Left: The ACMAL graphic features an electron diffraction pattern, a Bragg diagram, an X-ray spectrum, a powder diffraction pattern, a lattice, and a photon. See an animated version on the ACMAL website.
In addition to the labs, facilities, and observatories hosted by the Physics Department, reseachers in the department also make use of the Electron Optics Facility and X-Ray Facility housed within ACMAL. ACMAL is part of the campus-wide Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (MCFF) at Michigan Tech.
The A.
E. Seaman Mineral Museum is located
on campus in the Electrical Energy Resources Center. The museum contains
a fine collection of local minerals, as well as fascinating specimens
from every part of the globe. Dr.
John Jaszczak, Professor of Physics, is the adjunct curator
of the museum. Jaszczak received the Michigan Tech Distinguished Service Award in 2007 for his work in the museum.
Left:Cat's
Eye Nebula, Hubble space image.
Credit: NASA, ESA,
HEIC, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
Acknowledgment: R. Corradi (Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, Spain) and Z. Tsvetanov
(NASA).
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different
image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along
with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Dr.
Robert Nemiroff, Professor of Physics, is a co-author of APOD along
with Jerry Bonnell.
The mission of ASISC is "to foster a research base that promotes synergy between academic and industrial interests, leading to a new generation of sustainable, economical iron and steel making technologies." Members include Associate Professor of Physics Dr. Ranjit Pati.
CSERI is part of the Computational Science and Engineering Program at Michigan Tech. The institute seeks to develop "problem-solving methodologies and robust tools for the solution of scientific and engineering problems." Physics people in the institute include Dr. Uli Hansmann, Dr. John Jaszczak, Dr. Robert Nemiroff, and Dr. Warren Perger.
Left: Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) false color composite of the tip of the Keweenaw
Peninsula. Image processing by Dave Schneider.
The Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (formerly the Remote Sensing Institute) facilitates and promotes research and education in interdisciplinary areas spanning Earth and its ecosystems to the reaches of intergalactic space. Twenty faculty representing seven different departments are members of EPSSI, including currently 6 faculty from physics. The Director of the EPSSI is Dr. Will Cantrell. UN 4000 REMOTE SENSING
SEMINAR SERIES
Physics graduate students routinely place high in the annual Graduate Student Council (GSC) Poster Session Competition. Past winners include Jiesheng Wang, Vijaya Kumar Kayastha, Raghav Rao Vanga, Jacob Fugal and Teboh Roland.
Left: Deep Space 1 Using Its Ion Engine.
The spacecraft is approaching the comet 19P/Borrelly. Its primary
mission was to serve as a technology demonstrator—testing
ion propulsion and 11 other advanced technologies—successfully
completed in September 1999. NASA image.
Left:"Cloud Laboratory" building that houses the LACIS chamber.
Associate Professor of Physics Dr. Raymond Shaw does cloud research in Germany. His main work there involves the Leipzig Aerosol-Cloud Interaction Simulator (LACIS), a large cloud chamber that allows the environment of aerosol and cloud particles to be precisely varied and the response of the particles measured throughout the experiment. Shaw and collaborators have developed a set of experiments to carry out in LACIS that should provide new insight into a surface crystallization effect measured in the Shaw Cloud Physics Laboratory at Michigan Tech. His stay in Germany is supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a non-profit foundation established by the Federal Republic of Germany for the promotion of international research cooperation. This interaction opens up an avenue for future collaboration between colleagues in Germany and researchers in the Department of Physics at Michigan Tech.
The Physics Department is a participating department for Major
Field Tests administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). Our seniors consistently
excel at this test, and in 2003 scored in the 99th percentile.
MuSTI at Michigan Tech promotes interdisciplinary research and the implementation of nanotechnologies and microtechnologies into deployable systems. Ten departments and colleges on campus are involved in this initiative. Participating Physics faculty include Dr. John A. Jaszczak, Dr. Miguel Levy, Dr. Ravi Pandey, Dr. Ranjit Pati, and Dr. Yoke Khin Yap.
Left: 3D microbattery of vertical carbon nanotube
towers. Illustration taken from a 3D animation by Yap and
Hill.
Electronic delivery and emerging technologies are natural partners in the
new millenium. NANOPOLIS™ is
presenting a CD-ROM based Encyclopedia series. The series includes "Exploring
Nanotechnology", the first multimedia encyclopedia on nanotechnology.
Associate Professor Dr. Yoke Khin Yap contributed
text and animated content
on Lithium Ion Batteries, Pulsed Laser Deposition, and Chemical Vapor Deposition,
making Michigan Tech a partner university of NANOPOLIS™.
"Nanotech Innovations" is the name of the recently-formed Nanotechnology Enterprise team at Michigan Tech. The team is supervised by Professor of Physics Dr. John Jaszczak, who specializes in theory and computer modeling of materials. Dr. Jaszczak is especially interested in natural graphite, providing expert advice for one of the team's projects: the Naturally Graphite store.
Left: AFM image of nanoshell structures formed by 7-nm coated Au
particles, courtesy of Dr. Edward Nadgorny. False color.
The nano.mtu.edu subdomain ties together
nanoscale interests across campus. Research, education, and outreach
topics in nanotechnology and multi-scaled phenomena are indexed for
the science and engineering departments at Michigan Tech. Dr.
John Jaszczak, Professor of Physics, is the interim coordinator
for nano.mtu.edu.
Left: Screen captures of nanotechnology
animations related to research
and education at Michigan Tech.
Nanotechnology
Undergraduate Education involves the NSF-funded multi-departmental project “Undergraduate
Exploration of Nano-Science, Applications, and Societal Implications
at Michigan Tech.” Achievements of the project include:
"Naturally Graphite" is the name of a new store specializing in supply of natural graphite samples and substrates for research and industry. The store is a project of the Nanotechnology Enterprise team at Michigan Tech. The store receives consultation from Professor of Physics Dr. John Jaszczak, who is an internationally recognized expert in the area of natural graphite crystals.
Left: Protein with amino acids listed in the background.
Amino acid sequence analysis (bioinformatics) is combined with physics-based
simulations to predict the 3D structure of the protein.
Dr. Uli Hansmann is collaborating with
the John von Neumann
Institute for Computing to build up his new research group "Computational
Biology and Biophysics". Supercomputers are needed to explore the properties
and innumerable configurations of proteins. Research into the mis-folding
of proteins is related to neurodegenerative disease in humans.
Left: Captures of live sky images in the public domain.
The Night
Sky Live Observatory makes use of CONCAMS. CONCAM is a CONtinuous
CAMera that is placed somewhere in the world with a fisheye lens
to watch the entire sky every night. Each camera takes a 180-second
exposure every 4 minutes, then relays the data back to nightskylive.net.
Collectively, these physical CONCAM devices are part of the Night
Sky Live project that also includes people, data, web pages, etc.
Public domain access to the images has
spurred collaborations and discussions with professional and amateur
astronomers worldwide. The CONCAM project is led by Professor
Robert Nemiroff and includes
team members among the Physics Department staff and graduate students.
Left: Fred Walter McNair, President, Michigan College of Mines, 1916.
The first physics classes were held in 1887
when MTU was called the Michigan Mining School. Since that time, the
department has introducing many interesting physicists and academic
accomplishments to campus. Campus buildings have been named after McNair
and Fisher, and the Tamarack Mine Experiments have been recognized
by Guinness World Records. Learn
more about the department history, as compiled
by Professor of Physics Dr. Bryan Suits.
Dr. Bryan Suits maintains a website on the Physics of Music - Notes. There you'll find information on scales, making your own flutes and windchimes, room acoustics, and white noise sources.
The Auger Collaboration is a global consortium
responsible for the construction and utilization of the Pierre Auger
Cosmic Ray Observatory. The Auger
Project at Michigan Tech is coordinated by Dr.
Dave Nitz, Professor of Physics, and Dr.
Brian Fick,
Associate Professor of Physics. The Pierre
Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory is a multinational
research initiative utilizing the largest observatory in
the world. It is located in Argentina. Auger North will be constructed in southeastern Colorado.
SPS, or the Society of Physics
Students,
is the local chapter of a national professional
society for physics students and their mentors. SPS is an AIP (American
Institute of Physics) Member Society.
The Gratiot Lake Conservancy (GLC) sponsors an annual StarWatch. The GLC Astronomy Gathering is held on Brockway Mountain, featuring star guides Dr. Robert Nemiroff and the Michigan Tech Astronomy Students. Photos of StarWatch events since 2002 are posted in Past Programs on the GLC website.
Undergraduate physics majors have participated in Michigan Tech's SURF initiative, doing research with faculty in Physics and other departments. Past physics major participants include Caleb Carlin, Ben Coupland, Dan Freeman, Matthew Hansen, Rachel Rosten, Matthew Davenport, and Jessica Tracey.
Left: Ash and Steam, Soufriere Hills Volcano, Monserrat,
courtesy of Visible
Earth by NASA.
The Volcanic
Clouds Study Group at Michigan
Tech is dedicated to understanding volcanic eruptions, their resulting
volcanic clouds, and the communication and mitigation associated with
volcanic hazards. The Atmospheric
Physics Group in the Department
of Physics is associated with the Volcanic Clouds Study Group. The
group includes three faculty, Dr. Will Cantrell, Dr. Alex Kostinksi,
and Dr. Ray Shaw, as well as several graduate students.
