Our very own Laurie McNeil has been named as the 2025 John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education awardee!

From AAPT’s website announcement:

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has announced that the John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Award for 2025 will be awarded to Laurie Elizabeth McNeil, Bernard Gray Distinguished Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

This prestigious award will be presented to McNeil during the 2025 AAPT Winter Meeting. McNeil was selected to receive the Jackson Award in recognition of her contributions to graduate education in Physics and Astronomy and related fields. She is a pioneer in graduate physics & astronomy education.

Regarding her selection to receive this award, McNeil said, “I am deeply honored to receive this recognition of my efforts on behalf of graduate education. I have been privileged to be in a position throughout my career to work to enhance education in physics and related fields at all levels, to help all students succeed in applying their talents and training in whatever area they choose.”

Find the full announcement here.

Congratulations, Laurie!!!

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill students, David Stilwell and Sophie Kressy participated in the American Physical Society Congressional Visits Day to advocate for legislation that would benefit US science goals and our scientific community.

Grad students and postdocs in physics have long been underpaid — but today, the compensation gap is particularly extreme.

“The salary, or compensation, that students and postdocs receive is about the same as what my husband received 20 years ago when he came to Penn State from Cambridge University as a postdoc,” says Amena Khan, an associate professor of instruction at the University of Texas at Dallas. “It is as though one is being penalized for choosing physics as a profession.”

To change this, it helps to talk to the folks in charge — so in January, 91 APS members flocked to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for APS’s Congressional Visits Day. In 110 meetings with lawmakers and staffers, attendees advocated for science policy priorities, including the RESEARCHER Act, which would start the process of building compensation guidelines for federal science agencies.

For Ari Jain, an attendee and a doctoral student in aerospace engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, the efforts paid off. After CVD, he spotted an email from the staffer of his congressional representative, Nikema Williams. It felt “a little surreal,” he says. “Our team had just sent a thank you-note to her staffer, and he responded the next day saying that she had agreed to co-sponsor the bill.”

Physics graduate students earn far less money than those with bachelor’s degrees in the field, a deterrent for students considering advanced degrees in STEM. Physics students with bachelor’s degrees working in industry earn a median starting salary of $70,000, while grad students make just under $30,000.

“Their salaries are pitifully low, especially against the rising costs of living in our metros and towns,” says B.S. Sathyaprakash, a professor who teaches physics, astronomy, and astrophysics at the Pennsylvania State University, who also joined CVD.

The RESEARCHER Act was one of several priorities covered in conversations with members of Congress. To make sure the advocates were prepared, APS staffers spent months organizing for the event, providing advocates with extensive training and background information on APS’s policy priorities. These were vital steps for many of the CVD participants, including those who had never advocated on Capitol Hill before, like Khan and Sathyaprakash.

Khan also said she was “lucky to have two experienced colleagues” on her team. “[They] made navigating the day seem almost effortless.” Jain, meanwhile, relied on guidance from seasoned CVD advocate David Stilwell, a doctoral student in physics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“Some of it was just little things, like navigating the buildings and making sure our team didn’t get too lost,” Jain says. “But also, David gave us amazing insight on what to actually expect from the meetings and conversations that we have with staffers.”

 

From : https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202404/wages.cfm

Zack is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, to carry out research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The fellowship supports postdoctoral fellows performing impactful research in MPS fields while broadening the participation of groups that are underrepresented in the mathematical and physical sciences.

Congratulations, Zack!!!

You can find more information on Zack’s award here.

See also feature in the Tar Heel Up Close here.

NSF just announced their Graduate Research Fellowship Program award winners and we are pleased to announce Andy Boyle received a fellowship award. This five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support as well as a cost of education allowance. Andy is being recognized for their outstanding research and potential impact on the field.

 

Andy Boyle works with Andrew Mann in the Young Worlds Lab studying young (<1 Gyr) stars and exoplanets. His project focuses on using stellar rotation to determine the spatial extent and evolution of young clusters and stellar groups in our region of the Galaxy (< 300 pc). As stars age, their rotation period increases, and the relation can be used to assign ages to stars (a technique known as gyrochronology). By combining spatial and kinematic data from ESA’s Gaia mission with rotation periods measured using light curves from NASA’s TESS mission, Andy aims to find the dissolving parts of stellar associations that would be invisible with kinematics alone. This search will provide insight into stellar structure in the local Galaxy, the evolution of stellar groups, and the dynamical processes that fuel their dispersal, as well as provide an expanded sample of stars to search for young and evolving planets.

 

Carl Rodriguez, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, has been awarded the 2024 Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society.

AAS recently announced its 2024 prizes for outstanding achievements in research and education at its 243rd meeting in New Orleans.

The Warner Prize is given to a young scientist for a “significant contribution to observational or theoretical astronomy.” The AAS is an international organization that includes professional astronomers, astronomy educators and amateur astronomers. Its membership of approximately 8,000 also includes physicists, geologists, engineers and others whose interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects that comprise the astronomical sciences.

Rodriguez was recognized for fundamental advances on the astrophysical origin of gravitational-wave sources. He has discerned how repeat mergers of black holes and stars in dense clusters would lead to the existence of massive black holes, a prediction later verified by gravitational-wave detectors. His work has opened new directions in research into gravitational-wave sources and their connection to the formation of both star clusters and galaxies.

Rodriguez joined the UNC faculty in January 2023 from Carnegie Mellon University. He completed his Ph.D. in 2016 from Northwestern University and received a B.A. in physics from Reed College in 2010.

His research group is interested in both stellar dynamics (the movement of stars and compact objects in star clusters and galaxies) and the astrophysical sources of gravitational waves.

Among other awards, Rodriguez received a prestigious Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering in 2022.

December 19, 2023, Chapel Hill, North Carolina – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has once again secured the coveted Outstanding Chapter Award from the SPS National Office. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the UNC-CH chapter has been acknowledged for its exceptional contributions as a top-tier student-led physical sciences organization. This designation is bestowed upon less than 15% of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and internationally.

The SPS, a professional association for students, operates under the umbrella of the American Institute of Physics (AIP), encompassing various professional physical science societies.

 

Led by faculty advisor, Bowman and Gordon Gray Professor, Dan Reichart, the UNC-CH SPS chapter continues to exemplify excellence in student leadership. The officers for the 2022-2023 academic year are:

• President: Ravi Pitelka B.S. Physics, Mathematics B.A., Class of 2023
• Vice President: Vimal Palanivelrajan B.S. Physics, Mathematics B.S, Class of 2024
• Treasurer: Logan Selph B.S. Astrophysics, Currently Music Minor, Class of 2024
• Secretary: Stephen Snare B.S. Physics, Math B.A., Class of 2025
• Outreach Coordinator: Abbey Dunnigan B.S. Astrophysics, Class of 2024
• Events Coordinator: Em Chittenden B.S. Physics (Astrophysics Option), Class of 2024
• Room Managers: Rob Sternquist B.S. Physics, Mathematics B.S., Class of 2024; Landon Overall B.S. Physics, Class of 2023

“One of my favorite things about UNC SPS is how it gives opportunities to do things like go out camping with other physics majors. It’s a really useful resource when you need help on physics problems or with studying, but it’s also a great social space if you just want to hang out,” said Neel Iyer, the current Secretary for the 2024 – 2025 academic year.

SPS chapters undergo rigorous evaluation based on their engagement with the campus community, the professional physics community, the public, and SPS national programs. The Outstanding Chapter Award acknowledges not only high levels of outreach but also innovative approaches aligned with SPS’s mission to “help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community.”

For more information about the UNC-CH SPS chapter, please contact President Vimaleshwar Palanivelrajan (vbassic@email.unc.edu) or Secretary, Neel Wilson Iyer (iyern@unc.edu).

James T. Dobbins III, PhD, FAAPM, FSPIE, BSPHYS ’78 (UNC-CH), received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 from the Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs, Inc (SDAMPP). Dobbins, now retired, spent his entire 37-year career on the faculty and in senior administration at Duke University, where he is Associate Vice Provost Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Physics. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the physics of imaging, both theoretical and experimental, whose research has contributed to several FDA-cleared diagnostic imaging techniques now in clinical use in hundreds of hospitals worldwide. He was the Founding Director of the Graduate Program in Medical Physics at Duke, now one of the top three such programs in the US. He was also part of the small team of senior administrators that designed, built, and launched Duke’s joint venture university in China – Duke Kunshan University (DKU) – which offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees to a global community of students; he also served as Secretary of the DKU Board of Trustees. He is past-president of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and co-founder and past-president of SDAMPP. He won the Sylvia Sorkin Greenfield Award for best publication in the journal Medical Physics and is a Fellow of AAPM and SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics. He and his wife, Catherine N. Dobbins, BA ’77 (former senior management at UNC-TV), live in Durham, NC and enjoy spending time with their son, Scott, daughter-in-law Summer, and grandson Theo in New York City.

You can find his profile page here.

 

The Graduate-to-Undergraduate (G2U) Mentoring program at the University of North Carolina’s Department of Physics & Astronomy (P&A) has recently been awarded a $6,998 grant for unit enhancement by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative. This success marks a significant step forward for G2U, a program established in 2020 with the mission of providing structured, holistic mentorship to underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate students in the department.

Mission and Vision

Founded by P&A graduate student Zack Hall with the invaluable support of Dr. Sheila Kannappan and Dr. Jennifer Weinberg-Wolf, G2U aims to create a robust support system for URM students in the department, where they constitute less than 10% of the undergraduate population. G2U is designed around findings and recommendations from an investigation of the persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in U.S. P&A departments, detailed in the American Institute of Physics TEAM-UP report. Accordingly, the program utilizes group-based mentoring and specialized event planning to foster a sense of community. intended to work towards increasing retention and inclusion for URM students in P&A. In March 2022 Science magazine published “The Missing Physicist” package, detailing the woeful lack of African American representation in physics, and G2U was featured among UNC P&A programs as a promising new approach to mitigate this. To date, G2U has over 30 mentees and mentors who have participated in this program.

DEI Grant Success

The success of the graduate student-led application for the DEI grant is a testament to the dedication and impact of the G2U program. The award, endorsed by Dr. Frank Tsui, chair of the department of P&A, recognizes the importance and impact of G2U. Out of nearly 50 submitted proposals, G2U’s stood out to the reviewers, comprised of the Climate Subcommittee of the Dean’s Diversity Advisory Committee. This reflects the department’s support for the College of Arts and Science’s Strategic Plan for DEI, Action Steps for Equity.

Grant Details

The grant will fund the G2U mentoring program from April 15, 2023, to June 30, 2024. This financial support has enabled the program to continue and expand its efforts in providing mentorship training for graduate student mentors and organizing monthly professional development and community-building events for undergraduate mentees. These include semester kick-off events, holiday celebrations, end-of-the-year festivities, and conference funding opportunities.

Context and Acknowledgement

G2U expresses heartfelt appreciation to the Department of Physics & Astronomy for its past funding and ongoing support. Special recognition goes to the faculty who support the development and execution of G2U, which includes Dr. Kannappan, Dr. Weinberg-Wolf, and Dr. Akaa Ayangeakaa, as well as Dr. Julieta Gruszko, who contributed funding through the DEI Scholars Program.  The department’s leadership played a pivotal role in providing funds during the program’s inaugural year, highlighting the commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic environment. The department’s diversity committee has also been supportive of G2U’s mission and success. Finally, G2U emphasizes the importance of its graduate student members, both local and virtual, who actively participate as program coordinators and mentors.

Moving Forward

As the G2U Mentoring program moves forward with this grant, it is well aligned with the College of Arts and Sciences’ broader initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Action Steps for Equity outlines four DEI priorities, including enhancing climate, understanding pay equity, implementing measures for recruitment and retention, and addressing areas of repair.

For more information about the DEI grant, the College of Arts and Sciences’ initiatives, and the AIP TEAM-UP project please refer to the relevant web pages:

– College of Arts and Sciences Initiatives

– College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

– AIP National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate P&A

This achievement marks a significant milestone for G2U, reflecting its commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for underrepresented minority students pursuing their passion for physics and astronomy at UNC. The program looks forward to the positive impact it will continue to make with the support of the DEI grant.

The PROMPT telescopes built by the Physics and Astronomy department of UNC – Chapel Hill at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, have secured a coveted spot on NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). The featured image, showcasing the ethereal Horsehead Nebula, is credited to Mark Hanson and Martin Pugh from SSRO, PROMPT, CTIO, NSF.  

 

The Horsehead Nebula, residing approximately 1,500 light-years away within the expansive Orion cloud complex, has been sculpted over time by stellar winds and radiation. Standing at about five light-years in height, this interstellar dust cloud, cataloged as Barnard 33, captivates with its distinctive equine profile. Its silhouette becomes visible against the backdrop of the red emission nebula IC 434, thanks to the dust’s obscuring effect.

 

The image also reveals ongoing star formation within the dark cloud, adding another layer of astronomical significance. Adjacent to the Horsehead Nebula, a contrasting blue reflection nebula identified as NGC 2023 can be seen. This nebula surrounds a young, hot star and occupies the lower left portion of the complete image.

 

Mark Hanson and Martin Pugh utilized a combination of narrowband and broadband imaging techniques with several telescopes to create this breathtaking color image. The result is a visual masterpiece that not only captures the mesmerizing beauty of the Horsehead Nebula but also highlights the intricate details of the surrounding cosmic landscape.

 

The recognition on NASA’s APOD platform underscores the contribution of UNC’s Physics and Astronomy department to the exploration and understanding of our vast and fascinating universe.

 

About PROMPT telescopes:

PROMPT, an acronym for Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes, is being built by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile.

 

PROMPT’s primary mission revolves around swiftly conducting simultaneous multiwavelength observations of gamma-ray burst afterglows, often capturing them mere tens of seconds after their inception. Beyond this, PROMPT will meticulously measure redshifts through dropout techniques, analyse early-time Spectral Energy Distributions (SFDs), and delve into extinction curves of particularly luminous afterglows with unparalleled precision. The telescope’s versatility extends to facilitating prompt response observations at prominent observatories, including the UNC-led 4.1-m SOAR Telescope. In a notable dual role, PROMPT is poised to serve as an educational platform for both undergraduate and high school students across the State of North Carolina.

 

For more information, please visit – https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/  

 

 

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most honored college honorary society, inducted 259 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students as new members. Less than 1% of all college students qualify for acceptance.

Past and present Phi Beta Kappa members from across the country include 17 American presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, more than 150 Nobel Laureates, and numerous artistic, intellectual, and political leaders.

Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in the College of Arts & Sciences and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements. A student who has completed 75 hours of course work in the liberal arts and sciences with a GPA of 3.85 or better (on a 4-point scale) is eligible for membership. Also eligible is any student who has completed 105 hours of course work in the liberal arts and sciences with a 3.75 GPA. Grades earned at other universities are not considered.

Phi Beta Kappa has 293 chapters nationwide. UNC’s chapter, Alpha of North Carolina, was founded in 1904 and is the oldest of eight chapters in the state. Each year, Phi Beta Kappa chapters and alumni associations across the country raise and distribute more than $1 million in awards, scholarships and prizes benefiting high schools and college students.

Congratulations to the following physics majors inducted into Phi Beta Kappa:

Ethan Michael Crook
Shourya Mukherjee
Ethan Joshua Meyerhoffer

Congratulations to the following astronomy minor:

Alexander Orion Prakken

 

For more information visit:

Sarah Vickers, one of our majors, won the competition for Best Undergraduate Talk at the recent Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society (SESAPS) meeting at Eastern Kentucky University. SESAPS holds meetings to advance and spread knowledge of physics in the Southeastern United States.

Sarah’s talk on Calibration System and Magnetic Shielding for NuDot was selected among 47 participants.

You can find more information here.

Also, look out for the upcoming, Fall 2023 edition of our News Magazine for a feature article by Sarah.

Congratulations, Sarah!

Congratulations to Adrienne Erickcek and Christian Iliadis on being elected as Fellows of the American Physical Society!

Christian’s citation reads:
“For pioneering direct measurements of stellar nuclear reactions and fundamental contributions to our understanding of stellar evolution and explosions,”

Adrienne’s citation reads:
“For theoretical contributions spanning cosmology, including inflation, cosmic acceleration, and dark matter, with a key focus on understanding primordial density perturbations on small distance scales”

The APS Fellowship Program recognizes members who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication, or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology. Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s professional peers. Each year, no more than one half of one percent of the APS’s membership is recognized by their peers for election to the status of Fellow of the APS. More information here.

Congratulations!!!