Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on May 14th, 2012
No Comments »
Friday May 18th, 8pm till we feel like it
ISB 231
What does physics, Mayan hieroglyphs, and bongos have in common? None other than the amazing Richard P. Feynman. For this week’s SPS meeting we will be watching two videos regarding Feynman, from stories to tributes, to lectures. If you love physics, you’ll love this movie night!
So Bring a friend, a snack to share, and hear some wacky stories and some of the best physics explanations from the greatest mind since Einstein!
SPS Movie Night and Potluck– We will be watching one or two interviews or lectures with the fine man himself: Richard P. Feynman. Which ones will be decided upon by those who show up; the choices will be amongst, but not limited to, The Messenger Lectures: “Law of Universal Gravitation,” The Messenger Lectures: “Characterization of Physical Law,” Interview: The Pleasure of Finding Things out, or Special: The last Journey of a Genius.
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on May 10th, 2012
No Comments »
This week’s SPS meeting will be a talk given by Professor Zack Schlesinger of the Physics department on The Essence of Quantum Physics.
Date: Thursday, May 10th
When: 6:00- 7:30 PM
Where: ISB 231
What:
Why do carbon rings form? Why do crystals form? Why are there molecules? In these phenomena and many more, the relationship between confinement and kinetic energy plays an essential role.
We will discuss how the relationship between confinement and kinetic energy is understood in the context of the Schrodinger wave equation and the Heisenberg principle, and how it is essential to the understanding of much of physics, and provides the underpinnings of chemistry and biology. We will also look at the limitations on applying this understanding.
As usual, refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome!
Upcoming Events:
- Undergraduate Photo: Tuesday, May 15th; meet in the ISB Lobby at 4 PM. You’ve all probably seen that 3 or 4 year old photo of the undergraduates a little way down the hall from the chaos pendulum, or the photos in the undergraduate lounge in Thimann. Well, courtesy of Professor Belanger, this tradition is going to be restarted, so please come and share in some undergraduate physics camaraderie!
- SPS Movie Night and Potluck: Friday, May 18th at 8 PM in ISB 231. We’ll be watching an interview or two of the renowned Richard P. Feynman. So bring a snack to share, and friend with you, and come for some bongo-esque physics fun!
- SPS Undergraduate Symposium: Thursday May, 31st from 6:00 - 7:30 PM in ISB 231. Come check out the end of the quarter SPS meeting where you’ll have several mini-talks put on by your a few of your fellow undergrads!
- Spring Physics Picnic: Date TBD. In hopes of keeping this annual tradition going for this year, SPS would like to ask for volunteers to help with the set up and clean up of the physics picnic, people who will be willing to check equipment out for Howie’s Fun Filled Softball Game, someone who can provide transportation for buying the food the day of (don’t worry, you wont have to pay for the food). If anyone is interested please let me know.
In the News:
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on April 30th, 2012
No Comments »
This week’s SPS meeting will be Given by Gary Glatzmaier, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Date: Thursday, May 3rd
When: 6:00-7:30 PM
Where: ISB 231
What: Computer Simulations of Convection and Magnetic Field Generation in Planets
“Observations of the zonal winds and magnetic fields on giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn beg the questions of what flows and fields exist well below their surfaces and how are they maintained. In roughly five years, NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter and the Cassini Solstice mission at Saturn will provide near-surface measurements of the gravity and magnetic fields of these giant planets that will help to answer these questions. These problems are also being studied via computer simulations, which will provide predictions for what may be discovered at Jupiter and Saturn. The same questions have been studied for convection and magnetic field generation in terrestrial planets, like the Earth. Spontaneous magnetic dipole reversals were first seen in 3D self-consistent geodynamo simulations nearly two decades ago. I will describe several simulations, including computer graphical movies, of giant planet and terrestrial planet dynamos.”
As usual, refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Events:
- Astronomy Research Social– Tuesday, May 8th, 3:30 PM in ISB 102: This event is aimed at those interested in doing research in astronomy and, in particular, those looking for a SENIOR THESIS TOPIC in astronomy. Come and talk to faculty, graduate students, and postdocs about research opportunities, get insights on doing research in institutions such as NASA AMES, and how to give poster presentations.
- SPS Movie Night and Potluck– Friday, May 18th, 8:00 PM in ISB 231: We will be watching one or two interviews or lectures with the fine man himself: Richard P. Feynman. Which ones will be decided upon by those who show up; the choices will be amongst, but not limited to, The Messenger Lectures: “Law of Universal Gravitation,” The Messenger Lectures: “Characterization of Physical Law,” Interview: The Pleasure of Finding Things out, or Special: The last Journey of a Genius.
- Undergraduate Symposium– Thursday, May 31st, 6:00-7:30 PM in ISB 231: Instead of our usual faculty given talks, we will instead be hosting several short talks by your undergraduate peers! We still have room for one or two more speakers, so if you are interested in giving talk about your research, a particularly interesting paper you’ve read, or some other physics related subject matter; please let us know soon! The specifics of this years talk will be announced shortly.
In the News:
- Germany sends optical-clock signal over nearly 1000 km
- Scientists discover bilayer structure in efficient solar material
- How to walk with a cup of coffee
- Petawatt laser could produce dense electron-positron plasma and intense gamma rays
- NIST mini-sensor measures magnetic activity in human brain
- NASA’s WISE catches aging star erupting with dust
- Experimental realization of delayed-choice entanglement swapping
- X-rays create a window on glass formation
- CMS experiment observes new Xi_b beauty particle
- Physicists propose a solution to a critical barrier to producing fusion
- 2-D Ising model produces quantum computer
- Proliferation risks of magnetic fusion energy: clandestine production, covert production and breakout
- Mega-impacts of asteroids with Earth occurred more frequently than previously thought
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on April 24th, 2012
No Comments »
Hopefully everyone is doing well as midterm are approaching. This week’s meeting will have a talk by
Professor Greg Laughlin of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Department. He will be giving a talk on
Extrasolar Planets.
Date: Thursday, April 26th
When: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Where: ISB 231
What:
Over 300 extrasolar planets have been discovered in orbit around stars in our local galactic neighborhood, and more planets are being discovered every month. Laughlin is a Co-I on the Lick Carnegie Exoplanet Survey, and along with team members Steve Vogt, Paul Butler, Eugenio Rivera and Stefano Meschiari, is using the Keck, Magellan and AAT telescopes to discover and characterize planets with the Doppler radial velocity technique. The Lick-Carnegie Survey encourages public participation through the Systemic and Transitsearch projects, both of which are organized and led by Laughlin. In order to communicate the latest news on the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets, he writes a frequently updated web log at oklo.org.
As usual, refreshments will be served.
Events Coming Up:
- Movie Night– Friday, May 18th. We will be watching either Apollo13, A Beautiful Mind, or something from Feynman. Please let us know if you have a preference. In addition to the movie, there will also be a potluck. (You are not required to bring something in order to attend, but it does make the evening more fun!)
- Undergraduate Symposium– Thursday May 31st. Come hear several presentations from your fellow undergraduates on what they are studying in physics. Details of what each speaker will present will be given closer to the date.
In the News:
Hope to see you at this weeks meeting!
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on April 17th, 2012
No Comments »
Hi everyone!
This week’s SPS talk will be given by Joel Kubby, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, on Adaptive Optics for Biological Imaging.
Date: Thursday, April 4th
When: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Where: ISB 231/235
What:
This talk will review the development of wide-field and confocal microscopes with direct wavefront sensing and adaptive optics for correcting aberrations when imaging through thick tissues such as Drosophila embryos or mouse brain tissue. Similar to the wavefront measurement using “artificial guide stars” in astronomical imaging, where atomic sodium in a layer in the Earth’s mesosphere is excited by a high-power sodium laser, we have developed an approach for making wavefront measurements using cellular structures labeled with fluorescent proteins for use as artificial guide stars.
As usual, refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome.
Hope to see you there!
Full Abstract:
In the News:
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on April 9th, 2012
No Comments »
-
Thursday, April 12th
-
Center for Adaptive Optics-Lobby
Map: http://maps.ucsc.edu/content/392/map_detail
Interested in astrophysics, physics, or astronomy? Wondering about ideas for your senior thesis, or about research with a professor? Have questions about how to prepare for grad school, or want to learn more about what grad school is really about?
Then come to the Undergrad /Grad Pizza Social!
Meet graduate students in astronomy, astrophysics, and physics grads; and ask them any questions - about astronomy, physics, research, or grad school in general - that you may have!
FREE PIZZA and drinks will be served!
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on April 9th, 2012
No Comments »
Our last SPS meeting of the quarter, we’ve got a great talk by Professor Stefano Profumo on Dark Matter: Exploring the Hidden Universe.
Date: Wednesday, March 7th
When: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Where: ISB 235
Abstract:
“I will review evidence for the existence of a dark matter component in the universe, and what we currently know about it. I will then explain how scientists are hunting for dark matter, and argue that we are on the verge of an era of discovery.”
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on February 23rd, 2012
No Comments »
Movie and sanck-potluck night!
Friday, March 2nd
ISB 235
7:30pm, movie run time: 97 minutes
Our weekly meeting will take place on Friday instead of Wednesday. We will be watching the awesome movie MOON and having a snack-POTLUCK.
Movie nights are rare for us here at Physics Club but, we have a lot of fun! Also be sure to bring snacks to share at our pot luck. This is not at all required but, the more food the better. As always everyone is invited. Physics club is for people how like to learn not just physics majors so bring your friends.
“For three years, Sam Bell has worked as the sole astronaut harvesting He-3 from the moon’s surface.
With only 2 weeks before returning to Earth, Sam has an accident while out of the base. He wakes up in the infirmary with no memory of the accident and finding that his artificial intelligence assistant GERTY is no longer allowing him to leave the base….
Why is GERTY restricting him? What happened on a routine He-3 retrieval? Bring a friend and a snack and find out!”
info. about movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuScTcDP_Q
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_%28film%29
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on February 22nd, 2012
No Comments »
Date: Wednesday February 22nd
When: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Where: ISB 235
Free Snacks and Drinks: Yes
This week’s SPS talk will be given by professor Tesla Jeltema on The History of the Cosmos and Our Understanding of It. As of last quarter, professor Jeltema was a new addition to the awesome array of professors here at UCSC, so let’s give her a warm welcome at this week’s meeting.
History of the Cosmos and Our Understanding of It
“I will give an overview of our current understanding of the composition of the universe and its formation following the big bang. I will also review some of the major observations which led us to this picture, with a particular focus on what astronomical observations tell us about dark matter and dark energy.”
Uncategorized | Post by Jason Gruzdas on February 13th, 2012
No Comments »
Society of Physics Students:
When: Wednesday, 6:00 - 7:30 PM February, 15th 2012
Where: ISB 235
Hi everyone! This week we will be having a talk from Bruce Rosenblum, professor emeritus of physics. His talk will be on the “The Two-Slit Experiment and the Quantum Enigma:”
Abstract:
The two-slit experiment is the quintessential quantum experiment. It embodies all the, still baffling, mysteries of quantum mechanics. After briefly describing the usual experimental format, I’ll present a completely equivalent version that more dramatically displays the bafflement. The two-slit experiment raises questions about the nature of physical reality and displays an enigmatic encounter with “consciousness,” an issue increasingly–and contentiously–discussed today.
As always, refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome. Hope to see you there!
Paul Bergeron
SPS President
Informational, Meetings | Post by Jason Gruzdas on February 10th, 2012
No Comments »
As of Winter quarter 2012 SPS meeting will be on Wednesdays at 6 to 7:30pm, in ISB 235.
This website has not been updated for awhile because SPS moved to a different website. We are now recommissioning this old site.
Be well, Keep in touch, and Do good integral of force with respect to distance!
Uncategorized | Post by cdom on November 17th, 2009
No Comments »
The Society of Physics Students at UCSC PRESENTS:
A General Meeting: Fermi at 17 Months
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Place: ISB 231
Thanks to those who made it to the APS meeting last weekend. There were some great undergraduate and graduate student talks, so kudos to them!
This week, SPS will host a talk by new faculty member Steven Ritz. Steven is the Deputy Principal Investigator for Fermi’s Large Area Telescope (LAT), and he is a fellow of the American Physical Society and was a Sloan Foundation Fellow in Physics from 1993 to 1997. He also won the Bertman Prize in Physics from Wesleyan University in 1981.
This week he will talk about:
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, formerly called GLAST, measures the cosmic gamma-ray flux in the energy range 20 MeV to >300 GeV, with supporting measurements for gamma-ray bursts from 8 keV to 30 MeV. In addition to breakthrough capabilities in energy coverage and localization, the very large field of view enables observations of 20% of the sky at any instant, and the entire sky on a timescale of a few hours. With its launch on 11 June 2008, Fermi now opens a new and important window on a wide variety of phenomena, including pulsars, black holes and active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, the origin of cosmic rays and supernova remnants, and searches for hypothetical new phenomena such as particle dark matter annihilations. In addition to a summary of results and the science opportunities, this talk includes a description of the instruments and the mission status and plans. Activities at UCSC will be highlighted.
|
|
Uncategorized | Post by cdom on November 5th, 2009
No Comments »
The Society of Physics Students at UCSC PRESENTS:
A General Meeting: “Divide and conquer” and “United we stand” in physics.
Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Place: ISB 231
This week, SPS will host a talk by Professor Gey-Hong Gweon, of the Physics Dept. In his own words he will talk about:
“Divide and conquer” is a very useful mathematical strategy in many physics problems. One may also interpret this maxim as a generally useful approach to science, in the long tradition of the reductionist ideal of the ancient Greeks. However, in Nature we observe many collective emergent behaviors that are not captured well by this reductionist thinking. We may call these emergent behaviors as Nature’s “united we stand” way of existence. In this talk, I will discuss various examples of such behaviors in condensed matter systems, e.g. the superconductivity, and how studies of these behaviors have been shaping our views of fundamental physics.
Special Events | Post by cdom on October 28th, 2009
No Comments »
The Society of Physics Students at UCSC PRESENTS:
A General Meeting: “A Sharper Image: Adaptive Optics and Laser Guide Stars for Astronomy and Human Vision Applications“
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Place: ISB 231
SPS is pleased to present professor Claire E. Max of the the Astronomy and Astrophysics Dept. http://www.ucolick.org/~max/max-web/Max.v2.html
This week she will talk about Adaptive Optics and Laser Guide Stars for Astronomy and Human Vision Applications, in her own words:
Adaptive Optics is a technology that detects and corrects changing distortions in optical systems.. It has been applied to great effect during the past decade for correcting astronomical telescopes for blurring due to turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere, and for imaging the living human retina. This talk will describe the history of Adaptive Optics (AO) and laser guide stars, give a status report on their current technology, and describe some scientific highlights: close-up views of black holes in colliding galaxies, and imaging of three dimensional structures in the living human retina.
Uncategorized | Post by cdom on October 23rd, 2009
No Comments »
SPS Movie Night
12 Monkeys will be shown at Thimann 3 on November 6th 2009.
Show will start at 7:00 o’clock post meridiem.
popcorn included
Uncategorized | Post by cdom on October 19th, 2009
No Comments »
The Society of Physics Students at UCSC PRESENTS:
A General Meeting: “The Bare Essentials of Particle Physics”
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Place: ISB 231
Be there or be quadrilateral!
This week Prof. Jason Nielsen (Department of Physics and Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics) will offer tips and tricks to solve those particle physics problems at relativistic speeds!
In his own words:
Even if you haven’t managed to take a particle physics course yet, don’t worry! You will still be able to catch the excitement of the Large Hadron Collider experiments and kill those particle physics exam questions after this lecture by Prof. Nielsen. We’ll go through the fundamental particles and forces, and we’ll also brush up on relativistic kinematics with a few tips to make calculations easier. With our new-found particle skills, we’ll look ahead to the startup of the LHC scheduled for November.
Uncategorized | Post by cdom on October 13th, 2009
No Comments »
The Society of Physics Students at UCSC
General Meeting: “From classical to Quantum Phase Transitions”and Graduate School Info about Rice University Thursday, October 15, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Place: ISB 231
***************************************************************
This week SPS is proud to present Alumnus Jed Pixley and graduate student of the Physics dept. at Rice University. He will be talking about (in his own words):
This talk will focus on a brief introduction to quantum criticality. This describes matter undergoing a second order phase transition at zero temperature. We will focus onquantum phase transitions where order parameter fluctuations fail to capture all of the quantum effects. The metal-insulator transition will be discussed in order to motivate the main topic on quantum criticality in heavy-fermion metals.
Everyone is welcome.
Coffee, tea and snacks will be provided!
Uncategorized | Post by Jessica on May 11th, 2009
No Comments »
Today Monday May 11, 2009 is Richard Feynman’s 91st birthday.
In honor this Thusday, May 14, 2009 at 6 P.M. in ISB 231 SPS will celebrate this juggling, painting, bongo playing physicist’s birthday.
We will be scientifically birthday partying, cupcake decorating with our favorite Feynman diagrams, watching videos of the man himself and coloring Richard Feynman coloring books!!
So grab your bongos and come on over to party with your favorite physicists at SPS.
Uncategorized | Post by Jessica on May 11th, 2009
No Comments »
Uncategorized | Post by Jessica on May 11th, 2009
No Comments »
Last week’s Undergraduate Symposium was definitely a success, full of tensors, Tesla Coil’s and Exosolar Planets. There really is no way we could possibly do better.
Except for maybe this week.
This week the Society of Physics Students is proud to present the second half of our Undergraduate Symposium! The SPS meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 6 P.M. in ISB 231. This will be a conference style event. In that fashion the speakers will have 12 minutes to present and 3 minutes for questions. It will be moderated by Professor Peter Young of the Physics Dept.
This week’s speakers are:
- Assia Tolpygo: “Understanding Brain Function Through Large-Scale Retinal Output Activity”
- Kyle Kaplan: “Dust Absorption in Metal Strong Damped Lyman Alpha Systems”
- Megan Shabram: “Transiting Extrasolar Planet Transmission Spectra”
Your attendendace, as always, is kindly requested.
