Weekly Calendar

October 27, 2003, Sigma Xi Panel Discussion on Careers

Monday, 3:30 p.m., Olin 141

A panel of speakers will discuss what they have done with their science degrees. Some have gone on to traditional science jobs, some have taken other paths, and all are here to discuss what they did to get where they are today.

Camilla Lieske, DVM/MPVM, Vet Toxicology Resident

Susan Roosenraad, MS, Math Teacher, Northfield High School

Steve Openshaw, PhD, Principal Scientist, Syngenta

Karissa Baker (Geo '96), MAT, Upper School Science Teacher

Brian N. Klawiter (Geo '98), Archeologist, Superior National Forest

Dave Watts (Chem '89), MS, PhD, President and CEO ACuTE, Inc.

October 27, 2003, Majors Fair

Monday, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Great Hall

The Dean of Students Office and the Dean of the College Office are

hosting a Major's Fair. SDA’s will be on hand from all departments along with Career Center Staff and associate deans.

October 30, 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.

October 31, 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!

Seth Cooper – “CodeWeavers, CrossOver Office, and the Wine project”

CodeWeavers, Inc. makes a fascinating product called CrossOver Office, which runs popular Windows programs including Microsoft Office under the Linux operating system. Powering this product is the open source Wine project. I worked for CodeWeavers for the past two summers, and had a chance to do some development for their newest product, CrossOver Office Server Edition.

Kelen Tuttle – “Understanding Ionization in the Interstellar Medium: Observations of H-alpha, H-beta, [SII] and [NII] near Spica.”

Of all that is known about the interstellar medium, perhaps one of the most intriguing questions is how the warm interstellar medium (WIM) becomes ionized. While the energy released by the very hottest (O-type) stars can account for a portion of this ionization, it cannot possibly be responsible for all of the ionization we observe. In this talk I will discuss whether the next hottest (B-type) stars could also contribute to the immense ionization of the WIM, focusing on a single B-type star, Spica, in the constellation of Virgo.

Adam Libson – “Data Analysis and the Search for Gravitational Waves”

Gravitational radiation, predicted by Einstein's theory of gravity, has never been directly observed though there is strong evidence of its existence. In the hopes of seeing gravity waves, detectors have been constructed around the world. We must also be able to attach physical meaning to the output of the detector. I discuss the use, and benefits of Markov Chain Monte Carlo as a method of data analysis in the search for binary inspiral signals.

FYI

Seniors: Arjendu wants to let you know that he will not be available from Nov 21 -- Dec 23, so if anyone needs letters of recommendation with deadlines during that time, now would be a good time to let him know.

WGBH Science Unit, Boston. On PBS, Tuesday evenings, 28 October (parts 1 and 2) and 4 November (part 3). http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/

In a three-hour miniseries full of dazzling graphics, the PBS series NOVA and Brian Greene present the claims and strangeness of string theory.

Physics Students: The American Physical Society is offing free membership for the first year for students in physics. Student benefits include: Annual subscription to Physics Today and APS News, free online APS Journal, Career Information and Updates. Additionally, as a member, you will enjoy the right to submit and present papers at APS meeting. For more information and an application visit:

http://www.aps.org/memb/students.html

Joel Weisberg, and recent Carleton grads Anton de la Fuente, Katie Devine, and Abby Hedden recently published an article in the Astrophysical Journal, entitled "Detection of OH Absorption Against PSR B1849+00," with colleagues at Berkeley, Caltech, and the University of Minnesota.

National Security Education Program (NSEP) Scholarships

The intent of the program is to provide financial support to US undergraduates who, through study abroad, will acquire skills and experience in less commonly-studied languages and cultures.

The campus deadline for completed applications is Tuesday, January 13, 2004. Students must begin working on the lengthy and detailed application during winter break in order to complete it by the deadline. All applicants will be interviewed on campus in January. Applications are due in Washington, D.C. by February 12, and finalists will be notified of awards in May 2004.

Funding for summer programs, particularly in the applied sciences and engineering (which includes computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental sciences) has been expanded from first and second year students to include juniors and seniors.If you have any questions or comments, please call Margit Johnson at x4031 or e-mail mjohnson@acs.carleton.edu, or check the NSEP web site at http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?&Template=/programs/nsep/default.htm. Application in PDF Format: http://www.iie.org/programs/nsep/forms/brochure.pdf.

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/

Arecibo Observatory (Puerto Rico), Summer Student Program. National Astronomy & Ionosphere Center, Cornell University, 504 Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, New York 14853-6801. email: jtm14@cornell.edu. Open to undergraduates. Deadline: February 5, 2004. http://www.naic.edu/about/summer/summer.htm

National Radio Astronomy Observatory Summer Program. Undergraduate students who are US citizens or permanent residents and are enrolled in a degree program are eligible to apply for the 10 to 12 week program. Deadline: January 26, 2004. http://www.nrao.edu/education/students/summer-students.shtml

The Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) REU program.-- SARA expects to host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program sponsored by the National Science Foundation in the summer of 2004. SARA is a consortium of five universities: The Florida Institute of Technology, East Tennessee State University, Florida International University, The University of Georgia, and Valdosta State University. The program is 8 to 10 weeks in duration, and includes an observing run at the SARA 0.9-m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The program is open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Applications for the 2002 program are due on or before February 1, 2004. http://www.astro.fit.edu/sara-reu/

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