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High School Teachers and Students Present at QuarkNet Symposium
In early June, fifteen high school physics teachers and 14 high school students arrived at the Notre Dame QuarkNet Center for the summer physics Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program and the Research Experience for High School Students (REHS). Both groups came to do physics research over an eight week period. The students who have finished their junior year in high school were chosen by their physics teachers to participate in the program. The teachers were chosen through an application and review process. They represented schools in the South Bend area as well as Florida, New York, and New Jersey.
During their eight weeks of research, the students and teachers worked together on projects involving cutting-edge research into the testing of materials for future particle physics detectors, analysis of data for a variety of scientific purposes and computer programming involving a wide range of topics. This research is an on-going extension of the particle physics research that takes place year-round at the lab adjacent to the QuarkNet Center.
The two programs ended with a symposium on July 31, 2008 at the Jordan Hall of Science. There the high school physics teachers gave presentations about their summer research experiences. The talks ranged from “Cosmic Ray Detectors for the Classroom” to “CMS Monte Carlo e-Lab” to “Eclipsing Binary Stars.” Following lunch, 12 high school students presented posters on their summer research, including “Genetic Algorithm Applied to Quark Mixing” and “Scintillating and Waveshifting Materials.” Some of the students have indicated an interest in applying to the Siemen’s Competition (formerly Westinghouse). In order to qualify for the competition they will produce a 20-page research paper describing their research.
Post date: 8/14/08
Seed fund projects focus on clean energyIn support of its mission to pursue the development of abundant and inexpensive
energy sources that do not harm the environment, the University of Notre Dame’s Energy Center has announced that three projects pursuing novel concepts in clean energy will be supported through the center’s new Seed Fund program.
According to Joan F. Brennecke, center director and Keating-Crawford Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering, the Seed Fund program sponsors early-stage research related to energy production, delivery ad use.
The first project, “Toward Simulating Chemical and Photochemical Reactions for Clean Energy: Methodologies for the Solid-Aqueous Interface” is led by Steven A. Corcelli, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Corcelli and collaborators – Kathie E. Newman, professor of physics, pictured here, and William F. Schneider, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering – are addressing the modern energy infrastructure, which is built around the extraction and refining of fossil fuels through gas-solid chemical reactions. They are working to contribute to a new set of chemical transformations, processes and materials by developing accurate and computationally efficient models that will predict chemical reactions at the solid-aqueous interface, a need highlighted in a recent report sponsored by the American Chemical Society, Department of Energy and National Science Foundation. Specifically, they will be studying the structure and reactivity of transition metal oxides in water as it related to converting light into chemical energy.
Prashant V. Kamat, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Paul J. McGinn, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Masaru K. Kuno, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry are working on two other projects.
Since it was established in 2005, the Notre Dame Energy Center has been working to develop new technologies to meet the global energy challenge. Housed in the College of Engineering, the center focuses on five areas of expertise: energy efficiency, safe nuclear waste storage, clean coal utilization, renewable resources and carbon dioxide separation and storage. The center is also committed to playing key roles in energy education and literacy, the development of energy policy and the exploration of the ethical implications associated with energy.
Post date: 8/7/08
High Enegy Physics Students Complete Summer Research ProjectsThe College of Science congratulates all students who completed research
projects this summer. Of note are five Notre Dame students who conducted high energy physics research under the direction of professors Michael Hildreth and Philippe Collon.
Thomas Rehagen worked with Prof. Hildreth on a team that included fellow undergraduates Matthew Lucia, A.J. McGauley, and Zachary Liptak. Pictured on the right and listed counter-clockwise, Matthew Lucia, A.J. McGauley, Prof. Mike Hildreth, Zachary Liptak, and Thomas Rehagen. The group is developing an optical instrument to detect motion of components in a linear accelerator, so the energy of the beam can be measured accurately. Rehagen said, "This program’s been a great introduction to physics research in general and high energy physics as well." He expects to do graduate work in high energy physics. Rehagen was a recipient of the College of Science Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) while McGauley received a stipend from the College of Science/College of Arts and Letters Honors Program. Funding for Lucia and Liptak comes from the Department of Energy and Hildreth’s Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Award.
Kirk Post (pictured on the left) worked in the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Group with Prof. Philippe Collon. He analyzed data from an experiment, attempting to separate the Argon 39 isotope from the background. The isotope is an important tracer for ocean water and has potential for a role in detecting dark matter. Post also received a SURF grant from the College of Science.
The researchers agree that their work gives them valuable experience in programming, machining, using electronics and conducting scientific analysis. Hildreth, who has worked with undergraduates in the summer for five years, says the COS-SURF program helped expand his team.
Post date: 8/6/08
Michael Wiescher Appointed to Board on Physics and AstronomyMichael Wiescher, the Freimann Professor of Physics, has been appointed to the
National Academies Board on Physics and Astronomy for a three year term beginning July 2008. The Board on Physics and Astronomy seeks to inform the government and the public regarding significant scientific opportunities and issues in physics and astronomy and build bridges between evolving sub-disciplines of physics and astronomy and other areas of science.
As a member of the board, Wiescher will collaborate with other leading researchers to identify trends in research and new developments at the scientific forefronts. He will strengthen connections to technology and foster interactions with other fields and academic disciplines.
Wiescher is a world-leading scientist in experimental nuclear astrophysics who has made numerous contributions to the determination of key nuclear reaction rates for the understanding of stellar evolution and the synthesis of the elements in the Universe. He is particularly well known for the use of novel techniques involving low energy ion beams in measuring nuclear reactions determining the lifetime and evolution of stars.
Wiescher is the director of the Nuclear Science Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame. He also serves as director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), an institute in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, and the University of Chicago which addresses a broad range of experimental, theoretical, and observational questions in nuclear astrophysics. JINA is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Additionally, Wiescher has been reappointed to the Advisory Board of the National Research Council of Canada for a three year term beginning in September 2008. The NRCC advances research and innovation through high-value information and publishing services in science, technology and medicine and provides Canada's research and innovation community with tools and services for accelerated discovery, innovation and commercialization.
Contact: Michael Wiescher, Freimann Professor of Nuclear Physics, 574-631-6788, mwiesche (at) nd (dot) edu
Post date: 7/25/08
Dr. Philip Sakimoto recipient of Second Annual Adler Mansfield PrizeDr. Philip Sakimoto, Professional Specialist in Physics, was awarded the Second
Annual Adler Mansfield Prize on July 2, 2008 at the International Planetarium Society’s biennial conference in Chicago. The Mansfield Prize promotes astronomical and historical research and recognizes innovative ways to increase the public’s awareness of the universe. The Prize, which is funded by an endowment from Ralph Mansfield and is administered by the Adler Planetarium, carries a monetary award of $1,000.
The award was given to Dr. Sakimoto "to recognize and to further encourage the ongoing recovery and distribution of the insights of cultures who have lived so intimately with, and in tune with, the sky as part of the natural world." It specifically recognized his significant contributions to supporting the quest of Indigenous people around the world to recover, preserve, and teach about their traditional understandings of the sky. He brought to the IPS conference a landmark panel of Indigenous Astronomers who spoke about the significance of the sky in each of their own lives and cultures. He also produced and led a session in the Adler’s Sky Theater in which a Navajo Sky and a Hawaiian Sky were presented.
This was the world debut of the Navajo Sky, which Dr. Sakimoto and collaborators from the Indigenous Education Institute are developing in Notre Dame's Digital Visualization Theater. The Hawaiian Sky was developed at the 'Imiloa Planetarium in Hilo, Hawaii.
In the award presentation, Dr. Sakimoto’s work was recognized as being "of great significance reflecting the human and international character of the planetarium field, one that enables us to tell more fully and more richly the human stories that reflect our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual participation in the universe."
Post date: 7/21/08
Professor Ruchti Associate Vice President in Office of
Vice President for ResearchProfessor Randy Ruchti joined the Office of the Vice President for Research as an
Associate Vice President on July 1 in a part time capacity. Prof. Ruchti will continue his teaching and research activities within the Department of Physics at a reduced level. He brings to the Office a long tenure of excellent scholarship and educational activity at Notre Dame. He recently returned from a three year assignment as a Program Director at NSF. Prof. Ruchti will help primarily with research development (helping faculty identify and secure research contracts and grants) and with the launch and management of centers and research cores, particularly new awards. He will also help with various projects that arise throughout the year. Prof. Ruchti’s addition will give the Office additional capacity to find opportunities for scholarship.
Prof. Ruchti was the recipient of the Notre Dame Madden Teaching Award (1990) and the Notre Dame Presidential Award (2000). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, Sigma Xi and the American Association of Physics Teachers. He was the founder of the Notre Dame QuarkNet Center and has been its Physics Director since 1999. Prof. Ruchti received his Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University in 1973. He has been a Professor of Physics at Notre Dame since 1977.
Post date: 7/21/08
New paper offers insights into "blinking" phenomenonA new paper by a team of researchers led by University of Notre Dame physicist Boldizsár Jankó provides an overview of
research into one of the few remaining unsolved problems of quantum mechanics.
More than a century ago, at the dawn of modern quantum mechanics, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Neils Bohr predicted so-called "quantum jumps." He predicted that these jumps would be due to electrons making transitions between discrete energy levels of individual atoms and molecules. Although controversial in Bohr’s time, such quantum jumps were experimentally observed, and his prediction verified, in the early 1980s. More recently, with the development of single molecule imaging techniques in the early 1990s, it has been possible to observe similar jumps in individual molecules.
Experimentally, these quantum jumps translate to discrete interruptions of the continuous emission from single molecules, revealing a phenomenon known as fluorescent intermittency or "blinking."
In a paper appearing in today’s edition of the journal Nature Physics, Jankó and his colleagues present a "progress report" on the research, including their own, that has been aimed at unlocking the mysteries of these fluorescent molecules or fluorophores. They hope the paper will help spark further experimental and theoretical activity to solve the mystery of fluorescence intermittency.
Post date: 7/1/08
Carol Tanner starts 3-year appointment as Secretary/Treasurer of DAMOP at APSCarol Tanner is starting a three-year appointment as Secretary/Treasurer of the
Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society. Professor Tanner received her Ph.D. in physics from the University of California-Berkeley. She has been at Notre Dame since 1990. She held the Clare Booth Luce Chaired Assistant Professorship from the Henry Luce Foundation from 1990-1995. In addition, Professor Tanner is the recipient of the University of Notre Dame Kaneb Teaching Award (2001). She has been a Fellow of the American Physical Society since 2002.
The Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP) was founded in 1943, and was the first division of the American Physical Society. Its central focus is fundamental research on atoms, simple molecules, electrons and light, and their interactions. It plays an enabling role underlying many areas of science through the development of methods for the control and manipulation of atoms, molecules, charged particles and light, through precision measurements and calculations of their properties, and through the invention of new ways to generate light with specific properties. Students who graduate with a background in AMO physics acquire a broad range of knowledge and skills that enable them to contribute to many areas of science and technology.
Post date: 6/10/08
Astronomers find tiny planet orbiting tiny star
An international team of astronomers led by David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame Department of Physics has discovered an extra-solar planet of about three Earth masses orbiting a star with a mass so low that its core may not be large enough to maintain nuclear reactions. The result was presented June 2 at the American Astronomical Society annual meeting in St. Louis.
The planet, referred to as MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, establishes a record for the lowest mass planet to orbit a normal star. The star, MOA-2007-BLG-192L, is at a distance of 3,000 light years and the lowest mass host star to have a companion with a planetary mass ratio. The mass of the host is about 6 percent of the mass of the sun. Such a star is called a brown dwarf, because this is slightly below the mass needed to sustain nuclear reactions in the core. But the measurement uncertainty also permits a host mass slightly above 8 percent of a solar mass, which would make MOA-2007-BLG-192L a very low-mass hydrogen burning star.
"Our discovery indicates that even the lowest mass stars can host planets," Bennett said. "No planets have previously been found to orbit stars with masses less than about 20 percent of that of the sun, but this finding suggests that we should expect very low-mass stars near the sun to have planets with a mass similar to that of the Earth. This is of particular interest because it may be possible to use NASA’s planned James Webb Space Telescope to search for signs of life on Earth-mass planets orbiting low-mass stars in the vicinity of the sun."
Post date: 6/4/08
Symposium honors Walter Johnson after 50 yearsLeading physicists from around the world gathered at the University of Notre
Dame to honor a long-time member of the Notre Dame College of Science faculty at the "Symposium on Atomic Physics: A Tribute to Walter Johnson."
The Frank M. Freimann Professor of Physics, Johnson will be retiring from teaching this spring after 50 years at Notre Dame, where he has led the way in research involving physics, mathematics and computers.
Johnson, a theoretical physicist, investigates relativistic and correlation effects in heavy atoms using relativistic many-body methods derived from Quantum Electrodynamics. The symposium in Johnson's honor provided an occasion for more scholarship as well as reflection on his decades of contribution to the field.
"This is a great opportunity to bring together many of the leading people in atomic physics from around the world," said Gordon Drake, from the University of Windsor, Canada, at the symposium on April 4 and 5. "It is a great opportunity to exchange ideas and reminisce. It is both professional and to commemorate one of the best-known men in the field."
Johnson has advised 21 doctoral students, taught some 10,000 undergraduates, written a book on atomic structure theory, and authored or coauthored 250 published papers, including six already this year. His fifty years of teaching and research at the University of Notre Dame have left a legacy. Students, post docs and colleagues around the world will continue to appreciate his wisdom and guidance.
Post date: 4/24/08
Sophomore physics major selected for Department of Defense SMART ScholarshipKristina Sault, a sophomore Physics major, has been selected by the Department
of Defense for a SMART scholarship. This highly-competitive scholarship will pay her full tuition for the next two years, an annual “book allowance,” and a stipend.
The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories. The DoD offers this scholarship for service to individuals who demonstrate outstanding ability and special aptitude for a career in scientific and engineering research and product development and express interest in career opportunities at DoD laboratories.
In addition to being an outstanding student, Kristina enjoys the outdoors. She surfs, sails and paddles outrigger canoes. Last fall she was a member of the Notre Dame Sailing Club. Music is another of Kristina's passions. She enjoys playing the piano and trying to play the guitar. She is also a member of the Notre Dame chorale.
Kristina is currently involved in research under the guidance of Prof. Umesh Garg. This summer Kristina will travel to Osaka, Japan to assist in running an experiment. She says, "Working in the physics department with the professors and the other majors has been incredible overall. Many professors are truly interested in what they teach and are successful in making us excited about it. The long hours of work are manageable because there are others to work with; these hours together have not only resulted [in] finished assignments, but also some of my most treasured friendships."
Post date: 4/18/08
Matthew Meixner to attend meeting of Nobel Laureates in LindauMatthew Meixner, a 2nd year graduate student in the Department of Physics
(Grant Mathews, advisor), has been invited to attend the 58th Meeting, June 29 – July 4, 2008, of Nobel Prize Winners in Physics in Lindau, Germany.
Each year, since 1951, 20 to 25 Nobel Prize Winners accept the invitation to a unique meeting on Lake Constance. Some 500 young students come from all over the world to listen to the Laureates' lectures and to engage in discussions with them. Intermediaries from universities and research institutions select participants based on strict criteria.
The Laureates give presentations on topics of their choice. Lively round table discussions in plenary sessions include the audience and are defined by interdisciplinary questions. Specially organized student discussions have students gathered around a designated Laureate per group for several hours in the afternoons. Social events bring the scientific newcomers into personal contact with the Nobel Prize Winners.
Post date: 4/17/08
Physics professors recipients of 2008 Joyce AwardProfessors Margaret Dobrowolska and Michael Hildreth are recipients of the Rev.
Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C. Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Established in 2007, the Joyce Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, formerly known as the Kaneb Teaching Award, honors faculty members who have had a profound influence on undergraduate students through sustained exemplary teaching at Notre Dame. In particular, the award recognizes faculty who create environments that stimulate significant student learning, elevate students to a new level of intellectual engagement, and foster students' ability to express themselves effectively within the discipline.
This university award, inaugurated on the 70th anniversary of Fr. Joyce's graduation from Notre Dame, is funded through an endowment established by the Class of 1937. Fr. Joyce served as Notre Dame's executive vice president from 1952 to 1987. Fr. Joyce's passionate commitment to our Lady's University is reflected through faculty dedication to, and exemplary teaching of, Notre Dame's undergraduates.
Malgorzata (Margaret) Dobrowolska-Furdyna, Professor of Physics, was one of those chosen to receive the Joyce Award. Professor Dobrowolska is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Creativity Award (1995-1997), the Kaneb Teaching Award (2005), and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. She also served as Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Physics (2002-2006). She has been at Notre Dame since 1987.
Michael Hildreth, Associate Professor of Physics, was also one of those chosen to receive the Joyce Award. Professor Hildreth was named Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation in 2003 and Outstanding Junior Investigator by the U.S. Department of Energy (2002). He was also a Kaneb Center Fellow for International Teaching Assistants (2002, 2003). Professor Hildreth is a member of the American Physical Society. He has been at Notre Dame since 2000.
Post date: 4/15/08
Walter Johnson – Outstanding in the Atomic FieldOn April 4 and 5, the Physics Department sponsored a "Symposium on Atomic
Physics: A Tribute to Walter Johnson" in honor of Johnson who will be retiring from teaching this year. Participants came from the Harvard Smithsonian Observatory, the University of New South Wales, the University of Reno, the University of Southern California, the University of Delaware and Colorado State University, among others.
Johnson, 79, has been a world leader in the use of computers to solve complex problems, bringing the technology together with mathematics and physics. Leading physicists from around the world gathered at Notre Dame to toast his half-century with a symposium on atomic physics.
Johnson, who attended the University of Michigan on the G.I. Bill after World War II, earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees there, where he was the last student of Otto Laporte, discoverer of the Laporte Rule.
He has advised 21 doctoral students, taught some 10,000 undergraduates, written a book on atomic structure theory, and authored or coauthored 250 published papers, including six already this year. Johnson’s fifty years of teaching and research at the University of Notre Dame have left a legacy. Students, post docs and colleagues around the world will continue to appreciate his wisdom and guidance.
Post date: 4/9/08
Arizona Telescope Sees Deep into the CosmosThe best pair of eyes on Earth are now wide open. The Large Binocular
Telescope sits in a 17-story building atop an Arizona mountain. LBT, as it is known for short, can probe deeper into the cosmos than any other instrument. The 580-ton telescope is twice as big as the next-largest telescope on Earth, and it has 10 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope. The LBT cannot see farther than Hubble, but the images it sends back are much sharper and of a much wider field than the space telescope.
There is a universe to look at, but time is limited, so scientists submit proposals for observation. One of the first for tonight: the Kuiper Belt, which lies on the edge of the solar system, about 2.7 billion miles from earth.
Later that night, Notre Dame professor Peter Garnavich helps focus the LBT on another object, which is no small task given the instrument's complexity. Garnavich is interested in a supernova that exploded a few nights earlier.
"The star just happened to die and its jet was pointed at us and we can see it most of the way across the universe," says Garnavich. The screen shows a large mass with a plume coming from it. Garnavich wants to learn how energy from the dying star decays over time. By looking at objects like this – halfway across the universe and back in time – these astronomers hope the LBT will answer some fundamental questions.
Richard Pogge, professor of astronomy at Ohio State University, lists some of those questions: "Where do we come from, how did we get here, where are we going? Astronomy is one of the few ways we can answer that."
Post date: 3/18/08
3 from Physics in APS Outstanding Referees ProgramWe are honored to announce that three faculty members in the Department of
Physics have been selected by the American Physical Society as Outstanding Referees. They are Neal M. Cason, Jacek K. Furdyna, and Walter R. Johnson.
The Outstanding Referee program was instituted in 2008. The highly selective award program recognizes scientists who have been exceptionally helpful in assessing manuscripts for publication in the APS journals. The program will annually recognize approximately 130 of the 42,000 currently active referees, but in the inaugural year a larger group of 534 referees has been selected for the Outstanding Referee designation. Like Fellowship in the APS, this is a lifetime award. By initiating the program, APS expresses its appreciation to all referees, whose efforts in peer review not only keep the standards of the journals at a high level, but in many cases also help authors to improve the quality and readability of their articles—even those that are not published by APS.
The selection of Outstanding Referees was made based on two decades of database records on over 50,000 referees (some no longer in active service) who have been called upon to review manuscripts, of which 33,000 were submitted in 2007. Most of the referees chosen in this inaugural year have given dedicated service for many years. The basis for choosing the 534 honorees was the quality, number, and timeliness of their reports, without regard for membership in the APS, country of origin, or field of research. Individuals with current or very recent direct connections to the journals, such as editors and editorial board members, were excluded. The decision was difficult and there are many excellent referees who could not be recognized this year. In this first year of the program the lifetime of work contributed by a referee was emphasized. In future years, the focus will be on the more recent work of referees.
The Outstanding Referees are to be congratulated and thanked for their outstanding service to the physics community.
For the complete story and list.Post date: 3/14/08
Brown University researcher appointed College of Science deanGregory P. Crawford, currently dean of engineering and professor of physics
and engineering at Brown University, has been appointed dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame by Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the University’s president. Crawford, who also was appointed professor of physics, will assume the dean’s position July 1, 2008.
Crawford succeeds Joseph P. Marino, who had served as dean since 2002 and who remains professor of chemistry at Notre Dame.
"It is a great honor to be selected as the dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame," Crawford said. "I am taking on this new position with great energy and enthusiasm. My enthusiasm is driven by the unique mission and character of Notre Dame, the overwhelming sense of unity of purpose and spirit of camaraderie on campus, the extraordinary caliber of the faculty in the College of Science and the University as a whole, and the ambitious plans of the University leadership. My family and I are looking forward to becoming part of the Notre Dame community."
Before joining the Brown faculty in 1996, Crawford was a member of the research staff at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and a postdoctoral research associate at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. He has served as dean of engineering at Brown since 2006.
Post date: 3/7/08
Physics Reunion 2008Even though winter doesn’t want to release its hold on us, we are thinking ahead
to spring and Notre Dame Reunion 2008. On line registration is now open for the following years: 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003 and the 50-year club.
On May 30, 2008, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., all Physics Alumni in the graduating classes listed above are invited to attend a reception during Alumni Reunion weekend in Nieuwland Science Hall. Our physics reunion grows and gets better every year. In a letter received after last year’s reunion, Steve Storch (Class of 67), thanked the department for the “splendid reception” and said he was “greatly impressed by the physics research that is now being done at ND especially in the areas of astrophysics and biophysics.” So, as you make plans to attend Notre Dame Reunion 2008, include a visit to the Department of Physics and see for yourself what you have been missing.
Keep watching the website for additional postings about Physics Reunion 2008.
Post date: 3/4/08
Astronomers discover Jupiter-Saturn-like planets in distant solar systemThe simultaneous discovery of two exoplanets slightly smaller than Jupiter and
Saturn by an international team of astronomers that includes David Bennett from the University of Notre Dame gives astrophysicists an important clue that solar systems like ours might be quite common.
The report, to be published in the February 15 issue of the journal Science, describes the series of observations that began March 28, 2006, when a collaboration known as Optical Gravitational Microlensing Equipment (OGLE) detected a signal, possibly due to a planet in microlensing event OGLE-2006-BLG-109, that the researchers had discovered and announce two days earlier.
Gravitational microlensing takes advantage of the fact that light is bent as the rays pass close to a massive object, like a star. The gravity from the mass of the intervening object, or lens star, warps surrounding space and acts like a giant magnifying glass. As predicted by Albert Einstein and later confirmed, this phenomena causes an apparent brightening of the light from the background 'source' star. The effect is seen only if the astronomer's telescope lies in almost perfect alignment with the source star and the lens star. Astronomers are then able to detect planets orbiting the lens if the light from the background star also is warped by the planets.
The discovery of the double planet system was a triumph for astronomers who use this method, which is of such high sensitivity that it can detect planets similar to those in our own solar system, with the exception of Mercury.
"These planets could not have been detected without any other technique," Bennett said. "The light curve of this event revealed an unprecedented amount of information about the planetary host star and the planets," he continued.
Post date: 2/18/08
Physics researcher reports novel interaction between superconductivity and magnetismAn international collaboration of researchers led by Morten Ring Eskildsen, assistant professor of physics at the University
of Notre Dame, has discovered an altogether new way in which superconducting electrons can interact with an applied magnetic field.
Superconductivity is a phenomenon which occurs in certain materials and which manifests itself by a complete loss of electrical resistance. An important area in the study of superconductors is how they respond to magnetic fields. Besides their obvious relevance to practical applications, such studies are an ideal way to obtain a deeper understanding of the fundamental aspects of superconductivity.
In experiments, Eskildsen’s team investigated the material CeCoIn5, which is a so-called heavy-fermion superconductor with a transition temperature of 2.3K (-456 degrees Fahrenheit). The results were obtained by neutron scattering experiments performed at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source at the Paul Scheer Institute in Switzerland and were carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Montreal, ETH Zurich, the University of Birmingham, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Post date: 1/23/08
Searching for the Christmas StarProfessor Grant Mathews is a theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist whose
research addresses such unknowns as the age of the galaxy or at what rate the universe is expanding. He is also intrigued by one of the enduring "seasonal" mysteries, namely, the nature of the Star of Bethlehem, said to have led the three magi to the birth place of Christ.
While neither Prof. Mathews nor anyone else has solved the puzzle, he has applied the tool of modern astrophysics to search for evidence that some astronomical event occurred during the time frame of Jesus’ birth. ‘An increasingly rich archive of information, stored in a variety of astronomical databases, has the potential to shed new light on this ancient puzzle,’ he says.
Professor Mathews plans to give four family-friendly public presentations of his research titled “What and When was the Christmas Star,” in the Digital Visualization Theatre located in the Jordan Hall of Science. The lectures will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, December 15; 3 p.m. Sunday, December 16; 7 p.m. Saturday, December 22 and 3 p.m. Sunday, December 23.
A recent article appeared on the site InsideBayArea.com
Post date: 12/6/07 (updated on 12/21/07)
Peter Garnavich elected Fellow of the APS
University of Notre Dame astrophysicist Peter Garnavich has been elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
His citation reads: "For pioneering work on the discovery of dark energy and the cosmic equation of state, along with important observational discoveries regarding the nature of gamma ray bursts and the physics of supernova light curves."
For more information on the American Physical Society.Post date: 11/28/07
Nuclear astrophysics institute joins international alliance
The University of Notre Dame’s Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA)
is one of four international partners in a new research alliance titled ‘Extremes of Density and Temperature: Cosmic Matter in the Laboratory.’
Under the sponsorship of GSI, Darmstadt, one of the largest European nuclear physics laboratories, the alliance connects JINA, the University of Paris VI, the University of Tokyo and RIKEN, Japan, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The alliance also includes seven national German partners: TU Darmstadt, the University of Frankfurt, FIAS Frankfurt, the University of Heidelberg, Max Planck Institute, Forschungszentrum Juelich and the University of Muenster.
Leading international scientists, including two Nobel laureates, will serve as associate partners. Through the alliance, GSI and its partners intended to push forward the frontier of “extreme matter” research.
A central goal of the group is the creation of the “ExtreMe Matter Institute” (EMMI) on GSI grounds in Darmstadt. With EMMI, the alliance will generate a unique infrastructure for interdisciplinary investigations of matter under extreme conditions – from extremely hot matter of the Big Bang to ultra-cold quantum gases. The institute also will serve as a think tank for the new International FAIR facility for antiproton and ion research to be built at GSI, Darmstadt.
A Physics Frontier Center of the National Science Foundation, JINA is one of the world’s leading research institutions in experimental and theoretical nuclear astrophysics. It will contribute to the new alliance mainly through its expertise in the experimental and theoretical simulation of nuclear reactions at high density and temperature conditions typical for exploding white dwarf stars (novae and supernovae Ia) and nuclear processes taking place in the crust of neutron stars.
This article appeared as a News Release in Notre Dame News & Information on November 16, 2007.
Post date: 11/19/07
When stars collide: a new way to make a supernova
University of Notre Dame astrophysicist Peter Garnavich and a team of
collaborators have identified a supernova caused by the collision of two stars. They made a detailed study of the 234th supernova discovered in 2005, called "2006gz," and found convincing evidence that the explosion resulted from the merging of two "white dwarfs." The thermonuclear destruction of a white dwarf is called a type Ia supernova and was crucial in the discovery of the accelerating universe and dark energy.
White dwarf stars are the remnant cores of stars like our Sun and contain mostly the elements carbon and oxygen. White dwarfs can explode if their mass is increased and reached a critical 1.4 times the mass of the Sun. It was believed that type Ia supernovae results from a white dwarf stealing mass from a Sun-like star to reach the unstable mass limit. But supernova 2006gz was different. Two white dwarf stars in orbit about each other spiraled together and combined to exceed the mass limit.
"We have used supernovae to discover dark energy, yet we do not know exactly how the explosions happen," Garnavich said. "It now looks like there are at least two ways of making a type Ia supernova."
The discovery appeared in the November 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Post date: 11/15/07
Merz named AAAS fellow
James L. Merz, Frank Freimann Professor of Electrical Engineering, interim dean of the College of Engineering, former vice president for graduate studies and research at Notre Dame and concurrent Professor of Physics, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in honor of his efforts to advance science or its applications.
AAAS, founded in 1848 as a nonprofit association, is the world’s largest scientific society and publisher of the prestigious journal Science.
Merz, who joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1994, was cited for “distinguished contributions to the field of photonic devices and particularly to optical spectroscopy of semiconductor nanostructures.”
Merz was graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in physics and attended the University of Göttingen in Germany as a Fulbright Fellow in 1959-60. He attended Harvard University as both a Woodrow Wilson and Danforth Fellow, earning his master’s degree in 1961 and his doctorate in 1967. He joined the technical staff of Bell Laboratories in 1966 and conducted investigations there into the optical properties of compound semiconductors. After a semester as Gordon McKay Visiting Lecturer on Applied Physics at Harvard in 1972, he returned to Bell Laboratories, where he work on optoelectronic devices and integrated optical circuits until joining the UC-Santa Barbara faculty in 1978.
Also named as an AAAS Fellow is Professor Shahriar Mobashery, Navari Family Professor of Life Sciences. Merz and Mobashery will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on February 16, at the Fellows Forum during the 2008 AAAS annual meeting in Boston.
Post date: 11/2/07
Physicist Umesh Garg Accomplishes a Rare Feat
It is not often when a physicist has an important paper published in Physical
Review Letters, considered the most influential journal in physics. So, consider the feat achieved by Notre Dame nuclear physicist Umesh Garg who had not one, but two papers published back to back in PRL in October.
His first paper, published on October 15, measures nuclear incompressibility – an important component of the Equation of State (EOS) of nuclear matter that related to measurements of neutron stars, the most dense objects in the universe. His second paper, published October 23, affirmed a property of the nucleus of an atom, called chirality and put to rest recent conflicting data that had cast doubts on the nature of chirality in nuclei.
Post date: 10/23/07
Evening of Space Science/Astronomy at Jordan Hall
In celebration of the October 15-17 visit of NASA’s mobile visualization unit
‘The Vision for Space Exploration Experience’ to the South Bend area, the Notre Dame extended Research Community and the Department of Physics will sponsor an event on the first floor of Jordan Hall of Science this Monday, October 15, 2007, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m
Two talks will be presented in the first hour and will highlight research done by NASA and by astrophysicists at Notre Dame. An experience of space visualization and observation will take place in the Digital Visualization Theater and the Jordan Hall Observatory during the second hour.
The first of two lectures will be delivered by Mark Klem (ND ’82 BS Aerospace Engineering, ’82 BA Economics, ’84 MS Mechanical Engineering), who is Project Manager for the Propulsion and Cryogenics Advanced Development at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio, working with the lunar lander and Orion crew vehicle development programs.
Notre Dame astrophysicist Peter Garnavich, will deliver the second lecture which will feature research done at the Large Binocular Telescope. The evening at Jordan Hall is free and open to the public.
If you haven’t already heard, NASA’s mobile visualization unit will be parked at Adams High School and will be open for free general public viewing between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. on October 15-17.
Post date: 10/11/07
Profiling Physics (and Notre Dame’s) New Faculty
Arriving from points as far away as Australia, England, Spain and China, 40 new members of Notre Dame’s teaching and research faculty have come to the University for their own, unique reasons. Two of these new faculty came to the Department of Physics.
Mark Caprio, Assistant Professor (right). Area of research interest: Research focuses on the structure of the atomic nucleus and on phenomena which occur in quantum systems consisting of small numbers of particles. Teaching: Electricity and Magnetism. Most recent position: Postdoctoral associate, Yale University. Education: B.S., Oglethorpe University; M.S., Yale University; M.Phil., Yale University; Ph.D., Yale University.
“Notre Dame was especially appealing as a place to come to, since it has a vibrant physics research community, with a long history in nuclear physics, and yet it also places a strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching. It therefore combines some of the best aspects of the research and liberal arts worlds.”
Antonio Delgado, Assistant Professor (left). Area of research interest: Theoretical particle physics. Teaching: Quantum Field Theory, Spring 2008. Most recent position: Postdoctoral Fellow, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. Education: B.Sc., Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Ph.D., Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
“I chose Notre Dame because of the good atmosphere I found when I visited, and also the quality of the High Energy group.”
Post date: 10/4/07
Physics department to host colloqiaIan Shipsey, a Purdue University physics professor who first heard the voice of his
11-year-old daughter in 2002 when he received a cochlear implant, will deliver the first lecture in the University of Notre Dame Department of Physics Fall 2007 Colloquium Series on Wednesday (Sept. 12) at 4 p.m. in room 118 of the Nieuwland Science Hall. His lecture, titled "Bringing Hearing to the Deaf. Hearing Implants: A Technical and Personal Account," is free and open to the public.
Shipsey, who was profoundly deaf from 1989 until he underwent cochlear implant surgery, will be discussing the physiology of natural hearing from the perspective of a particle physicist. He will describe the function of cochlear implants in the context of historical treatments, electrical engineering, psychophysics, clinical evaluation of efficacy and personal experience. The social implications of cochlear implantation and the future outlook for auditory prostheses also will be discussed.
The colloquium series also will include researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, University of Michigan, and international universities in Barcelona, Spain and Ottawa. All lectures will be held at 4 p.m. in room 118 of Nieuwland Hall. The lectures are geared toward science students and each lecture will be followed by a brief question-and-answer period.
For the complete story.Post date: 9/12/07
Department welcomes new graduate studentsOn Friday, August 24, 2007, 23 new graduate students were officially welcomed
to the department of physics with a reception in their honor. The new arrivals had a very busy week moving in, filling out reams of paperwork, and sitting through orientations where they learned “everything they would need to know for the next 7-8 years.”
Twelve of the incoming graduate students come to us from the U.S., 7 from P.R. China, 2 from India, and 1 each from Nigeria and Germany.
With a total of 92 graduate students, we are well on our way to our goal of 100.
Post date: 9/10/07
Symposium to focus on undergraduate research experiencesMore than 80 undergraduate students from the University of Notre Dame, the
University of Michigan and Hope College who have conducted science and engineering research presented the results of their research at the Tri-University Undergraduate Research Symposium on AugFoundation. All of the undergraduates spend 8 to 10 weeks during the summer conducting hands-on research under the supervision of Notre Dame faculty and alongside graduate students. They gain experience and explore a particular field in more depth than is possible during the regular academic year.
The Physics REU program at Notre Dame is one of the nation’s oldest, having begun in 1985, long before other universities developed similar programs.
The complete schedule including a short abstract on each student’s research is available at http://www.science.nd.edu/research/index.htm.
Post date: 8/6/07
Astrophysicist Garnavich to Share Gruber Prize in CosmologyPeter Garnavich, associate professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame,
The Gruber Prize in Cosmology has been given annually since 2000 by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation for "groundbreaking work that inspires and enables fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture." The 2007 prize is awarded to the High-Z Team (led by Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University) and the Supernova Cosmology Project (led by Saul Perlmutter of the Lawrence-Berkeley National Lab). The teams share a cash prize of $500,000.
In 1994, Garnavich helped establish the High-Z Supernova Research Team, an international collaboration of 20 astrophysicists, with the goal of tracing the expansion history of the universe using a type of bright, exploding star called a "type Ia" supernova.
Post date: 7/18/07
If the Earth is a peppercorn…
If the Earth is a peppercorn, what would Jupiter be? Stumped?
Answer: a Brazil nut. And Saturn would be an almond.
These are not your usual analogies for our planets, but then again, the class that Notre Dame astrophysicist Phil Sakimoto teaches is not your usual summer school class. The 150 students whom he instructs are really at Notre Dame attending an annual camp, the National Youth Sports Program, originally started by the NCAA. Each year the youngsters, age 10-16, come to campus to take part in sports activities like softball, basketball, and volleyball with a little instructional component on the side: namely nutrition and drug and alcohol awareness.
But recently more than a few people at Notre Dame entertained some expansive ideas. Sakimoto, Notre Dame’s physics and astronomy outreach specialist, was one of them. "We decided there is one thing wrong here. If we bring the kids to campus every summer, shouldn’t we be doing something to give them a chance to actually be students at a place like this? " he explained. NASA and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific provided the materials for the classroom lessons, such as "Earth as a Peppercorn." These youngsters are now gaining insight about our solar system, space flight and the universe from a unique perspective.
Post date: 6/26/07
Alumni Reunion Weekend Reception
On Friday, June 1, 2007, Physics Alumni attended a reception during Alumni
Reunion Weekend.
This year Reunion Weekend invitees included the following classes: the 50 Year Club, Classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002. Other physics alumni who live or work near campus were also invited and several dropped by to visit. Our reunion continues to gain momentum and we were pleased to reacquaint ourselves with more than 15 alumni and spouses/guests. Details of the reception and pictures will appear in the next issue of Physics Tracks.
We’re looking forward to next year’s reunion and hope you are too.
Post date: 6/7/07
Chris Kolda recipient of 2007 Madden Award
At the President’s Dinner which took place on May 22, 2007, Chris Kolda received the 2007 Thomas P. Madden Award for outstanding teaching of first year students.
The citation read, “This outstanding teacher is also a well recognized researcher in the field of theoretical high energy physics. Equally at home teaching a graduate course on field theory or a basic course on introductory physics, he has spent the past several years explaining the wonders of modern physics to 1st year students in the Arts and Letters/Science Honors Program. Whether discussing the origins of the cosmos or the standard model of elementary particles, this dedicated instructor has a unique ability to present these topics in a clear and understandable manner. His extensive knowledge of the history of physics helps make the subject come alive for his students. He has also enlightened a different cohort of 1st year students as part of the team-taught course “The Genome, the Earth and the Cosmos”. Now serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies for the physics department, he has worked closely with 1st year advisors to identify and work with prospective majors. As an academic who not only loves to teach but also brings the excitement of his own research to the classroom, this professor is a great role model for young Notre Dame students.”In 1990 Randal C. Ruchti was the recipient of this prestigious award.
Post date: 5/23/07
Wiescher named Humboldt Fellow
Freimann Professor Michael Wiescher, has been named an Alexander von
Humboldt Fellow by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
The foundation was established by the Federal Republic of Germany to promote international cooperation in research. This prestigious fellowship will allow Wiescher to study the nuclear reactions leading to the formation of an isotope of iron, 60Fe, which has been found in sediments on the deep-ocean floor. This isotope is thought to be related to a supernova a few million years ago in our neighborhood of the Milky Way galaxy.
Wiescher is a world-leading scientist in experimental nuclear astrophysics who has made numerous contributions to the determination of key nuclear reaction rates for the understanding of stellar evolution and the synthesis of the elements in the universe. He is particularly well known for the use of novel techniques involving low energy ion beams in measuring nuclear reactions determining the lifetime and evolution of stars. He also pursued the use of radioactive ion beams in measuring important reactions relevant in explosive astrophysical environments. These techniques will be implemented at the future U.S. Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) and the Future Radioactive Ion Beam (FRIB) facility. For his work Professor Wiescher received several awards, including the prestigious Hans Bethe Prize of the American Physics Society.
Wiescher is director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), a collaboration between the University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, and the University of Chicago, to address a broad range of experimental, theoretical, and observational questions in nuclear astrophysics.
JINA serves as an intellectual center with the goal of enabling swift communication and stimulating collaborations across field boundaries. It also provides a focal point for the rapidly growing and diverse field of nuclear astrophysics.
The foundation is named after Baron Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian naturalist and explorer. Baron von Huboldt explored much of Central and South American in the late 18th Century and early 19th Century.Post date:5/14/07
Jacek Furdyna to receive Purdue honorary degree
Jacek Furdyna, Aurora and Tom Marquez Professor of Physics at the University
of Notre Dame, received an honorary doctor of science degree May 12 during commencement ceremonies at Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus.
In its announcement of the honor, Purdue noted, “Throughout his career Dr. Furdyna projected the image of an extraordinarily creative scientist with a special talent for identifying fascinating new problems and new directions.”
Furdyna’s research interests involve the preparation of new semiconducting compounds and the investigation of their physical properties. Most recently, his research has focused on three semiconducting systems: quantum well structures for use in blue and blue-green light emitters, including semiconductor lasers; magnetic semiconductors (which combine “traditional” semiconductor phenomena with new magnetic properties, including ferromagnetism); and semiconductor nanostructures, such as self-assembled quantum dots, quantum wires, and their arrays. All these structures are fabricated at Notre Dame by molecular beam epitaxy.
Furdyna was born in Poland and was deported at age 6 to the Soviet Union with the outbreak of World War II. He spent much of his childhood in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and after his release from the USSR, in Iran, Iraq, Palestine, and in the United Kingdom, before immigrating to the United States.
Furdyna earned his bachelor’s degree at Loyola University in Chicago, and his doctorate at Northwestern University. From 1962 to 1966, he was on the research staff of the Francis Bitter National Magnet Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He went to Purdue in 1966 as an associate professor of physics and established a new program in magnetic semiconductors and gained an international reputation through imaginative research on various topics in this field.
Furdyna, who joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1986, is a fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics. For his scientific accomplishments, he was awarded a doctorate honoris causa by Warsaw University in 2002.
Post date: 5/9/07
College of Science hosts Undergraduate Research Meeting
On May 4, more than 40 undergraduate science and math students from the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College presented results fromtheir scientific research at the Jordan Hall of Science during the first annual College of Science Joint Annual Meeting.
The First Place Winner of Best Research Presentation in Physics was Thomas Schad (pictured above, right) for his talk “Coronal Seismology: The Search for Propagating Waves in Coronal Loops.” Tom did his work this past summer as an REU project at the National Solar Observatory in New Mexico, trying to understand the physics that underlies the sun’s corona. Tom is finishing his senior year as a Physics and Philosophy dual major. He will be attending the University of Arizona next year where he will continue his work at the National Solar Observatory on uncovering the secrets of the sun.
The Second Place Winner of Best Research Presentations in Physics was Steve Kurtz (pictured above, left) for his talk “An Undergraduate Perspective on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at Notre Dame.” Steve gave a talk on his research done here at ND with Philippe Collon on the design and construction of our Accelerator Mass Spectrometer. He was involved in almost every phase of its development. Steve is finishing his senior year as a CSE and Physics major and will attend Notre Dame as a graduate student next year in engineering, studying quantum cellular automata.
Post date: 4/7/07
Wiescher recipient of first Joyce Award
Seventeen University of Notre Dame faculty members have been selected as recipients of the first Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Award for Excellence in
Undergraduate Teaching, and three faculty and staff members have been selected to receive the first Dockweiler Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising.
The Joyce Award, formerly known as the Kaneb Teaching Award, was established this year and is named for the late executive vice president of Notre Dame. It honors faculty members who have had a profound influence on undergraduate students through sustained exemplary teaching, and, in particular, recognizes professors who create environments that stimulate significant student learning, elevate students to a new level of intellectual engagement, and foster students’ ability to express themselves effectively within their disciplines. The award was funded through an endowment established by the Notre Dame class of 1937, of which Father Joyce was a member, on the 70th anniversary of his graduation.
Michael Wiescher, Freimann Professor of Physics, was one of those chosen to receive the Joyce Award. Professor Wiescher is the Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA) and is also Director of Notre Dame’s Nuclear Structure Laboratory. He was the recipient of the American Physical Society’s Hans Bethe Prize in 2003, Notre Dame’s Presidential Award in 2004, is a Fellow of the Center of Social Concerns, University of Notre Dame and is also a Fellow of the Reilly Center of Science, Technology, and Values at the University of Notre Dame. Professor Wiescher has been at the University of Notre Dame since 1986.
For the complete story.Post date:4/19/07
Matt Phipps, physics major, chosen as new leprechaun
Seven male students tried out for the leprechaun gig. A physics major and junior,
Matt Phipps, was selected as the Notre Dame leprechaun for the 2007-2008 school year. Matt has served on the varsity cheerleading squad for the past three years.
“I’ll definitely be flipping and doing acrobatics all over the field next year, and be a little bit more involved in the stunts that cheerleaders do. Even if I hadn’t made it, I loved the experience of trying out, and that one experience was nothing less than amazing,” Phipps said.
Professor Philippe Collon said, “It’s not every day one of my students gets elected top leprechaun and I wish him all the best.”
Post date: 4/17/07
Alumni Reunion Weekend Reception
On Friday, June 1, 2007, Physics Alumni are invited to attend a reception during Alumni Reunion Weekend from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in room 202 Nieuwland
This year, Reunion Weekend is open to the following classes: the 50 Year Club,Classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002. Even if this isn’t your reunion year but you live or work nearby, you may still want to drop by to visit with your colleagues. In a few weeks Professor Mitchell Wayne, Chair of the Department of Physics, will be sending out invitations to Reunion Weekend.
Please RSVP to physics@nd.edu or phone 574-631-6386. We look forward to seeing you there.
Post date: 4/16/07
Benjamin Fehrman 2007 Goldwater Scholar
The Board of Trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation has announced the names of the 2007 Goldwater Scholars. This year Notre Dame is represented by Benjamin Fehrman, a College of Science double major in Physics and Mathematics. The scholarships are given annually to about 300 undergraduate sophomores and juniors from around the United States.
The Scholarship Program, honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater, was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
Notre Dame physics majors have been recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship a number of times in the recent past, including Patricia Engel in 2005, Jeffrey Drocco in 2003, and Matthew Wysocki in 2002. Congratulations to Ben for joining an illustrious group of honorees!
Post date: 4/13/07
PIXE-PAN 2007
PIXE-PAN 2007 is a relatively new program at Notre Dame replicating the very successful Physics of the Atomic Nuclei (PAN) program from Michigan State
The program introduces teachers and students to the fundamentals of the extremely small domain of atomic nuclei and its connection to the extremely large domain of astrophysics and cosmology. Lectures and hands-on experiments are led by senior faculty and staff of the Institute for Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics (ISNAP).
PIXE-PAN will be held summer 2007 from June 18 to 29 (for teachers) and from June 25-29 (for students) at the Institute for Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics (ISNAP) on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Teachers spend two weeks working in the Nuclear Structure Laboratory and students join them for the second week.
Flyer for Summer 2007 and PIXE-PAN 2006 Website
Post date: 4/4/07
Notre Dame extended Research Community
The University of Notre Dame has been awarded a $2.71 million grant from the
National Science Foundation for its new GK-12 program, The Notre Dame extended Research Community (NDeRC). To quote the NSF: "This program provides funding to graduate students in NSF- supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to acquire additional skills that will broadly prepare them for professional and scientific careers in the 21st century. Through interactions with teachers in K-12 schools, graduate students can improve communication and teaching skills while enriching STEM instruction in K-12 schools." NDeRC will provide full 1-year support for 37 graduate fellows over the five year duration of the award.
The program cuts across disciplines and will support graduate students in both the Colleges of Science and Engineering. The co-principal investigators include Anna Goussiou, Dan Karmgard, Tom Loughran and Mitchell Wayne (PI) from physics, along with Dougla
