News & Events

Niladri Deb pursued research this summer at The Ohio State University in Dr. Roland Kawakami’s lab under the supervision of PhD candidate Matthew Swann. The team explored utilizing Tungsten Diselenide (WSe2) for the next generation of Metal Oxide Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) in order to keep up with the increasing demands placed on technology. Utilizing Molecular Beam Epitaxy, the team was successful in growing WSe2 and was able to characterize the contact resistance of this material. Current work involves improving the material’s performance and utilizing the WSe2 to produce a MOSFET device.

Nick Church and Malcom Henderson joined the OWU Summer Science Research Program working on with Dr. Robert Harmon studying starspots on the star LO Pegasi. This star exhibits changes in its overall brightness due to large dark patches moving across the stellar surface, called starspots, as the star rotates. By studying the starspots, it is possible to gain insights into the star's magnetic field. The team utilized the 0.35m-aperture telescope at Perkins Observatory and collected seven nights of data between May and July 2023 with a scientific CCD camera, and then applied the technique of Lightcurve-Inversion (LI), developed by Dr. Harmon, to model the appearance of the starspots on LO Pegasi’s surface. Results were then compared to those of previous students extending back to 2014.

The OWU Summer Science Research Program is a unique 10-week program that offers the opportunity for students to carry out cutting-edge research side by side with faculty mentors. Students in the program learn immediately how scientific research is different from what they experience in their classroom labs. At the conclusion of the program, students will share their results at the Patricia Belt Conrades Summer Science Research Symposium and at meetings of prestigious scientific associations.

Over the summer Hannah Green pursued research through the US CMS Undergraduate internship program. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is set to complete its current round of data collection soon, after which upgrades will be performed that will transform the facility into the High-Luminosity LHC. It is projected that the HL-LHC will produce ten times more data than its predecessor, forcing scientists to consider new ways to analyze these large volumes of data. Scientists are looking at Services for Optimized Network Inference on Coprocessors (SONICs) to meet this challenge. SONICs offer the ability to outsource neural network inferences to dedicated co-processors, such as GPUs, FPGAs, an ASICs. Hannah’s work focused on characterizing the performance of SONIC configurations in a traditional Linux cluster compared to utilizing Docker containers via Kubernetes deployment.

The US CMS Undergraduate Internship Program seeks to address the under-representation of women and other minoritized students in physics and related STEM fields by offering the opportunity to complete a 10-week paid internship at one of more than 50 US institutions, while working with scientists affiliated with the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN). For more information on this program, visit the Fermilab internship webpage.

Congratulations to Kaito Iwasaki for being awarded the 2023 Phillip C. Stanger Prize in Astronomy. Kaito (left) is pictured receiving his award from Dr. Brad Trees (right), Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The Phillip C. Stanger Prize in Astronomy is awarded by the Department of Physics and Astronomy to a senior student who has shown excellence throughout their career at Ohio Wesleyan University in the field of astronomy and astrophysics. The prize was created through a generous donation by the Stanger family, leaving a lasting legacy for longtime Professor of Astronomy, Phillip C. Stanger.

Congratulations to Nilu Debb for becoming a member of Sigma Pi Sigma! Nilu (left) is pictured with Dr. Yunhua Ding (right), Sigma Pi Sigma Advisor.

Sigma Pi Sigma is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and exists to honor outstanding scholarship in physics and astronomy. More information on Sigma Pi Sigma can be found on their webpage.

Congratulations to Malcolm Henderson for becoming a member of Sigma Pi Sigma! Malcolm (left) is pictured with Dr. Yunhua Ding (right), Sigma Pi Sigma Advisor.

Sigma Pi Sigma is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and exists to honor outstanding scholarship in physics and astronomy. More information on Sigma Pi Sigma can be found on their webpage.

Junior Astrophysics Major Hannah Green has been accepted into the US CMS Undergraduate Internship Program at Fermilab for summer 2023! This summer Hannah will learn about computational tools and data-science methods to analyze data obtained from the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Hannah will start her internship by spending two weeks at Fermilab before then moving to Purdue University for the remainder of the program. The P.I. for this resesearch is Dr. Miaoyuan Liu, Purdue University

The US CMS Undergraduate Internship Program seeks to address the under-representation of women and other minoritized students in physics and related STEM fields by offering the opportunity to complete a 10-week paid internship at one of more than 50 US institutions, while working with scientists affiliated with the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN). For more information on this program visit the Fermilab internship webpage.

Sophomore Physics and Pre-Engineering Major Madison Cofer has been awarded a small grant via the OWU Small Grant Program for their project: seaMATE Underwater Robotics Build! Utilizing the knowledge and skills that Madison has acquired from analog and digital electronics (PHYS 375), they will build a seaMATE pufferfish underwater robotic kit from scratch.

The OWU Small Grant Program seeks to fund student signature projects that complement their academic studies. For more information on this program visit the small grant program guidelines page

Congratulations to Sophomore Astrophysics Major Malcolm Henderson for being awarded the Muller Award by the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. The Muller award began in 2000 from a generous donation by Robert and Elizabeth Muller, recognizing a student that shows promise in physics early on in their education.

Malcolm received the Muller award at the annual Muller Award Banquet where the department also welcomed a virtual presentation by Dr. Rowan Thomson, Professor of Physics and Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Carleton University titled Actions to Advance Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Science.