UI Physics & Astronomy
2003 Newsletter

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

What's New

Undergraduate Awards Created

Two new undergraduate awards have been established this year: the Van Allen Research Grant and the John Goodricke Award.

The Van Allen Research Grant was established by a private donation from Dr. James Van Allen. The research grant provides funding for personal stipends and ancillary expenses for undergraduate majors in physics and/or astronomy who undertake research projects under faculty guidance. Van Allen Research Grants are based on a brief written proposal, including budget, by the student and an endorsement by a mentoring member of the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The first recipients of this new grant are undergraduate students Brian Kessler, Anthony Link and Andrew Lytle.

The John Goodricke Award is given to an undergraduate student(s) at The University of Iowa for excellence and scholarship in undergraduate astronomy research. John Goodricke was a young astronomer born in 1764 who first observed variability of stars at the age of 17. He died at age 21 and was deaf and dumb all his life. The award was established by Professor Robert L. Mutel using personal funds. The 2003 award recipients are Thomas Cremieux and Christopher Richey.

New Equipment in Machine Shop

A Sharp manual lathe recently purchased for the machine shop.

The Department's machine shop recently acquired several pieces of new equipment. Through funding from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Department was able to purchase four new machines: an electrical discharge machine (EDM), a Milltronics CNC vertical milling machine, a Milltronics CNC lathe, and a Sharp manual lathe. The new equipment has also generated work from other departments on campus. After machine shop staff have been fully trained in the use of the equipment, the Department will have an open house to feature the new equipment and promote more business for the shop.

Department Hosts Public Mars Observing Sessions

This summer and fall has seen a particularly favorable opposition of the planet Mars, in which the Sun, Earth, and Mars are on a line, and the distance between the two planets reaches its minimum for that orbit. Due to the rather high eccentricity of the orbit of Mars (0.093) these oppositions vary; some are good, when Mars comes very close, and others are not so good. The distance of Mars at opposition can vary by a factor of two. The one this year was the best since 1924, and technically was the closest (by a very tiny amount) for 50,000 years. The true opposition came on August 27, when Mars was at its closest distance of 0.3727 astronomical units, or 55.8 million kilometers.

This was a great opportunity for amateur and professional astronomers. Even in a relatively small telescope (i.e., an 8-inch reflector) the major surface features of Mars could be seen, as well as their change during the night as the planet rotated. In addition, the south polar cap of Mars was clearly and strikingly visible.

Word got out about this, and the Department was bombarded by telephone calls about public observing sessions. The Department opened the roof on the nights of August 26, 27, and 28, and September 2, 3, and 4. The public response was overwhelming. For August 27, the night of closest approach, the roof was filled with people. It was estimated that more than 500 people came by. On the other nights, there were 200-300 visitors per night the first week, and 100-200 the second.

New Course Offered: Physics of Sound

This past spring, the Department offered a new undergraduate course - 29:044 Physics of Sound. The course, taught by Professor Fred Skiff, is an introductory course in acoustics, that requires no background in physics, music, or in mathematics beyond high-school algebra. Thus far, it has been well received by students.

In this course students look at the basic principles of vibrations and waves and apply them to understanding both simple effects, such as the Doppler effect and sound shadows, as well as the more complicated behavior of musical instruments. The ideas of simple harmonic motion, wave motion, resonance, and overtones, are applied to understanding the vibrations of strings and organ pipes as well as room acoustics. The course also takes a look at the operation of the human voice, the human ear and some of the peculiarities of human sound perception. Students learn how to analyze sound in terms of frequency analysis and spectrograms. The course makes extensive use of lecture demonstrations and short laboratory exercises completed during lecture. Starting in the spring of 2004, a laboratory component of the course is to be added.

Applied Physics Degree Gains Popularity

The applied physics program continues to attract to the Department students from other majors who are able to customize their programs by adding a second emphasis to their degree. Students currently in the program include computer science and engineering majors, those who will be continuing into physics graduate studies, and those going directly into industry. The Department offers BS degrees in four key areas of applied physics: computer science, medicine, photonics, and solid state physics. Students may also pursue a degree in other areas tailored to their specific needs. Details and sample curricula of the program are located on the web at www.physics.uiowa.edu/applied_physics/.