Reflections on the Physics and Astronomy Student Reading Society (PhASRS) at San Jose State University

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed profound changes on the way we think about undergraduate physics education. Online courses became mainstream. Exam formats were reimagined. Digital whiteboards replaced face-to-face discussions. Laboratory classes were outfitted with home-delivered supply kits. And all of us developed a more intimate knowledge of Greek letters and symbols (delta, omicron, etc.) than we might have comfortably liked to admit. Having weathered these transformations from the point of view of both an undergraduate student (S.L.J.) and classroom instructors (A.H. and C.L.S.), we have found that among the most challenging aspects of the in-person learning experience to replicate in an online environment have been the relational ones. To highlight some of the ways in which these issues can be mitigated, we report here on the activities of the San Jose State University (SJSU) Physics and Astronomy Student Reading Society (PhASRS), which was an online reading group at SJSU founded by ourselves and others running from the summer of 2020 until the end of the fall 2020 semester. Elements of the reading group's structure and guiding principles are described, as well as student and faculty reflections on what worked well and what did not. The manuscript underlines the power of astronomy- and physics-themed journal clubs as vehicles for learning and more generally emphasizes the importance of community-building initiatives in the discipline. Our hope is that this summary of activities will inspire faculty members and students at colleges and perhaps high schools to imagine new possibilities for developing communities of people in science that might not otherwise be able to exist.