Spring 1999
Faculty
Faculty members Ted Barnes, Geoff Canright, Michael Guidry, and George Siopsis helped host a successful joint conference on Trends in Mathematical Physics in October. The meeting drew 77 participants from 12 countries and covered topics including lattice gauge theory and Seiberg-Witten invariants.
Professor Michael Guidry, along with Dr. Richard Williams of Geological Sciencies, won a 1998-1999 ITC/CUE Hewlett Fellowship for their proposed course, "The Solar System I and II." The award, sponsored by the University's Innovative Technologies Center (ITC) and the Center for Undergraduate Excellence (CUE), promotes team-taught courses that cut across various academic disciplines. The Solar System course will help students understand the geology and astronomy of the solar system and appreciate the history of earth science and astronomy. The format will draw on the considerable Web presence of existing astronomy and geology courses.
On May 1, Distinguished Scientist Gerald Mahan began a three-year term as chair of the National Academy of Sciences Applied Physical Science Section. He will organize the voting on proposed new Academy members and identify candidates to handle government research requests put to the section.
Distinguished Scientist Ward Plummer won further acclaim for his imaging of particles acting as waves when it was featured in "Physics in the Twentieth Century," a publication of the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics. The over-sized book was published in conjunction with the APS Centennial Celebration. Dr. Plummer's work appears in the chapter on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
Collaborating Scientist Ken Read has been promoted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Research Staff Member II.
Congratulations to Lee and Tina Riedinger, who welcomed their first grandchild, Madeleine Margaret, on November 18.
Dr. Alvin Sanders got word in March that his "Method for Producing Extreme Microgravity in Extended Volumes" will be issued Patent No. 5,887,827.
Professor James Thompson won a Faculty Research Award in January to continue his work on "toughening up" superconductors by finding ways to keep vortex lines steady.
Staff
Once again, Paul Lewis will take on a fierce band of 9-to11-year-olds when he teaches Starship Exploration and Rockets for Kids U, the UT Community Programs' "summer university" for grades 2 through 12.
Students
Undergraduates Ted Corcovilos and Thomas Gadfort took first and second place awards at the Society of Physics Students zone meeting on April 10. The meeting, hosted by Middle Tennessee State University, was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Tennessee Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Both Ted and Thomas are students of Dr. Alvin Sanders, and their presentations explained their work on Project SEE (Satellite Energy Exchange).
Congratulations are in order to our May 1999 graduates: Ted Corcovilos, Chris Hawkins, Richard Mills, and Karl Whealton. Ted, a college scholar in physics and math, will start graduate school at Caltech in the fall. Richard, another college scholar (computational geophysics), will pursue a doctoral degree in computer science at the College of William and Mary. Before he starts his studies, however, he will be getting married to Miss Saffron L. LeBlanc, whom he met as a fellow participant in the Science Alliance summer research program. Chris is currently a computer
support specialist in the UT Math Department. He is engaged to Laura Melosh, a UT graduate in Wildland Recreation. Chris plans to start graduate work for a M.S. in geology next fall, with an emphasis on environmental geophysics. Karl, an engineering physics graduate, is off to graduate school at the University of Colorado.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Alvin Trivelpiece acknowledged graduate student Jerry Hu in March for his contributions to the first "Wireless Electronic Nose." The work was selected as the Development Accomplishment Award winner at ORNL's annual Awards Night Program.
Back to Cross Sections, Spring 1999 issue.
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