INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• Faculty Highlights/Research
• Outreach Activities/ Highlights
• Alumni News
• Graduate/Undergraduate News
• Staff News
• What's New

Special Points of Interest:

• Space Odyssey
• Faculty Directory
• Faculty Searches
• Pioneer 10 Says "Goodbye"
• Undergraduates/Graduates Receiving Degrees
• Fall Enrollment Numbers
• Alumni Update Form

Letter from the DEO

The Department has just completed another successful year, for which our faculty, staff, and students can all be proud. This newsletter outlines just a few of their many accomplishments, which we are excited to share with you. During the year, the Department completed a new strategic plan, which includes a hiring plan focused on continuing our prominence in the space sciences, maintaining our strength in particle physics, and further developing the condensed matter area of the Department through an emphasis on the nanosciences. As part of this plan, the Department is conducting two faculty searches this year for a plasma theorist and a space-based astrophysicist.

Tom Boggess

The strategic plan is also aimed at strengthening our graduate program, and we continue to make strides in this area. With the help of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS), we have significantly raised our graduate student stipends, and we continue to increase our graduate enrollment. Spring and Fall 2003 admissions brought 16 new students to the department, bringing our total graduate enrollment up to 65.

Outreach, both to UI non-science majors and to the public, is another important focus of the Department. Last year, Professor Fred Skiff built upon our tradition of delivering general education outreach courses by developing and teaching a new course entitled, "The Physics of Sound." Public outreach activities included participation in the State Fair, continuation of the Family Adventures in Science program, the development of a Public Lecture Series, and Prof. Don Gurnett's joint effort with the Kronos Quartet to present Sun Rings, a musical piece based on Don's collection of the sounds of space.

We continue to pride ourselves on our research accomplishments. More than ever, our faculty, staff, and students are being recognized for their research accomplishments. Our external funding continues to lead the CLAS, which remains supportive even in these financially challenging times. The College provided major funding this year for upgrading our machine shop, an investment that will enhance current research activity and help to attract new faculty. Undergraduate research was significantly enhanced through a major gift from Professor James Van Allen, who established a fund for undergraduate research projects. The strength of the undergraduate program was also reflected in the selection of four students as summer staff members at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

As we look toward the challenges of the coming year, I hope that our alumni and friends will take an active role in shaping the future of our Department by building on these recent accomplishments. As always, you have my sincere thanks for your continuing support.