For many years, the Physics Advanced Laboratory course at Reed College did not fulfill its goal of familiarizing junior-level students with the concerns of contemporary experimental physics research. Rather than a systematic introduction to experimental research, it was chiefly an advanced electronics course. The faculty have recently redesigned the Advanced Laboratory to (1) more effectively expose junior-level physics majors to the concerns and techniques of modern experimental physics research, (2) develop students' skills as autonomous researchers, and (3) construct an instructional laboratory in a cost-effective manner. The laboratory consists of flexible, component-based research stations that can be configured for both guided experiments that model well-designed research projects, and, with alterations to the experimental parameters, independent student projects. In order to broaden the scope of the Advanced Laboratory, resources for experiments in astronomy and radio astronomy are being added. There is a growing consensus that research-based science curricula, involving hands-on, investigative modes of learning, greatly aid the development of scientific maturity in undergraduate students.
