Reichert Award: Self-Directed Student Projects in Advanced Physics Laboratories

Advanced physics laboratories provide a crucial platform to anchor upper-level physical concepts in tangible experiments. These courses also allow students to delve into experiments on topics that spark their curiosity. We have overseen a substantial number of approximately 70 self-directed student projects in advanced laboratory instruction, which has provided us with valuable insights. In this presentation, I will explore the motivations for using self-directed projects, sources for inspiration, resource acquisition, project organization, safety concerns, successful project examples, and cautionary cases. Overall, these educational opportunities have led to several examples of student success, with students citing their independent projects as specifically beneficial to their scientific careers.