Laser Focus
The end of the Fall 2019 semester is already behind us although for many faculty and staff, things remain quite hectic as we close out 2019 and prepare for 2020. On December 20 we said farewell to Maria Fawver, who has been with us for many years. Maria handled all travel requests and travel reimbursements in the department. This is a formidable task since physicists travel more than anyone else on campus. She truly became the campus’ “travel expert” and trained others how to navigate the complexity of UT’s travel policies and approval processes. Maria has always been laser focused on the task at hand and always remained friendly to everyone needing her help, including the impatient types among us, and even under the most stressful conditions. We are sad to see her go, but wish her a joyful and happy retirement. Thank you Maria!!
Professor Lloyd Davis also announced his retirement after having served for almost 35 years on the physics faculty at UT’s Space Institute in Tullahoma. Lloyd is an expert in laser physics and primarily worked in molecular, bio- and optical physics. He made a name for himself in the important field of single-molecule detection and trapping. Recently, he ventured into femtosecond laser machining for a variety of materials applications. Lloyd and his wife plan to spend part of the year in his home country of New Zealand and part in Tullahoma, making sure the weather is nice most of the year. We wish them both good health and the very best.
Many of us can look back at a great semester. Our faculty have once again been very successful with grants and contracts, and published exciting research results. This year we expect to graduate one of the largest cohorts of physics students ever. We are offering more courses and sections than ever before as many classes are currently oversubscribed. This will require additional faculty and two searches are currently underway. Next semester promises to be busy again, as the department needs to lay out its strategic plan for the next five years, a process that requires many discussions and tough choices. A most exciting and novel research direction is in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information (QI). There are now several efforts underway to establish AI and QI centers at UT, led by Associate Professor Steven Johnston and Professor George Siopsis, respectively. These efforts also tie in with the ongoing cluster hires in “quantum materials for future technologies,” led by Professor Cristian Batista. Many students are interested in taking courses in these fields, not only because they are intellectually challenging but also because it will boost their competitiveness on the job market. I anticipate that there will be additional faculty hires in these areas.
You can keep up with the exciting highlights here on the physics department website. Meanwhile, I always love to hear from our alumni and learn about their careers. I wish you a joyous holiday season and please keep in touch!