THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY — BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY — FALL 2014
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COVER IMAGE: Dr. Gus Hart and his graduate student Conrad Rosenbrock use computational methods to understand the properties of materials. The cover shows a representation of crystal lattices. Using supercomputers, Dr. Hart and his students work to discover new materials with new and useful properties.
CONTENTS CHAIR’S MESSAGE
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FEATURE STORIES The Alumni Homecoming Reunion
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A Lifelong Curiosity
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Nuclear Physics at BYU
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The Building Blocks of Physics
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NEW HIRES//IN REMEMBRANCE//SRC STUDENTS
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DEPARTMENT CALENDAR
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Aimee Robbins Scott Bergeson Ye Liang, Josh Siebert
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Editor Faculty Advisor Layout & Design
FROM THE CHAIR Richard Vanfleet
PHOTO: courtesy of BYU Photo
Scholarship. A donor started the process to endow a scholarship for students working on physics teaching degrees. The scholarship will be named after Richard Hales, a faculty member from 1952 until his unexpected death from cancer in 1964. While this endowment matures, we have started awarding half-tuition Richard Hales Scholarships, focusing on students who are completing their student teaching experiences and find it difficult to work other jobs.
I have been the department chair for a full year now. It has been illuminating, sometimes overwhelming, and at times even exciting. It has been especially fun to see our department’s successes. Let me start with some numbers. In 2013, we graduated 51 bachelor’s degrees, 5 master’s degrees, and 2 doctoral degrees. Our faculty was awarded $1.35 million in new or continuing research grants and about $400,000 in beam and observing time on large facilities. We published 65 peer reviewed research articles, and our faculty and students made 150 presentations at conferences. These all point to a vibrant teaching and research environment in the department. We have a great program in physics teaching. I like to show people the accompanying graph from a report by the Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics. The graph plots a histogram of the number of teaching graduates in a two-year period. As you can see, this distribution is peaked at zero, with 90% of the programs graduating an average of 2 or fewer physics teachers per year. Our department clearly stands out as the very last point in the distribution, graduating more teachers than any other institution. Another exciting development related to physics education is a new Endowed
We greatly appreciate donations from you, our alumni, faculty, and friends. These donations have given us freedom to respond to the varied needs of the department over the years. Using endowed and gift funds, we have been able to award the equivalent of about 20 half-tuition scholarships for the upcoming fall or winter semesters. If you would like to donate to these scholarship funds, please contact Brent Hall (801-422-4501 or brenth@byu.edu) in the college office or me (801-422-1702 or rrv3@byu.edu). One of our greatest assets in helping our current students is our former students. Please consider some ways you can help beyond financial donations. Keep us updated about internship and job opportunities within your influence. Come talk to our students about what you do. Help mentor our students by taking one to lunch or offering to help as an advisor on a project. When you are in Provo, please stop by and see us. We have special events associated with Homecoming in October and graduations in April and August, but will be happy to see and visit with you any time.
A histogram of physics teaching graduates over a two-year period. Adapted from “Transforming the preparation of physics teachers: a call to action.”
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THE ALUMNI HOMECOMING REUNION Article by Mackenzie Brown
Homecoming week is a time for alumni, students, and faculty to come together to have good fun and good food in good company. The Department of Physics and Astronomy has always put on a celebration for homecoming week in the past by showing planetarium and physics demo shows, putting on tours of the underground laboratory, and showing Physics and Astronomy pride by going to the Homecoming Spectacular together. This tradition will be continued this year, including the popular buffetstyle dinner before the festivities. “Homecoming week is a unique opportunity for the past, the present and the future of our department to get together,” Jean-Francois Van Huele, the head of the Homecoming committee, said. “It provides our students with opportunities to imagine the future, gain information about careers and make connections for jobs, as well as being an opportunity for input and feedback from alumni active in the world of physics and beyond. We hope many alumni will choose to join us again this year.” 4
The annual Alumni Homecoming Reunion put on by the Department of Physics and Astronomy will be held Friday, October 17, 2014, in the Pendulum Court of the Eyring Science Center (ESC). A buffetstyle dinner will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. that evening. Half-hour planetarium shows will be held in the Royden G. Derrick Planetarium in the ESC at 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Half-hour physics demonstration shows will also start at 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. All events in the ESC are free for alumni and their spouses. Additionally, physics and astronomy alumni can purchase discounted tickets for the Homecoming Spectacular, held October 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marriott Center. Tickets can be purchased beginning September 10. Physics and Astronomy alumni will have an alternative opportunity to attend a public talk by distinguished space and planetary scientist Margaret Kivelson in connection with the 2014 meeting of the Four Corners Section of the American Physical Society at UVU. Contact physalum@byu.edu for more information or to RSVP.
TOURS
ASTROFEST
Free tours are offered for any member of the community interesting in learning about the department’s research or facilities. The department offers tours of the anechoic and reverberation facilities, the ESC lobby, the Royden G. Derrick Planetarium, electron microscopes, and other research rooms.
Each year, the BYU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences holds Astrofest, a festivity focused on getting kids excited about astronomy. Parents are able to bring their kids to the Eyring Science Center and participate in many different activities, all of which are free of charge. Many student volunteers help make the day possible and successful.
Acoustics tours can be scheduled by contacting Kent Gee (801.422.1544 or kentgee@byu.edu), who is a member of the acoustics group. Other tours can be arranged by contacting any other member of the department. Acoustics tours can be scheduled by contacting Kent Gee (801.422.1544 or kentgee@byu. edu), who is a member of the acoustics group. Other tours can be arranged by contacting any other member of the department.
SOUNDS TO ASTOUND The Acoustics Research Group’s “Sounds to Astound” shows can excite children and adults of all ages. Students who are studying acoustics demonstrate the power of sound through exciting experiments that teach about waves, decibels, and resonance. The shows, which are free of charge, are held several times a year and are sponsored by the BYU Student Chapter of the Acoustical Society of America, the BYU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and the BYU Department of Physics and Astronomy. http://www.physics.byu.edu/research/ acoustics/outreach.aspx
Astrofest will be held May 2015. Check our website for more info and possible date changes. http://www.physics.byu.edu/clubs/ astrosoc/astrofest/
PLANETARIUM On Friday nights, the planetarium hosts public shows, many that included exciting themes such as the murder mystery “Murder on the Solar System Express,” as well as shows specifically about planets or stars. Tickets for these shows are only $2, and the shows last an hour. Outreach shows are designed to teach children, students, and youth groups about astronomy and only cost $1 per person. Groups with at least 20 people can reserve a show, and smaller groups, such as homeschool groups, are welcome to enjoy the regularly scheduled shows. A calendar of upcoming events can be found on the planetarium’s home page: planetarium.byu.edu
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A LIFELONG CURIOSITY Article by Mackenzie Brown Children are naturally curious creatures and most adults are hard-pressed to answer their sometimes-poignant questions; however, Rebecca Carlson, a stay-at-home physics graduate and teacher, is uniquely qualified to satisfy their every query. Carlson, who graduated in ’95 from BYU with her undergraduate degree in physics, is a teacher. She has taught math classes at Utah State University. She currently teaches math and physics classes at Brigham Young UniversityHawaii while raising her five children. “Having an undergraduate degree in a math-intensive field like physics made me eligible to teach Math 99 at USU, as did my minor in math,” Carlson said. “Because of my background in physics I especially enjoyed teaching the students how to set up and solve practical math problems, like geometry or motion.”
“I may not use quantum mechanics in my daily life, but I use the attitudes I developed as a physics student every day,” Carlson said. “Physics is great for building common sense about the world. It taught me to stop and think about the forces involved before building
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PHOTOS: courtesty of Rebecca Carlson
Her ability to teach classes came as a great blessing to her during her third pregnancy. It paid for their medical bills during a time when their health insurance didn’t cover the cost. Paying the bills is an obvious benefit to getting her degree, but Carlson didn’t get her degree only to be financially secure; she loves physics.
something like a cabinet or making a home repair. It taught me that I could solve problems with reasoning, math, and data. It also gave me a sense of wonder about commonplace things, which I love to share with my kids.” Conversations around the dinner table are never boring at the Carlson house. Both Rebecca and Russel (Rebecca’s husband) teach at BYU-Hawaii and encourage curiosity in their children. “One night at the dinner table, one of my boys asked what made things cold, and he got a lecture on cryogenics,” Carlson said. “That was probably more than he wanted as a six year old, but now he’s one of the top students in his science classes in high school.”
PHOTOS: courtesty of Rebecca Carlson
Hawaii is a beautiful place where the sun and the waves are a constant reminder of natural forces. Carlson uses this to her advantage and points out fascinating things to her children whenever she can. From solar energy to dissecting wave patterns to showing solar eclipses, the Carlson’s laboratory can be seen all around them. “Last year we had a partial solar eclipse in Hawaii, and all my neighbors gathered in front of my house where I had my telescope out to project an image of the sun and also a couple pairs of solar glasses to pass around,” Carlson said. “We’re all BYU-Hawaii professors in my neighborhood, so other people were bringing out their pinhole shoebox projectors, and we all had a great time.”
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REFLECTING ON 30 YEARS OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS AT BYU
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PHOTOS: Josh Siebert
Article by Mackenzie Brown
Bart Czirr has had a lifelong interest in the problems and techniques of experimental nuclear physics. This interest started early and grew during his long career in the nuclear physics field that included stints working at national laboratories at Hanford, WA, and Livermore, CA. Czirr has worked as an adjunct faculty in the BYU Department of Physics and Astronomy for thirty years. He has been retired for a few years, but, until recently, has continued researching and mentoring students here at BYU, primarily because he loves his work. “Physics is a very demanding discipline, but the rewards can be great because the results often provide leverage in other fields of science and technology, and in practical problems of national importance,” Czirr said.
PHOTOS: Josh Siebert
Recently, Czirr has been working with Dr. Lawrence Rees and John Ellsworth on a particular problem sent to them from the federal Department of Energy (DOE) and Homeland Security. Previously, nuclear weapons and materials were located using a Helium isotope that was produced as a by-product of nuclear materials production. Since nuclear weapons and materials development have largely been
halted, the DOE has had to reach out to scientist to research another way to track and locate nuclear materials. Czirr asserts that the problem is difficult, but they have focused in on two types of material to function as detectors. “We are working on materials that are very common: plastic and cadmium metal,” Czirr said. “We are looking for materials that the country is not going to run out of because of some problem in the future.” There are currently four other groups working on the contract for the DOE. Czirr said that even though the BYU team has been an underdog in competing with the national laboratories, the technology has a good shot at solving the problem. All of this, he said, is great for the students. “Concurrently with this project, we are training students,” Czirr said. “In my opinion, because of the importance of the work, the research makes an excellent senior thesis. My goal from the beginning has been to solve the problem first because it is so serious, but second, [to enable the students] to work on some real research, real in the sense that it is challenging, that we don’t know the answer, and that it is serious. There couldn’t be a better thing for a student to work on than something that is unknown and serious. That’s just as good as it gets.”
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THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF PHYSICS Article by Mackenzie Brown When stuck in traffic, most commuters blast the radio, think about what they are going to do when they get home, and . . . calculate travel time based on their estimated distance and miles per hour? Felipe Rivera, physics alum, frequently finds himself using his physics degree not only in his job working for Intel, but also in everyday activities. “To me as a physicist, physics is daily life,” Rivera said. “The more I seek to understand the physical world, the more I rely on physics to provide the governing laws to explain what I see around me.”
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At Intel, Rivera uses his degree to work with 14 nm, 10 nm, and 7 nm transistors in determining what steps in the manufacturing process prevent the transistors from being created perfectly every time. He counts the physics degree that he got from BYU as a big asset to his education. Away from Intel, Rivera enjoys spending time with his wife and six children, working around the house, and putting his degree to work in other ways, especially when it applies to teaching his children. “I love being able to involve those who work along my side and help them apply those
PHOTOS: courtesy of Felipe Rivera
“When it comes to music, I still cannot read music to save my life nor play the piano with both hands simultaneously,” Rivera said. “However, I rely on my physics training to figure out how to get the right sounds out of any instruments I see, and then entertain my kids with a few tunes.” Physics is always on Rivera’s mind, and that didn’t come with just a few years of study. Rivera has lived and breathed physics since he was young. “For as long as I can remember I’ve always had the desire to know how the world works, to know what the principles are that rule how everything behaves, and how everything interacts with each other to form what we see, hear, touch, taste, and feel. I’ve always been fascinated by the grandeur of creation itself, from the smallest building blocks to the massive universe which may contain it all. It was a good thing that, as a child, the extent of what I wanted to understand did not seem as big as it is.” That desire is what led Rivera to the life he has today. “The degree I received from BYU definitely prepared me,” Rivera said. “As part of the condensed matter group in the physics and astronomy department, I was able to study and learn about the properties of matter in a condensed state. The courses, labs, and training I received were directly applicable to my current employment.”
physical principles as we accomplish the task,” Rivera said. “This past week, my two oldest kids (ten and nine years old) helped me remodel our closet at home, and I enjoyed seeing them talk (in their terms) about the forces applied to the screws, the wall, the wooden panels, etc., to make sure that the closet did not fall down and that there was no failure on the individual components.” Rivera uses physics in his hobbies as well. In fact, Rivera enjoys playing any and all musical instruments. Even though he admits he can’t read sheet music, he hears and plays tunes that he can identify.
He especially counts working with his graduate advisor, Dr. Richard Vanfleet, as one of the best experiences in his schooling career. “Thanks to the hands-on experience I received under Dr. Vanfleet, I am able to give recommendations regarding the use of the tools, provide training, develop and learn new techniques, design experiments, and carry out the analytical duties of our TEM group,” Rivera said. “In short, the knowledge received and the skills learned under Dr. Vanfleet’s tutelage carry me through my day-to-day duties.”
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RECOGNITION Victor Migenes — Professor, Astronomy. Victor first received his BS from the University of Puerto Rico in 1977 in physics. He then received his MS and PhD in physics and astrophysics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1987 and 1989 (respectively). After Victor graduated, he went to the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and worked as a postdoctoral research assistant from 1989 to 1992. From 1992 to 1995 he worked at the Australian Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, in Australia. Victor started teaching as a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy here at BYU in 2009. Victor’s research is focused on radio astronomy in the areas of star formation and stellar evolution, and recently, he worked to successfully install a new radio telescope on the top of the Eyring Science Center as part of a small radio array. In addition to his research, Victor has really enjoyed working with and mentoring students. Victor is moving on to other job opportunities and is looking forward to see where his career will take him next.
NEW HIRE Elizabeth Jeffery — Professor, Astronomy. Elizabeth graduated from BYU in astronomy in 2003 with minors in music and math. She attended the University of Texas at Austin for her master’s and PhD, both in astronomy. From there, Elizabeth worked as a post doc at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. For two semesters during graduate school and her post doc she worked as an adjunct professor at Siena College in Albany, New York, and Loyola University in Baltimore. Since 2011, Elizabeth has been a visiting assistant professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Her research interests center on the study of stellar evolution, especially star clusters, white dwarf stars, and variable stars. Elizabeth is an observational astronomer and has observed with telescopes in Texas, Arizona, Chile, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Zachary Anderson—Kent Gee
Andrew Davis—Richard Vanfleet
Spencer Hart—Gus Hart
Jason Anderson—David Allred
Vandy Durfey—Gus Hart
Craig Higgins—Larry Rees
Pegah Aslani—Scott Sommerfeldt
Jacob Embley—John Colton
Kenneth Hinton—David Allred
Lawrence Barrett—Robert Davis
Stephen Erickson—John Colton
Marcus Holden—J. Ward Moody
Dallin Barton—Richard Vanfleet
Nathan Eyring—Tim Leishman
Chuck Honick—Victor Migenes
Kendall Berry—Robert Davis
Derek Felli—Victor Migenes
Samuel Hord—Kent Gee
Dane Bjork—Mark Transtrum
Cory Finlinson—Justin Peatross
Travis Hoyt—Tim Leishman
Nathan Boyer—Robert Davis
Clement Gaillard—Denise Stephens
Candice Humpherys—Derek Thomas
Matt Burbidge—Gus Hart
John Gardiner—Jean-Francois Van Huele
Jarom Jackson—Dallin Durfee
Yanping Cai—Karine Chesnel
Adam George—J. Ward Moody
Jared Jay—David Neilsen
Matthew Calton—Tim Leishman
Forrest Glines—David Neilsen
Adam Johanson —Victor Migenes
Carla June Carroll—Mike Joner
Jacob Hansen—Gus Hart
Tyler Jones—Dallin Durfee
Benjamin Christensen—Derek Thomas
Eddie Hansen—Justin Peatross
Adam Kingsley —Dallin Durfee
Jacob Collings —Jean-Francois Van Huele
Blaine Harker—Kent Gee
Enoch Lambert—Dallin Durfee
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PHOTOS: courtesy of BYU Photo, Elizabeth Jeffery, and Jared Daily
PARTICIPATING STUDENTS AND FACULTY ADVISORS IN THE 2014 STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE
IN REMEMBRANCE Delbert Harold McNamara — A retired professor, Harold passed away on January 9, 2014, at the age of ninety. He attended the University of Utah before serving as an Ensign in the Navy during World War II. He married his late wife, Elmeda, in 1945. Later, he attended the University of California at Berkeley here he earned his bachelor’s and PhD degrees and worked as a postdoctoral research fellow. He joined the BYU faculty as a professor of astrophysics in 1955 and taught for over fifty years before retiring at age eighty-three.
William “Bill” Dean Daily, Jr. — A physics alum, William passed away June 2, 2014, at the age of seventy. He is survived by his wife, Kathy Bosworth, and their six children and seventeen grandchildren. Daily received his bachelor’s and PhD degrees from BYU working with Dr. Doug Jones and Dr. Jae Baliff in 1971. He worked in NASA’s Apollo program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) until his retirement in 2007. He instilled a sense of work and play in his family who remember him as an exceptional husband, father, and friend.
PHOTOS: courtesy of BYU Photo, Elizabeth Jeffery, and Jared Daily
Emma LeSueur Cunningham — A physics education alumna, Emma passed away on Wednesday, July 7, 2014, at the age of twenty-seven in Orlando, FL. She was accompanied in death by her expected son, Cyrus Reid. She is survived by her husband, Eric, and her daughter, Nora. Emma married Eric, also a physics alum, in 2010. While her husband was working on his PhD at the University of Central Florida, Emma taught physics at a local Orlando high school.
Kevin Laughlin—Robert Davis
Cameron Olsen—John Colton
Van Huele
Jacob Livingston – Justin Peatross
Derek Ostrom—Gus Hart
Kristian Sims—Ross Spencer
Mary Lyon – Scott Bergeson
Nils Otterstrom—Dallin Durfee
Dallin Smith—Dallin Durfee
Joshua Marx – Steve Turley
David Pace—Justin Peatross
Benjamin Smith—Branton Campbell
Joshua Matern – Jean-Francois Van Huele
Alden Pack—Mark Transtrum
Emily Stoker—Denise Stephens
Matthew McArthur—Larry Rees
Michael Pearson—Kent Gee
Trevor Stout—Kent Gee
Brandon McKeon—David Allred
Cody Petrie—Steve Turley
Greg Sutherland—Richard Vanfleet
Michael Meehan—John Colton
Alec Raymond—John Ellsworth
Bradford Talbert—Larry Rees
David Merrell—Derek Thomas
Brent Reichman—Kent Gee
Darren Torrie—Kent Gee
Kyle Miller—John Colton
Conrad Rosenbrock—Gus Hart
Cameron Vongsawad—Kent Gee
Taylor Morgan—David Neilsen
Joseph Rowley—Robert Davis
Tyler Westover—John Ellsworth
Jeshua Mortensen—Tim Leishman
Alex Safsten—Karine Chesnel
Brandon Wiggins—Victor Migenes
Jazz Myres—Kent Gee
Elizabeth Scott—Steve Turley
Darren Wood—Richard Vanfleet
Steven Noyce—Robert Davis
Prashanna Simkhada—Jean-Francois
Matthew Zachreson—Ross Spencer
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2014/2015 CALENDAR September 18 October 17
Summerhays Lecture Department Homecoming
October 17-18
Four Corners
January 3-6 March 21 March 2–6 April 24 May
2015 AAPT* Winter Meeting Student Research Conference APS** March Meeting National Physics Day Astrofest
July 25–29
2014 AAPT* Summer Meeting
* American Association of Physics Teachers 14
HBLL Auditorium - 7 p.m. Homecoming Reception (ESC Foyer) - 4 p.m. Planetarium Show - 4:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Physics Demo Show -4:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Homecoming Spectacular - 7:30 p.m. Utah Valley University in Orem, UT For more info: http://www.aps.org/units/4cs/ meetings/ San Diego, CA JKB San Antonio, TX ESC - for times: physics.byu.edu/clubs/ astrosoc/astrofest/ College Park, MD
** American Physical Society
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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY N281 EYRING SCIENCE CENTER BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY PROVO, UT 84604
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PROVO, UTAH PERMIT NO. 49
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