Summer 2006
It's Good to Be in DC
By Melissa McClure, University of Rochester
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Hi, I’m Melissa McClure, a senior astronomy and math major at the University of Rochester, and this report describes my experiences at the 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). I had the good fortune to be sent by Cornell and Rochester to present a poster about my REU work on modeling Spitzer Class I protostellar spectra at Cornell last summer. What I expected was a very sedate formal gathering. Reality was refreshingly different than my expectations.
Two of my friends from Rochester, Amanda LaPage and Grant Tremblay, also went to the conference, which was convenient because I could split a room with Amanda. They both flew down to Washington, DC, but to give my schedule more flexibility I drove.
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2006 Sigma Pi Sigma Undergraduate Research Awards
Large Cloud Chamber Prototype at UT Arlington
Advisor: Dr. Jaehoon Yu; Prepared and Submitted by: Kennetch Crawford, James Creel, Priya Mydur, Jacob Smith, Shane Spivey, and Sabine Sudduth
Abstract
We are constructing a prototype for a large self sustaining cloud chamber. The prototype will be used to investigate the behaviors of proposed chamber materials at low temperatures, determine the most effective methods of maintaining a steep temperature gradient, and determine the best conditions to sustain chamber activity.
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Morphologies of Polymeric Mebranes formed by Immersion Precipitation
Advisor: Dr. Alexander Wagner; Prepared and Submitted by: Adam Jones
Abstract
The underlying dynamics of phase separation of a polymer-solvent solution by immersion precipitation will be studied. A thin layer of the polymer-solvent mixture is spread onto a substrate, which is then immersed in a non-solvent. The resulting morphology of the polymer is dependent on several parameters, which we intend to vary. The dependence of the structure morphology will be quantified and used to develop a theory to describe the process and create simulations to parallel the experimental results.
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Complete List of the 2006 Undergraduate Research Award Winners
Present Your Research at a Professional Society Meeting
SPS holds sessions for members to present their undergraduate research at many professional society meetings around the United States each year. Both poster and oral sessions are conducted at meetings of the American Physical Society (APS), the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Geophysical Union, just to name a few. Travel grants are available for those who register the earliest.
You can find the meeting announcements, dates and abstract deadlines in the SPS Meetings section of the SPS national website.
Fall 2005
The American Geophysical Union
By Mika McKinnon, SPS Intern
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The American Geophysical Union (AGU) holds its fall meeting in San Francisco, CA, every December. The conference takes place in the Moscone Center and in the basement rooms of the Hyatt Hotel. It is overwhelmingly big. The influence of the conference stretches along the public transit lines.
There aren’t many places someone on the subway reading about faultlines could be heading. When I arrived at the transit stop in Union Square, it was easy to find the conference even from two blocks away. There were legions of people wearing white nametags and carrying poster tubes converging on the conference hall from all directions.
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Three Receive 2005-06 Outstanding Student Awards for Undergraduate Research
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Abstract
SPS has selected three members for the Outstanding Student Award for Undergraduate Research. The trio will represent SPS and the United States as delegates to the 2006 International Conference of Physics Students (ICPS), August 14-21, in Bucharest, Romania.
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Record Number of SPS Members Selected for Summer Internships
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Eleven SPS members were selected for internships in the Washington, DC area during the summer of 2006, the highest number of participants in the annual program to date. SPS internships are broad-based learning opportunities in the areas of scientific research and outreach/policy.
Students are placed in organizations and agencies, such as NIST, NASA, AIP, AAS, AAPT, APS, etc. which utilize the energy and diversity of aspiring students and contribute to their professional development through meaningful assignments, both relevant to the institution’s programs and in the advancement of physics or allied sciences. Participating organizations also assign one or more mentors to guide the interns’ work and overall experience.
- 2006 SPS Intern Bios & Journals
- 2006 SPS Intern Photo Gallery
- About SPS Internships
- SPS Programs Homepage