physics

George Gollin

George Gollin is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand George Gollin rather than just read about it. In short: George D. Gollin (born May 6, 1953) is an American physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Key takeaways

George Gollin belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect George Gollin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of George Gollin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

George D. Gollin (born May 6, 1953) is an American physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Besides his work on particle physics and the International Linear Collider, he has since 2003 made numerous efforts in fighting institutions which are considered to be diploma mills, which has caused him to receive significant public attention. Gollin placed second in the 2014 Democratic primary for Illinois's 13th congressional district.

Areas of research and teaching Gollin has worked on particle physics experiments studying muon scattering (1975–1981, intended to test the ideas of "Quantum Chromodynamics"), neutral K meson decay parameters (1980–1993, measuring things relating to "CP violation"), and electron-positron annihilation (1993–2005, measuring production and decay properties of heavy quarks). His current research focuses on technical issues associated with the design and construction of the "International Linear Collider", a very large electron-positron colliding beams facility intended to shed light on the origins of the masses of the fundamental particles. His teaching has spanned the entire physics curriculum, from elementary algebra-based courses for students in the life sciences to classical electrodynamics at the graduate level.

Other public service The University of Illinois is a public university and "land grant school"; as such, Gollin's responsibilities include faculty public service in addition to his teaching and research obligations. Since 2003, Gollin has been documenting the practices of alleged diploma mills, which are believed to sell meaningless academic degrees without providing education or assessment to/of their customers. In this capacity, he has worked with a number of state and federal agencies, including the State of Washington Office of the Attorney General, the U.S. Dept. of Education, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. It was reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education that "Alan Contreras, administrator for the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, called the professor's work 'superb'." He has, for example, assisted with the federal investigation of the operation of an alleged diploma mill, Saint Regis University. This investigation resulted in closing down the large operation and the conviction on federal criminal charges of eight individuals who were involved. In 2006 he was elected to the board of directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation for a three-year term. He was reelected to a second term in 2009. Also in 2009 Gollin was named a Guggenheim Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. George Gollin said of the fellowship, "I will use the term of the Fellowship to write a book about the nine-year trajectory and spectacular immolation of St. Regis, and the resulting increase in international attention to the problem of diploma mills."

2014 U.S. House campaign

Gollin announced in July 2013 his intention to run for the Illinois 13th Congressional District. He faced Ann Callis and David Green in the Democratic Party primary on March 18, 2014. Gollin was endorsed by the News-Gazette, Chicago Tribune, and the State Journal-Register. According to The Hill, Gollin "isn't seen by Washington Democrats as a strong candidate."

See also Accreditation mill List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations List of unaccredited institutions of higher education List of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations Unaccredited institutions of higher education

References

External links George Gollin for Congress

George Gollin at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign Fellow George D. Gollin at the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Gollin, George, "Unconventional University Diplomas from Online Vendors" (PDF), University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Center for Advanced Study, February 2003 Breach of Trust: Fake Diplomas Found at U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command – WHNT, May 17, 2009, contains a George Gollin interview. Fraud U:Toppling a Bogus-Diploma Empire, Wired, Dec. 21, 2009 George Gollin at Ballotpedia "United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2014". Ballotpedia.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with George Gollin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what George Gollin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to George Gollin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about George Gollin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of George Gollin

In research: George Gollin appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses George Gollin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: George Gollin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1953 births, 21st-century American physicists, American particle physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for George Gollin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study George Gollin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what George Gollin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain George Gollin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is George Gollin in simple terms?

George D. Gollin (born May 6, 1953) is an American physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Why does George Gollin matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study George Gollin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on George Gollin.