Society of Physics Students hosts sister chapters for zone meeting

Each year, the Society of Physics Students (SPS) participates in the SPS Zone 16 Regional Meeting, a student-led, two day long event. This month, the ASU chapter of SPS had the honor of hosting the annual meeting here in Tempe.  Approximately 40 students from Northern Arizona University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, New Mexico State University, University of Texas at El Paso and ASU attended the meeting which also featured a Friday evening reception, a breakfast and presentation sponsored by the ASU Physics Graduate Program, and undergraduate research presentations. ASU Physics Regents' Professor David Smith delivered a keynote address followed by tours of his electron microscopy lab and ASU Physics Chair Robert Nemanich's lab. Students found the lab tours particularly interesting and one of several highlights throughout the meeting.

A picture perfect picnic...























...thanks SPS for a great event!

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From the Chair...

Reflections on the Origins Symposium

In early April, I had the pleasure of attending the Origins Symposium; an event that brought together leading scholars to explore origins in the broadest possible context. This was one of those gatherings that highlighted tremendous gains in knowledge and presented thought-provoking reflections on even greater questions.  The overall event, organized by Professor Lawrence Krauss of ASU Physics and the School of Earth & Space Exploration and supported by a distinguished program committee, offered a multifaceted program that included student focused workshops, a symposium of leading scholars and noted authors, and a public session that completely filled Gammage Auditorium from morning through night.

     While the breadth of the Symposium was spectacular, the concepts of physics were evident at every turn. Many of our physics students and most of our faculty attended various sessions.
     It is noteworthy that the ‘Origins’ concept developed from a small working group of faculty who challenged each other to look beyond traditional organization of knowledge and events and to consider everything in the broadest context.  President Crow was often part of this group and I recall how our discussions were stimulated as we suggested books to each other that crossed the spectrum of knowledge and events.  I also clearly remember the meeting where the group converged on ‘Origins’ as a title to this cross cutting approach.  With the addition of Lawrence Krauss, this group of faculty is now exploring ways to incorporate the Origins concepts into our student curricula.  The Origins Symposium was the highlight event that set the stage for the cross campus Origins Initiative.
     Let me take a few moments to highlight some of my memories of the event. I had never attended a radio event in person. The Science Friday broadcast was eye opening as I was able to watch how scholars can phrase their comments in ways that engage the broadest group imaginable. I was impressed how host Ira Flatow moderated the panel of distinguished cosmologists (including Lawrence Krauss). Questions from listeners and the auditorium audience drew thoughtful responses that more often than not stimulated discussion among the panel themselves.  They often went far beyond the original question to explore challenges from their scholarly perspectives.

The symposium was structured as a series of panels where each panelist developed a short but concise response to a specific ‘Origin’ theme and then responded to questions and comments from the other panelists and symposia attendees.
    All of the presentations at the public sessions were spectacular, and the audience seemed enthralled as they were challenged with ever more complex questions. Professor Steven Pinker’s elegant discussion on language and intellect was very interesting. His talk challenged long held concepts and suggested a link between language and cognition.  Lawrence Krauss’s interview of Professor Brian Greene was an intriguing way for these two leaders in the field to frame areas of agreement and of conflict in the potential and success of string theory’s attempt to meld quantum theory and the theory of gravitation. At one of the social events, I was able to chat with Nobel Prize physicist Frank Wilczek.  He is a very approachable individual who cares deeply about his students’ learning. His responses on the panel discussion demonstrated his amazing ability to provide exceptionally clear explanations of some of the most complex issues.
     The Arizona Science Center was one of the visible supporters of the event. The Origins event served as an excellent backdrop to their plans for the “International Year of Astronomy 2009 at the Arizona Science Center.”  The plans include public telescope viewings, hands-on astronomy programs with labs and stargazing evenings, and a series of presentations at the Dorrance Planetarium.  I invite you to visit  www.azscience.org for more information.
    The Origins event was most special in the way it engaged both scholars and the public, the way it expressed gains in our understanding in the transitions of our universe, and in the way it framed questions that crossed all fields of science.  I was awed and amazed at every talk, panel, comment and question. The Origins Symposium was a pinnacle at the juncture of great learning and even greater questions ahead.

 

                                      Robert J. Nemanich
                                                  Chair & Professor of Physics
 

In the next issue... Highlights from the ASU Physics Awards & Recognition Ceremony and Spring 2009 commencement!