NASA Engineering Leader Jill Prince Comes to JMU

This past week, JMU was fortunate enough to host NASA Engineering Manager Jill Prince for a series of talks. 

Ms. Prince has a deep history in astronomical research, joining NASA Langley in 2001 and supporting the flight mechanics team for the years that led up to the Phoenix Mars landing in 2008.  Afterwards, she served in an array of NASA administration positions for many years, eventually leading her to be appointed to Manager of the System Engineering Office in 2015.  Ms. Prince has also been awarded a number of accolades, including the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Women in Aerospace Achievement Award.  She first spoke at Wilson Hall on Thursday to the general James Madison student body, and then again to the JMU Physics & Astronomy Department on Friday.

The NASA engineer opened up her talk discussing the prospects, goals, questions, history, and philosophy of NASA.  She then went into the more current Mars-based operations, such as MAVEN, the Mars Orbiter Mission, and the Curiosity Rover.  She also discussed future missions, such as perfecting the Trace Gas Orbiter and the ExoMars Rover.

Ms. Prince then went on to discuss how NASA plans to continuously study and eventually land advanced systems on Mars, starting with Earth-based systems and then slowly reaching farther towards the Red Planet with satellites and such.  The focus of these steps, Prince explained, is to make future missions to Mars self-sustaining Earth-independent, which involves mining asteroids and increased solar tech.  These processes also include fulling mapping the topography of Mars, cataloging the materials available at its surface, and understanding Martian weather patterns, such as dust storms.

Also displayed in her presentation were the rockets, Block 1 and Block 2, to be used on the eventual manned mission to Mars.  Block 1 is meant to transport people, while Block 2 is meant to transport the majority of the equipment to Mars.  She also discussed the sophisticated Orion spacecraft, which will be used to land the astronauts on Mars, and the various challenges it faces, most notably Mar’s thin atmosphere and rugged terrain.  Many of the other challenges she discussed involved protecting our astronauts, such as radiation poisoning and providing/creating enough fuel for the trip home.

Many thanks to Ms. Prince for taking a break from her astronomically important schedule to talk to us here at JMU!

Another One Goes to Einstein: The Discovery of Gravitational Waves

Nearly a hundred years ago, Einstein put forth a theory that suggested the existence of gravitational waves, which alter space-time in massive astrophysical events.

According to the New York Times, such an astrophysical event (the collision of two black holes over a billion light years away) has been observed and is in agreement with Einstein's theory.  The wave function which resulted from this event was observed by both the LIGO facilities in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford, Washington.  These reading were in agreement, giving great evidence that the theory could be a physical law.

Congratulations to the LIGO team and everyone involved in this groundbreaking observation!

That's no moon!

Word has spread around about a new object circling the Sun, and the discussion has begun about whether or not this "Planet Nine" is even a planet at all.

While NASA has said that the 'planet-ness' of Planet Nine is still a theory, many people are already speculating the object's composition, both atmospheric and mineral.  However, this has proven difficult due to the object's distance from the Sun and background radiation from the Milky Way.

What we do know about the object, as posted by Science Magazine, is that the object has around the mass of 10 Earths, it has an orbit of 15,000 years, and there's only a 0.007% chance that these observations are just coincidentally the six previously known objects that orbit around Neptune.

As more information surfaces, this is sure to be a thrilling debate and discovery in the astronomical community!

More importantly, how does Pluto feel about all of this?

Hear Planetarium Director, Shanil Virani's take on the discovery announcement of Planet Nine as part of his #OurIslandUniverse series on NPR!

JMU goes to CUWiP 2016!

On January 15th, Olivia Cypull, Devin Buennemeyer, Tara Jobin, Gillian Schuneman, and Yvonne Kinsella represented JMU at this year's Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics.  The meeting was hosted by the APS, Old Dominion University, and Jefferson Lab in Norfolk, Virginia.  They were joined by over 200 other academic women

The conference is not only important in encouraging more women to participate in STEM fields, but to also open up great opportunities for those who attend.  These opportunities include, but are not limited to, meeting colleagues in similar academic field, discovering research opportunities outside of one's home university, and even learning about appealing graduate programs.  The conference also hosted a plethora of different workshops that focused on the different obstacles, opportunities, and communities for women in the sciences.

Olivia Cypull, pictured above, presented her research with Dr. Fietosa regarding the study of soft matter physics.  Among the 40 posters presented, Olivia's poster presentation was awarded as the best in show, and was praised for its conciseness, depth of information, and interesting topic material.

Congratulations to all of the women who presented and represented James Madison University STEM!

JMU's presence at the 227th American Astronomical Society Meeting

The Winter meeting of this year's American Astronomical Society (AAS), the 227th overall,  held last week in Kissimmee, Fl, witnessed the most significant JMU presence yet, featuring five members of our Physics and Astronomy Department:  two of our undergraduate students, Catherine Witherspoon and Jason Ferguson, along with Anca Constantin, Keigo Fukumura, and Sean Scully (faculty).

The winter AAS meetings are the largest gathering of american astronomers anywhere, and the AAS refers to it as the "superbowl of astronomy."  Besides multiple and parallel science sessions, as well as workshops and splinter meetings, at these meetings official AAS business happens, prizes are awarded, job interviews are held, textbooks and telescope equipment are presented and purchased, collaborations are forged, and some of the biggest announcements in astronomy are made.

Basically, the pulse of the Universe is taken, one talk or poster at a time.
Work presented by JMU affiliates and their collaborators include new results on:


1. Searching for signatures of black hole accretion in centers of
bulgeless galaxies using new data from the Large Binocular Telescope


2. Understanding the potential links between the water megamaser
activity and nuclear galactic obscuration using data from the
Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer


3. The nature of the ultraviolet and X-ray absorbers present around
supermassive black holes, via novel modeling of the global magnetic
fields originating from the black hole accretion disk 


4. The mid and far infrared luminosity density and the Gamma-ray
opacity of the universe



Catherine and Jason's work has been supported by the 4-VA Collaborative at James Madison University, University of Virginia/NRAO, and George Mason University.  

Catherine's thoughts on her first AAS meeting: one of the best parts of the meeting was the Annie Jump Cannon Award talk about the dynamics of planets, stars, and black holes in triple systems. The speaker made most of her work understandable even to the lowly undergraduate, which was nice because there were some talks where I barely understood more than a few sentences at a time. However, the presentations opened up my eyes to entirely new areas of astronomy that I didn’t know existed and the other astronomers were always willing to chat with me about their research as well as my own research. This AAS meeting was an amazing experience that I hope to have again in the future.

And here are Jason's: an inspirational experience. I had the chance to meet many important astrophysicists from all over the USA including from the NRAO and NASA. I learned about what has been discovered this past year by the astronomical community as well as what is in store for the future. I presented my own research at a poster session during the conference, and I was able to do invaluable networking with other conference goers. There was an undergraduate session where I acquired information about various graduate school programs and internship opportunities. I am so excited for my next AAS!

Nuclear Science Summer School for Undergraduate Students at Michigan State University

Michigan State University will be hosting the 1st Nuclear Science Summer School (NS3) during the period of May 16-21, 2016!

NS3 is a summer school for undergraduate students that aims to introduce the participants to the field of nuclear science. NS3 will offer lectures and hands'on activities covering selected nuclear science topics and providing an overview of the field. The school activities will take place at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and will include lectures by local and visiting researchers, nuclear physics labs, a tour of the facility, discussions with graduate students and faculty, and social events. 

Who can apply
NS3 invites applications from Physics Majors in US institutions. Prerequisites are Calculus, Introductory Physics I (Mechanics and Waves), Introductory Physics II (Electricity, Magnetism, Optics) and preferably Modern Physics. Students should be at their second or third year of study at the time of application. Preference will be given to students who have limited opportunity at their home institution to attend a Nuclear Physics Class or Nuclear Physics Lab class. Applications from women and students from underrepresented minorities are strongly encouraged. 

Cost
Participation in NS3 is funded by the National Science Foundation and NSCL. Local expenses (accommodation and meals) will be provided. In addition, participants will receive up to $500 (actual cost) towards their travel to and from MSU.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2016 

For more information please visit the NS3 website: http://nscl.msu.edu/researchers/NS3.html or contact the NS3 organizers at: ns3@nscl.msu.edu

New paper .......

On November 27, 2015 the World Journal of Condensed Matter Physics published a new article: "A.L. Gordon, Y. Schwab, B.N. Lang, G.P. Gearhart, T.R. Jobin, J.M. Kaczmar, Z.J. Marinelli, H.S. Mann, B.C. Utter, and G. Scarel, “Decoupling the electrical and entropic contributions to energy transfer from infrared radiation to a power generator”.  World J. Cond. Matter Phys. vol. 5, 301-318 (2015)".  Aidan Gordon, Tara. Jobin, Justin Kaczmar, and Zach Marinelli currently are undergraduate students at JMU.  Yosyp Schwab, Brian Lang, Graham Gearhart, and Harkirat Mann graduated in May 2015.  Aidan and Yosyp contributed to modeling.  Brian, Graham, Tara, Justin and Zach performed countless data analysis.  Harkirat, Brian and Zach played a key role in setting up the experiments ......   The figure below shows one of the most significant finding: when infrared radiation hits a thermoelectric device coverd with colored tape the open voltage produced by the device is twice that generated without tape!  Such effect is absent when the thermoelectric device is activated with energy transferred from a resistor through Joule heating.  This finding supports the claim in the title!

2015 Photo Gallery Review

Let us look back on 2015 by marking just a few of the moments that stood out to us.

JMU students at the 10th annual Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Duke U.

As well as the APS conference in San Antonio, TX.

Planetarium Director Shanil Virani and a few of our students teaching Staunton kids rocket science!

The lounge gets a much needed and appreciated makeover.

JMU students at CAA at Drexel in sunny Philadelphia.

A proper "send-off" for our former lab manager Art Fovargue.

Congratulations to the Class of 2015!  You all made it!

The Niculescu team lighting things up at JLab.

Our faculty going into the new academic year.
We also welcome Jacob Brown and Dr. Melnikov to the team!

Our PR is simply electrifying!

The esteemed Dr. Mather comes by for a visit!

Thanks to the help of many, a new map is hung depicting where our students have been!

And finally, the 2015 Holiday Video!

Thanks to everyone for a great year and here's to an even better one in 2016!

'Tis the Season: Faculty Awards

We are celebrating the end of the semester with two new acknowledgements of our faculty's hard work, vision, and talent: 


 Prof. Chris Hughes has been selected to receive The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award (OFA), which is the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities. This is a terrific recognition of his work and a testimony to the excellent work in physics and the encouragement and support of his colleagues. 

JMU's College of Science and Math Distinguished Teacher Award, which was established in 1981 to honor one faculty member annually for exemplary teaching, goes this year to Prof. Scott Paulson.  Scott is also the Cluster 3 (The Natural World) Coordinator for the General Education program at JMU.



 Two much deserved recognitions.

Showing Off Our Students

As a Department, we often talk about all of the places that we've sent our students to.  Whether its recruiting new students, applying for research grants, or just letting the current student body know about the opportunities and connections available to them, there always a need to convey this information.

However, instead of telling people where JMU Physics & Astronomy has been, why don't we show it?

Well now you can!  Hanging in the middle hallway of the Physics floor is a map depicting where our students have gone for Graduate School, participated in REU's & internships, and presented their research at conferences.

This piece allows people to know about the geographic and scholastic opportunities of our department without even talking to a professor, as well as inform students on otherwise unknown REU opportunities, such as MAX IV Lab or Embry-Riddle.

If you know a student (past or present) whose grad school, research experience, or conference is not listed on here, please let the current Student Physics Blogger know so they can add them!  We want this project to be one that not only grows with the department, but also catalogs the achievements of past students.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make this project possible, including Codie Lewis, Adam Miner, Josiah Lapolla, Premal Patel, Natali Bushamani, Evan Meekins, and Dr. Adriana Banu.

Applications now open for CERN openlab Summer Student Programme 2016

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Check out the link below!

http://openlab.web.cern.ch/summer-student-programme
 
CERN is the birthplace of the World Wide Web and where the Higgs particle was discovered by two of the major LHC experiments, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. The laboratory hosts ground-breaking experiments and is at the heart of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG). This is a place like no other where dizzying IT challenges abound!

Located just outside Geneva, straddling the border between Switzerland and France, CERN explores what matter is made of and what holds it together by accelerating particles to a fraction under the speed of light and then smashing them together. CERN is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27 km circumference accelerator buried 50-175 m below ground. After two years of intense maintenance and consolidation, the LHC was restarted in April 2015, and has since reached higher energy levels than ever before. The CERN Data Centre stores more than 30 petabytes of data per year from the LHC experiments, the equivalent of about 1.2 million Blu-ray discs (i.e. 250 years of HD video). Today, over 120 petabytes of data are permanently archived on tape.

CERN openlab is a unique public-private partnership, first established in 2001, that accelerates the development of cutting-edge solutions for the worldwide LHC community and wider scientific research. Through CERN openlab, CERN collaborates with leading ICT companies and research institutes.

In 2015, a new three-year CERN openlab phase was launched. This tackles ambitious challenges covering the most critical needs of IT infrastructures in domains such as:
• Data Acquisition
• Computing Platforms
• Data Storage Architectures
• Compute Provisioning and Management
• Networks and Communication
• Data Analytics

By joining the CERN openlab Summer Student Programme, you will work with some of the latest hardware and software technologies and see how advanced IT solutions are used in high energy physics. You will have the opportunity to attend a series of lectures developed for the CERN openlab Summer Students, given by IT experts on advanced CERN-related topics. Included in the programme are also visits at the CERN facilities and experiments as well as other research laboratories and companies.

The CERN openlab Summer Student Programme is much more than just a summer at CERN. It can lead to follow-on projects in your home institute. It may even inspire you to become an entrepreneur in cutting-edge computing technologies!

Who should apply?
Bachelor or master students having completed (by the summer of attending) at least three years of full-time studies at university level in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or Physics, interested in working on advanced IT projects for two full months (nine weeks) during the period June-September 2016 are welcome to apply.

How to apply?
The application must be submitted to www.cern.ch/jobs/join-us/cern-openlab-student-programme (link is external) by 28 February 2016 with the following documents attached to it: the applicant’s CV, recommendation letter(s) by university supervisor(s), a motivation letter with an indication of the preferred area of work, and the university declaration for the current year. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Replies to applicants will be sent out by the end of April 2016.

Stipend
A stipend of 90 CHF per day during contractual dates (generally 61 days) is sponsored by CERN and the CERN openlab industrial members and should cover accommodation and living costs during the nine-week stay. Students are covered by the CERN health and accident insurance scheme, and are offered a travel allowance on a lump sum basis.

Students' projects
Several projects and groups at CERN will host CERN openlab Summer Students. Examples of projects that students undertook in the past years include:
• Porting a Java-based Brain Simulation Software to C++
• Performance study of detector alignment software
• Evaluating the performance of Seagate Kinetic technology and its integration with EOS
• Upgrading the Huawei Cloud Storage Benchmark to make it compatible with ROOT6
• Archiving OpenStack cloud volumes
• Processing of the WLCG job monitoring data using ElasticSearch

A report on the work carried out is to be handed in at the end of the stay. The CERN openlab Summer Students are also given the opportunity to present their work at dedicated lightning talks’ events.

Turning Heads in 11 Dimensions

Nearly half a year ago, Dr. Ilarion Melnikov came to James Madison and was interviewed by students and faculty alike.  Not long after leaving the University with great first impressions, he was asked to join our team, and was "incredibly thrilled they decided to choose me."

A few months later, Dr. Melnikov became part of our Department, and has since made waves.  In our interview, Dr. Melnikov said that he spent his first weeks here "figuring out exactly where I fit into the scheme of things," much of which dealt with his transition from full-time research to teaching.  Melnikov said a lot of advice came from the the faculty, noting their welcoming and helpful nature.

However, it was our impressive student body who made the greatest impact on him.  While Dr. Melnikov said that he wasn't sure what kind of reaction he would receive from students of a primarily experimental Physics Department, he he was "really amazed at the response of students wanting to do theoretical things." Students were stopping by his office so regularly that Dr. Melnikov decided to start up a series of informal meetings on the subject.  He stressed that these meetings are "open for everyone," and will be pushed primarily by students, with him only guiding discussion.

When asked how he sees the theoretical seminars evolving, Dr. Melnikov said that the only additions that he finds beneficial would be increasing student involvement and introducing planned readings, saying that he'd rather "keep it fluid" and stress-free.  Dr. Melnikov is also very interested in increasing interactions with the Math Department, not only because it is closely related to his field of study, but also because it is "important to keep [a] dynamic nature" for interdepartmental work.

If you want talk with Dr. Melnikov either about his research, joining in his research, or just why String Theory is cool, stop by his office or go to his informal seminars Saturday mornings.

Updates from Infrared Power Generation

Justin Kaczmar, undergraduate student in Physics at JMU, presented a poster entitled “Correlation between the sinusoidal instability in radiation power and the hyperbolic instability in the voltage in infrared power generation” at the International Symposium on Clusters and Nanomaterials held in Richmond (VA), October 26-29 2015.  Justin came back very excited: many people stopped at his poster and asked him many questions!  Great job Justin!  Justin's poster is pictured below.
Dr. Scarel presented a poster on “The nano-power generator fabricated with thin atomic layer deposited films” at the AVS 62^nd International Symposium held in San José (CA), October 18-23 2015.  Dr. Scarel was the Program chair of the Thin Films Division for this year's edition of the Symposium and will is the chair of the Thin Films Division for the 2015-2016 social year.

Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather Visits

Our Department had the distinct pleasure of welcoming the esteemed Dr. John Mather to our University this past Thursday.  Our own Shanil Virani introduced Dr. Mather to us all in an HHS lecture hall packed with people of a variety of majors in attendance.  I've been at rock concerts less dense, but those bands do not compare to this rockstar of astrophysics.

After Mr. Virani recited the the Nobel Laureate's long list of projects and achievements, Dr. Mather began his presentation by talking about the history of observational astronomy, which has always carried two main themes; a theory, no matter how peculiar, can only be disproved by observation, and astronomers always need a better telescope.

Dr. Mather then went on to describe how he grew up with the advances in astro-based radiation detection in the 20th century.  These advances culminated in Dr. Mather's 1989 project to send the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) into space to observe the background radiation (an experiment which initially failed on Earth).  The results of the COBE observations produced both a background map of the night sky (which is still under investigation today) and a graph that fit the theoretical blackbody radiation from the Big Bang with an error of only a few parts per million.  This experiment, which won Dr. Mather and his colleague Dr. Smoot the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006, gave a true backbone to the theory of the Big Bang, and has been heralded as "The most important scientific discovery of the century, if not of all time" by physicists like Dr. Steven Hawking.

Dr. Mather then discussed his new project, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is set to launch into orbit in three years.  Dr. Mather emphasized that the JWST is not designed to replace Hubble, but rather study the infrared sources in our sky, which Hubble is unable to do.  We are very excited to see what sort of data JWST can provide for us, and will be sure to watch it launch into the night sky.  In the meantime, you can watch the JWST being built as it prepares for its voyage.  Thanks again to Dr. Mather for coming to our University!

Standing Out and Gaining an Edge in Pre-Med

When it comes to pairing a major with the Pre-Med track, only a few people choose to pursue Physics, with most people choosing either Biology or Chemistry.  Devin Buennemeyer and Premal Patel, however, go against the grain, and argue as to why more people should do the same.


"Physics gives you critical thinking skills required of a doctor," argued Premal, "both in planning and how to think on your feet...  These are essential in situations like ER."  Devin added on, saying that "[physics] has allowed me to understand my Pre-Med classes better... Now I can understand the processes within the body much better by applying my physics knowledge."  Such topics include fluid dynamics, pressure systems, Brownian motion, and even electromagnetism.

Despite these academic positives (along with a resume that stands out amongst a plethora of applicants), there are a great number of fears and myths that dissuade people from choosing a Physics & Pre-Med route.

When asked why most Pre-Med's shy away from Physics in general, Premal stated that "it's mostly rooted in their physics experiences in high school.  They think of it as a very big barrier in their life... and they don't want to do it again."  Devin agreed, "A lot of people have a bad initial exposure to physics...  They think it's impossible, and that it's ridiculous to be a physics major."  Premal added that too many Pre-Med's are timid of the math behind the physics.  "They're running away for the wrong reasons...  They don't realize that math is a form of logic, and they'll use a lot of math when they're doctors."

In regards to practically completing the route in four years, Devin answered, "Physics & Pre-Med is unique... And there are challenges that come along with being unique, such as less advice on scheduling."  "The Bio-Physics track has the same requirements as a Pre-Med, with a few more [physics] classes on top," said Premal.  "To do pre-med proper, though, there are a few more Bio & Psych classes to prepare for the MCAT."  It should be noted that Devin, in spite of these constraints, is set to complete the Physics & Pre-Med route in the planned four years this coming Spring, and has had enough time to participate in clubs, maintain a high GPA, and score very well on the MCAT.

"I looked into physics, and the reason I chose it was because I failed it," expressed Premal, who went on to explain how the major, despite its hardships could only add to his intelligence and skills.  "There are many factors involved in any problem as a doctor, just as there are in physics."  "Physics majors have the highest IQ score," said Devin, "and to study what the smartest people in the world study is daunting...  Don't let the challenges intimidate you, let them encourage you."

By Students, For Students, and Bringing in More Students

The James Madison Society of Physics Students (SPS) has been providing a social outlet for the physics students here for years, and is truly a central aspect of the physics community.  I asked a range of students how they view the current SPS, and the different services and events they provide for the students.


When asked how inviting the SPS is, all of the students said that the current SPS does a very good job.  The SPS transmits information about the organization and its events very efficiently, and the newly renovated student lounge is very "relaxed and welcoming."  Underclassmen cited that this allows them not only to know the people in their class, but also junior and senior physics majors.


These initiatives, such as the mentoring program, help underclassmen with much of the intimidation they have of upperclassmen, particularly seniors.  Similarly, some expressed the importance of activities to create a sense of community among the freshman class early on in their first semester, since "240 is pretty spread out," meaning many freshman do not know each other.  This might help more students stay in the major.


When asked what other activities or events the SPS should host, it was suggested that the society hosts "topic studies," which involves students studying a topic together in an informal, yet productive, manner.  That said, everyone expressed their great satisfaction in the SPS, and said that the society fulfills everything that is expected of them.  To eveyone who helps make the SPS function, thank you for providing such a great community!

Physics Phun for Everyone

This past Saturday, the Department held an open house for prospective students to learn more about what it means to be a physics major at JMU. Dr.Virani, Director of the John C. Wells Planetarium, talked to the potential students and their parents about academic life, research opportunities, and how physics can benefit on an inter-disciplinary level.  After hearing Dr. Virani, the students then explored the Department and talked to the professors and students upstairs.

While Dr. Virani and the research labs were upstairs entertaining the students already interested in the major, a team of students were downstairs showing off the "phun" of physics to the general public, and getting even more students to consider physics at JMU.  Needless to say, we blinded them with science.





























Here we showed people how great static electricity can easily be produced by the "rubbing off" of charges, even if the source of power is man-driven.  This setup also showed the public how those charges can break any insulation in the air to cause a small lightning strike, as well as how the distance between the two charged points increases the probability of discharge.


Audiences marveled at the long streaks of electricity produced by the Van der Graffe, and at how rapidly electricity could be shot from the charged ball to the grounding stick.

All while the user remains unharmed!

They were even more impressed when they saw the electric discharge go through an uncharged metal sphere to get to the grounding stick, thus completing a circuit.

As with any good physics demonstration, we persuaded people to trust us and touch the Van der Graffe so their hair would stick up.

Many did so, and even more talked with us about the physics of the charge distribution, how the circuit is completed using your own body, and what happens where your hands are taken away.

Thanks to all of the students and faculty who helped make the Physics and Astronomy open house a reality, as well as all of the people who visited us!

We hope to see you experimenting with angular momentum in our halls again!