UI Physics & Astronomy
2000 Newsletter

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:


Special Points of Interest:

What's New

New Scholarships Established

This year several new scholarships have been established--the Charles Wert Scholarship, the Henry Swift Scholarship, and the Nicholson Award.

Charles Wert Scholarship--Charles Wert, a 1943 MS and 1948 PhD graduate of The University of Iowa, is a leading figure in the field of materials physics. Last year Charles visited the Department, meeting with several students and faculty. He established a new scholarship that will help fund undergraduate research and professional travel.

Henry Swift Scholarship--Henry Swift is a 1941 MS and 1943 PhD graduate from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Henry now lives in Albuquerque. His unrestricted gift of $20,000 is being used to fund a new scholarship.

The Nicholson Award--Established by two students of Dwight Nicholson, Mei-Mei Shen and Gordon Guozheng Sun, the Nicholson Award acknowledges Dwight's commitment to helping new graduate students. This $1,000 scholarship is given to an entering graduate student.
Mei-Mei Shen and Guozheng Sun are working with Prof. Gerald Payne in setting up a permanent fund to support the award. Mei-Mei and Guozheng plan to contribute additional funds over the next three to five years to endow the award. Anyone who wants to support this award is welcome to contribute.
For information about contributing to the fund, contact Robin Paterson at 319-335-1688 or send an e-mail to robin-paterson@uiowa.edu.

QuarkNet2000

The QuarkNet program has completed the second year of its two-year program. QuarkNet is an innovative program funded by the National Science Foundation in an effort to involve high school physics teachers in leading-edge particle physics research and introduces them to new ideas in particle physics that can be integrated into high school physics classes. This year the program brought together seven high school physics teachers from across the state of Iowa for a three-week workshop in June. This summer's participants included: Kristin Duning (Marion High School), Jim Grife (Mitchellville), Brian Howes (Hempstead High School), Greg Nelson (Ames), Bob Veselis (Cal High School), Peter Bruecken (QuarkNet lead teacher, Bettendorf High School), and Jeff Dilks (QuarkNet lead teacher, Ames High School). Nural Akchurin (UI Research Scientist) and John Hauptman (Iowa State University Professor) were program mentors. Jeff Dilks and Peter Bruecken also actively participated in The University of Iowa's elementary particle physics group's research with the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment.
Overall, participants were very pleased with the workshop ... "The way the group worked together and lead teachers helped us was fantastic" ... "I was pleased with all the experiences; I walk away from this with a great deal of confidence and knowledge. It will improve my teaching of physics and chemistry" ... "I am definitely going to integrate some of the new material into my curriculum" ... "A great learning experience." To learn more about the QuarkNet program, check out the web site at http://www.cerncourier.com/main/article/40/1/18.

Commons Renovation

   Commons
Students take time out to study and relax in the newly remodeled commons room.
One highlight of the year is our newly redecorated commons room. A paint job, new furnishings, and framed posters depicting major advances in physics for the past century make the room inviting for students, faculty, and staff. It has two computers for students to check their email, lockers for undergraduates to park their coats and books, a small physics library that works on the honor system, and a kitchen.
The room is well used by our students, who find it a comfortable place to relax between classes, do homework, eat, and socialize with faculty, staff, and other students. Use has increased significantly since the project was completed. Having this space contributes to building a sense of community among all members of the Department and will also benefit our recruiting efforts. We are grateful to all of our friends whose gifts helped fund this new look.