AY 2006-2007 Department News!

Here is a listing of departmental colloquia for Fall 2006 and Spring 2007.

Recent departmental publications can be found on the professional activities page.

Past departmental news can be found in the news archive.

Spring 2007

Grant Received: Professor Hans Pfister received a $10,000 Keystone Innovation Zone grant for his project "Micropulse Dental Crown and Bridge Remover."

Grant Received: Professor Catrina Hamilton-Drager received a $53,525 grant from the California Institute of Technology's Spitzer Science Center program. Her project is titled "Extending the Timeline for Angular Momentum Evolution: What Role do Disks Play in Regulating stellar Rotation at 5Myr?"

Grant Received: Professor Lars English received a $29,230 grant from Research Corporation for his project "Generation of Lattice Solitons Via Modulational Instability in Discrete Electronic Transmission Lines."

Grant Received: Professor David Jackson received a CPC-Mellon grant of $6,000 to support his project "An Experimental Investigation of the Labyrinthine Finger Width in a Magnetic Liquid."

New Major Induction Ceremony: On Monday, March 26 at 4:30 pm, we will welcome the newest member of the department. Come meet the latest students who have declared physics as their major.

Publication: Professor David Jackson and Narelle Hillier ('06) published an article titled " Width of a Ferrofluid Finger: Hysteresis and a Double Energy Minimum" in the journal Physical Review E.

Fall 2006

Retirement: After more than 35 years of teaching at Dickinson College, popular Professor T. Scott Smith is retiring. He begins his retirement with six weeks in India and will return to begin the ominous task of cleaning out his office. He will be missed by all.

Professor of the Month: In December, 2006 Robert Boyle was chosen as Professor of the month by Dickinson College's chapter of the Pi Beta Phi Women's Fraternity. Congratulations Professor Boyle!

Publication: Professor Lars English published an article titled "On the 'Emptiness' of Particles in Condensed Matter Physics" in the journal Foundations of Science.

Sigma-Pi-Sigma: On Monday, Nov. 20 at 4:30, we will be holding an induction ceremony to welcome the newest members of Sigma-Pi-Sigma, the national physics honor society. Bob Ekey (Dickinson class of 1999), an Assistant Professor from Mary Washington College, will be giving the keynote address titled "Lasers, Discharges, and Fingerprints of Molecules." This will be followed by dinner with the entire department. Mark your calendars!

25 Years: Professor Robert Boyle is being honored for 25 years of college service on Sept. 21, 2006. Congratulations Robert!

Star Party: The astronomy club is hosting a star party on Friday, September 29. There will be a planetarium show at 7:00 followed by the star party on the roof of Tome at 8:00. All are welcome to attend!

Student Talks: Come hear about what some Dickinson physics majors were doing over the summer. On Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, several students will be talking about their summer research experiences. Check the colloquium schedule for more information.

Exemplary Practice: In a College Board Advanced Placement Best Practices Course Study involving 139 introductory physics courses from across the country, Workshop Physics was designated an "exemplary practice" course by a panel of national experts in Physics. This is the highest designation awarded and only a very few courses in the study met this standard of distinction and excellence!

Welcome Back Students: On Monday, Sept. 11, the Department will be holding a welcome back colloquium and BBQ for our majors. The colloquium will be held in Tome 115 at 4:30 to be followed by dinner behind the building.

We're Hiring: The Department is currently advertising for a tenure track assistant professor to begin in August, 2007. Check out the search page for more information.

Summer 2006

Wedding: Professor Kerry Browne was married to Rachel Sanders on Saturday, June 24 in Newport, RI. Congratulations Kerry and Rachel!

Gordon Research Conference: Professor Kerry Browne co-chaired a Gordon Research Conference in physics research and education on the topic of electromagnetism. In conjunction with this effort, he was also a guest editor for a theme issue of the American Journal of Physics.

A Warm Welcome: We'd like to officially welcome our newest faculty member to the department. Professor Catrina Hamilton-Drager will be arriving over the summer and will begin her duties in the Fall semester. Welcome Catrina!

New Chair: Effective July 1, Professor David Jackson will be the new department chair.

A Fond Farewell: The Department would like to offer a fond farewell to Professor Richard Greenberg who has been visiting us during his 2005-06 sabbatical. After some summer travel, Professor Greenberg will be returning to the University of Arizona.

Summer Seminars: Professor Priscilla Laws is helping run two week-long National Science Foundation sponsored activity-based teaching seminars. The first is offered June 18-22 and the second is offered June 25-29. More information on these and other workshops is available on the Workshop Physics website.

Past departmental news can be found in the news archive.