![[Panorama of UT]](Agenda_files/studentcenter.jpg)
2011 Fall
Joint Meeting
Texas Section of APS and AAPT and Zone 13 SPS
October 06-08, 2011
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Texas A&M University-Commerce
All things White Dwarf: The State of Stellar Forensics at the University of Texas and Sandia National Laboratories - Saturday, October 8, 2011 - 11:20am - 12:10
Dr. Donal Winget, Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor in Astronomy, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Texas at Austin
See
Dr. Winget webpage here
Texas Section of APS and AAPT and Zone 13 SPS
October 06-08, 2011
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Seminars
by distinguished speakers:
(scroll
down)
Our Sustainable Earth -
Friday, October 7, 2011 - 11:30am - 12:30 pm
(Keynote speaker)
Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Former U.S. Under Secretary for Science
Check the Energy
Institute Webpage
Great Time to Do Physics - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 8:20am - 9:10am
Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, Director, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Former U.S. Under Secretary for Science
Check the Energy
Institute Webpage Recent evidence demonstrates that the earth
has been warming monotonically since 1980.
Transient to equilibrium temperatures takes
centuries to develop, as oceans are slow to
respond to atmospheric temperature changes.
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations, from ice core and
observatory measurements, display consistent
increases from historical averages, beginning
about 1880, and can be associated with the
industrial revolution. The climactic
consequences of this human dominated increase in
atmospheric CO2 define a geologic epoch that has
been termed the “Anthropocene.” The issue is
whether this is a short term, relatively minor
change in global climate, or an extreme deviation
that lasts for thousands of years. Eight
“myths” that posit the former are examined in
light of known data. The analysis strongly
suggests the latter. In order to stabilize
global temperatures, sharp reductions in CO2
emissions are required, of the order of 80%.
Two examples of economically sustainable CO2
emission reduction demonstrate that technological
innovation has the potential to maintain our
standard of living while stabilizing global
temperatures.
Great Time to Do Physics - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 8:20am - 9:10am
Dr. Gary
White, Director, Society of Physics Students
and Sigma Pi Sigma
Associate Director of Education, American Institute of Physics, gwhite@aip.org
Associate Director of Education, American Institute of Physics, gwhite@aip.org
A link to his
work: Has there ever been a more
exciting time to do physics? Whether you're interested in the
big philosophical questions of matter and energy or just the next cool
wireless gadget, in saving the world from nuclear annihilation or
saving a single life with positron emission tomography,
physics is a great place to begin the journey. In this
talk, I'll expound a bit on career trajectories of
hidden physicists, and touch on tales from a
variety of physics research topics, from spintronics
to
spallation to spandex. Yes, it is an unlikely trio,
but within each are opportunities for "a meaningful
undergraduate research experience”, the kind advocated
by the SPS Council for all undergraduate
physics majors*. Along the way, I'll mention some
pointers for physics undergraduates about
preparing for their future, whether it includes
summer
research internships, industry aspirations, or
graduate school.
*“We advocate that every student majoring in physics and/or astronomy engage in a meaningful undergraduate research experience.” For more detail, see http://www.spsnational.org/governance/statement /2008undergraduate_research.htm along with some background and history about this statement.
The APS Minority Bridge Program - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 9:10am - 9:35am
Dr. Theodore Hodapp, Director of Education and Diversity for the American Physical Society (APS)
Learn about Dr. Hodapp work here.
Physics has one of the lowest participation rates for underrepresented minorities and women of all Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Things are improving for women and while still not representative of the population, the trends have been encouraging. Underrepresented minorities, however, have not been as fortunate. I will describe the current status of participation in physics, and a new program being launched by the American Physical Society that aims to significantly increase the number of minorities who receive PhDs in physics. The Minority Bridge Program is bringing together representatives from doctoral granting institutions and universities that educate minority students to establish a set of model programs based on the successes of existing efforts and capitalizing on the strengths of the American Physical Society. Our goal is to improve graduate education for all students by improving the opportunities for minority students.
Building sustainable systems that support success of underrepresented students - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 9:35am - 10:00 am
Dr. Eric Brewe, Florida International University; Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning & Physics Department
A link to Dr. Brewe webpage.
The number of physics majors at Florida International University has grown from 37 declared majors in 2003 to 143 in 2011. This growth provides us with an opportunity to investigate the components of FIU's educational system which have contributed to this growth and the overall success of our students at FIU. Understanding student success at FIU is important because FIU is a research intensive Hispanic Serving Institution which has a majority of students who have been historically underrepresented in physics including, minority students and women. Our primary efforts have focused on developing supportive learning environments through the implementation of Modeling Instruction in several sections of introductory physics and providing dedicated space for student collaboration outside of class. We provide data indicating that the Modeling courses support enhanced learning, attitudes, and retention and that the space is being utilized by students to integrate into the physics department.
Single Molecule Manipulation - Friday October 7, 2011 - 2:35pm - 3:25 pm
Dr. Ching-Hwa Kiang, Associate Professor, Rice University - Houston
Dr. Kiang's Research
Group is presented here.
Single-molecule manipulation studies open a door for a close-up investigation of complex biological interactions at the molecular level. In these studies, single biomolecules are pulled while their force response is being monitored. The process is often nonequilibrium, and interpretation of the results has been challenging. We used the atomic force microscope to pull proteins and DNA, and determined the equilibrium properties of the molecules using the recently derived nonequilibrium work theorem. I will present applications of the technique in areas ranging from fundamental biological problems such as DNA mechanics, to complex medical processes such as the mechanical activation of von Willebrand Factor, a key protein in blood coagulation.
Banquet Talk
The Scientific Method - Critical and Creative Thinking - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Dr. John Cotton and Dr. Randall Scarlise, Department of Physics, Southern Methodist Universty, Dallas
The “scientific method” is not just for scientists! Combined with critical thinking, the scientific method can enable students to distinguish credible sources of information from nonsense and become intelligent consumers of information. Professors John Cotton and Randall Scalise illustrate these principles using a series of examples and demonstrations that is enlightening, educational, and entertaining. This lecture/demonstration features highlights from their course (whose unofficial title is “debunking pseudoscience” ) which enables students to detect pseudoscience in its many guises: paranormal phenomena, free-energy devices, alternative medicine, and many others.
Crisis in Texas Higher Education: The Need for Leadership - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 9:35am - 10:00 am
Dr. Richard Tapia, Director, Center for Excellence and Equity in Education, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics (CAAM), Rice University
Dr. Tapia will receive the National Medal of Science from President Obama, the highest scientific award in the US. Rice University press release.
A link to Dr. Tapia webpage.
Texas has the fastest growing Hispanic population in the nation. Hispanics will soon comprise a majority of the state’s population. Yet this population has a high school drop-out rate of nearly 60% and is vastly underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines in the student bodies and faculties of the state’s universities. The scientific and economic health of the state is threatened with the formation of such a large scientific underclass. But Rice is making a difference, positioning its underrepresented minority students for STEM leadership throughout the state and nation. The speaker will discuss several successful national award-winning undergraduate and graduate programs that he directs at Rice University that are being heralded as models for the state, region, and nation.
The World-Wide Effort to Understand the Visible Matter in Our Universe - Saturday, October 8, 2011 - 8:30am - 9:20am
Dr. Robert E. Tribble, Distinguished Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A&M University - Cyclotron Laboratory Director
A link to his
university directory: click
here
A general goal in nuclear physics is to explain the origin, evolution, and structure of the visible matter in the universe. Today, nuclear physicists are working at a wide range of facilities around the world to provide information to help guide us to an understanding of this issue. I will provide a general overview of the field, which will focus on the important questions that are being addressed, the facilities that are being used to answer them, and a roadmap of the new construction projects that will define the field in the next decade.
*“We advocate that every student majoring in physics and/or astronomy engage in a meaningful undergraduate research experience.” For more detail, see http://www.spsnational.org/governance/statement /2008undergraduate_research.htm along with some background and history about this statement.
The APS Minority Bridge Program - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 9:10am - 9:35am
Dr. Theodore Hodapp, Director of Education and Diversity for the American Physical Society (APS)
Learn about Dr. Hodapp work here.Physics has one of the lowest participation rates for underrepresented minorities and women of all Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Things are improving for women and while still not representative of the population, the trends have been encouraging. Underrepresented minorities, however, have not been as fortunate. I will describe the current status of participation in physics, and a new program being launched by the American Physical Society that aims to significantly increase the number of minorities who receive PhDs in physics. The Minority Bridge Program is bringing together representatives from doctoral granting institutions and universities that educate minority students to establish a set of model programs based on the successes of existing efforts and capitalizing on the strengths of the American Physical Society. Our goal is to improve graduate education for all students by improving the opportunities for minority students.
Building sustainable systems that support success of underrepresented students - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 9:35am - 10:00 am
Dr. Eric Brewe, Florida International University; Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning & Physics Department
A link to Dr. Brewe webpage.The number of physics majors at Florida International University has grown from 37 declared majors in 2003 to 143 in 2011. This growth provides us with an opportunity to investigate the components of FIU's educational system which have contributed to this growth and the overall success of our students at FIU. Understanding student success at FIU is important because FIU is a research intensive Hispanic Serving Institution which has a majority of students who have been historically underrepresented in physics including, minority students and women. Our primary efforts have focused on developing supportive learning environments through the implementation of Modeling Instruction in several sections of introductory physics and providing dedicated space for student collaboration outside of class. We provide data indicating that the Modeling courses support enhanced learning, attitudes, and retention and that the space is being utilized by students to integrate into the physics department.
Why is the expansion of
the universe accelerating? - Friday October 7, 2011
- 5:15pm - 6:05 pm
Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, Associate Professor, Head of the Cosmology Group, University of Texas at Dallas
A link to his
Cosmology group at UT Dallas.
For more than a decade, a number of cosmological observations have been indicating that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. Cosmic acceleration and the questions associated with it have become one of the most challenging and puzzling problems in cosmology and physics. Cosmic acceleration can be caused by (i) a repulsive dark energy pervading the universe, (ii) an extension to General Relativity that takes effect at cosmological scales of distance, or (iii) the acceleration may be an apparent effect due to the fact that the expansion rate of space-time is uneven from one region to another in the universe. I will review the basics of these possibilities and provide some recent results on these questions.
Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, Associate Professor, Head of the Cosmology Group, University of Texas at Dallas
A link to his
Cosmology group at UT Dallas.For more than a decade, a number of cosmological observations have been indicating that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. Cosmic acceleration and the questions associated with it have become one of the most challenging and puzzling problems in cosmology and physics. Cosmic acceleration can be caused by (i) a repulsive dark energy pervading the universe, (ii) an extension to General Relativity that takes effect at cosmological scales of distance, or (iii) the acceleration may be an apparent effect due to the fact that the expansion rate of space-time is uneven from one region to another in the universe. I will review the basics of these possibilities and provide some recent results on these questions.
Single Molecule Manipulation - Friday October 7, 2011 - 2:35pm - 3:25 pm
Dr. Ching-Hwa Kiang, Associate Professor, Rice University - Houston
Dr. Kiang's Research
Group is presented here.Single-molecule manipulation studies open a door for a close-up investigation of complex biological interactions at the molecular level. In these studies, single biomolecules are pulled while their force response is being monitored. The process is often nonequilibrium, and interpretation of the results has been challenging. We used the atomic force microscope to pull proteins and DNA, and determined the equilibrium properties of the molecules using the recently derived nonequilibrium work theorem. I will present applications of the technique in areas ranging from fundamental biological problems such as DNA mechanics, to complex medical processes such as the mechanical activation of von Willebrand Factor, a key protein in blood coagulation.
Banquet Talk
The Scientific Method - Critical and Creative Thinking - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Dr. John Cotton and Dr. Randall Scarlise, Department of Physics, Southern Methodist Universty, Dallas
The “scientific method” is not just for scientists! Combined with critical thinking, the scientific method can enable students to distinguish credible sources of information from nonsense and become intelligent consumers of information. Professors John Cotton and Randall Scalise illustrate these principles using a series of examples and demonstrations that is enlightening, educational, and entertaining. This lecture/demonstration features highlights from their course (whose unofficial title is “debunking pseudoscience” ) which enables students to detect pseudoscience in its many guises: paranormal phenomena, free-energy devices, alternative medicine, and many others.
Crisis in Texas Higher Education: The Need for Leadership - Friday, October 7, 2011 - 9:35am - 10:00 am
Dr. Richard Tapia, Director, Center for Excellence and Equity in Education, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics (CAAM), Rice University
Dr. Tapia will receive the National Medal of Science from President Obama, the highest scientific award in the US. Rice University press release.
A link to Dr. Tapia webpage.Texas has the fastest growing Hispanic population in the nation. Hispanics will soon comprise a majority of the state’s population. Yet this population has a high school drop-out rate of nearly 60% and is vastly underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines in the student bodies and faculties of the state’s universities. The scientific and economic health of the state is threatened with the formation of such a large scientific underclass. But Rice is making a difference, positioning its underrepresented minority students for STEM leadership throughout the state and nation. The speaker will discuss several successful national award-winning undergraduate and graduate programs that he directs at Rice University that are being heralded as models for the state, region, and nation.
The World-Wide Effort to Understand the Visible Matter in Our Universe - Saturday, October 8, 2011 - 8:30am - 9:20am
Dr. Robert E. Tribble, Distinguished Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A&M University - Cyclotron Laboratory Director
A link to his
university directory: click
here A general goal in nuclear physics is to explain the origin, evolution, and structure of the visible matter in the universe. Today, nuclear physicists are working at a wide range of facilities around the world to provide information to help guide us to an understanding of this issue. I will provide a general overview of the field, which will focus on the important questions that are being addressed, the facilities that are being used to answer them, and a roadmap of the new construction projects that will define the field in the next decade.
All things White Dwarf: The State of Stellar Forensics at the University of Texas and Sandia National Laboratories - Saturday, October 8, 2011 - 11:20am - 12:10
Dr. Donal Winget, Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor in Astronomy, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Texas at Austin
See
Dr. Winget webpage hereAstronomy has always been considered an
observational science, in contrast with other
experimental sciences like physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. This is because
it has not been possible to perform experiments
on the objects
we observe. This situation has changed in a way that
is transformational.
We are now able to make macroscopic bits of star
stuff in
the lab: plasmas created underconditions that are the
same as the plasmas in stars. Although laboratory
astrophysics has long been an important part of
astronomical research, what has changed is the
ability to produce large enough chunks of a star that we
can make measurements and perform experiments.
In this way, astronomy joins her sister sciences in becoming an
experimental science as well as an observational
one. I will
describe how this came about, the technology behind
it, and the results of recent laboratory experiments.
Most importantly, we will discuss how this will
change our understanding of the universe and its
contents.
This work will shed new light on our recent
discoveries involving McDonald Observatory: planets
around white dwarf stars, massive carbon/oxygen
variable white dwarf stars, and white
dwarf-white dwarf binaries -- including one detached
double eclipsing system with an orbital period of 12
minutes, We should measure the rate of change
of the
orbital period in this system within a year and we
expect it to be the highest S/N source of gravitational
radiation, easily detectable with LISA or similar
approaches.