Solid State Physics across the Undergraduate Curriculum

Solid state physics encompasses a variety of physics phenomena, including modern ones such as high temperature superconductivity and nanotechnology. Despite its appeal, teaching it at undergraduate level can present challenges, as students may not have the necessary physics background until late in their undergraduate studies. Faculty at small physics departments often need to teach a range of courses, spanning from courses for the physics majors to service courses for the larger student body, and hence they may not be able to offer solid state physics as an elective. In this context, I will present the approach I took at Austin College, a small liberal arts school, in incorporating solid state physics in our curriculum, from our first-year course to capstone projects. I have used theoretical, experimental, lecture-based and project-based approaches. The topics included superconductivity through synthesis and characterization of high temperature superconductors, and nanotechnology through synthesis of carbon nanotubes and deposition and characterization of thin films at nanoscale.