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Numerous physics majors have presented research and published abstracts at recent national conferences. Their projects range from working with atoms to mapping hydrogen clouds in distant galaxies.
Two students, who have worked as EXCEL scholars with Andrew Kortyna, assistant professor of physics, presented the results of their work at the 37th Annual meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics, May 16-20 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Nicholas Masluk ’06 (Bethlehem, Pa.), who graduated in May with a B.S. in physics; and Jonathan Farrar ’07 (Alexandria, Va.), who is also pursuing an A.B. in mathematics, made a poster presentation and published their abstract entitled, “Atomic beam measurements of the cesium 7D hyperfine structure.” The research is the result of a $141,920 National Science Foundation grant Kortyna received in 2003 to explore cold collisions of highly excited atoms.
Thomas Nunnally ’07 (Pennsburg, Pa.) presented “The effects of initial seed size and transients on dendritic crystal growth” with Andrew Dougherty, associate professor of physics, at the March meeting of the American Physical Society in Baltimore, Md.
Nunnally and Dougherty collaborated on EXCEL research where they traced the patterns of microscopic, snowflake-like crystals in order to predict the properties of metal alloys.
Yang-Feng Zheng ’06 (Long Island City, N.Y.), who graduated in May with B.S. degrees in physics and electrical and computer engineering, presented a paper at the 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March 13-17 in League City, Texas. Zheng co-authored “Volumetric and Optical Studies of High Pressure Phases of Na2SO4-H2O with Applications to Europa” with Dougherty and David Hogenboom, professor emeritus of physics.
EXCEL Scholars Adeel Altaf ’06 (Karachi, Pakistan), who graduated in May with a B.S. in physics, and Josh Goldstein ’07 (Hockessin, Del.), are co-authors of the poster “An Undergraduate Research Project within the ALFALFA Collaboration” presented at the American Astronomical Society’s 207th Meeting in January.
Altaf and Goldstein worked with Lyle Hoffman, professor and head of physics, to map hydrogen clouds in a neighboring galaxy to the Milky Way using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. Hoffman is part of a 43-member international team of astronomers and scientists from 29 institutions around the world, who are using the telescope to examine hydrogen gas.
Carolyn Heffner ’06 (Cleona, Pa.), who graduated in May with a B.S. in physics, and Michael Kaczmarczik ’06 (Elkins Park, Pa.), who also graduated with an A.B. in philosophy, made a total of three presentations at the American Astronomical Society’s 207th Meeting through EXCEL work with Michael Stark, assistant professor of physics.
Heffner presented “Search for timing glitches in the non-burst emission from GRO J1744-28,” and the “Evolution of the SAX J2103.5+4545 pulsar.” Kaczmarczikpresented the “Doppler modulation of hydrogen-like iron emission from Cygnus X-3.”
All three presentations are related to a grant and satellite time the National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded to Stark in 2004 to study the interaction between two orbiting starsin a binary system.
As part of Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. The program has helped make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.