Physics Minor Sees Its First Graduates This May - Photogallery

This May, two students will be the first to graduate with a physics minor, a program added to Trinity’s liberal arts curricula in 2009.

Jonathan Borr of Holland, Michigan, a chemistry major, and Andrew Boersma of Clive, Iowa, a business major, added the physics minor to their programs of study when it was offered for the Fall 2009 semester.

“The physics minor is a great opportunity for chemistry majors,” said Borr. “Since chemistry is the study of the interactions between atoms, it’s only natural to study the way they move in physics.”

Dr. Thomas R. Roose, associate professor of physics and science education, proposed the minor with the intent to provide opportunities for students to develop reasoning and critical thinking abilities consistent with a strong liberal arts education and to further strengthen the science program.

According to Roose’s initial proposal, the courses comprised within the physics minor will stimulate increased breadth and depth in the sciences, improve analysis and reasoning abilities, connect science to life experiences and observations, and require synthesis of new insights with preconceived ideas.

“Dr. Roose is a great professor,” said Borr. “Because of the small class size, it’s easy to go over more difficult concepts with him more thoroughly.”

Borr said he especially enjoys the Optics course and the lab component of the class in which students use a laser to study how light behaves in various optical situations.

After graduation, Boersma plans to attend the University of Kansas for mechanical engineering. “Without Dr. Roose’s commitment to the program or to helping students, I would not have been able to achieve this dream. As I go on to Kansas, I will take with me the valuable knowledge and experience that Dr. Roose and the physics program have given me,” he said.

The physics minor will require the completion of five courses and a minimum of 19 credit hours.

Learn more about Professor Thomas Roose.