You will research selected topics in Physics using the library and internet resources in order to prepare oral presentations for the class. The style of the talks is intended to simulate presentation of papers at Physics professional society meetings. A short written summary of the content of each talk is required. A bibliography is to be attached to the summary.
Each of you will prepare and give three short (8 to 10 minute) talks and one intermediate length (15 to 20 minute) talk. The initial selection of topic for the short talks must originate from the list of topics furnished to the class. Each talk must concern itself with a different area of Physics and must not duplicate the topic chosen by another student.
You are expected to practice critical listening skills by being attentive audience members for both fellow student presentations and departmental invited speakers at the Thursday Colloquium. Evaluation forms will be completed for each speech.
Scheduled Meetings |
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| Monday & Wednesday |
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| Thursday |
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Actual class meetings after the first few weeks depend on speaker schedules. The first meeting was Monday, August 26, 2002.
Topics and dates for the short talks may be selected by meeting me in my office (103 Fisher) before September 12.
Major Field Test will be Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6:30pm in 129 Fisher. The test lasts 2 hours.
Speaker Schedule |
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| Sept 16 | Daniel Nezich | Entanglement of 4 Particles |
| Sept 18 | Nathan Erickson David Harrington |
Early Cancer Detection Direct Evidence for Tau Neutrinos |
| Sept 19 | Dr. Tim Schultz, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, MTU | "Information-Theoretic Bounds for Wavefield-Phase Estimation" |
| Sept 23 | Katrina Vestal Nathanael Black |
Ultrasound Imaging Without Physical Contact Atmospheric Gamma-Ray Bursts |
| Oct 3 | Jerry Bonnell, NASA Goddard | "Gamma Ray Bursts, Supernovae, GLAST" |
| Oct 7 | Daniel Nezich Katrina Vestal |
A Superconducting Transistor-Like Device The X-Ray Background |
| Oct 9 | Nathan Erickson David Harrington Nathanael Black |
Laser Cooling by Coherent Scattering First Images Arrive from the IMAGE Multiple-Ionization Mechanisms |
| Oct 28 | Katrina Vestal | The First True "Left Handed" Material |
| Oct 30 | Nathan Erickson David Harrington Nathanael Black |
An Electrically Powered, Organic Semiconductor Laser A D-Wave SQUID Nonmolecular Nitrogen |
| Oct 31 | Dr. Jacek Borysow, Dept of Physics, MTU | "What Is A Mass of Neutrino? or MTU with Univ of Texas against the rest of the world" |
| Nov 4 | Daniel Nezich | Two-Dimensional Turbulent Flows |
| Nov 7 | William Conant, Environmental Science & Engineering, Cal Tech | "Reconciling Models and Observations of Aerosol Direct and Indirect Effects" |
| Nov 14 | Dr. Yoke Khin Yap, Dept. of Physics, MTU | "Atomic Bond Control of Frontier Carbon Materials: Thin Films, Nanotubes and Nanostructures" |
| Nov 20 | David Harrington Nathan Erickson |
Neutrino Astronomy Femtosecond Laser Spectroscopy |
| Nov 21 | Dr. Mats Selen, Dept. of Physics, U. of Illinois | "Educating in Bulk: The Introductory Physics Course Revisions at Illinois" |
| Dec 2 | Daniel Nezich Katrina Vestal |
Non-metallic Ferromagnets Evaluating Student Knowledge through Term Association |
| Dec 4 | Nathanael Black | Granular Matter |
| Dec 5 | Miguel Blanco, Dept. of Physics, MTU & Univ of Oviedo, Spain | "Simulation of Point Defects using Cluster-in-the-Lattice Techniques: Applications to Chalcopyrite Semiconductors" |
| Dec 12 | Steve O'Malley, Dept. of Physics, MTU | "RCI Calculations of Atomic Properties of Technetium: Difficulties and Improvements in Methodology" |