient Income Quality Benefits Job Security Location Choiceu Vacation Time Flexible Time Compatible with Family Opportunities For Advancement Work Load