Radiations

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Carleton College

 

November 9-15, 2003

Weekly Calendar

 

November 13, Physics Table

Thursday, 12:00-1:00 p.m., LDC 113 (Fireplace Room)

All physics students are invited to join the Department faculty and staff for lunch and interesting conversation.  We can meet on 3rd Olin at 11:55 for the short walk to the dinning hall or you can join us there.

 

November 14, Colloquium

         Friday, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Olin 02

Our colloquium series this fall will be primarily students reporting on their summer research experiences.  Come to hear about the interesting work.  Come to hear about opportunities for summer research in your future.  Come for the refreshments!

 

Jill Bingham:  ÒLamb Wave TomographyÓ

Lamb waves are ultrasonic guided waves that propagate relatively long distances in thin plates.  They may be better than traditional ultrasonic techniques for nondestructive testing of airframe skins, storage tanks, and pipes.  By recording the arrival times of the first arriving Lamb wave mode for many different projections (transducer transmit and receive positions), an image of the material is tomographically reconstructed using the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT).  The task now is to refine the method and the algorithms to speed up the process and improve the images.

 

Ted Holby:  ÒA Two Dimensional Continuum Model of Globular Proteins and NucleationÓ

Some membrane proteins are confined to quasi-two-dimensional space.  For this reason, a two dimensional version of a mean field theory of crystal nucleation put forth by Talanquer and Oxtaby (J. Chem. Phys. 109, 223 (1998) ) is studied and compared to its three dimensional counterpart.  By solving the Euler-Lagrange equations of the grand canonical free energy functional for the density and phase field numerically, the radial profile of a critical nucleating droplet is obtained.  It is found that like the three dimensional model, the number of particles in a critical droplet diverges as the temperature approaches the metastable critical point, due to the divergence of the correlation length.

 

David Steussy:  ÒLIGO: Data AnalysisÓ

LIGO is a project designed to detect gravity waves from very large astrophysical events.  The nature of these waves means that the experimental problem of detecting them is quite challenging, and highly influenced by noise.  My work for this past summer was spent analyzing data in order to attempt to characterize the detector system and make a 'veto', by which signals that look like events could be automatically ruled out as having been caused by other environmental factors.

 

FYI

Help my brother while I'm in California!!

If you'll be in Northfield over winter break, why not tutor a couple of AP physics students from Northfield High once a week for some experience and some cash.  If you're confident in your 113 skills and have some knowledge of atomic and nuclear you're qualified!

You can check out the class on the web.  (My brother's the one with red hair half hidden in the back row.)

http://www2.nfld.k12.mn.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=3764

email kwedding or call 645-6459 and talk to Ken or Nancy.

 

2004 REU and Internship Information

List of REU and internship opportunities are also on the Carleton Physics Web page at http://webapps.acs.carleton.edu/curricular/physics/for_students/summer_jobs_internships/

 

University of California, Los Angeles REU in Physics and Astronomy scheduled for summer 2004. This program is described on our website at http://www.physics.ucla.edu/reu .  Our research program is aimed at highly motivated students in the physical sciences all across the country, who wish to engage in an intensive 10-week research project with a UCLA faculty member working in Physics or Astronomy, and who are in their third or fourth year in college but have not yet graduated by the summer 2004. The deadline for application is Feb 21, 2004.

 

Fermilab Internships for Physics Majors (IPM) Program Objective To introduce students majoring in physics to the current methods and problems of high energy physics research. A small number of students from closely related disciplines such as computer science or engineering are also accepted into the program. For more information: http://ipm.fnal.gov/ Applications will be accepted beginning Dec 1, 2003.

 

Kitt Peak National Observatory REU. Six research assistant positions for summer 2004. Contact: REU Program, Kitt Peak National Observatory, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson AZ 85732-6732. Web: http://www.noao.edu/kpno/reu. Deadline: January 26, 2004.

 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory High-Energy-Density Physics Program Student Internship. More information can be found at: http://education.llnl.gov/hed_physics/. Deadline: Feb 28, 2004.

 

Maryland Sea Grant College Undergraduate Fellowships in Estuarine Science. Open to undergraduates who have completed at least two years of college. Web Site: http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Education/REUDeadline: Feb 17, 2004.

 

Mayo Clinic's "Summer Undergraduate Research Program." Applications for the SURF program at Mayo close on Fedruary 1, 2004. Information on the SURF program (including on-line application forms) is at http://www.mayo.edu/mgs/surf.htm

 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory Gaithersburg, MD. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in materials science and engineering research. Deadline: Feb 15, 2004. http://www.surf.nist.gov/surf2.htm

 

Space Studies Board Internships The internship provides promising undergraduates an opportunity to work in the area of civil space-research policy in the Nation's capital, under the aegis of the National Academy of Sciences and affiliated organizations. The successful candidate will have completed his/her junior year, majoring in physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, or geology, and should have long-term career goals in research, applications, or policy in one of these areas. Interns work closely with the Board's staff and committee members on a broad range of issues covering all aspects of scientific research conducted in space and associated ground-based activities. Applications are due by February 15, 2004. http://www.nationalacademies.org/ssb/intern.htm

 

Wolfram Research, Inc., 2004 Summer Internship Program. Looking for students who are familiar with Mathematica, programming, systems administration, marketing, public relations, business development, sales, and many other areas. Employment application available at http://www.wolfram.com/opportunities/intern.html. Deadline: April 16, 2004

 

The deadline for materials to be included in Radiations is noon Thursday prior to the week you would like the information to appear.