James W. Arrison, Ph.D., an assistant professor of physics, readily concedes that while the physics majors he teaches largely are self motivated and enthused by their chosen field of study, non-science majors generally need more of an incentive and reason to understand and appreciate the principles of the scientific discipline. “Many non-science majors would rather have their fingernails pulled out than study science in general, and physics in particular,” Jim said with a knowing grin and defeated shrug of a bona fide scientist who wishes the reality were different. “Not all of the non-majors feel this way, but many of them do.”

To combat a perceived fear and misunderstanding of physics among non-science majors, Jim created a course designed especially for them. The goals of “Great Ideas in Physics” are three-fold: to show students how physics works in the world around them; to show students that physics can be appreciated with minimal mathematics; and to capture the attention and imagination (hopefully) of some students in the next generation.

Among the many topics covered in the course are thermodynamics, kinematics, earth science, conservation laws, weather patterns, optics and sound. “What I try to do, and what ‘Great Ideas’ is designed to do, is make physics interesting and exciting for students who would otherwise avoid the subject matter entirely. It is amazing to me what you can do at a nontechnical and non-mathematical level. At the conceptual level, you can do interesting, unusual and often complicated things.”

Jim accomplishes this by bringing into the classroom as many realworld examples that students can relate to, from the motion of a car on a highway off-ramp to the design of corrective lenses, which can help an individual see better, to what causes those refreshing and welcome sea breezes along the New Jersey coastline. Jim tries to draw parallels and analogies for his students so that physics isn’t something that they just study in the classroom, but it becomes something that they live and experience on a daily basis.

“A scientist sees the world differently,” he explained. “I hope that my students learn to see the world the same way a scientist experiences it.”

He also hopes that when his students complete this course, they gain a better appreciation for science. “I want them to have a good attitude toward it,” he said. “And I’m fighting for the next generation, too. I know that if my current students learn that physics isn’t something to be feared but rather enjoyed, then perhaps they will pass that message down to their children.”