José Menéndez
A message to students
This page gives advice to students evaluating graduate programs in Physics and Materials Science, and includes some non-scientific sociological observations about the US which foreign students might find helpful.
If you are interested in Materials Physics Research, Arizona State University (ASU) is your best choice. As the only major research university in one of the largest US metropolitan areas, we benefit from fruitful partnerships with many high-tech companies in the Valley of the Sun. ASU's research expenditures from private, state, and federal sources are well over $100,000,000 per year. In recognition of this success, ASU has been classified as a "Research I" University by the Carnegie Foundation, joining a select group which includes the most prestigious universities in the US.
For a long time, ASU has been recognized as one of the world leaders in the field of electron microscopy. Several other areas of strength have emerged more recently. We now have world-class facilities in the field of semiconductor growth, ion beam analysis, scanning probe microscopies, laser spectroscopy, etc. This variety of techniques and research interests guarantee that whatever topic you choose for your dissertation, your educational experience at ASU will have the multidisciplinary character required by today's marketplace. For an idea of possible research topics in my group, see recent areas of research. Please feel free to call or write if you have any questions or want additional information.
You have two choices if you want to do research in my group. You can join the Graduate Program in Physics (Ph. D. or Masters Degree in Physics) or the Materials Science and Engineering Program (Ph. D. or Masters Degree in Materials Science).
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Italy was the midpoint of a revolutionary renewal of the arts known as the Renaissance. Renaissance Italy was also the birthplace of modern science (Galileo), but it is only during the twentieth century that science has played a decisive role in human affairs. Many of these scientific advances took place in the United States, so it seems appropriate for twentieth and twenty-first century scientists from all countries to spend some time in the United States, in much the same way that Renaissance European artists made a point of spending some time in Italy.
When considering graduate studies in the US you should not be discouraged by what you read about crackpots freely purchasing guns, lack of universal health insurance, or soccer games on TV that are constantly interrupted by advertisement. The US is much more than that. To begin with, you'll fit in. The US is a truly diverse society. Wherever you go, chances are that you'll find many people who look like you, speak like you, or eat like you. Second, in most cases you are given the chance to earn the money needed to pay for your education and live in a decent way. This comes in the form of Teaching Assistantships or Research Assistanships. So if you are bright, money is not an issue when it comes to earning a PhD in the US.
Many foreign students who do graduate work in the US return to their countries of origin and eventualy become leaders in their fields. And this brings us to another benefit of a US visit. You'll have the chance of experiencing first hand how American universities work. Through a remarkable combination of a command structure with democratic decision making, and taking advantage of an ingeneous mixture of autonomy with accountability, American universities and colleges educate an unusually high fraction of the population, create opportunities for everybody, and manage to stay at the forefront of scientific research. This social experiment is worth watching.
Finally, while the world's attention was concentrated on the fall of the Berlin wall, a quiet revolution was taking place in the US. As a result of these changes, crusty bread can now be found in almost any supermarket, and companies like Starbucks have made that diluted "free-refills coffee" a thing of the past. Espressos and cappucinos may be the secret reason why so many Renaissance Europeans visited Italy. You can now enjoy them in the USA.