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Deep Thoughts
Notes from the underground by Communications Director Constance Walter
Monday Sept. 14, 2015
Physics of sports science talk Thursday
W
hy are knuckle balls so hard to
hit? Why do quarterbacks throw a
football in a spiral? And what do we mean
by “the physics of sports”?
Those questions will be answered
this Thursday, Sept. 17, when Chang
Kee Jung, a physics professor at the
State University of New York at Stony
Brook, delivers his presentation, “What’s
Physics Got to do with Sports?” Jung
will demonstrate the effects of spinning
and non-spinning balls in popular sports,
including baseball, football, soccer, and
volleyball. The talk, which is co-sponsored by Sanford Lab and Black Hills
State University, will be held in BHSU’s
Meier Hall at 5:45 p.m. There will be an
opening reception at 5:15 p.m. The event
is free and open to the public.
“Sports occupy an important part of
American life and life in other parts of the
world,” Jung said. “Surprisingly, many
intriguing and often spectacular sports
feats can be explained using basic physics
concepts.” An expert in sports physics,
Jung was called upon several times to
discuss the “Deflategate” controversy
involving the New England Patriots.
Jung’s presentation grew from a course
he developed at Stony Brook for nonphysics majors: The Physics of Sports.
“My slogan for the course is that after
Left: Chang Kee Jung. Right: Click on the image to visit ABC News and watch a stick
figure explaination of “Deflategate” narrated by Jung. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/
deflate-gate-scientifically-plausible-physicist/story?id=28378643)
taking my course you will watch sports
very differently than you used to and with
much deeper appreciation,” Jung said.
Jung is the Research Coordinator for
the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and
associated Deep Underground Neutrino
Experiment (LBNF/DUNE) at Sanford
Lab and Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory (Fermilab). The experiment
will send neutrinos through the earth
from Fermilab in Batavia, Ill., to a detector on the 4850 Level of Sanford Lab.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with
Chang Kee on the LBNF/DUNE project,”
said Mike Headley, Executive Director of
the South Dakota Science and Technology
Authority. “He’s an accomplished neutri-
no physicist, and a dynamic speaker. His
presentation will provide an interesting
perspective on physics.”
Jung participated in experiments based
on high energy particle accelerators
at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(SLAC) and Fermilab. He also was part
of the Super-Kamiokande experiment
in Japan, which was instrumental in
discovering neutrino oscillation; was
part of the K2K experiment, the first
accelerator-based long baseline neutrino
project; and T2K, the long baseline
neutrino experiment that discovered the
appearance of electron neutrinos from a
muon neutrino beam.
Governor appoints Robert Wilson to SDSTA board
Gov. Dennis Daugaard
recently appointed Dr.
Robert Wilson to the
South Dakota Science and
Technology Authority. A
professor of experimental
high energy physics at
Colorado State University
in Fort Collins, Colorado, Wilson replaces
Tom Adam who retired earlier this year.
“Dr. Wilson is an accomplished
scientist who will bring an important
perspective to the leadership of this
facility,” Gov. Daugaard said.
Wilson is a collaborator with the
proposed Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility
and associated Deep Underground
Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE).
This world-leading research is led by
Fermilab. Wilson has received research
funding from the DOE Office of Science
for more than 20 years and contributed
to more than 500 refereed scientific and
technical publications.
“I’m excited the SDSTA will have Dr.
Wilson’s insights and expertise helping
South Dakota Science and Technology Authority
shape Sanford Lab’s future,” said Mike
Headley, Executive Director of the SDSTA.
Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree at
the University of London and his master’s
degree and Ph.D. from Purdue University.
He received post doctoral training at
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in
the research group founded by Nobel
laureate Burton Richter and held a faculty
appointment at Boston University before
moving to Colorado State University. He
is married and has two sons.
Lead, South Dakota