2.3 Engineering Physics

Please direct comments to Jeff Young.

 

2.3.1 Background

The Engineering Physics Program at UBC has a 55 year tradition of attracting some of the best young minds in the province and challenging them with a rigorous, broad-based education founded in both science and engineering. Its graduates include astronauts, CEO's of major high-tech companies, award-winning researchers in academia and industry, and numerous medical professionals. The Program has in many instances led the development of project-based-learning at UBC: it is generally recognized as a fertile recruiting ground for superior students who, in addition to their technical abilities, possess excellent teamwork and communication skills. These are just some of the reasons why there has been an unfulfilled demand from 1$^{\rm st}$ year students wanting to enter the Program over the past decade.

The relevance and importance of the Engineering Physics Program increases steadily as the contributions of the high-tech sector to the provincial and national economies grow. We would like to increase the number of students trained in this area at UBC, and we provide the following proposal for how that might be accomplished.

2.3.2 Recruiting

We strongly believe that an expansion of the Engineering Physics Program can only be successful and sustainable in the long-term if we do not compromise on the quality of the entering students. Much of its success is based on the reputation of its graduates. By simply accepting more of the students who currently apply to get into the program by dropping the minimum entry requirements, we will either increase the attrition rate markedly, or we will have to make the program ``easier''. Neither alternative makes any sense in the long term, hence a rigorous recruitment program must be put in place if we are to increase the number of Engineering Physics graduates. The Faculty of Applied Science (FASC) has just this year initiated a process by which high school students applying to the FASC with exceptional grades can be guaranteed access to the Engineering Program of their choice in their 2$^{\rm nd}$ year. This makes it feasible for Engineering Physics to directly recruit at the high-school level. We are optimistic that a vigorous high-school recruiting initiative will result in more top-level students seeking admission to Engineering Physics, enough to increase the enrollment from 40 to 60 students per year, while keeping the minimum entry grade out of first year at no less than 75%. A successful high-school recruiting process is essential to a successful expansion of the Program. Minor modifications we are making to the curriculum, that include increasing the project-based-learning experience to the junior level, and incorporating more photonics material, should contribute to the success of this recruitment exercise.

2.3.3 Additional Resources

2.3.3.1 To the Physics and Astronomy Department

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers 18 courses to Engineering Physics students. The pure lecture courses, and the lecture component of some of the combined lecture/lab courses, could absorb a 50% increase in student numbers fairly easily. The main concern here is the possible reduction in the quality of the learning environment associated with larger class sizes, but this should not be a major problem if the instructors make explicit efforts to avoid negative consequences. The need for access to larger lecture rooms will likely have the biggest impact on the system from increased enrollment in these lecture courses.

The laboratory and project courses are central to the Program and their quality absolutely must be maintained, or hopefully improved during this process of expansion. Our analysis of the anticipated impacts of increased enrollment in the laboratory and project courses indicates a requirement for:

• $160,000 one-time equipment costs.

• $10,000 one time labour costs associated with setting up the new labs.

• $30,000/yr increase in the consumable expenses associated with these courses.

• $25,000/yr increase in the TA budget (7 additional TAs @ $3,500).

• 2 additional faculty assignments/yr (full responsibility for ApSc 479 and additional sections in Phys 259, and Phys 257).

• Overall increase of 50% in the faculty supervision duties for project courses (ApSc 459 and 479) and CO-OP site visits.

• 1/2 additional technicians for added lab work.

There will also be an administrative cost associated with the increased enrollment. The current Engineering Physics secretary is periodically pushed to the limit to meet various deadlines. Access to occasional assistance would be needed if the enrollment increases.

• 1/4 secretary.

Finally, 2 new faculty members with expertise and interest in the Engineering Physics program are needed to help deliver the course content, which is both increasing in volume, and shifting to include more ``engineering science and design'' to use the official terms of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. People in photonics and nanotechnology would be preferable.

• 2 new faculty members, both of whom could be expected to be registered as Professional Engineers.

2.3.3.2 To other Departments

Engineering Physics relies heavily on the Math, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and the Computer Science Departments to offer essential courses in the curriculum. The proposed increase in the Engineering Physics enrollment would increase the number of Engineering Physics students in all of these service courses by roughly 50%.

2.3.4 Timescale

Assuming the required resources are made available, we could ramp the enrollment from 40 to 60 students per year over the following 3 years. This somewhat conservative timescale is designed to minimize the negative impact of a sudden increase that is not immediately supported by a successful recruiting exercise, and a fully enhanced laboratory/project base.