The Society of Physics Students at UC Santa Cruz

The Winter SPS Undergrad Symposium — Part 2 of 2

Thursday, February 28, 2008 — ISB 231 — 6:00 PM

Upset that you didn’t get into 133 for the spring? Then come listen to hear about these students’ research and Senior thesis projects… and don’t worry 20-40 page reports are only optional.

This weeks speakers were chosen through a rigorous, challenging process to ensure you the the most interesting 12 min. conference style presentations possible.

This week’s undergraduate experts are

• Chris Paulson
• Ahmed Mahmoud
• Chris Meyer

With Professor David Williams as Faculty moderator.

Tea, coffee and snacks will be present.

You’re now looking at the beautiful new website, with a new link for info on the May 3rd Zone meeting (Big Physics Day) hosted by SPS@UCSC.

See you Thursday.

–Karl

The Winter SPS Undergrad Symposium — Part 1 of 2

Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008 — ISB 231 — 6:00 PM

Come by to hear what your fellow undergrads have been researching.

This week’s presenters:

• Glenn Gray
  
• Paul Mekhedjian
  
• Greg Horn

Moderator: Professor George Brown

There will be snacks, coffee and tea.

Part II of Undergrad Symposium next week.

Planning of the Zone meeting is really starting to take off, want to be a part of the magic, let us know after Thursday’s meeting.

And honestly we want a cool SPS@UCSC shirt for this year, isn’t anyone a talented artist, I know I’m not, but I’m sure there is some one who can write SPS@UCSC in bubble letters below a physics pun, that’s really all we are asking.

And here is little blurb about physics and music.

–Karl

This is the zone meeting

If you do not already have plans this Valentine’s Day no need to worry. Stop by ISB 231 to make Valentine’s for your most beloved Physicist, be it Richard Feynman or Stefano Profumo.

We will be hanging out and professing our love for Physics, and Astrophysics of course.
Coffee, tea and snacks for all.

Next week will be part one of our second Undergraduate Symposium, with Prof. George Brown as our moderator. Find out what your fellow undergrads are doing with their time and expertise, get ideas for your senior thesis next year and learn cool physics stuff.

Also I’m serious about those T-shirt designs, we need to have cool SPS at UCSC shirts by the Zone meeting in May so we can all look awesome.

– Karl

This week we are lucky to be joined by Professor Stefano Profumo from the UCSC Physics department and SCIPP.

The matter content of the Universe appears to be dominated by a form of matter whose existence is inferred on the basis of its gravitational effects, and whose fundamental microscopic nature is at present unknown. This form of matter must be qualitatively different from the ordinary matter (neutrons, protons, electrons) that accounts for planets, stars and galaxies, and must couple very weakly to the known particles of the Standard Model. I will review and outline the wide ensamble of evidences for dark matter, the best motivated dark matter candidates, and the undergoing experimental and theoretical effort in the quest for the identification of this elusive, yet fundamental constituent of the Universe.

There will be snacks, coffee and tea.

… and to see beautiful pictures of Mercury…

MESSENGER Photo Gallery

– Karl