Awards & Recognition Ceremony...

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an experience he remembers as the "best time in (his) life". His poignant message was especially meaningful for the graduating students and their families in the audience.
   Stuart announced recipients of scholarships, fellowships, and awards (more here), and welcomed honored guests in the audience who have supported ASU Physics students. Among those guests were Ms. Peggy Wheatley and Mr. Robert Dieterle. Wheatley was on hand to congratulate the recipient of the John C. Wheatley Undergraduate Research Scholarship, established in honor of her late husband and former ASU Physics laboratory manager, John Wheatley. Dieterle established the Arek Dieterle Memorial Award in honor of his son who was a physics undergraduate and active member of the ASU chapter of the Society of Physics Students.
   Also on hand was Sid Bacon, Dean of Natural Sciences, who presented the Dean's Circle Scholarship. Bacon congratulated students, staff, faculty and community supporters on their efforts to continually enhance the study of physics at ASU.
   The event, which takes place each spring, marks the end of the academic year for ASU Physics. Watch the ASU Physics website for news of next year's ceremony scheduled for May 7, 2010.

Editor's note
Peg Stuart would like to thank Jill Kolp, Kirill Speranskiy, Araceli Vizcarra, Sabrina Mathues, and photographer Gema Alarcon for their help in making the 2009 Awards & Recognition Ceremony a terrific success.

From the Chair...

The Best Time
of the Year

This is a time of year that really exemplifies why I so enjoy working in higher education. Students are graduating, families are on campus, our department gathers to reflect on a successful year, many graduate students are moving into the scientific workforce, and we look forward to starting another year of terrific research, teaching, and service. I don't think there is a college graduate around who can ignore the energy and enthusiasm on campus during commencement. This year, that energy was amplified as the President of the United States was on hand to highlight the significance

of a college education. What a tremendous honor and what a special memory for our graduates to carry with them throughout their lives!
   I am so very proud of all our students, our wonderful faculty, and our hard-working staff. Together we have accomplished so much - as I outlined in my remarks during the 2009 ASU Physics Awards & Recognition Ceremony. I invite you to read the full text here.
   As we leave the 2008-2009 academic year, I thank everyone who has played a role in our success - students, faculty, staff, families, friends, alumni, and all those who support ASU Physics. Have a wonderful summer!

Alumni notes
Past, present, and future converge for visiting alumnus

Ronald W. Hanson is no stranger to higher education. In fact, he has spent the better part of his busy life either attending or supporting it. Hanson, a practicing cardiologist and ASU alumnus, graduated from ASU in 1972 with a Ph.D. in physics. A man with an insatiable love of learning and an amazing ability to adapt and expand his knowledge, he obtained a medical degree from the University of Alabama in 1977 and returned to Arizona as a resident at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, remaining there as a fellow through 1982. Not content with a Ph.D in physics and a medical degree, he went on to obtain his juris doctorate from the Birmingham School of Law in 1995. He has practiced cardiology in Alabama since 1982.
   Dr. Hanson visited his alma mater earlier this month to continue the process of establishing a future endowed chair in theoretical physics and to lay the groundwork for a generous estate gift. During his visit, he met with faculty, staff, students, and administrators to get a sense of the exciting research happening in ASU Physics today. He was especially impressed both with the enthusiasm exhibited by faculty - particularly young, junior faculty - and the incredible depth and breadth of physics research underway in the department.
 One theme permeated conversations throughout his visit. Dr. Hanson remembers his graduate school days with great fondness, citing them as the best time in his life. While visiting, there were many opportunities to reflect upon the remarkable changes that have occurred in the department since he graduated. One thing, however, was pleasantly familiar to him.  In an address to graduating ASU Physics students on May 8, 2009, he described a learning environment that positioned graduate students as intellectual colleagues

 - not subordinates - in the pursuit of knowledge. He noted that this environment was a stark contrast to the one he would encounter just a few years later while attending medical school at the University of Alabama. He happily reconnected with that collegiality while touring labs and chatting with faculty and students during his brief visit to ASU.
   Over the years since he left ASU, Dr. Hanson has always maintained a desire and intention to give back to the department that played such a special part in his life. The establishment of an endowed chair in theoretical physics is just one way he hopes to perpetuate the excellence that he experienced during his days at ASU.
   ASU Physics is proud to have Dr. Hanson among its alumni. We are immensely grateful for the support he and many other alumni contribute to the study of physics at ASU. If you would like to learn more about how you can be a part of the ASU Physics family, please visit http://physics.asu.edu/support.

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