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PHYSICS@ T L UVOLUME I / ISSUE 1 / SUMMER 2016
DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTERFor TLU Physics Alumni,
Current Students and Friends of the Department
In This Issue . Determined to
Succeed
. Women in Physics
. Sigma Pi Sigma
. Faculty Updates
. TLU Family Physics Night
. New Applied Physics Degree
. Homecoming
. TLU SPS Honored With National Awards
. Student Spotlight
. PhysCon
. Conferences, Research, & Site Visits
. Fundraising Efforts
Determined to SucceedThe Physics Department has undergone
some significant changes since fall 2014.
Dr. Toni Sauncy joined the department in
August 2014, after spending two years as the
director of the Society of Physics Students
(SPS) and Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics
Honor Society at the American Institute of
Physics. Sauncy was previously a member
of the physics faculty at Angelo State
University, home to a nationally recognized
physics program.
One of the most important aspects of the
department’s transformation has been the growth
in activity of the TLU SPS chapter. Sauncy’s years
of experience in SPS leadership at all levels have
brought new energy to students. Physics majors
have become increasingly active on campus
and in the state and national physics community
with national awards, participation in professional
scientific meetings, and an increased effort to build a
thriving community of learners inside and outside of
the classroom.
Regular Connections
The SPS group meets for lunch every Tuesday, so if
you’re ever in the area please stop by and meet our
outstanding students.
Sigma Pi SigmaThe TLU
chapter of
Sigma Pi Sigma,
the national
physics honor
society, was
installed in April
2010 with the
induction of five
students and one faculty member. Coincidentally, Dr.
Sauncy who was—at the time—serving as the SPS
National Council president, carried out the chapter
installation. The group has grown substantially since
its inaugural year.
Other members include: Stacey Laubach, Andrew
Jastram, Curtis Lee, Dirk Lorenz, Talitha Muehlbrad,
Kimberly Ray, Wako Bungula, Melissa Fernandez,
Jessica White, Derek Kanas, Matthew Mittelstadt,
Tyler Bull, and Sandra Roberts.
Women in PhysicsFor the second year in a row, students took part in
the annual Conferences for Undergraduate Women
in Physics. This year, seven women attended
the conference at the University of Texas at San
Antonio—one of eight nationwide events.
. Stephen Bratz, Dr. Calvin Berggren, Dr. Jerry Carr, Professor Erin Scanlon, and Jeffrey Breitschopf are the most recent group of TLU Sigma Pi Sigma inductees.
. Pictured from left: Back: Taylor Fulkerson, Emily Churchman, Jaclyn Lewis, Maegen Idrogo, Dr. Toni Sauncy; Front: Brianna Rios, and Vanessa Espinoza.
We Want To Hear From You!Email any updates or career advancements to [email protected]
Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tlusps
Join our group: www.facebook.com/ groups/tluphysics
b
. Students are committed to building a thriving TLU Physics program. Through leadership development, campus and community outreach, and scholarship, TLU SPS is making a difference in the lives of students.
Save The Date: Family Physics Night 2016 Thursday, October 275:00 – 6:30 pm: SPS Public Lecture in Physics 6:30 – 9:00 pm: Family Physics Night
TLU Family Physics NightPhysics Phun For Everyone
For the past four years, the Physics
Department has paused for a flurry of activity
that involves science enthusiasts from around
the region. Professor Erin Scanlon started
the event in 2012 and it has been gaining
momentum ever since. Promoted through
personal contacts, distribution of posters,
social media channels, and the university’s
marketing team, students and groups from
around the area now look forward to the
event. Some high school physics teachers
even use the night as an enriching addition
to their curriculum. The fall 2015 session had
more than 500 visitors filling the Jackson Park
Student Activities Center to capacity.
A New Dimension
The fall 2014 Family
Physics Night event
included the addition of
a special guest lecture
and reception before
the hands-on activities.
With help from an
anonymous donor, the
department was able
to host Dr. Christopher
Rogan—Society of
Fellows at Harvard
University and collaborator on the ATLAS
project at CERN. Dr. Rogan discussed the
recent discovery of the Higgs particle and
engaged students in a lecture about the future
of high-energy particle physics.
Watch his presentation:
bit.ly/christopherrogan
The 2015 SPS Public Lecture in Physics
brought Ginger Kerrick, NASA Flight Director
for the International Space Station, to campus.
Kerrick inspired students, urging them to let
their excellent preparation in physics be a
foundation for their dreams.
Watch her presentation:
bit.ly/gingerkerrick
VOLUME I / ISSUE 1 / SUMMER 2016 2PHYSICS@TLU
Faculty UpdatesThe TLU Physics faculty is new and energetic. If you don’t know them, we encourage you to reach out and contact them to say hello.
Chair & Associate Professor Toni Sauncy [email protected]
Dr. Sauncy came to TLU in August 2014 following a two-year term as the SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma director at the American Institute of Physics. Her area of expertise is optical spectroscopy and optoelectronic materials, with a strong interest in physics education reform. Prior to that, Dr. Sauncy was a faculty member in the nationally acclaimed Angelo State University Physics Department. She holds a Ph.D. in physics from Texas Tech University.
Assistant Professor Calvin Berggren [email protected]
Dr. Berggren also arrived at TLU in August 2014, after completing his Ph.D. in physics at the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Berggren specializes in theoretical physics with a concentration in particle physics. He researches topics in computational physics and particle physics.
Adjunct Professor Erin Scanlon [email protected]
Professor Scanlon is the most “senior” member of the department, having served in some part- or full-time capacity since August 2012. Professor Scanlon is a Ph.D. candidate at Texas State University with a focus on developmental math and physics education research. She holds a master’s degree in physics from Georgia Tech University.
Assistant Professor (Visiting) Dr. Steven Mielke [email protected]
Dr. Mielke is a former SEGRF fellow (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow (Goddard Institute for Space Studies), and research associate of Rockefeller University. His interests include physics education and communication, and interdisciplinary research in molecular biophysics emphasizing the structure and dynamics of macromolecular systems with applications in the areas of renewable energy, astrobiology, and cancer biology. He holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of California Davis.
. Dr. Christopher Rogan
. The theme for the 2015 Family Physics Night was the International Year of Light with all stations devoted to some aspect of light or its use in science and technology. Students demonstrated the wonders of light and optics to the record crowd.
. Family Physics night has become an established and anticipated annual event that draws hundreds of visitors to campus each fall. Here, young physics enthusiasts check out the Faraday’s Law Table.
Join Us for Tailgating and Lunch Saturday, October 8, 2016RSVP to: [email protected]
New Applied Physics Degree Offers Array of Career OptionsDuring the spring 2015 semester, the Faculty
Association unanimously approved the new
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics degree.
The new degree is designed to accommodate
the wide range of career paths typically
followed by physics graduates. This includes
trajectories toward entering the workforce
directly after graduate school. Nationally,
more than 40 percent of all graduates with
bachelor’s degrees in physics go directly into
the workforce after graduation. At TLU, the
percentage is slightly higher when averaged
over the history of the department.
The B.S. in applied physics takes the place
of the previous Bachelor of Arts in Applied
Science program. The change was based on
a desire to have a path for those who wanted
to complete a marketable degree, while
keeping options open for pursuing a career
trajectory in an engineering field. The applied
physics degree plan includes additional lab
courses with the option of including a design
component during senior thesis to designate
a pre-engineering focus. Lab courses also
include a new freshman seminar, “Tools
for Success in Science and Engineering,”
along with a revised advanced lab sequence
of courses.
The program has been popular among both
existing students and incoming freshman,
with more than 85 percent of existing majors
pursuing the applied physics degree. This
is encouraging as the department seeks to
provide excellent preparation for a diverse
group of students headed toward a variety
of careers.
Homecoming Homecoming is an especially important
time for our students to connect with alumni.
Over the past two years, our students have
stepped into the Homecoming festivities
with a “cool” new addition to the day. Though
we may have fewer alumni than some of the
other departments, we are certainly not less
enthusiastic. In 2015, we treated tailgaters to
liquid nitrogen-made ice cream cones.
We also partnered with the chemistry and
biology programs for some fun, hands-on
science displays.
We hope that physics alumni will also
make this an annual event, joining with our
enthusiastic group of current students for a
day of fun.
VOLUME I / ISSUE 1 / SUMMER 2016 3PHYSICS@TLU
TLU SPS Honored With National Awards For the first time ever, TLU SPS was
named a 2014-15 Outstanding Chapter by
the SPS National Council. We were one of
only six university chapters in Texas to be
recognized. Additionally, the chapter was
awarded its first Marsh White Award for
community outreach in January 2015. This
award provided a small amount of funding
for students to increase the variety of
demonstrations like the ones featured
during shows at Seguin High School. The
group also received the Future Faces of
Physics Award in January 2016 for its effort
in partnering with Seguin Youth Services
for an extended afterschool outreach
program during the spring 2016 semester.
This national recognition serves not only
as a strong motivator for students amid
tough classes and lots of homework, but
as a satisfying outreach activity.
Read More:
. Outstanding Chapter & Future Faces
of Physics Awards: bit.ly/tlusps
. Marsh White Award:
bit.ly/tlumarshwhite
Student Spotlight
Physics and chemistry double major
Vanessa Espinoza served as associate
councilor for Zone 13 on the SPS National
Council for 2015-16. As part of her duties,
Espinoza represented Texas at the 2016
Science, Engineering, and Technology
Congressional Visits Day where she
made personal visits to senators and
representatives from South Texas in
support of funding for undergraduate
research activities in the sciences.
& LUNCH
VOLUME I / ISSUE 1 / SUMMER 2016 4PHYSICS@TLU
Conferences, Research, & Site VisitsWe have been diligently expanding our
efforts to be part of the larger community
of physics professionals including our
attendance at the joint meetings of the
Texas Section of the AAPT, the Texas
Section of the APS, and Zone 13 of the
SPS. In fall 2014, four students attended
the conference at Texas A&M University
in College Station, and the numbers have
continued to increase. This past spring,
17 students proudly represented TLU at
Lamar University in Beaumont. At each
of these meetings, several students
and faculty presented original research
and outreach.
The Quadrennial Physics Congress (PhysCon) brings together physics students, alumni, and faculty members for three days of frontier physics, interactive professional development workshops, and networking. It is the largest gathering of undergraduate physics students in the world!
PhysCon 2016 will be a cutting-edge, life-changing meeting where partici-pants will be immersed in theme “Unifying Fields: Science Driving Innovation.”
This meeting happens just once every four years, and presents unique opportunities for attendees to:
● Bond with fellow physics students from across the United States and beyond.
● Explore graduate programs, summer research opportunities, and workforce options.
● Be inspired by renowned physicists and tours of labs at the fore-front of science and technology.
● Grow professionally through workshops on communication, inclu-sion, and leadership.
● Expand their understanding of physics and its variety of applications. ● Present their research to fellow students, potential graduate school advisors, and potential employers.
November 3–5, 2016 in Silicon ValleyHost Hotel: Hyatt Regency-San Francisco Airportwww.sigmapisigma.org/congress/2016
Hosted by Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society
ANYONE INTERESTED IN PHYSICS IS INVITED TO ATTEND
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ENGAGE WITH HUNDREDS OF SOCIETY’S BRIGHTEST, MOST ENTHUSIASTIC PHYSICS STUDENTS AND ALUMNI
TLU Physics Aims to Send Students to PhysConEvery four years, physics students, university
faculty, and industry leaders gather for the
Quadrennial Physics Congress or PhysCon.
Physics faculty and students are looking to
join around 1,000 undergraduate physicists on
November 3-5, 2016, in Silicon Valley for an
entire weekend of professional development,
interacting with scientists and distinguished
speakers, debating common concerns for the
physics community and society, and visiting
iconic scientific venues.
Sponsored by SPS, this cutting-edge meeting
will immerse participants in the 2016 theme
“Unifying Fields: Science Driving Innovation.”
Students will also get behind-the-scenes tours
of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory,
the NASA Ames Research Center, and Google
X—birthplace of the self-driven car.
We are counting on our alumni to help
support this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for
students to engage on the international stage.
All students who attend will present original
research and outreach.
Here’s How You Can HelpWe’re determined to offer our students the opportunity to engage with hundreds of bright, enthusiastic physics students and alumni across the nation. With the generous help of Physics alumni and friends, we can make that goal a reality.
SPS works with the Student Government Association to obtain funding for day-to-day operations but that funding doesn’t cover all of the expenses that will be incurred with an event like PhysCon.
For $1,100 per student, we can give our students an experience that will help them network with other professionals before they graduate.
This is a request that can be filled by many of our Physics alumni coming together to sponsor a student or even just a student’s lodging or airfare for the conference.
Thank you for your support of TLU Physics.
Help us send a student to PhysCon 2016!
Email Toni Sauncy at [email protected] for details.
. Give Online You can give online now by visiting www.tlu.edu/giving. Select The Texas Lutheran Fund, allocate to OTHER, and reference 17PHYS. This will ensure your donation is directed toward TLU Physics.
. In October 2014, students toured the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility. Invited by Dr. Rene Horton, the group explored the latest NASA efforts in space travel.
Fundraising Goals:. Support a Student’s Summer Research
Opportunity: $5,000per student
. Instruments for Analog Electronics Lab: $8,000
. Equipment for Applied Optics Lab: $12,000
. Computational Physics Equipment: $15,000
. Refurbish Intro Physics Labs: $20,000
. Optical & Materials Lab Equipment Acquisition & Maintenance: $25,000
. Instrumentation for Advanced Lab: $40,000
. Update & Refurbish Machine Shop: $50,000
$1,100Estimated Travel
Costs Per Student
$200Registration
$ PhysCon 2016Expenses
$400Lodging
$500Airfare