Department Highlights

 

Society of Physics Students (Professor Ken Menningen- Advisor)

  • Hosted speakers:  Tim Guay  Professor of Physics at the University of Nebraska
  • Engaged the American Chemical Society students in a demonstration competition that attracted hundreds of spectators from campus and the community.
  • Sponsored the traditional model rocket launches for grade-school age children throughout central Wisconsin.
  • Presented Physics demonstrations for UWSP Open House in April.

Sigma Pi Sigma (Professor Chris Verzani – Advisor) Sigma Pi Sigma is a physics honors society.  The students inducted have taken at least 22 hours of physics credit, and have a GPA of at least 3.0 overall, and in the major.

 

·         Inducted  7 new members

Jacob Berg

Joseph Hottenstein

Karl Larsen

Amanda Nevins

Justin Perket

Michelle Stephens

Liza Wernicke

 

Applied Physics Students Participating in Internships

  • Adam Patterman successfully completed an internship in London.
  • Ben Roth successfully completed an internship at Siemens Water Technologies
  • Karl Larsen Successfully completed an internship at Siemens Water Technologies
  • David Fabian successfully completed an internship in London.

Academy of Letters and Science Awards

  • Steve Lynam - graduating senior.
  • Liza Piltz - continuing student.
  • Michelle Stephens – continuing student in Math

Student Research

 

·         Karl Larsen & Justin Perket presented poster at the 213th Electrochemical Society Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, on May 20, 2008 and at the Board of Regents meeting on Oct. 2. Surface Modification of GaInP2 [pronounced "gallium indium phosphide"]

·         Joseph Hottenstein, Kyle Taylor, Steve Lynam, Chris Verzani, and Hai Nguyen presented a poster “Short Laser Pulses Interact with Cold Rubidium Atoms” at the Board of Regents Symposium & at L&S Symposium held on Apr. 24, 2009 held on Apr. 24, 2009.

·         Michelle Stephens presented a paper, “Testing Nature’s Limits: Black Holes and the Large Hadron Collider” at the UWSP L&S Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Apr. 24, 2009.

  • Luke Wilson gave a poster presentation “The Effect of Ag Substitution in the Mixed Conductor Cu7PSe6” under the mentorship of Bob Beeken at the L&S Symposium held on Apr. 24, 2009
  • Karen Chamberlin presented a paper, “Particle-Induced X-ray Emission Spectroscopy,” at the UWSP L&S Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Apr. 24, 2009

Physics Education

 

·         David Tamres presented a paper, "Two-and-a-Half Computational Projects in Introductory Astronomy", at the Wisconsin Association of Physics Teachers meeting in Chippewa Falls, WI

·         Chris Verzani participated in the Centergy Strategic Planning Session Sept 15th, 2008.

·         Chris Verzani participated in the UW System Women & Science Program opening workshop for new STEM Faculty Sept 25th, 2008.

·         Ken Mennigen completed the fourth edition of the instructor’s solution manual to the Physics textbook by James S. Walker

·         Brad Hinaus presented a paper, “Modeling the Compact Disc Player” at Wisconsin Association of Physics Teachers meeting in Chippewa Falls, WI.

·         Chris Verzani, Hai Nguyen and Katie Jore served as judges for the Wisconsin Science Olympiad.

 

 

Solid State and Condensed Matter Physics

 

·         Publication by Professors Robert Beeken and Brad Hinaus and two students, Chelsey Driessen and Dean Pawiisch:  Electrical Conductivity of Ag7PSe6 and Cu7PSe6; Solid State Ionics 179, (2008) 1058-1060.

Astronomy

  • Liza Piltz and Yia Xiong accompanied Professor Katie Jore to the Arecibo Radio Telescope during the January interim.  They attended a workshop as part of a long-term UWSP collaboration with Cornell University allowing our faculty and students to use this world-class research facility located in tropical Puerto Rico.
  • Paulette Epstein accompanied Professor Katie Jore to Kitt Peak National Observatory for research into light curves of asteroids.

Laser Physics

  • Professor Hai Nguyen gave an invited talk on his atom trapping research in Israel this past winter.
  • Kyla Dean, Michael Ryskiewicz, and Chris Zemke worked with Professor Ken Menningen on a two-stage water splitting cell.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

  • Michelle Stephens has been accepted to an REU program at the California Institute of Technology
  • Justin Perket has been accepted to an REU at the University of Wyoming.

 

Semester Abroad

 

·         Professor Brad Hinaus served as faculty advisor to the Semester Abroad group in London during the spring semester.

 

 

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