University of Southern Mississippi

Continuing the "Mentoring Program for First Year, First Generation Physics Students," is a three-fold mentoring program to be completed by our SPS chapter upon receiving the "Future Faces of Physics Award" from the Society of Physics Students National Organization. The mentoring program addresses and solves the issues first generation physics students come across during their frrst year in college. Almost half of all frrst generation physics majors at the University of Southern Mississippi change their field of study after their frrst year in the physics program. This loss is the result of a lack of high school physics courses and an inability to cope with both calculus and calculus based physics courses in college. "Creating a Mentoring Program for First Year, First Generation Physics Students" was a program that the Society of Physics Students began last spring in order to recruit and retain this specific group of physics students. Given the limited time we had with last year's program, we will be continuing the mentoring program throughout this entire academic year with three main goals, one of which would be possible through funding provided by the 2013 "Future Faces of Physics Award."

Amanda Palchak

Alina Gearba