PhysicsWebPage

2012-03-07T17:34:07Z

Bernkirs: /* Prospective Students */

http://physics.isu.dev.dewlinux.com/

Make 12 categories to draw from a hat

=Content for the banner=

==Physics Strategic Plan==

Our mission:
The mission of the Idaho State University Department of Physics is to
pursue cutting edge research in both fundamental and applied physics,
and to train of the next generation of physical scientists, technicians, and
educators.
Overview:
The Idaho State University Department of Physics is actively engaged in a
variety of cutting edge research pursuits, all of which focus on the use of experimental
nuclear physics techniques to address problems in both fundamental and applied
science. Ma jor eﬀorts include:
•
nuclear non-proliferation and homeland security
•
radiation eﬀects in materials and devices
•
nuclear reactor fuel cycle physics
•
accelerator applications
•
biology
•
fundamental nuclear and particle physics
Strategic Plan:
ISU’s strategic plan has six complementary goals. These are summarized by
Access, Learning, Research, Service, Faculty, and Support.
Goal 1: Access
The department’s primary mission is to provide quality research and education
in the physical sciences. Our plan to improve graduate and undergraduate access
includes delivery of more courses in Idaho Falls, and to add more emphasis to our
undergraduate program.
Our goal is to create new degree programs and emphases that are: (a) con-
sistent with and build upon our existing strengths in nuclear science, (b), are “low
cost”, in the sense that in addition to requiring little additional ﬁnancial and human
resources, they do not add to our teaching burden, (c), consistent with the broader
ISU mission of health sciences and, (d), boost enrollment in our programs. One of
the degree programs that we propose to add are a D.A. program for students that
wish to pursue a career of teaching in high schools or 2-4 year colleges. Similarly, we
plan to pursue an M.A. program that is also focused on careers in teaching. In both
cases, the coursework would utilize existing classes.
The new degree emphases that we wish to pursue are a “bio-science” track to
our B.A. physics degree for health-science and teacher career options. This is simi-
lar to the bio-science track of our health physics B.S. degree. In addition, we wish
to pursue a pre-med focus to our B.S. program which is designed for students that
are interested in medical school. This would be particularly attractive to those who
wish to become medical doctors since physics ma jors have a higher acceptance rate
to medical schools than from any other discipline. Both of these emphases should
bolster our enrollment and make a degree in physics accessible and useful to a wider
range of students at minimal cost.
Goal 2: Learning
By making our courses more accessible to a wider variety of students, we seek
to double our number of undergraduate ma jors and student enrollment and thereby
increase ISU’s contribution to the scientiﬁc and intellectual capital of Idaho. We note
that we have more than doubled both our graduate and undergraduate enrollment in
the last three years, and we seek to do this again in the coming ﬁve years. At the
same time, we aim to raise the caliber of our students through active recruiting both
locally and internationally. We feel that the previously mentioned degree initiatives
will greatly increase the number of students of local origin whom we serve. At the
international level, we are actively pursuing formal agreements with institutions at
Tbilisi State University (Georgia), Kharkov National University (Ukraine), and the
University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). These agreements will involve the participation of
bright and highly motivated students from around the world, and the ISU Department
of Physics seeks the support of the ISU administration in these eﬀorts.
Since the great strength of the modern research university is its interweaving
of the research and teaching missions, a high priority for our department will be the
recruitment and retaining of faculty with strong interests in both research and gradu-
ate education. In particular, we seek to recognize and reward, to the extent possible,
the mentoring of graduate students.
Goal 3: Research
We will continue to raise the research proﬁle of our department in a manner
which enhances, rather than detracts from, our teaching mission. First, this will
involve increasing our faculty numbers. Secondly, we seek to increase and diversify
our external funding. Approximately 85% of the regular, tenure track faculty in
the department have external funding, averaging about $400 thousand per faculty
2
member per year and resulting in a proliﬁc record of scientiﬁc publications. However
much of the external funds coming to physics faculty (through the department or
the IAC) are either directly or indirectly DoD or DOE funds, and these are typically
short-term (1-year) contracts. We need to diversify to other sources of funding such
as the NSF, NASA, NIH, and the DHS (Department of Homeland Security).
In addition, we have a strong need to fully utilize the physics department base-
ment laboratory space. When the Physical Sciences building remodel was completed
in 2002, a large amount of space (approximately 4000 square feet) in the basement
was left unﬁnished. The current ﬁnished lab space is already at capacity. With the
arrival of several new faculty in Fall 2006 and our emphasis on experimental physics,
the conversion of this space to laboratory facilities is crucial. In addition to faculty
and graduate research, ﬁnishing this lab space is also important for serving our un-
dergraduate B.S. student’s senior pro ject research.
Goal 4: Service
The ISU Department of Physics plays an active role in service to the com-
munity. We will continue our extensive program of outreach to elementary and high
school students which includes numerous public physics lectures and demonstrations,
as well as a summer program involving high school students in research.
The Department will also seek to continue its contribution to the local econ-
omy. One local company, Positron Systems, has already spun oﬀ from work done by
faculty in our department. Also, plans are underway to commission a cyclotron for
the production of isotopes for medical applications in a local hospital.
We seek to contribute to the local economy is less direct ways, as well. As part
of our goal of making the ISU Department of Physics a powerhouse of nuclear physics
research, we are organizing two scientiﬁc conferences to increase our proﬁle in the
scientiﬁc community. For the summer of 2007, we plan to host both the meeting of
the Northwest Section of the American Physical Society and the AccApp (Accelerator
Applications) conferences. The later conference is expected to attract on the order
of 300 physicists from around the world, thus contributing to business at local hotels
and restaurants.
Goal 5: Faculty
In addition to good skills in classroom teaching, we will particularly focus
on recruiting faculty who have a strong interest in mentoring graduate students and
whose research interests are in line with the departmental focus of nuclear and health
physics. We will also recruit those who will provide promising opportunities for ob-
taining external funding and will enable students to obtain skills which are of value
in the job market. We plan to do this by leveraging external grants and contracts to
pay for them. In this regard, our connections to our external partners (such as INL,
Jeﬀerson Lab, Sandia, Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley Lab-
oratories) are important. We note in particular that the Jeﬀerson Lab administration
has expressed some interest in supporting a faculty member in accelerator physics.
The pursuit of such opportunities will be an key part of our strategy in the upcoming
ﬁve years.

Goal 6: Support
Our support staﬀ are of value to our Department in a number of respects. The
secretarial staﬀ often provide a public face to our students and play an important role
in generating a helpful and pleasant atmosphere conducive to high student retention.
As a department with a heavy emphasis on experimental work, our technical
staﬀ are also essential. In this regard, we seek to stabilize the budget of the Idaho
Accelerator Center to provide a more secure source of funds which will enable the
long term retention of experienced and qualiﬁed technical staﬀ.
In conclusion
The tra jectory of the ISU Department of Physics that has been established
over the course of the last several years has been a good one. In the next ﬁve years, we
plan to continue our trends of increased enrollments and external research funding,
and the addition of more ﬁrst rate faculty. At this stage, the Department is by no
means “mature” in the sense that there are still a great many things which can be
done to improve it further. With the goals laid out here, we believe we can enhance
our eﬀectiveness in executing our research, teaching and service missions.

=Student Information (Kirsten)=

==Prospective Students==
ISU and the ISU Physics department are happy to assist your entry into the ISU Physics program. The ISU Physics department uses the general admissions department to screen applicants for undergraduate studies. See the links below to start on your way.

Applying and Registering

*[http://www.isu.edu/future.shtml ISU Prospective Student]
*[http://www.isu.edu/howtoapply.shtml How to Apply]
*[http://www.isu.edu/finaid/ Financial Assistance]
*[http://www.isu.edu/advising/ Academic Advising (General Advising)]Physics Advising is done by Dr.Wells
*[http://www.isu.edu/areg/ Registration and Records]
*[http://bengalweb.isu.edu/cp/home/displaylogin Online Registration]
*[http://www.isu.edu/enroll/admissions/transfer-faq.shtml Transferring to ISU from another school]
*[http://www.isu.edu/enroll/admissions/acadtrans.shtml Transfer Credit Evaluation]

Program Description

*[https://wiki.iac.isu.edu/index.php/Physics_Catalog Physics Program Description]
*Why ISU Physics?
*Physics Information Sheet
*Physics B.S. Course Schedule
*Facilities

Area Description

*Community Page
*Pocatello, Idaho
*Campus Tour

Research and Facilities

*IAC - Idaho Accelerator Center
*Beam Lab

Q & A

What does the Physics Program entail?

What do physicists do?
Physicists work in industrial and government sectors, with jobs from research to production, even the financial and computer industries. Physicists are well suited to tasks that require stepwise problem solving skills. These skills include analytical and logical thinking, moderately advanced math skills, good observational and communicational skills.

How long will it take to graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Physics from ISU?
The length of a student's education is dependent on the pace with which a student passes requried courses. However, if a student strictly follows the program outlined in the ISU Undergraduate Catalog, as approved by an advisor, it can be completed in eight regular semesters (Fall/Spring).
A Masters of Science in Physics will take additional time. Please contact an advisor for more assistance.

Where is the Physics building located?
It is located in the Physical Science Building:
785 S. 8th Ave.
Pocatello, ID 83209

==Physics Catalog==

[[Physics_Catalog]]

==Campus Information==

==Recreation==

=Programs (Valeriia)& Classes (Tony)=

==Class Information==
Resources for Current Physics Students

The ISU Physics department is actively concerned with the success of it's current physics students. Please select If you are a current ISU Physics student, the links below should help you advance your education. If these links to not meet your needs, please contact the ISU Physics Department.

Registration and Financial Assistance

[http://www.isu.edu/finaid/ Financial Assistance]
[http://www.isu.edu/advising/ Academic Advising (General Advising)]
Physics Advising is done by Dr. Dan Dale
[http://www.isu.edu/areg/ Registration and Records Department]
[http://bengalweb.isu.edu/cp/home/displaylogin Online Registration]
Undergraduate Catalog
Physics Section of Undergraduate Catalog

Faculty and Staff

Contact an Instructor
Current Graduate Students

Online Coursework -- by Professor

Hackworth, Martin

Online Coursework -- by Instructor

Martin Hackworth

Lectures
[http://www.physics.isu.edu/~hackmart/phys152.htm PHYS 152 -- Astronomy]
[http://www.physics.isu.edu/~hackmart/genphys.htm PHYS111/112 -- General Physics (summer)]
PHYS211/212 -- Engineering Physics
PHYS 325 -- Weather and Climate
Labs
PHYS101L -- Essentials of Physics Lab
PHYS 153 -- Astronomy Lab
PHYS 113/213 -- Physics Lab I
PHYS 114/214 -- Physics Lab II

==Program In formation==
Physics Programs

The ISU Department of Physics offers many degree options including a Physics minor, an Associate of Science, a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, a Ph.D. in Applied Physics and a Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Science in cooperation with the College of Engineering.

Please see the Physics section of the undergraduate catalog for required classes and more program information.

Undergraduate Programs

An Associates degree is available for those completing an introductory sequence of physics courses.

A Bachelor of Arts or minor in Physics are also available to aid students seeking an interdisciplinary education.

The Bachelor of Science program provides a core curriculum focusing on physics and related courses. Beyond the core curriculum the student may choose from physics and related courses in order to complete the degree. The program is designed to provide a flexible degree that can be used for a career in physics or closely related fields. The student should complete a B.S. before progressing to a Master of Science in physics. BS course requirements.

Graduate Programs

The Master of Science in Physics program is tailored to the student's needs. An appropriate faculty member should be consulted when tailoring the program to meet student needs.

The Master of Natural Science in Physics program is designed primarily for teachers and prospective teachers who want to improve their understanding of the subject matter of physics.

The Ph.D. Applied Physics is available in the areas of Radiation Science, Accelerator Applications and Applied Nuclear Physics.

==RUE Program==
http://physics.isu.dev.dewlinux.com/internships/reu.html

==HS Intern Program==
http://physics.isu.dev.dewlinux.com/internships/internship.html

=Facilities & Research (Yujong)=
==Physics Facilities==
ISU Physics Facilities

The ISU Physics department offices and facilities are located on the first floor of the Physical Science building, located at 785 S. 8th Ave., Pocatello, ID 83209.

Several facities are available for student and faculty use. Please use the links below for more information on those facilities available.

Beam Labs
18MeV and 6MeV LINACs
Van de Graaff Accelerators
Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC)
BREMS
Physics demonstrations and equipment available in the Department

==Idaho Accelerator Center==
http://iac.isu.edu/

==Research==
Research

The ISU Physics department conducts research specializing in the following areas.

Homelandsecurity/nuclear nonproliferation/nuclear safeguards
Environmental monitoring
Materials Science
General Health Physics
Accelerator Physics
Cross Cutting / Interdisciplinary Research
Photon activation analysis
Radiobiology
K -12 Educational Programs
In Service Teacher Programs

You may want to visit the pages of the Wells Research Group for more information on accelerator and applied nuclear physics research and collaborations.

=People=
==Faculty (Hector)==

Faculty

Beezhold, Wendland, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
beezwend@isu.edu

Bernabee, Kirsten, M.S.
Instructor
bernkirs@isu.edu

Calderon, Hector
Visiting Assistant Professor
caldhect@isu.edu

Chandler, Katherine
Assistant Professor
chankath@isu.edu

Cole, Phil, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
colephil@isu.edu

Dale, Dan, Ph.D.
Professor
daledani@isu.edu

Forest, Tony A., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
foretony@isu.edu

Gesell, Tom, Ph.D.
Professor
gesethom@isu.edu

Hackworth, Martin, M.S.
Senior Lecturer/Lab Supervisor
hackmart@isu.edu

Harmon, Frank, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
harmfran@isu.edu

Hunt, Alan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
huntalan@isu.edu

Kim, Yujong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
yjkim@isu.edu

McNulty, Dustin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
mcnudust@isu.edu

Shropshire, Steve, Ph.D.
Professor
shrostev@isu.edu

Tatar, Erdinch (Eddie), Ph.D.
Associate Professor
tataerdi@isu.edu

Wells, Douglas, Ph.D.
IAC Director, Physics Acting Department Chair
welldoug@isu.edu

==Staff==
Nickell, Ben
Systems Administrator
nickbenj@isu.edu

O'Neill, Sandra
Administrative Assistant
oneisand@isu.edu

==Alumni==
Alumni

Support the Idaho State University department of Physics.

Your support is invaluable in creating a learning environment that allows the Idaho State University Department of Physics to improve the education of our graduates.

Increasing the number of scholarships helps accommodate well deserving students within our department.

Increasing the size of our endowment helps support the academic program by improving the effectiveness of physics demonstrations, the renovation and repair of our facilities, financial aid, support graduate research opportunities as well as many other needs and priorities.

Your support of the Physics Department helps many deserving students attending Idaho State University find success.

Pledge a donation to the Department of Physics
(Be sure to check the college/department button and type "Physics" in to the text box.)

=Special Events ( Eddy)=
==ISU Physics Events==
Current Events

Current Events

ISU Physics and SPS Demo Show. Saturday, April 26th at 5pm. More information.
Physics labs schedules: PHYS 153, 113/213, 114/214). For more information see the LAB FAQ for more info.
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) annual meeting was held March 23 - 24, 2007 at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Ongoing Activities

Departmental Colloquium Schedule
Quarknet
Idaho/Utah Chapter of the AAPT
ISU Physics Demo Shows
Physics Roadshow Schedule

==Symposia==

=Physics & Astronomy Buzz= Dan
==ISU Physics Press Releases==
News and Press Releases

The ISU Society of Physics Students (SPS) has earned the Blake Lilly Award by the American Institute of Physics for their science outreach to Idaho schools and community groups, and public science presentations.

Club members and physics faculty visit more than 40 schools and community groups a year for science presentations, activities, and workshops. They also organize a "Punk'n Chuck" competition and the Southeast Idaho Science Olympics, and present an annual public science demonstration show on the ISU campus.

The club is one of five SPS chapters nationwide to receive this award in 2011.

The Blake Lilly Prize recognizes SPS chapters and individuals who make a genuine effort to positively influence the attitudes of school children and the general public about physics.

An article on the ISU club's activities is posted on the National SPS web page at http://www.spsnational.org/programs/awards/2011/blake_lilly.htm, and will appear in the Fall 2011 issue of the "SPS Observer." The award consists of a plaque and a three-volume set of the Feynman Lectures on Physics.

==Science in the News==
[http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/ Science News Headlines]
[http://www.sciencedaily.com/ Science Daily]
[http://www.sciencenews.org/ Science News Online]
[http://science.nasa.gov/ Science@NASA Headlines]
[http://news.sciencemag.org/ AAAS ScienceNow]
[http://www.sciencefriday.com/ Science Friday]

New IAC Wiki - User contributions [en]

PhysicsWebPage