Wichita State News: Physics

Faculty, staff news update: August/September 2012

Fri, 5 Oct 2012 14:33:00 CST

Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

Ted Ayres, vice president and general counsel, was an invited participant in the symposium "Gathering at the School House Gate: 40 Years of Landmark School Speech Cases" relative to his involvement in the Widmar v. Vincent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. The symposium, Sept. 20-21, was hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and the UMKC Law Review.

Amy Baker, assistant professor, musical theatre, won the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Award in September for Choreography for "Honk!" at Music Theatre of Wichita.

Ed Baker, associate professor, and Danette Baker, adjunct faculty, theatre, were awarded the Ruth McCormick Theatre Educator of the Year Award at the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Awards in September.

Daniel Bergman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, was elected as Kansas Association of Teachers of Science KATS vice president for 2012-2013.

Catherine Bohn-Gettler, assistant professor, counseling, educational leadership, educational and school psychology, recently presented "Tracking causal information during reading comprehension" at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. She also presented "The interplay between mood and working memory on inference generation" at the annual meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, both in Montreal, Canada.

Jason Flanders, manager, scene shop, theatre, had his first gallery showing at the Aviary Gallery in Wichita during the Sept. 28 Final Friday gallery crawl.

Angela Gaughn has been hired by the Center for Community Support and Research as support group project specialist for the center to promote its support group database across Kansas.

Alicia Huckstadt, graduate program coordinator, and Amy McClintock, administrative specialist, nursing, applied to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and were accepted for a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The HRSA Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Grant is for almost $350,000 this year and comes with a recommendation for the same amount next year. The program supports training students to become primary care nurse practitioners.

John Paul Johnson, professor, music education, has been chosen to represent North America as an adjudicator at the National Christian Universities Choir Competition held in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia from Oct. 15-22. Choirs from private universities throughout Indonesia will travel throughout the country to perform for five adjudicators representing Asia, Europe, Africa, South and North America.

Bret Jones, director, theatre, will have his play "THEBES City" presented by Fly By Night Theatre Company as part of its 2012-2013 Season. For details, go to www.flybynighttheatre.com/season.html.

Charles L. Martin, professor, marketing and entrepreneurship, traveled to Lahore, Pakistan in July to participate as keynote speaker in the Second International Conference on Contemporary Issues in Business Management. More than 300 participants from around the world and from cross-business disciplines attended the event held at the Pearl Continental Hotel and the University of Central Punjab. The keynote address by Martin, "What Goes Around Comes Around: Business Thinking As Cyclical Phenomena," focused on the roles that cycles play in business planning, forecasting and human (buyer) behavior.

Katherine Mason, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, recently co-published "Locating queer community in award-winning LGBTQ-themed young adult literature (2005-2010)" in The ALAN Review.

Betty Monroe, professor, costume design and technical theatre, had her article "Stereotypes in Theatre Costumes: A Blessing or a Curse?" published in the 2012 International Fashion and Costume Conference's Publication.

Sara Muzzy has been promoted to associate director of the Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning.

David Neville, associate professor, design and technical theatre, won the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Award for Lighting Design for "Fiddler on the Roof" at Music Theatre of Wichita.

Fletcher Powell, producer, KMUW 89.1, has received a 2012 High Plains Media Award from the American Cancer Society for an October 2011 story about doctors beginning to focus on patients after their traditional treatments are complete, focusing on breast cancer survivorship. Winners were chosen from several categories, including magazine, newspaper, television, radio and online.

Priscilla Ridgway, community and organizational researcher, Center for Community Support and Research, published a piece in the National Recovery to Practice Initiative Newsletter discussing spirituality and recovery from prolonged psychiatric disorder. A longer report by Ridgway and peer specialist educator Lael Ewy on the topic was recently released. The document, Report of a Statewide Spirituality and Mental Health Recovery Summit, is available upon request from priscilla.ridgway@wichita.edu.

Michael Rogers, chair, professor and research director, Center for Physical Activity and Aging, presented "Effective exercise interventions for active aging" and "Falling Less in Kansas: Preventing falls in rural older adults" at a Sedgwick County conference in Wichita called Positive Aging: Protect your health, wealth and self.

Donna Sayman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, recently published "My journey into qualitative research." In J.M. Meloy (Ed.). Twenty-first Century Learning by Doing (3rd. ed.)

Donna Sayman, curriculum and instruction; Mark Vermillion, sport management; and Catherine Bohn-Gettler and Craig Elliott, counseling, educational leadership, educational and school psychology, recently completed a two-year, on-line "bootcamp" workshop offered by the WSU Media Resource Center. These faculty members used their training to revise and develop online courses for their departments.

Nick Taylor, a 2007 graduate of the Sport Management master's program in the College of Education and a lecturer in the department of sport management, won a gold medal in tennis at the Paralympics in London on Sept. 5. Taylor and doubles partner David Wagner of Oregon, have won two previous gold medals in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) in quad doubles wheelchair tennis.

Susan Unruh, assistant professor, and Nancy McKellar, associate professor, counseling, educational and school psychology, recently wrote "Evolution, Not Revolution: School Psychologists' Changing Practices in Determining Specific Learning Disabilities." It has been accepted for publication in the journal Psychology in the Schools.

Sabrina Vasquez, faculty, dance, is the recipient of the Dorothy Johansen Hauck Faculty Fellow in Dance and Musical Theatre.

Gayle Veltman, coordinator of testing, Counseling and Testing Center, was recently awarded the 2012 President's Award from the National College Testing Association. The award recognizes NCTA members who contributed to the organization in the preceding year through service on a standing committee, working on the Annual Conference Committee, or participating in a special NCTA project.

Eric Wilson, instructor and outreach coordinator, Elliott School of Communication, was interviewed by fellow ESC alum Marc LaVoie for KFDI News' "At Issue" program. Wilson talked about how the media has changed and about the Elliott School. To listen to the interview, go to http://www.kfdi.com/podcasts/news/atissue/170886071.html.

NEW FACULTY 2012
Please welcome new faculty to campus; for more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1842.

SERVICE AWARDS 2012
Please congratulate faculty and staff who have been honored for their years of service or as Benders of Twigs; for more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1860.

RETIREES 2012
Please offer good wishes to faculty and staff who have recently retired; for more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1859.

IN MEMORIAM
Carol L. Johnson Harding, 74, retired, Physical Plant, died May 24. Services have been held. Survivors include brothers Walter L. Davis, Tracy A. Davis and Melvin E. Tipton; sisters Maxine J. Davis, Elaine Brashears and Joyce J. Henderson.

Physicist explains significance of Higgs boson discovery

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:00:00 CST

This WSU Newsline Podcast is available at

http://www.wichita.edu/newslinepodcast

See the transcript below:

You're listening to the podcast edition of the Wichita State University audio newsline. Learn more about WSU on the Web at wichita.edu.

In July, physicists were ecstatic in announcing preliminary results pointing to the discovery of the long-sought Higgs boson particle. The Higgs boson is a tiny subatomic particle that apparently weighs about 130 times as much as an atom of hydrogen, the lightest gas. The non-scientist might have no idea what's so important about this elementary particle, but Wichita State University physics professor Nick Solomey is excited about the discovery.

Solomey: "What excites me the most about the Higgs boson discovery is that we now know that there's a Higgs field that's present. And this Higgs field could be like the electromagnetic field, where we're actually able to manipulate it to have control over magnetic and electromagnetic interactions. Can we now have some control over the interaction of mass?"

Solomey is no stranger to the subject of the Higgs boson, thanks to his work with a researcher at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Solomey: "My involvement with the Higgs boson studies and research at CERN goes back to when I was the graduate student of the man who was doing all of the research on how to develop the various detectors, and all these large detectors that you see at the CERN experiment are actually all based on his research that started back in the early '60s. And I only worked with him in the 1980s."

So how does the Higgs boson work? Solomey explains.

Solomey: "The Higgs boson will interact with this proposed Higgs field to give all these other particles that we see around us creating the normal matter and even some of the exotic matter produced at high energies its mass. And so, this interaction with the Higgs field with the particles that we see to produce the mass is the first indication of something major new beyond what used to be considered the standard model of particle physics."

Even with all of the excitement surrounding the news about the Higgs boson, Solomey says it's hard to predict the future significance of the discovery.

Solomey: "The Higgs boson, now that it's discovered, shows that the Higgs field exists, but it's hard to predict the future. How are we going to be able to use it? There could be some amazing applications of it just like there was amazing applications of the electron, once we realized it existed."

The good news for those of us who don't understand all the fuss about the Higgs boson is that our lack of understanding doesn't mean we can't benefit from it.

Solomey: "So the Higgs boson with this Higgs field — it's going to be very complicated for a lot of people to understand. But imagine the world when quantum mechanics was just first discovered a hundred years ago. It eventually led to us making the transistor. And the transistor, although it relies on quantum mechanics, the average person carrying a cell phone with hundreds of thousands of transistors in it doesn't actually have to know how the transistor works to make use of it. And we can have some fantastic discoveries and applications of the Higgs boson and Higgs field once we understand how to manipulate that Higgs field."

Solomey says one of his concerns is the limited number of schools who teach quantum mechanics and electrical engineering at the chip level design.

Solomey: "With the concept of the Higgs boson and new applications, let's go back and look at the schools that are teaching quantum mechanics and electrical engineering at the chip level design. Only a handful of schools around the United States have advanced programs that do this and they're all related in cities that have industries that really need these advanced educated people. And I'd like to see more people educated on advanced physics and advanced electrical engineering throughout these applications."

And Solomey says the potential is great for students studying physics.

Solomey: "Physics, the study of physics, or even if you're an engineer and you have a double degree in physics, there's a great potential for this field. It will give you an enhanced job. But it also, even if you're not going to study physics after you get a degree, but are going to study applied physics and applications of physics concepts, there's a huge demand in industry for these type of people."

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for Wichita State University.

Higgs boson discovery opens new doors

Thu, 5 Jul 2012 08:13:00 CST

In the pursuit of seemingly infinite questions, there can only be more understanding.

That was the prevailing sentiment of physicist Nickolas Solomey on Wednesday after the European Center for Nuclear Research – better known as CERN – announced the likely discovery of the Higgs boson, a particle that scientists at the Geneva, Switzerland-based research facility believe could unlock some of the answers to our universe's origin.

The Higgs, which until now had been purely theoretical, is regarded as key to understanding why matter has mass, which combines with gravity to give all objects weight. The particle's existence is considered fundamental to the creation of the universe.

"One question is that now that we know there is this all-permeating Higgs field … where did it come from?" asked Solomey, the director of physics at Wichita State University since 2007. "How does it act? Maybe once we know that we can start to use it."

Read full story

Physics faculty, students take part in cosmic ray project

Wed, 3 Aug 2011 15:53:00 CST

Wichita State University is the lead Kansas institution participating in the development of the $127 million northern test site of the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory, a major international effort to probe the cosmos and learn more about how cosmic rays work.

Cosmic rays are charged particles that constantly rain down on Earth from space. They are the most energetic and rarest of particles in the universe. While much progress has been made in understanding cosmic rays with low to moderate energies, those with extremely high energies remain mysterious.

Since 2004, nearly 500 physicists from 19 countries have gathered data at the southern Pierre Auger Observatory near Malargue, Argentina, to help shed light on those mysteries. And now the same is being done near Lamar, Colo., where construction of the northern Pierre Auger Observatory is under way.

Wichita State, Fermilab (Ill.), and five other universities are working on the project. The other universities are: Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, Michigan Technical University, Case Western University and University of Paris VII.

WSU's researchers are in charge of handling the computer read-out system. The control room for the test site is located at WSU and was paid for in part by donations from physics alumnus Bill Simon.

Holger Meyer

Physics professor Nick Solomey, assistant professor Holger Meyer and physics students Jeanette Bergkamp, Richard Bonde and Matthew Onstott are conducting the research on behalf of Wichita State. The research is a unique chance for the students to get hands-on experience with a big international project.

The observatory research also promotes Wichita State on a comprehensive level among its peers, Solomey said, and advocates the WSU Department of Physics as a leader in the industry.

"The Auger project is a great opportunity for physics faculty and students because it is (a) worldwide priority project in astro-physics that will bring great attention to our physics program," Solomey said. "Wichita State University will be able to shine in the spotlight with us."

How the observatory works

The Auger Observatory is a "hybrid detector," employing two independent methods to detect and study high-energy cosmic rays. One technique detects high-energy particles through their interaction with water placed in surface detector tanks.

The other technique tracks the development of air showers by observing ultraviolet light emitted high in the Earth's atmosphere.

Employing these two complementary observation methods provides the Auger Observatory with high-quality information about the types of particles in the cosmic rays.

The southern observatory in Argentina has 1,500 surface detector tanks. The northern site will be much larger, with 8,000 tanks more than a 100-by-100-mile area.

It will study the origins of cosmic rays, trying to understand where they come from.

"It is a new window on the very distant past and the Big Bang creation of the universe," Solomey said. "The studies might also find evidence of dark matter and dark energy – an ongoing mystery."

Solomey said the students will have an opportunity to learn a lot about this type of astro-particle physics science and how to work in large groups. WSU will be the closest research university to the test site and can provide a unique ability for the students to participate in the project because of the proximity to the planned array.

Physics: Real-world experience for students

Wed, 3 Aug 2011 15:53:00 CST

Three Wichita State University physics students are contributing to a research project that is giving them a chance to experience hands-on research on a global scale.

Undergraduate students Jeanette Bergkamp, Richard Bonde and Matthew Onstott have joined WSU professor Nick Solomey and assistant professor Holger Meyer in their research on the $127 million northern Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory site, being built in Lamar, Colo.

Jeanette Bergkamp

Working on this large, international project is a rare opportunity, said Jeanette Bergkamp, providing her and her fellow students with "tons" of real-world experience before they ever even graduate college.

The observatory will study ultra-high energy cosmic rays, which are charged particles that constantly rain down on Earth from space. These high-energy rays are an area of physics research that remains somewhat mysterious to scientists.

New experiences

Since 2004, The Pierre Auger Observatory near Malargue, Argentina, has been studying cosmic rays in the southern hemisphere. The northern site will conduct similar research. Nearly seven Universities are collaborating on the project, which is still in the testing phase.

"Any kind of practical research is very, very useful if you want to go on further with a degree," she said. "It helps as far as a resume – being able to say I have done research, because that's a lot of what they (employers) look for in a graduate assistant."

Richard Bonde

WSU's role is to maintain the control room, which has been set up in Jabara Hall. Bergkamp, Bonde and Onstott are responsible for helping develop the software that observes the site in Lamar.

"We want to be sure it's working and to make sure we are reading what we are supposed to be reading," Bonde said.

Working on those computer programs is a new experience, Bergkamp said. And getting to work in a collaborative effort is something that helps her become a more well-rounded researcher.

"I've gotten the chance to work as a collaborator," she said. "Sometimes you don't get to really do that, especially with physics, where a lot of it is solitary learning."

Solomey said by taking on such a large project, the students are getting invaluable experience they can't get just from a textbook.

"I think the students take from it the concept of how do you build something big," Solomey said. "You (normally) have a lot of people doing little things in a lab. But how do you build something like the Hubble Space Telescope? How do you build something super enormously big, like a Dreamliner? They are seeing that for the first time."

The students are also learning that what they're doing is important to such a big project.

"It has lots of pieces that all have to work, and every one's task is crucial," Solomey said.