A message from Prof. Phil Gutierrez:
As we reach the end of the Fall’2021 semester we can reflect back on the many events that have taken place this semester. Even though there is still much uncertainty surrounding the pandemic as new variants emerge, we have nonetheless started to return to something resembling a normal life. Or maybe a new normal is a better term.
Yes, most classes are now held in person even though Zoom remains a tool for some classes and for office hours. Conferences that allowed us to meet with colleagues are starting to return to being in-person but many have hybrid options. Social events are still rare, the departmental tea has yet to return and departmental colloquia and seminars are still held over Zoom.
We did hold the annual Thanksgiving lunch this year with a significant number of faculty, students, and staff attending. We also held our first welcome event since Fall 2019, where we introduced our new graduate students, new faculty, and new staff, including those who arrived in Fall 2020. This was also an opportunity to introduce the new Director of the Center for Quantum Research and Technology, Dr. Venkatesan, whose energy is helping to drive the center forward.
In addition, the welcome event was a celebration to thank the Dodge family for their generosity in providing a research endowment that will be transformational for the department. The effects of the endowment will start to play out in the next academic year with the hiring of postdoctoral research associates and research scientists.
The department also has two faculty searches in progress: one is in Atomic Molecular and Optical physics (AMO) and the other is the Homer L. Dodge chair in Astrophysics. These searches will also bring to campus the first colloquia since Fall 2019.
Much has happened this past semester and we expect much to change as we grow the research mission of the department.
A photo of Prof. Homer L Dodge from a recent AIP newsletter. Photo date: circa 1918
October 2021 saw the departure of Deborah (Debi) Schoenberger from the HLD-PA office. She started in our department as a peak employee in April 2014 and became a permanent full time staff member in May 2015. She was invaluable in keeping the accounts for research grants awarded to faculty in the department, as well as providing candy treats to students and faculty alike. In a consolidation move by the administration, she is moving over to the Grants Team in the College of Arts and Sciences. Research accounts will be handled by that office in the future.
Santa and his helper made a pit stop at the Physics and Astronomy department on Wednesday, December 8th, to pick up donations for the Fill the Trolley toy drive. Thank you to everyone that participated.
Pictured Above: The stars class (ASTR 3103) celebrate the holidays in style with Christmas sweaters!
Pictures from this year's awards ceremony!
Pictured Above: Brad Abbott #1 Friend of the Undergraduates
Pictured Above: Students, staff, and faculty outside during the awards
Pictured Above: Cora De Francesco: The Duane E. Roller Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Physics and Astronomy
Pictured Above: From left to right: Nathaniel Gunter, Katherine Sloan, and Kevin Robb. The Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy Award for Outstanding Scholarship by a Graduating Senior
Pictured Above: J. Alexander Yates: The Fowler Prize for the Outstanding Senior in the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy
Pictured Above: Jamie Boyd: The Dodge Prize for Outstanding Junior in the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy
Pictured Above: Simon Lowry: The William Schriever Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Physics and Astronomy
Pictured Above: Tanner Legvold: The J. Clarence Karcher Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Engineering Physics
Pictured Above: William McNulty: The J. Clarence Karcher Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Physics and Astronomy
Pictured Above: London Willson addressing the attendees.
Pictured Above: Mike Strauss announcing the awards.
Pictured Above: Phil Gutierrez addressing the department.
A student working on a precision photometry project that got its start at Scialog: Time Domain Astrophysics in 2015 has won the prestigious Robert J. Trumpler award, given each year to a Ph.D. thesis in North America of unusual importance to astronomy. Gudmundur Stefánsson, whose thesis work helped develop a novel Engineered Diffuser — a nanofabricated optical element — for achieving high-precision ground-based differential photometry, is currently a Henry Norris Russell postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University.
“This high-risk effort really took off thanks to Scialog funding,” said Stefánsson’s Ph.D. advisor, Suvrath Mahadevan of Penn State. “It is making award-winning careers and a major scientific impact.”
Mahadevan was part of a team with Leslie Hebb of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and John Wisniewski of the University of Oklahoma who developed the concept, proposed and won seed funding for their project at the 2015 Scialog: Time Domain Astrophysics
meeting. Today, Engineered Diffuser technology is being used by an increasing number of telescopes around the world to better study extrasolar planets from the ground.
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The Fall 2021 Final Capstone talks were held on Friday December 10.
Time | Speaker | Advisor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
14:30 | Bianca Azartash Namin | Stupak | Muon Collider: A Search for New Physics with Anomalous Quartic-Gauge Couplings |
15:00 | Sara Paugh | Wisniewski | Probing Stellar Interiors Using Circumstellar Debris Disks |
16:00 | Luke Sturm | Abbott | Searching for Anomalous Quartic Gauge Couplings in WWy Events |
16:30 | John Milligan | Biedermann | Laser Frequency Offset Locking for Bragg Interferometry of Sr Atoms |
17:00 | Sara Zych | Dai | Galaxies in Cosmic Voids |
17:30 | Alexi Musick | Munshi | Simulated Dwarf Galaxies: Fitting with Density Profiles |
Pictured Above: Bianca Azartash-Namin during the Capstone research presentation.
Women in Physics (WiP) hosted Maggie Smith on November 29 from 12:30-1:30 pm in the student lounge (Nielsen 303). Maggie Smith visited from OU career services and spoke about resume writing and job search strategies.
The C&I Committee collated several relevant events, deadlines, and awards:
The Fern L. Holland Award is a $1,000 cash award recognizing a full-time undergraduate woman bearing the same spirit of Fern Holland, a desire to make a significant difference in the world around us in areas such as democracy, human rights, women's issues, or leadership. The award, sponsored by Student Affairs and Delta Gamma Fraternity, honors Fern Holland, a 1992 University of Oklahoma graduate, who was the first U.S. civilian killed in Iraq in 2004. Fern was an active student while at OU, involved on campus and in Delta Gamma Fraternity and the OU Panhellenic Association.
Award Process
Faculty and staff are asked to complete this nomination form for a current, full-time female student bearing the same spirit as Fern Holland, a desire to make a difference in the world around us via efforts impacting democracy, human rights, women's issues, or leadership.
Deadline for Nominations: Monday, January 31, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3HMW2uYQjoMDsl8
Note: Students should not actively seek nominations for this honor from faculty and staff.
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https://www.ou.edu/honors/undergraduate-research/mergler-award
Nancy L. Mergler Faculty Mentor Award for Undergraduate Research
The Nancy L. Mergler Faculty Mentor Award for Undergraduate Research was established in 2013 to recognize faculty excellence in supporting undergraduate research. Nominations are due to the Honors College by January 15 of each year. Applications may be submitted via email to mwdallam@ou.edu, or in hand to the Honors College main office, David L. Boren Hall, 1300 Asp, Room 160.
Criteria
This student-initiated award recognizes one faculty member each year for excellence in supporting undergraduate research. The nominee should demonstrate exemplary effort supporting individual and professional development of undergraduate research for OU students.
Nomination Procedures
Initiation
Each Fall term the Honors College will solicit nominations from all OU undergraduate students engaged in research.
