Projects, students and teachers this summer:
Proposals, pictures and papers from this
summer's
group.
Participants below:
1. Ingrid Clay from Xavier University in New Orleans,
working on E865, studying backgrounds to the
unexpected, first order forbidden decay K+ to pion, muon and
electron. She worked with Julia Thompson and Dave
Kraus.
2. Oluwafemi Osidipe from the University of
New Orleans, working on the CosRayHS project with Julia Thompson
and Dave Kraus. Femi worked on communication
of the collected data between different computers.
3. Drew Thomas from Xavier University in New
Orleans,
working
with the CosRayHS project with Julia Thompson and Dave Kraus.
4. Elizabeth Weber from SIUE, working on the CosRayHS
project with Julia Thompson and Dave Kraus. Elizabeth
worked on analysis tools to study the data after collection.
5. Julie Breden , high school physics teacher,
Southwestern High School and Jersey Community High School,
will be working on the CosRayHS project with Julia Thompson
and Dave Kraus. She worked on aspects of the
equipment, with a special interest in developing modules at a
reasonable level to use with high school students.
6. Cliff Parker , high school physics teacher at
Edwardsville High School, also working on the CosRayHS project.
7. Michelle November, high school physics teacher
from Western Cape Province, South Africa, working on lead
abatement with Julia Thompson
8. Lunghisa Mavundla, high school physics teacher from
Western Cape Province, South Africa, working on physics
education research with Tom Foster.
The aim of the CosRayHS project is to study cosmic ray
rates as a function of shower separation, first with two
detectors into the same computer and then with two detectors
into different computers, communicating time stamp information
via GPS technology. If successful, this will establish a
prototype for individual detectors at participating area
high schools. Individual slants will be developed for each
participant.
Mentoring and Tutoring
We will worked with the TRIO
(Upward Bound) program of the SIUE E. St. Louis center.
(see the pictures in
the pictures
subdirectory of this web site.
The program was a combined one:
Discussion of the cosmic ray project, with activities,
by Julie Breden, Elizabeth Weber, and Drew Thomas. The activities
can be found in the hs_jb subdirectory on this web site.
Levers/see saws, hands on activiity.
Discussion with visiting South African teachers Lunghisa
Mavundla and Michelle November, comparing educational and other conditions
in the Capetown province and in the US.
Other Activities:
Our normal schedule was working Tuesday through Saturday.
June 15.
brown bag lunch at WASHU with noted general relativist
Prof. Clifford
Will (read his review article in The New Physics?)
visit to quasi-crystal group of Prof. Pat Gibbons and Prof. Ken
Kelton (visit 150-156 Compton to learn about the making, formability,
structure and stability of quasi-crystals. what's the connection
to rechargeable batteries? how is this all connected to nucleation
and growth in phase transformations?).
academics in Forest Park to allow swapped time for research full
day on Saturday.
June 21.
brown bag lunch with Prof. Art Braundmeier, Physics
Dept. Chair, SIUE. Welcome to SIUE Physics Dept, brief review
of de partment, discussion of his own research in optics, and visit to
his lab.
July 5-9 at Pittsburgh for mid-term presentations. leave
July 5 SW 1514 5:15 pm from STL to cleveland. Hope for Whitewater
Rafting in PIttsburgh July 8. Students and South African teachers
take overnight train from Pittsburgh July 8/9, spend day in Chicago,
arrive Alton approx. 9:47 pm on train 305.
July 12.
Prof. Jerry Pogatshnik, probably lunch seminar,
describing the course he is developing on the
history of the development of the atomic bomb.
July 17 E. St. Louis
Upward Bound Group. 10:00-12:00 presentations, then lunch.
July 20
visit with Math and Science Upward Bound students at SIUE;
REU students described their work, and the South African teachers also
described their experiences.
afternoon visit to the nanotechnology labs at UMSL,
hosted by Prof. Phil Fraundorfer. Combined
this with a trip to the St. Louis Science Center, Forest Park, and the
(outdoor, pops) Municipal Opera?
July 27.
visit with Math and Science Upward Bound students at SIUE
brown bag lunch (tentatively 245 Compton) and afternoon visit to labs
at
Washington
University. At lunch visited with the different groups.
Then tours:
12:15-- lunch
1:00-- Conradi group
1:45-- Israel/cosmic ray group
2:30-- coffee break
2:45-- Miller ultrasound group
3:30-- Hohenberg space science group
August 10. FINAL PRESENTATIONS
Housing and Housekeeping Details
Students lived in
shared university apartments for most of the summer.
Minimal linen and kitchen dishes and cooking utensils are
provided, along with a food allowance. Students took up
residence June 5, upon arrival from Pittsburgh. June 4
the students were overnight guests of Julia Thompson and
Dave Kraus and Thompson's parents, Erwin and Ruth Thompson.