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!!!

To celebrate and resonate with the launch of the Long Range Plan,  a simultaneous hybrid in-person/virtual event titled “Update on the Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science” is scheduled for October 6th, from 2 pm – 3 pm EDT. This event is national in scope and welcomes all interested members of the scientific community and beyond. Gail Dodge, the NSAC Chair, will present a webinar via Zoom, complemented by a local component.

In the triangle area, we invite all the faculty, staff, postdocs, and students of the Triangle Universities to join this Update, as this event holds significant implications for all. The gathering will take place at 2 pm on the Duke Campus, specifically in Room 128 of the Physics Building. For detailed information, please refer to the poster below.

For those who require parking: please contact Mehreen Farooq (mehreen.farooq@duke.edu, 919-660-2600).

The SPS National Council is proud to announce the 2023-24 SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma Council! Em Chittenden of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is now the Associate Zone Councilor. Chittenden will represent the Physics and Astronomy Department in Washington DC at the SPS Conference!

The SPS National Council is the main governing body for the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma. The Council is composed of an elected faculty zone councilor (ZC) and an elected student associate zone councilor (AZC) from each of the 18 zones, and an elected council president and Sigma Pi Sigma president. The council composition was designed carefully with the student voice in mind. The Council meets face-to-face annually, usually in the fall in the Washington, DC, area and by video conference each spring.

SPS is a chapter based society that exists to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community. Traditional coursework develops only one range of skills. Other skills needed to flourish professionally include effective communication and personal interactions, leadership experience, establishing a personal network of contacts, presenting scholarly work in professional meetings and journals, research experiences, and outreach services to the campus and local communities. Through its members, advisers, chapters, and leadership, SPS enables national initiatives and local impacts within the community. SPS supports students, advisers, and departments to improve the overall community.

SPS wants to support every undergraduate student with an interest in physics and astronomy excel. SPS seeks to assist every undergraduate department help students succeed. Locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, the SPS offers the opportunity for these important enrichments to the student’s experience.

Congratulations Em Chittenden!

 

Learn more: https://www.spsnational.org/about/governance/national-council

 

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is pleased to announce Joshua Reding, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other members of the 51^st class of the Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) program. STPF fellows are chosen from a select group of doctoral-level scientists and highly experienced Masters-level engineers to engage in a one-year immersive educational opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the public policy arena while leveraging their expertise to help confront major societal issues in the U.S. government.

 

Among the 276 highly trained STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professionals selected, Dr. Reding will serve at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Electromagnetic Spectrum Management office in the Division of Astronomical Sciences.

 

Reding completed his doctoral degree in Physics in 2022 under the advisory of Provost Chris Clemens, for which he investigated unusual white dwarf stars likely formed in stellar mergers as “failed” supernovae. In his STPF appointment at NSF, he will use his observational astronomy expertise to inform responsible use of the electromagnetic spectrum on the international stage, especially in light of rising threats to ground-based astronomy such as satellite mega-constellations.

 

“Having been an STPF fellow myself, the start of each fellowship year brings both fond memories and excitement for the future,” said Rashada Alexander, Ph.D., STPF director and alumna fellow. “The 51^st class of STPF fellows are quite the gathering of minds: these are expert-level scientists and engineers who have chosen to devote a year or more to help ensure that the nation’s policies are informed by science.”

 

Fellows like Dr. Reding will learn first-hand about federal policymaking and implementation. They will also gain invaluable skills in communication, diplomacy, collaboration and consensus-building. This opportunity will build upon Reding’s past year of state-level science policy work as a North Carolina STEM Policy Fellow in the NC Department of Commerce’s Office of Science, Technology & Innovation (OSTI).

 

“I am delighted for the opportunity to bring my science policy experience back to my field of research, and I hope to make a lasting positive impact on the future of observational astronomy,” Dr. Reding reflected.

 

The 2023-24 fellowship class is sponsored by organizations including AAAS, the Moore Foundation and partner societies. Of the 276 fellows chosen, 38 will serve in Congress, one will serve at the Federal Judicial Center, and 237 will serve in the executive branch among 19 federal agencies or departments. New this year, among the 38 fellows in Congress, six are members of AAAS’ special AI Rapid Response Cohort – experts in artificial intelligence and related areas recruited to help confront pressing issues such as privacy, intellectual property rights, employment, and innovation in the field.

 

The STPF program supports evidence-based policymaking by leveraging the knowledge and analytical mindset of science and engineering experts, and trains leaders for a strong U.S. science and technology enterprise. Fellows represent a vast array of disciplines, backgrounds and career stages. After the fellowship, many remain in the policy arena working at the federal, state, regional or international level, while others pursue careers in academia, industry or the nonprofit sector.

 

Founded in 1973, the STPF program celebrated its 50^th anniversary earlier this year. At the end of his service, Dr. Reding will join a select corps of 4,000+ alumni fellows who are equipped to solve problems with a unique set of science policy skills and acumen.

Also this year, STPF is launching an alumni network to stimulate and support collaboration among them to further the STPF mission of supporting evidence-based decision-making in US public policy.

 

Visit www.aaas.org/stpf to learn more about the AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, please visit www.aaas.org.