UA Undergraduate Physics

Freshman learning community on Photons!

2010-04-27T10:43:00.000-06:00

Details here. A quick synopsis:

Although light is as old as the universe, it is only a century ago that light was understood as a particle: The Photon. Since then, the photon has been at the heart of our modern life, from the internet to space exploration and one possible future source of renewable energy. This community will explore the past, present and future of the photon and its impact on our lives. This FLC would be of interest to students interested in exploring Electrical Engineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, or Physics.

Research Opportunity

2010-02-11T22:21:00.002-06:00

A colleague just asked me if I knew any undergrads interested in spending the summer doing an internship at Argonne national lab. The project would involve developing an electrostatic switch using ultrananocrystalline diamond films. If you don't know what that means, it would be working with a lot of really cool vacuum and electronic equipment. :-) Travel money and stipend are likely to be covered.

If you were thinking about a research internship for the summer, and have an interest in the solid state physics or ECE areas, it might be something worth looking in to. Let me know if you'd like to know more, I'll put you in contact with my colleague.

Undergrad research conference @ UA

2010-01-21T14:29:00.002-06:00

UA’s Third Annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference will be held on April 15 at the Bryant Conference Center. To participate, an undergraduate student must register his or her project by submitting an application form and abstract describing the project by March 8.

An online application, along with more details, is posted at http://www.osp.ua.edu/UndergradResearch.html. A student must have a faculty mentor in order to participate in the conference. Please inform your undergraduate students of the upcoming conference and encourage them to participate. Please let me know if you have questions.

Summer opportunities

2010-01-13T12:09:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd make you aware of a few summer research opportunities:

Nebraska Summer research program. UNL has a particularly strong program in magnetic materials and devices.

Boston University summer research program in biophotonics. They have a rather new center for biophotonics, and BU is located in the heart of Boston.

University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Program in cellular engineering.

Northwestern university. Research areas include ceramics, polymers, nanocomposites, photonics, nanoparticles, molecular electronics and biomaterials.

Graduate research competition!

2009-11-13T00:54:00.000-06:00

Please join the UA Department of Physics and Astronomy as a special guest for a showcase of our graduate student research, on Friday, Nov. 20, from 5-7 p.m., in the first-floor hallway of Gallalee Hall. This open-house poster presentation and competition will share projects of seasoned researchers along with those who are just getting started. Stop in any time during the evening until 6:15 to vote for your favorite presentation, and attend the awards ceremony at 6:30.

We'd be honored if you'd join us to support and encourage our future scientists and to learn more about physics research at the University. Please help us spread the word. See you there,

http://uanews.ua.edu/2009/11/open-house-featuring-ua-physics-students-research-set-for-nov-20/

Gary J. Mankey, Graduate Director
Department of Physics and Astronomy

PH111: student talks schedule

2009-11-03T01:06:00.003-06:00

I've made up a preliminary schedule for your talks, which you can find here.

As a reminder, talks should be about 20 minutes in length, with a question & answer period of about 5 minutes following each talk. Timing will be rather strictly enforced so we can get through all of your talks in only three class periods. Finally, keep in mind that it is expected that all group members contribute to the oral presentation.

The first set of talks is on 16 November, which is only two weeks away ...

Advising Season

2009-10-14T22:44:00.003-06:00

If you didn't see the email from me already ... here it is. It is advising season again, and time to figure out what to take next semester.

----------------

Dear Physics Majors (and potential Physics Majors),

If you don't know already, I am the undergraduate adviser for physics and astronomy. Once again, it is advising time. Some time during the next two weeks, I would like to sit down with each of you and informally discuss how things are going, what your plan is, and try to answer any questions you might have. This is your chance to ask all sorts of difficult questions, and I will do my best to answer them. Most likely, I can tell you what courses you still need to take, what requirements you have left to fulfill, or how you might get more involved in our program, for instance.

I am available to meet in either my Gallalee office (rm 110) or my Bevill office (rm 228), whichever is more convenient for you. Below, at the bottom of this post, is a list of times and places I am available. If you would like to set up an advising meeting, send me a quick email (pleclair-at-ua.edu) indicating your preferred time block and location (Bevill or Gallalee).

Recall that you need to have your 'advising hold' cleared each semester in order to proceed with registration. This means you need to meet with *someone*, who can then have your advising hold cleared electronically. There is no longer a need for paperwork, but you still need to be advised. Along those lines, this semester Dr. Mewes (tmewes-at-ua.edu) and Dr. Williams (drwilliams3-at-ua.edu) have agreed to help out with advising. If your schedule does not fit with mine, you have occasion to see Dr. Mewes or Dr. Williams for other reasons, or would just rather see them instead, you can feel free to contact them as well.

Finally, some of you are far enough along and well-organized enough that you basically know what you need to do. Fair enough. If this is the case, email me your proposed schedule for the S10 semester, and if I don't see any problems with it, I'll clear your advising hold and we'll call it a day.

My free times
-----------------
Mondays: 1:15-3:45, Gallalee
Tuesdays: 10-3:45, Bevill
Wednesdays: 1:15-3:45, Gallalee
Thursdays: 10-6, Bevill
Fridays: 12-6, either location.

Best Regards,

-Dr. LeClair

PH111: links relevant to today's lecture

2009-09-21T17:07:00.003-06:00

These are by no means exhaustive, but are just a few introductory-level discussions of some of the things we talked about today.

A nanotechnology lecture by Feynman from 1959 (!).

Information processing and thermodynamics.

Physical limits of computing.

PH111: information storage physics

2009-09-21T14:22:00.002-06:00

Some of the slides I'll use today are here.

After the lecture, I'll try to update them to include the things I'm going to do on the whiteboard ...

PH111: Intelligent extra-terrestrial life

2009-09-17T23:59:00.001-06:00

This topic just keeps coming up.

PH111: Drake equation, next seminar

2009-09-17T09:31:00.003-06:00

Interesting article about updates to the Drake equation.

Next week, I'll be giving the seminar again, this time on information storage physics. There will be some light reading posted later today, but for now you might peruse this older talk I gave. (Warning, 22Mb PDF.) It is specifically about magnetic information storage, but might get you thinking along the right lines.

SPS study session

2009-09-14T16:54:00.000-06:00

"Society of Physics Students is hosting a homework help session Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00pm in 109 Gallalee. Anyone needing help with physics is welcome to attend."

Comic relevant to the last PH111 lecture

2009-09-04T23:33:00.001-06:00

Regarding the Drake equation.

PH111 Lecture 2: back-of-the-envelope calculations

2009-09-01T00:19:00.003-06:00

Today I gave a lecture about estimation and back-of-the-envelope calculations. The slides I used are here, though I did quite a few additional problems not mentioned in the slides.

I made heavy use of this book in preparing my lecture, and it is highly recommended if you have an interest in how to quickly estimate the answer to even the most absurd-sounding problems. More than that, it is one of the few books of this sort that actually teaches you how to do approximate calculations systematically, rather than just trying to dazzle you with arcane knowledge.

A fun read, and it contains most of the problems I worked out in the lecture today. And some much, much more odd ones.

Next time (2 weeks from today, given labor day is next week) we'll have a lecture from Dr. White on "The Big Bang" and "The largest explosions in the universe." We'll keep you posted if there is any reading you need to do ahead of time ...

Society of Physics Students Movie Night!

2009-08-31T12:21:00.005-06:00

Society of Physics Students will be showing NOVA - The Elegant Universe, a documentary on string theory, on Friday, September 11th at 5:00pm in a to-be-determined room in Gallalee Hall.

Anyone interested is welcome to come watch! For anyone who isn't familiar with string theory, here is the Wikipedia article. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory)

Society of Physics Students to Meet Friday

2009-08-25T15:36:00.003-06:00

The Society of Physics Students will hold its first meeting of the semester on Friday, August 28 (This Friday) at 6:00pm in Gallalee 109 (The Physics Students' Lounge). Anyone with an interest in physics is invited to attend. Refreshments will be (tentatively) served (read: free food).

Also, join the SPS on Facebook!
Or check out the new website! (bama.ua.edu/~sps)

PH111 Intro physics seminar

2009-08-24T13:15:00.008-06:00

This semester, for the first time, we'll be offering an introductory physics seminar. It is a 1-credit course with no prerequisites, and meets just once a week Monday 4-5:30pm in 338 Gallalee. Here's the catalog blurb:

Lecture series on current topics in physics. Open to all undergraduates, aimed at students just starting their university education who want a broad introduction to exciting developments in modern physics at an introductory level. Faculty will present introductions to recent developments in physics, including student-suggested topics. The course will stress a conceptual understanding of everything from fundamental phenomena to recent technologies in terms of their basic underlying physical principles. Students present short research seminars on a topic of their choice once per semester.

You might also want to look at the list of possible topics, our tentative schedule, and the course syllabus. Also, here are the course intro slides from today.

There is room for plenty more if you'd like to join ... and even if you don't, I'll be continue information about PH111 lectures and so on here so you can follow along virtually at least.

PH125 in the news

2009-05-02T01:32:00.001-06:00

Our little rocket competition made the news today. We also had a front page photo of section B of the Tuscaloosa News.

A Message from two of your fellow majors

2009-04-28T08:43:00.002-06:00

All PHYSICS MAJORS!!!

Do you actually know other physics majors?? Yeah, that's what I thought. So come to the meet AND greet.

FREE FOOD! Yes, completely free. In fact, it will even be surrounded by nerds. So come.

DETAILS:
Who - YOU....hopefully...
What - Meet the other people who share your uniquely awesome interests
When - FRIDAY, as in THIS FRIDAY of dead week. which is May 1st, just fyi. 3:00-5:00pm
Where - Room 109 in Gallalee (obviously)
Why - because Tara and Ted were upset that we didn't know all of you

So, it'll be awesome, especially once you get there :)

-Your Fellow Physics Majors, Tara and Ted - and kind of the Society of Physics Students, kinda -

Scholarship opportunity

2009-04-01T12:13:00.001-06:00

If you are a physics major, it is not too late to apply for a scholarship.

Specifically, the E. Scott Barr scholarships have not yet been awarded. Tell your friends.

Med School-related Lecture Tonight

2009-03-24T13:04:00.000-06:00

Something I forgot to mention in class today that I just found out about:

At 7pm tonight Dr. Nathan Smith, UAB School of Medicine's assistant dean for admissions (and professor of Psychology) will be speaking at the AED meeting in 30 ten Hoor.

If you are interested in medicine, and contemplating medical school, this is a great chance to hear from someone who actually evaluates medical school applications for a living ...

Fall 2009 Advising Begins ...

2009-03-09T12:04:00.002-06:00

This week begins the advising season for the F09 semester, which will continue through the week following spring break. If you are a physics major, thinking about a physics major, or plan on taking more physics in the near future, I would like to meet with you.

Individual meetings only take 15-30 minutes, please let me know if you are interested, and when you would have some time either this week or the week following spring break. You can contact me at pleclair.removethis@andthistoo.ua.edu.

One new thing I should mention is our new seminar course, PH111. It is a 1-credit seminar course with no prerequisites, meeting once per week, and it is devoted entirely to discussing neat topics in physics at a completely introductory level. In the fall, it will meet on Mondays from 4-5:30. Anyone interested in physics is encouraged to take the course, it should be a lot of fun. A tentative syllabus can be found here.

Finally, I would like to point out that all physics majors are eligible for E. Scott Barr scholarships, and we could use some more applicants ... it is not too late to be considered for a fall scholarship! Details here.

Summer research opportunity / Las Vegas

2009-01-26T12:38:00.002-06:00

2009 Summer Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy

Application deadline March 3, 2009!

The UNLV Department of Physics and Astronomy is now accepting applications to the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program for the summer of 2009. Bright, motivated undergraduate students are invited to apply for the program. The summer program affords the opportunity to participate in the scientific research at UNLV, including:

Experimental atomic, molecular, and laser physics
Experimental condensed matter physics
High pressure science
Astronomy/astrophysics

The deadline for applications is March 3, 2009; for more information, see their web site.

Summer research opportunity / Maryland

2009-01-21T14:56:00.000-06:00

Maryland Sea Grant's Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Estuarine Science.

12 week program during summer 2009. May 17 to August 9.
$4200 stipend plus housing and travel to and from site
More information here
Applications due: February 12, 2009

Summer research opportunity / UMass

2009-01-21T14:53:00.001-06:00

UMass Amherst will once again host a Research Experience for
Undergraduates (REU) in Cellular Engineering.

For more information, see this page and click on "ICE REU Program."

Summer research opportunity / Boston University

2009-01-21T14:50:00.000-06:00

National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in
Photonics.

This program encourages students from all engineering, mathematics and
natural science disciplines to apply. Specific program details and
requirements can be found here. The application system is now open for students to begin the application process.

The deadline is February 15, 2009.

Summer research opportunity / Nebraska

2009-01-21T14:49:00.000-06:00

Nebraska's summer program offers research opportunities in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. A complete listing of programs and descriptions of the research projects available can be here and include:

Applied mathematics
Biological chemistry
Chemistry
Functional nanomaterials and nanoscience
Plant sciences and bioenergy systems
Redox biology

Summer research opportunity / Dartmouth

2009-01-21T14:47:00.001-06:00

Dartmouth College Research Opportunity for Undergraduates in Nanomaterials

The program is funded to support ten physics, engineering, and chemistry students to participate in current research at the Center for Nanomaterials Research at Dartmouth.

Additional information, including application forms and further details about
the program are available here by clicking on the "summer program" link. The March 13th deadline is quickly approaching ...

Reminder ...

2007-03-08T02:57:00.000-06:00

SPS students: you can use this blog as your own web page.

Email me if you want access to post and edit. You could for instance be posting info about the flugtag launch.

On the other hand, facebook seems much more popular ... but if you want a web page, this one is yours

Summer opportunity in biostatistics

2007-01-26T11:00:00.000-06:00

Summer 2007 Opportunities for Undergraduate Students for Training in Biostatistics

SIBS (Summer Institutes for Training in Biostatistics) will be in its 4th year this summer. Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the program has been very successful, but space is limited! Students should apply soon. SIBS is open to all US undergraduates (citizens or permanent residents).

The program flyer [here] explains that SIBS is offered at three sites: Boston University, North Carolina State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Further details are given at the individual websites listed on the flyer.

Summer residence at Mt. Wilson observatory

2007-01-26T10:57:00.000-06:00

CUREA 2007 TO OFFER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

AT MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY JULY 8-21

The Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Education in Astronomy (CUREA) will repeat its highly successful in-residence educational program at Mount Wilson Observatory for the 18th time this summer, from July 8 through 21, 2005. The program is aimed at undergraduate physics and astronomy majors, with junior or senior standing, who are considering a career in science or teaching.

Staff and students will pursue a short on-site course in astrophysics and observational astronomy using the historic facilities at Mount Wilson. Instruments available to the students will include the Snow Horizontal Solar Telescope, used in conjunction with a high-resolution spectrograph; a 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with CCD camera and SBIG stellar spectrograph; and the historic 60-inch reflector, used by Harlow Shapley to discover the size of the Milky Way Galaxy.

More information here.

And another research opportunity

2007-01-18T17:17:00.000-06:00

International Research Experience for US Graduate Students to study Astronomy/Astrophysics in India

Details:

http://eo.nso.edu/ires/

Possible Projects:

http://eo.nso.edu/ires/IRES-Projects.html

Research Experience for Undergraduates

2007-01-18T17:12:00.000-06:00

Maybe this is interesting for some of you

------
From: Dr.Fredrika Moser
Subject: Research Experience for Undergraduates Application Reminder

Please remind students that applications for the Maryland Sea Grant REU program are due February 13, 2007.

We would like to invite your students to apply for Maryland Sea Grant's Research Experience for Undergraduates Estuarine Science Program.

12 week program during summer 2007
$3700 stipend plus housing, travel to and from site
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Education/REU/index.html
Applications due: February 13, 2007

We invite applications from undergraduates in diverse disciplines, including engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, ecology and marine and environmental science.

Since 1989, NSF has supported this program to bring students to undertake individual research projects with a scientist-mentor at either Chesapeake Biological Lab or Horn Point Lab of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Details at our web site:
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Education/REU/index.html

A downloadable PDF flyer is available at:
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Education/REU/reu2007.pdf

You didn't hear this from me ...

2007-01-18T01:28:00.000-06:00

... but here are a few more useful links for getting through this semester.

If you are doing serious E & M, quantum, or mechanics this semester, look here

More E&M madness

Mixed topics goodness

------

'Here again is another proof that information not only wants to be free, it wants to be available to everyone at the same time.' - anonymous

'It always annoys me when people anthropomorphize information. Information doesn't want anything.' - anonymous2

'Anthropomorphizations do not like to be mocked.' - anonymous 3