Dr. Chaochao Dun and Prof Carroll at thesis defense reception. WFU Physics alum, Chaochao Dun (Ph.D. ’17), has been awarded the Chinese Government National Outstanding Self-funded Scholarship Award for 2017. This award was founded by Chinese government in 2003 with the purpose of rewarding the academic excellence of self-financed Chinese students studying overseas. This award is considered as the highest award given by Chinese government to graduate students who study outside of China and do not receive financial support from Chinese government.

An award ceremony will be held at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. in April. Dr. Dun completed his thesis under the direction of Professor David Carroll at the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials.

Physics professor Oana Jurchescu has been awarded the Wake Forest University Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Center’s (URECA) Faculty Award For Excellence in Mentorship in Research and Creative Work. The award was presented at the 2018 WFU Founders’ Day Convocation held in Wait Chapel on Feb. 15, 2018. The award recognizes faculty members who engage Wake Forest undergraduates outside the classroom and inspire, guide and support the students’ intellectual and creative endeavors.

Congratulations Dr. Jurchescu!

February 9, 2018February 9, 2018

WFU Physics Career Advising Event

SPEAKER: Dillon Sanders

Department of Nuclear Engineering
NC State University
and Wake Forest Alum

TIME: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 at 12:00 – 1:00 PM

PLACE: Olin Lounge (Olin 106)

Pizza will be provided. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.

BIO & TOPICS

Mr. Sanders is nearing the completion of his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University. He obtained his B.S. in Physics from Wake Forest University in 2012. His research has involved the study of nuclear materials primarily using computer simulations.

In this lunch seminar, we will discuss the numerous opportunities for students in the physics curriculum to pursue educational advancement in engineering graduate programs as well as careers in the nuclear industry. Discussion topics will include: The applicability of skills learned in the WFU Physics Department to engineering disciplines; internship opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students at various national laboratories, nuclear vendors, and the U.S. Armed Forces; and careers in public policy and national/international nuclear safeguards. As Mr. Sanders has transitioned from a physics background to engineering, students interested in applying their physics skills to engineering disciplines are encouraged to attend. As the word “nuclear” is appearing in the news with increasing frequency today, anyone with general questions about the functionality and application of nuclear technology is welcome to attend as well. The seminar will be informal and will conclude with a question and answer session.

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February 9, 2018February 9, 2018

WFU Physics Colloquium

TITLE: “Properties and Dynamics of Jammed Matter: Insights from Simulations”
SPEAKER: Mr. Dillon Sanders
Department of Nuclear Engineering
North Carolina State University

TIME: Wed. Feb. 14, 2018, at 4:00 PM
PLACE: George P. Williams, Jr. Lecture Hall, (Olin 101)

There will be a reception with refreshments at 3:30 PM in the lounge. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.

ABSTRACT

Systems governed by jammed dynamics are ubiquitous in nature and range from the molecular motion in glassy materials to the movement of cars in traffic jams. Theories and experiments that elucidate the underlying causes of the glass transition have led to the observation of universal behaviors, such as dynamical heterogeneity and string-like cooperative motion, that are seen in a variety of jammed systems and have been studied in detail using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

In this talk, I will describe efforts to unite dynamic and thermodynamic features of glass-forming liquids in the context of MD, and the extension of these efforts to describe other seemingly different systems such as superionic solids and irradiated crystals.

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January 30, 2018January 30, 2018

Undergraduate Angela Harper working in the lab.

The Wake Forest Angela F. Harper Fellowship is a one-time award designed to promote the summer research of physics majors or those working in the physics department under the mentorship of a Wake Forest University faculty member across the summer months. Applications must be written by the student and submitted to Eric Carlson ecarlson@wfu.edu, though it is expected that the content of the project will evolve from conversations between the student and the faculty mentor.

The Wake Forest Research Fellowship will support projects mentored or co-mentored by Reynolda College faculty.

If awarded, the Harper Fellowship supports:

A $4000 stipend to the undergraduate fellow.
Summer housing on the WFU campus (if requested).
Up to $500 in supplies, to be used on the scholarly project.

Important details to consider:

Students must be either declared physics majors, or be working with a faculty mentor in the physics department
Applications require the full consent of the faculty mentor.
The fellowship must span at least 10 weeks of the summer months.
The fellowship is meant to provide an intensive scholarly experience for the student. The student who receives the Harper Fellowship may not take summer session classes, nor have additional employment during the summer months.

Housing on campus during your research will follow the same schedule as Summer School. The fellowship will only cover the cost of your portion of a double occupancy room. If you choose to request a single occupancy room, you would be responsible for paying the difference.

Applications are due February 16, 2018.

Completion of the project requires the submission of an abstract and presentation of the scholarly work at Undergraduate Research Day, which is held in the fall semester on Parent’s Weekend.

Students should complete this application. Please contact Eric Carlson ecarlson@wfu.edu if you have any questions.

November 16, 2017November 16, 2017

WFU Physics Career Advising Event

SPEAKER: Jeremy W. Ward, Ph.D.

Airmen Performance & Aeromedicine Applications
Soft Matter Materials Branch
Materials and Manufacturing Directorate
Air Force Research Laboratory
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

TIME: Tues. Nov. 28, 2017 at 12:00 – 1:00 PM

PLACE: Olin Lounge (Olin 106)

Pizza will be provided. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.

ABSTRACT

Dr. Jeremy W. Ward is currently a Research Scientist and Program Manager within the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He earned his B.A. in Physics and Mathematics from Simpson College in Indianola, IA, in 2010, and his Ph.D. in Physics from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, in 2015. While earning both his B.A. and Ph.D., Jeremy also served as a crew chief for both F-16 and C-130 airframes in the United States Air National Guard. After completing his Ph.D., Jeremy then worked on staff within the United States Senate as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow, a position supported by the Materials Research Society (MRS) and the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). In 2016, Jeremy accepted a position as a Research Scientist for UES, Inc. in Dayton, OH, where he performed research in the area of flexible and conformal electronics for the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). In 2017, Jeremy accepted a position with AFRL, where he is leading both R&D of conformal sensing technologies as well as managing programs that address the materials and manufacturing challenges to meet the USAF needs in the area of Airmen Performance and Aeromedicine.

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October 30, 2017

WFU Physics Meet the Speaker Event

SPEAKER: Dr. Yves Chabal
Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
University of Texas at Dallas,
Dallas, TX

TIME: Wed. Nov. 1, 2017, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

PLACE: Olin Lounge (Olin 106)

Pizza will be provided. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.

INFORMATION

Dr. Chabal is very interested in having an open forum discussion with students involved in the disciplines of Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering. Please join him in the Olin Lounge for lunch and collaboration at this Meet the Speaker event.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Yves Chabal holds a Texas Instrument Distinguished Chair in Nanoelectronics at the University of Texas at Dallas. He obtained a BA in Physics from Princeton University in 1974, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University in 1980. He worked at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, from 1980 until 2002. In 2003, he joined Rutgers University as Professor in Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, and directed the Laboratory for Surface Modification. He joined UT Dallas in January 2008 to lead the Materials Science and Engineering department in the Erik Jonsson Engineering School.

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October 24, 2017October 25, 2017

Angela Harper (17) (c)WFU/Ken Bennett Angela Harper (’17) was awarded the 2017 LeRoy Apker Award, in recognition for outstanding achievements in Physics. This award is given by the American Physical Society and two awards are presented each year, one to a student from a Ph.D. granting institution, and one to a student from a non-Ph.D. granting institution. Angela was selected for her contributions to printed electronics research and outstanding leadership of the Society of Physics Students and Society of Women in STEM fields.

Angela worked in Prof. Jurchescu’s group and together with postdoctoral researcher Peter Diemer developed the first ever laser printed transistor.

While an undergraduate at WFU she also won a Goldwater fellowship, the Churchill fellowship and the NSF graduate research fellowship. She is now a graduate student at Cambridge University in UK.

Congratulations, Angela!

October 16, 2017October 19, 2017

WFU Physics Career Advising Event

TITLE: “Opportunities for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Postdoctoral Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)“

SPEAKER: Zachary D. Hood

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
and Wake Forest Alum

TIME: Wed. Oct. 18, 2017 at 12:00 – 1:00 PM

PLACE: Olin Lounge (Olin 106)

Pizza will be provided. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.

ABSTRACT

Are you an undergraduate or graduate student interested in an exciting scientific career? Or are you interested in working with top-flight scientists at a national lab for a summer, semester, or even longer? Or are you a professor looking for new opportunities for your students to explore career choices in the sciences? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is the seminar for you. In this lunch seminar, we will discuss the multiple opportunities at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A wide array of educational opportunities are offered at ORNL that prepare individuals for their future scientific careers. In this lunch seminar, we will discuss multiple opportunities at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels at the national lab. We will first discuss internships for undergraduate students, highlighting both short- and long-term educational opportunities. We will then discuss opportunities for graduate students, including short- and long-term internships, collaborations with the User facilities, and postdoctoral fellowships at ORNL. The lunch seminar will conclude with a question and answer session.

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October 10, 2017

Associate Professor Timo Thonhauser has been elected a 2017 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) by the APS Council of Representatives upon the recommendation of the Division of Computational Physics. This honor is in recognition of Dr. Thonhauser’s contributions to include van der Waals interactions in density functional theory. Congratulations Dr. Thonhauser!