The Physics Undergraduate Student Union (PhySU) and the Physics Graduate Student Association (PGSA) are organizing a reading project program with the Physics Department (imagine a casual combination of PHY478 and the Departmental Mentoring program).
The Directed Reading Program (DRP) offers undergraduate students, primarily in second to third year, an opportunity to explore an advanced topic of interest, guided by a graduate student. This offers undergraduate students exposure to research topics that may be encountered in real-world research and beyond, that they may pursue in graduate school or beyond. The graduate student advisor would propose a reading program for the undergrad (or 2-3 undergrads), such as a textbook in the first semester leading up to reading a paper in the second semester. Students will meet (bi)-weekly or monthly to discuss their reading progress.
Undergraduates are expected to conduct independent calculations and/or inquiries in order to further their understanding. The program will culminate at the end of the year with brief presentations on the topic (and possibly a celebration). Undergraduate students will receive Co-Curricular Record (CCR) credit for participating in the program.
The concept consists of:
1) Undergraduates and graduate students are paired based on their interest in a topic (could be something as simple as a concept you use a lot in your research, or something more advanced that you would find in a paper).
2) The grad student proposes a reading program for the undergrad (or 2-3 undergrads), such as a textbook in the first semester leading up to reading a paper in the second semester.
3) Bi-weekly (or monthly) meetings where the undergrad reports one what they've read over the time and has a chance to ask questions. This corresponds to approximately 10 hours a year or a semester, depending on interest.
4) At the end of the semester, students present their reading progress to each other (and possibly have a celebration).
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SIGN UP FORM
In 2025-2026 academic year, the Directed Reading program returned for its 4th iteration, hosting 15 reading groups, engaging more than 40 students across many physics disciplines. Participants met with graduate students on a bi-weekly basis and held discussions on topics ranging imaging biophysics, superconductivity, non-linear optics and much more.
If you have any questions, please reach out to andrew.hardy@mail.utoronto.ca