Physics Department

"A Cosmic Adventure" FIU Physics in the Miami Herald

Front to back left to right. High-School students Alyssa Indart, Dennis Prieto, Zhirong Gong, FIU CHEPREO Coordinator David Jone, HS teacher JC Catalan and Professor Jorge L. Rodriguez pose in front of the Cosmic Ray interactive Lab (CRiL) detector.

An article in today's (August, 3 2009) Local & State section of the Miami Herald reports on an outreach project at FIU where local high-school students construct an exhibition quality Cosmic Ray Detector. The FIU project is part of the Quarknet program, a national program based at Fermi Lab, designed to engage high-school students and teachers in cutting edge research and techniques in high-energy and nuclear physics. The four high-school students, only three of them in the photo, spent six weeks at FIU learning about cosmic-rays, particle physics, doing experiments with Quarknet detectors and constructing the CRiL (Cosmic Ray interactive Lab) detector right here in VH. The CRiL detector, show in the photo, was designed by Quarknet collaborators at Notre Dame and is loosely based on the desgin used in the Hadronic CALorimeter (HCAL), one of the five main sub-dectors that make up the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The HCAL is used to measure energy deposited by particles produced from the collision of 14 TeV proton-proton collisions. FIU's High Energy Physics group works on the HCAL sub-detector group for the CMS experiment.

added 8/3/09

FIU Physics Major's Impressive Finish in Prestegious Putnam Math Competition

Our own Rafael Badui, a dual Major in Math and Physics at FIU, lands and impressive finish with his team at the William Lowell Putnam intercollegiate mathematics competition. The competition, which took place in December of 2008, consisted of two three-hour session of grueling mathematics questions that challenge the very best math whizzes in the country. The competition is held each year on the first Saturday in December. Last year FIU's Math Team placed 114th out of a total of 405 undergraduate teams selected from amongst the best colleges and universities in the US and Canada. Congratulations to Rafael and his team for an impressive finish!

added 7/8/09

2009 Graduation Dinner

Students and faculty gather for a picture at the Marc Pavilion

On April 17, we honored our graduating majors with a dinner at the Marc pavilion. The dinner was followed with remarks from various faculty members reminiscing on achievements of our graduating seniors. As before Prof. Laird Kramer entertained everyone with mild roasts of the students. A video recording of the after dinner remarks and roast is is available at this link. Many thanks to Prof. Rajamin Narajanan for once again planning the much enjoyed celebrations.

added 5/6/09

Blazing Through the Universe

Dr. Webb and his student Gopal Bhatta conceived of using the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope to continuously monitor a particularly interesting Blazar for more than 24 hours. The goal of the research is to investigate the nature of the brightness fluctuations (microvariability) and infer the properties of the underlying relativistic jets that eminate from the massive black hole central engine. (more)

added 3/10/09

Do you have what it takes?

Take the challenge with seventeen questions for future leaders, courtesy of Nature.

added 3/1/09

2009 Year of Science
March: Celebrate Physics

added 2/28/09

Congratulations

to Professor Laird Kramer who has been elected to a 3-year term as APS Member-at-Large of the APS Forum on Education.

added 2/13/09

FIU Chapter of SPS Does it Again

The FIU chapter of the SPS has once again been recognized as an outstanding chapter for the 2007-2008 year by the National Society of Physics Students. A letter from Dr. Gary White congratulating us on our achivement was delivered to Dr. Web last Thursday. In the letter Dr. White congratulates us on the scope of our activities, in physics research, public outreach and our tutoring program. The letter also refers to the wealth of inspiring testimonials sent in in support of our chapter.

added 2/09/09

Anual Graduate Student Research Competition

The third Graduate Student Research Competition concluded last week with Vashti Sawtelle taking top honors for her work in physics education research. Her presentation entitled: "Retaining Women in Physics: Theory of Self-efficacy" won first prize. The second prize was awarded to Armando Acha for his presentation "Electroproduction of Hyperons at Low Monentum Transfer". Congradulations to the winners and we look forward to continued good works. More information on the Graduate Research Competition can be found here.

added 2/08/09

Book Chapter by FIU Physicists on Self-Organization in Proteins

Living systems are the epitome of self-organized complexity. Professors Bernard Gerstman and Prem Chapagain were invited to write the opening chapter in a volume (number 84) entitled “Molecular Biology of Protein Folding” in the prestigious series “Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science” published by Elsevier. The chapter is entitled “Self-Organizing Dynamics in Protein Folding”.

added 1/15/09

FIU Physicists in Japan

Members of the FIU physics department pose for a picture in traditional Japanese lounging garb at a recent meeting in Sendai, Japan. Professors Pete Markowitz and Joerg Reinhold were invited to speak at the International Symposium on Strangeness in Nuclear and Hadronic Systems (Sendai08). At the conference Pete and Joerg met up with one of our recently graduated students Brian Beckford. He is now pursuing his Ph.D in nuclear physics at a university in Japan.

From left, Pete Markowitz, Brian Beckford and Joerg Reinhold in Sendai, Japan.

added 1/06/08

FIU Leading in Education of Hispanic Physicists

The AIP Statistical Research Center has posted a list of universities that are the largest producers of physics degrees earned by Hispanic Americans over the last decade. Our university is one of the leaders in this area. See the list at this link.
This list is part of the SRC’s new section devoted to data on minorities in physics and the gesociences. You can find more data here.

added 11/20/08

Physics Open House again a success

Saturday, October 25, we had 36 high school students and 6 high school teachers visit us to share a day of physics. The event was supported by CHEPREO, our SPS group, and the physics department. Society of Physics Students presented a scaled down version of the Quantum Leap Day and had the featured "walk on water"...or walk on non-newtonian fluid. This was a big hit with the high school students!

Our CHEPREO outreach coordinator David Jones walks on "water".

added 10/29/08

"Doctor, may the force be with you."

FIU physics faculty Dr. Pete Markowitz heard these words after his recent interview on the South Florida Today show at NBC6. He was invited to tell the South Florida comunity about the recent startup of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Presidential candidates answer ScienceDebate 2008's 14 science & technology questions

After all campaigns declined an invitation to participate in a moderated presidential campaign on science and technology issues, the organizers of Science Debate 2008 submitted a set of 14 questions to the candidates.
Both campaigns meanwhile submitted their answers, which you can find here.

FIU's Particle Physics Group featured in the South Florida Business Journal

An article posted today in the South Florida Business Journal recognizes FIU's contribution to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that saw its first beam today.
(Read the article here.)

added 9/10/08

Also see the FIU announcement.

LHC First Beam on 10 September 2008

FIU's High Energy Physics Group is looking forward to the first beam at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Switzerland. As members of the CMS collaboration, Drs. Markowitz, Rodriguez, Kramer, Linn, and Martinez, and their students will soon commence the hunt for the elusive Higgs particle. (more)

Check out what their friends at CERN recently posted on YouTube:

added 9/09/08

Happy New Academic Year Party
again a big success

On Aug. 29, continuing a "tradition" that started a year ago, the department celebrated the start of the academic year 2008/2009 with a well attended party in our seminar room. Thanks to our logistics officer Amy, no one had to leave hungry and discussions lasted well beyond the time usual for this time slot.

added 9/02/08

SPS has done it again:
Quantum Leap II is getting recognized by the National Society of Physics Students

http://www.aip.org/education/sps/news/
(scroll down and it's on the right hand pane)

In addition it has been covered on the Miami museum of science and FIU's main banner web page.

added 8/29/08

David Jones, FIU Physics Instructor & Educational Outreach Coordinator for CHEPREO

This summer spent time at AAPT as an US Physics Team coach. Twenty-four students from across the U.S. had been chosen to train for the mentally grueling exams and lab tests they'll face at the International Physics Olympiad, held this year July 20-29 in Hanoi in Vietnam. The five-member team brought home five medals: four gold and a silver.

added 8/29/08

The FIU CERN group competes in CERN relay race (Thursday 5th June 2008)

Shown from right to left are FIU grad student Cris Ceron, UF grad student Nick Kypreos, Prof. Markowitz, FIU grad student Luis Lebolo, and FIU postdoc German Martinez. Not shown is FSU grad student Sergei Glazer.
[To get 6 runners, we also used a UF and an FSU runner.]

added 8/29/08

Five Physics Majors Honored at A&S Award Ceremony

added 4/28/08

2008 Graduation Dinner

On April 22, we honored our graduating majors with a dinner at the faculty club (more)

added 4/23/08

FIU Joins the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC)

"FIU [...] educates more Hispanic students than any other institution in the country, and that diversity is reflected among FIU’s physics majors. Site leader Laird Kramer has built a thriving learning community within the department, and is now seeking to expand these efforts to include educating teachers." (read the full article here)

Science Debate 2008

Clinton is undecided. Obama and McCain both passed.

60-Second Science, Got a Minute?

added 04/16/08

Finding The Higgs Boson

Article in Physics News Update, the AIP Bulletin of Physics News discusses future potential for discovery at world's largest accelerator. This summer, five FIU students will work on the CMS project and some of them even travel to CERN. Learn more about FIU's High Energy Physics Group here.

added 04/16/08

Physicist John A. Wheeler Dies at 96

HIGHTSTOWN, N.J. (AP) — Physicist John A. Wheeler, who had a key role in the development of the atom bomb and later gave the space phenomenon black holes their name, has died at 96. (read the article at ap.google.com)

added 04/16/08

SPS wins "Club of the Year Award"

Society of Physics Students surprised the rest of the FIU community yesterday by winning the "Club of the Year Award" at the 2007-2008 Student Organizations Council End of the Year Banquet. (more)

added 04/04/08

First ever FIU Quantum Leap

Students and faculty walking on water, and this is no April Fools joke (more)

added 04/04/08

Here's Looking at You, Kid!

An article published by Drs. Richard Bone & Grenville Draper is featured in the Virtual Journal for Biomedical Optics (more)

added 03/19/08

Results of the 2008 Graduate Research Competition

1st: En Cai (advisor Dr. Jiandi Zhang)
2nd: Jiepeng Zhang (advisor Dr. Yifu Zhu)
(more)

added 03/19/08

Legal battle over sonar testing heats up

FIU Vice President for Academic Affairs Douglas Wartzok is cited in Physics Today (more)

added 02/25/08

The Protein Zipper

Biophysics group Profs. Chapagain & Gerstman and students Yanxin Liu & Jose L. Parra featured in Virtual Journal of Biological Physics. (more)

added 02/21/08

Spandex, it might not be like gravity ...

... but it brings us all closer together

Dr. Gary White, director of the National Society of Physics Students visits at FIU (more)

added 02/13/08

New FIU Astronomy Observatory for the Physics Department

Just before Christmas, the department welcomed a donation of $800,000 from a private donor for a new astronomy observatory. (more)

added 02/06/08

Particles Cling to Mass in the Nucleus

Dr. Rakhsha Nasseripour, our first Ph.D. graduate, is featured in Jefferson Lab news.

added 02/05/08

Quantum Leap

An event brought to you by the Society of Physics Students, featuring the most outrageous physics demonstrations in the history of our university.
When: On leap day, Friday, February 29, 2008.

added 01/28/08

FIU Faculty Werner Boeglin and Pete Markowitz co-author article featured in Physical Review Focus

Transparent Nuclei

Featuring the movie "A Pion is Born"

added 01/21/08

2008
The future has already arrived ...

added 01/01/08

We wish you all Happy Holidays

and in case you need something to do, why don't you elf a physicist.

added 12/26/07

US Fiscal Year 2008 Budget leaves funding for physical sciences short

Research conducted at the Department of Physics by students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty is funded by a large part by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Science at the Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health.

See for example:
A Budget too Small; Science, 12/18/07
Also, search for HR2764 at http://thomas.loc.gov/

added 12/20/07

Science Debate 2008

Case Western Reserve University physicist and author Lawrence Kraus helps organizing

A Call for a Presidential Debate on Science and Technology

added 12/14/07

Holiday Party a Big Success

added 12/07/07

Science in the News:

One Last Ride To Hubble
New York Times, Science Section, Tuesday, December 4, 2007.

Nobel Prize winner Carl Wieman weighs in on physics education:

The problem, he said, is that scientists stop acting like scientists when it comes to their own teaching.

(see the full Miami Herald article, Sun, Nov. 25, 2007.)

Not here at FIU. Learn about our own Physics Education Research Group (PERG)

Dr. Jiandi Zhang publishes in the prestigious Science journal:

A Surface-Tailored, Purely Electronic, Mott Metal-to-Insulator Transition
Science 26 October 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5850, pp. 615 - 619

DOI:10.1126/science.1145374