6
Summer/Fall 2004
We are always on the lookout for good new students to come to UW-RF to study physics or to prepare
for a career in engineering. If you know of a high school
student who has an interest in the sciences, be sure to let
them know about River Falls.
The physics department offers five different majors
including applied, dual degree, and secondary education
options. In the dual degree program, students spend three
years here then another two years at an engineering
school. At the end of the program they earn bachelors
degrees in both physics and engineering.
If you know a student who might be interested, let
us know and we will contact them. Contact Jim Madsen
at: James.Madsen@uwrf.edu, or (715) 425-3235.
Sc
hool Visits Of
School
Offfer
ered
ysics and
ed Seeking Ph
Physics
Engineering Students
The members of the physics department are all interested in improving the experiences that high school
students have in their physics classes. To that end, the
department has long offered classes in the summer for
high school teachers who want to refresh or augment
their physics knowledge.
We visit high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools to discuss various aspects of physics and
provide demonstrations that
the students may not otherwise have a chance to see.
If you teach, or know a
teacher who might be interested in having one of us
visit, please contact us at the
address at the bottom of the Lowell McCann demonstrates
the inner workings of a laser.
page.
The main purpose of this newsletter is to keep everyone in the UW-RF Physics community informed about
the activities of our members--that’s you! We and your fellow readers want to hear what you’ve been up to
recently (or not so recently, as the case may be). Please fill out the form below with your news and mail it in, or
call: (715) 425-3196, e-mail: Lowell.McCann@uwrf.edu, or fill out the form on the web:
www.uwrf.edu/physics/alumniform.html
Visit us online at:
www.uwrf.edu/physics
Contact information:
Physics Department
UW-River Falls
River Falls, WI 54022
(715) 425-3196
Lowell.McCann@uwrf.edu
Name:___________________________________________ Years attended:____________
Address:__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Phone: (_____)__________________
Email:_____________________________________________________________________
May we share your address with your fellow physics alumni? _______________
News:_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Physics Newsletter #10
Summer/Fall 2004
Edited by: Lowell McCann
Printed by Fast Copy
CSH masthead picture by
Jens Gunelson
UW-RF
Issue # 10
Summer/Fall 2004
Newsletter
www.uwrf.edu/physics
Matt will be taking charge of the Electronics curriculum. He takes over the responsibilities in this area
from Ron Wilson who came out of retirement to teach
Electronics this past year. Not only has Matt taught Electronics previously, but he has also spent a brief period
working as a hardware designer at an electronics firm in
order to understand the skills that students need if they
pursue that field.
Frank arrives to start a one year position at UWRF after finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota this past summer. His research there involved electrical transport measurements in layered magnetic materials similar to those found in the read heads of computer disk drives. In addition to his Ph.D., Frank has
bachelors and masters degrees from Florida A&M University, where he studied phenomena in high speed flows
relevant to aeroscience applications.
With teaching experience ranging from high school
science classes to college level courses and laboratories, Frank should be well prepared for many of the
courses he will be teaching. His main responsibility this
year will be to teach the engineering courses: Statics, Dy- Inside this issue:
2
namics, and Deformable Bod- SPS activities
3
ies. A native of Barbados, he Student Projects
4
has needed to acclimatize to “We Hear That...”
4
Minnesota weather, and re- Earl Albert
mains rightfully skeptical about Alumni donations 4
5
our claims of the warm Wis- Spring Banquet
Scholarships
5
consin winters.
School Visits
6
Matt Vonk and Frank Hunte Join
the Physics Department
Frank Hunte
The physics department welcomes Matt Vonk and
Frank Hunte as they join us to teach this fall.
Matt joins us in a tenure-track position from St. Mary’s
University in Winona, MN, where he taught Physics and
Electronics for the past six years. Matt has a bachelor’s
degree from Hope College and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Minnesota. Although his Ph.D.
work involved studying rotational energy transfer in molecular collisions, Matt has recently been involved in experimental observations of asteroid rotation. The work has
involved buying observing time on robotic telescopes, but
some of the observations could be made using the new
telescope here at UW-RF. He and his student co-authors
have recently published a paper on their observations of
Asteroid 1225 Ariane.
Matt Vonk
2
SPS Helps Intr
oduce
Introduce
Science to Girl Scouts
This spring the local chapter of the Society of Physics Students
(SPS) joined with other student groups on campus to introduce a
large group of Girl Scouts to various aspects of science.
The SPS organized three main activities for the scouts during
the morning’s visit. In one darkened room, the scouts donned diffraction grating glasses that split white light up into its component
colors, like a prism. While wearing the glasses, the students viewed
a variety of light sources to see what colors of light each one actually produced. In another room, the scouts had an opportunity to
stand and jump on a scale connected to a computer. This allowed
them to visually see how much force they were exerting on the scale
as they leapt up from, or landed on it. The scouts also spent time
Summer/Fall 2004
constructing ‘hummers’ out of paper, string,
styrofoam, tongue depressers, and rubber
bands. When complete, the scouts could
twirl the ‘hummer’ on the string to make a
buzzing sound that they could modify by adjusting the tension in the rubber bands.
Top: Physics major Anthony Landberg helps a scout
modify her ‘hummer.’ The scout in the foreground is
twirling hers to make it ‘sing.’ Left: Physics student
Paula Stanley sets up a Hydrogen lamp so the scouts
can see the distinct colors emitted by ionized Hydrogen
with their diffraction grating glasses.
Deg
Interrrupted: Ph
Physics
De
gree Inter
ysics Student Called to
om F
inish
Acti
ve Duty One Year fr
from
Finish
Activ
Senior physics major Patrick Fillmore had his life turned upside down this past
year when his Army National Guard unit was called to active duty. Patrick, a double
major in Physics and Mathematics, was in the middle of his Junior year when he received word that his unit would likely be called up. This required him to begin planning how to store all his belongings in addition to forcing him to stop work on a research project at school.
Being on active military duty is not new to Patrick, but active duty on solid ground
is new. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy and served 6 years as a
reactor operator on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington. After leaving the Navy, Patrick joined the Army National Guard, and began his Physics
degree at UW-RF in 2001.
Training with his unit in Mississippi, Sgt. Fillmore is missing out on several classes
he had planned on taking this Fall, including Quantum Mechanics. To keep himself
involved in his education, he is planning to study the same material in that course on Patrick Fillmore in June, shortly
before being sent to Mississippi for
his own, using email to ask Lowell McCann questions when necessary.
training.
We hope to post updates about his experiences in future editions.
Summer/Fall 2004
Enjoying a light moment after being inducted into the ΣΠΣ Honor’s Society are, from left: Luke Chambers, Ashton Flinders, Heather
Lunn, Michael Majer, Kevin Samuel, and Allen Riley.
Patrick McElfresh
Allen Riley
Kevin Samuel
Amy Kolan demonstrates the angle between the
direction of the sun’s rays and the location of a
rainbow seen by a single individual.
Banquet Honors 2004 ΣΠΣ Inductees
Anthony Kopish
Heather Lunn
Michael Majer
The annual spring ΣΠΣ banquet was held on April 22 to honor
this year’s inductees into the ΣΠΣ Honor Society. To become a
member of the society, students must have completed 3 semesters
of physics with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in their physics courses and 3.25 overall. This year’s inductees were:
Holly Bronson
Luke Chambers
Ashton Flinders
The speaker at the banquet was Dr. Amy Kolan from St.
Olaf University. She led an animated discussion about optical
phenomena in nature, including double rainbows, the ‘green flash’
occasionally seen at sunrise or sunset, and heiligenschein (the
halo of light seen around the shadow of your head on dew-covered grass).
Sc
holar
ship Winner
Scholar
holarship
innerss Announced
The following students have been awarded scholarships for the 2004-05 year:
Jesse Ahlert
Earl G. Albert Scholarship
Heather Lunn
Curt and Dee Larson, Earl G. Albert, Nord Scholarships; Nat’l SPS Scholarship
Allen Riley
Dr. Henry Tranmal Scholarship
The following students continue to receive Alumni Scholarships:
Jonathan Eisch
Anthony Kopish
Michael Tate
The Alumni Scholarships for incoming students were awarded to:
Daniel Musekamp, Oshkosh North High School
Matthew Blodgett, Boyceville High School
The Alumni Scholarships provide $1000 per year for up to four years and are funded by contributions
from physics alumni and friends of the department.
5
4
“We Hear That...”
Summer/Fall 2004
Gerald Wallen (1948) Retired, I’m presently a volunteer. I lead a 15 piece swing band of seniors. We play
weekly for dancing at the Janesville Senior Center. I am also an Amateur Radio operator with the Navy-Marine
Corps Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS). I go to MARS every evening. We provide backup communication for the military. I have been with MARS for 30 years, and am not thinking of retiring yet.
Norman Millis (1964) I retired from 35 years in the nuclear power industry in August 2000. I have utilized
my Physics/Health Physics college work in various ways: as a Health Physics manager, a training manager, an
information technology manager, and now as a ‘casual consultant’ to my former employers. I’m enjoying the
retirement years by working harder than ever!
Al Skroch (1965) I spent 26 years in the Navy and retired as a Captain (O-6). In 1993, I started a management/engineering consulting company which I had for ten years. I am in the process of closing the business, being
fed up with the government bureaucracy. I now work for Titan, Inc., soon to be Lockheed Martin, supporting an
R&D effort for the Special Operations Command in Tampa, FL.
Milo Oppegard (1969) I retired from teaching physics and mathematics at River Falls High School in the
spring of 2000. I’ve been busy enjoying Swedish fiddling at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, MN.
I was able to visit the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’ in May of 2002, and have a nice picture of Curt Larson pushing on
it attempting to restore its position.
Bioph
ysics aatt Ri
ver F
alls: An
Biophysics
Riv
Falls:
Remember
ing Ear
Remembering
Earll Alber
Albertt
Alicia Thode (1995) I earned a Master’s degree in Reliability Engineering from the University of Maryland
last year. I’m still working as a Reliability Engineer for United Defense. My husband and I had our first baby, Liv,
on March 20.
Alumn
us Gi
ves Bac
k
Alumnus
Giv
Back
Many of the alumni who
get this newsletter were students of Earl Albert, a physics professor at River Falls
between the years of 1946 and
1970 and the recipient of the
Governor’s Service Award.
Even more students have been
impacted by his memory
through the scholarship that
bears his name.
The Albert family has supEarl Albert in a 1966
ported this scholarship over
photo from the Meletean.
en Alber
the years, and recently Lor
Loren
Albertt (Earl’s son, and a
1962 alumnus himself) has increased his support to make
it possible to offer two $950 scholarships each year.
With the ever-increasing cost of a college education, these scholarships (which cover more than 20% of
one year’s tuition and fees) have a dramatic impact on
the students who receive them.
Motivated by the need he sees at the Mayo Clinic
for physicists with more knowledge of the life sciences,
and for biologists with a better understanding of physics; River Falls physics alumnus Russ Hanson (1965)
has generously offered to fund research projects that team
up physics and biology students.
Hanson, an administrator in the research arm at
Mayo, recalls how a small project simulating a transistor as a student gave him an interest in computer applications in science. That interest led him into a satisfying and rewarding career at the Mayo Clinic. He hopes
to give current students the same opportunity to join in a
project that may turn into a similar lifelong interest.
Hanson will initially fund the project for three years.
Each year students can apply for a $1000 award to take
part in the project. Faculty in the physics and biology
departments will determine which students would receive
the award.
Summer/Fall 2004
2003-04 Student Pr
ojects
Projects
3
Eight students completed their Senior Seminar projects this past year,
six groups in Advanced Lab attempted research projects, and Earl Blodgett’s
Acoustics class designed and constructed penny whistles out of copper tubing. The variety of the topics reflect the broad range of interests of UW-RF
physics students, and the wide array of opportunities that the department
works to maintain.
Senior Seminars
Jackie Meyer and Angela Thomley both examined the reflectance of
light from Cholesteric Liquid Crystals. Liquid Crystals are molecules that,
due to their shape and chemical properties, tend to orient themselves into a
crystalline structure--even when they are suspended in a fluid and are free to
move. These materials are used in many modern devices such as LCD computer monitors because of their ability to change the polarization state of
light that passes through them. Jackie made experimental measurements to
determine the angular dependence of the color of light reflected from thin
films of Liquid Crystals, while Angela used a theoretical model to try to
predict the results that Jackie found.
Seth Haynes used previous measurements of micrometeorites to determine their size distribution. He then attempted to compare the measured
distributions to what would be expected, based on models of the size and
speed of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Karsten Grover extended a previous student’s study of the sound emitted from a three-tine tuning fork. He constructed an anechoic chamber to
eliminate external sounds that could interfere with the measurements of the
sound from the tuning fork.
Arriety Lowell and Nick Kirchner investigated the behavior of a magnetic pendulum suspended above two electromagnets. Arriety used a digital
camera and machine vision software to follow the motion of the pendulum
bob under the influence of the electromagnets and a random force produced
by the vibration of a speaker attached to the pivot point of the pendulum.
Nick developed a theoretical model for the system and ran simulations of the
motion to see if it could be described with a single variable equation of motion with a stochastic force.
Jeremiah Bodenner examined a theoretical model of gravity that includes an induction term in it to make gravity behave in the same manner as
the electromagnetic Lorentz force. As part of his Advanced Lab project, Bryan Kinkel (top) fine tunes the end of his penny
Jeremiah examined actual observations of galaxy rotations to test the new whistle, while Tracy Mayer (bottom) grinds an
theory.
opening for the lip of her whistle.
Jason Thoen created a senior project based on work he was doing at
Preco Laser Systems. He investigated the ability of ultraviolet lasers to micromachine small parts out of thin sheets of polyimide.
The work was completed at Preco as part of the development of a micromachining system.
Advanced Lab
In addition to the galaxy rotation project mentioned above, students in the Advanced Lab course worked on projects
involving: constructing a fiber optic micro Raman spectrometer, measuring the Hall coefficient in germanium, investigating
CCD photometry using the new telescope, measuring the speed of light with two different techniques, and testing possibly
chaotic motion of a magnet spinning in an oscillating magnetic field.
Acoustics class
In Earl Blodgett’s Acoustics class this spring, students were required to construct a penny whistle out of a copper tube.
This involved cutting the tube to the right length for the key they desired, ‘plugging’ one end with a piece of wood that had a
channel cut into it (the fipple), grinding an opening for the lip (the edge that splits the air stream coming out of the fipple), and
locating the proper placement of the finger holes. The final tuning of the instrument was accomplished with a microphone and
an oscilloscope, as not all physics students have perfect pitch.