The Wormhole

Physics Collaboration and Help Center
Offering a collaborative workspace and assistance for all introductory physics courses, both on campus and ecampus

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Submit a Help Request

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Live Queue

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Wormhole Assistants

Wormhole Schedule

The Wormhole will open Monday, September 30.
Wormhole assistants will be available 10 AM - 4 PM on Mondays and 10 am - 5 pm Tuesday-Friday.
To ask for help, either remotely or in person, click on the “Submit a Help Request” link above
In the event of a graduate student strike the Wormhole will still be available as a study space.  However, the availability of assistants can’t be assured and will likely be sporadic.

About Wormhole

The Wormhole (Valley Library and Remote) is a Physics Collaboration and Help Center. Wormhole is an informal space to work on physics with your peers under the guidance of experienced Assistants. Complete instructions for the Wormhole are in Wormhole instructions.

If you or your group needs help with a physics question, send a request to the queue. In person, use the box on your table. Online, use the Submit link at the top of this page. Only one person in the group needs to enter the request, and only one time for each question, please. You can see your place in the help queue using the Live Queue link at the top of the page. Multiple requests for a question won’t get you help any faster, and it slows down the process for everyone..

Wormhole Assistants

Wormhole assistants are graduate students in physics, physics majors, or other undergraduates who took one of the introductory physics sequences. They all have a level of expertise in physics, but they’re not experts on your course. When asking questions, be prepared to show them the problem you’re working on. They’ll do their best to answer it but may ultimately refer you to another Wormhole Assistant or to your course instructor. If your question is course related (e.g. How do we use the analysis app in lab?) you should look for a Wormhole Assistant affiliated with your course, as shown in the schedule.

Virtual Wormhole

The Virtual Wormhole allows you to request help remotely. You can get help through two different methods:

  1. Connect to the Virtual Wormhole channel in the Introductory Physics MS Team. (Full instructions for joining the Team are in MS Teams instructions.)
  2. Join the Wormhole Zoom session here (password is set to "Wormhole"), and go to the breakout room associated with your course. You must be logged in through OSU to use either MS Teams or the Zoom session

Requesting Assistance

In the Wormhole use the box on your table. Simply push the button for your course to be put in the queue. In the Virtual Wormhole enter a request at https://wormhole.physics.oregonstate.edu/createticket. An Assistant will respond to your request as soon as your turn comes up in the queue. Help is provided in the order requests are received. You can check the status of your request at https://wormhole.physics.oregonstate.edu/livequeue.

Code of Conduct

The Wormhole is an informal space for physics collaboration. It works best when we accord each other common courtesy.

  • Be respectful of other students.
  • Respect others' personal and work spaces.
  • Be conscious of aromas.
  • Be aware of your speech.
  • Respect those who will use the space next.
  • Be mindful of the learning environment.
  • Be respectful of the Assistants.
  • Be patient - the Assistants will help as many people as possible.
  • Remember that Assistants assist. They are there to help you learn, not to do the problem or to tell you the answer.
  • Assistants will try to help everyone, but be patient when they aren't familiar with the problem in your course.
  • The Wormhole gets crowded. If you're not working on physics, please give up your space to those who are.
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Following these guidelines will help ensure the Wormhole remains a place where everyone can learn effectively.