Rethinking Math Readiness for First-Year Physics and Engineering
- Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
February 20, 2026 3:30 PM -
February 20, 2026 4:30 PM
PAIS 1100
- Host:
- Rouzbeh Allahverdi
- Presenter:
- Joel Walker (Sam Houston State University, TX)
I’ll be describing an intervention targeting math readiness for incoming students, which has been co-developed with faculty colleague James Dent at Sam Houston State. Our “Physics Bootcamp” course teaches the mathematical methods required for first-year physics and engineering, from the perspective favored by physicists. Motivated by challenges involving recruitment, enrollment, retention, and barriers to student success, it develops a functional command of calculus that is aligned with the practical computational skills our courses require. I’ll also describe a new textbook that packages this solution for easy reuse, which is slated for publication by Cambridge University Press in the Fall of 2026 (Dent and Walker). The book has a modular scaffolded design, which allows instructors to customize their window of coverage, from remedial (fractions, calculator skills, and simultaneous equations) to more advanced (matrix inversion, Taylor series, and Fourier series) topics. Physics and engineering applications are emphasized throughout, and several hundred video micro-lessons are made accessible using QR codes next to the text. A supplemental manual will also be available for weekly drill sessions.
About Joel W. Walker
Joel Walker earned a PhD in physics from Texas A&M University in 2005, studying under Dimitri Nanopoulos. He holds the positions of Professor and Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. His research interests include collider physics, neutrinos, radio astronomy, computational algorithms, and software tools.
- Professor and Chair of Physics and Astronomy at Sam Houston State University.
- NSF-supported phenomenologist working in collider, neutrino, and computational physics.
- Specialist in undergraduate education.
- Coauthor of textbook, Physics Bootcamp: Essential Mathematics for First-Year Physics and Engineering, to be published by Cambridge University Press, Fall 2026.
