PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN • 2005 NUMBER 2

DeMarco and Kwiat “Amazing Light” WinnersEverything

rian DeMarco and Paul Kwiat wiat third place in the “Innovative were among the 18 young physics Technologies” category. Kwiat B aul G. K researchers selected as finalists in a y P described his work on “entanglement,” hoto b global competition to participate in P considered to be the quintessential Amazing Light: Visions for Discovery, feature of quantum mechanics. an international symposium inspired By using lasers as a source for photons, by and honoring the leadership and his research group systematically vision of Charles Townes, winner of studies how quantum systems react the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics. to manipulation, interaction with The young scientists—chosen from themselves, and measurement. In a field of 89 applicants and all less addition to investigating individual than 40 years of age—presented their photons, the researchers also create innovative research at the symposium, pairs of entangled photons, allowing which was held October 6–8, 2005, them to study the rudiments of on the campus of the University of quantum computing, realize perfectly California, Berkeley. The symposium secure encryption via quantum brought together renowned scholars cryptography, and provide extremely and researchers, including 20 Nobel convincing evidence that the universe laureates, to explore the extraordinary does not obey classical laws. challenges of 21st century physics In January 2001, Kwiat joined the and cosmology. Paul Kwiat, Charles Townes, and Brian DeMarco at the Amazing Light Symposium in Illinois physics faculty as the second The “Young Scholars” competition Berkeley, California. John Bardeen Chair. He has done focused on exploring and advancing pioneering research on quantum innovative research in physics and DeMarco won first place in the the first experiments demonstrating interrogation, quantum erasure, and astronomy. The 18 finalists presented “Quantum Physics” category for his that scalable quantum computing is optical implementations of quantum research papers at the symposium, presentation on “Quantum Simulation possible in the trapped ion system. information protocols. whose major themes were inspired by using Ultra-cold Atoms,” which In 2004, he received the prestigious A fellow of the American Physical and derived from Townes’ own ideas described his research aimed at Young Investigator Award from the Society and the Optical Society of and questions. Special emphasis was realizing quantum simulation using Office of Naval Research, one of only America, he is a primary inventor of placed on investigating new, deep atoms trapped in an optical lattice. 26 such awards made in all branches the world’s two principal sources of discoveries about the nature of reality, Before coming to Illinois in 2003, of science and engineering that year. polarization-entangled photons from as well as for developing powerful DeMarco held a National Research In 2005, he was recognized with a down-conversion, which have been new technologies that, like the laser Council Fellowship at NIST, where National Science Foundation used for quantum cryptography, for which Townes shared the Nobel he worked on quantum information CAREER Award. dense-coding, quantum teleportation, Prize, could open up new domains experiments using trapped atomic Paul Kwiat’s presentation, “The entanglement distillation, and most of scientific research. ions—work that resulted in some of Entanglement Revolution,” received recently, optical quantum gates. I

Illinois’ First Atomic BEC Interview with Nithaya Chetty, co

ar President-Elect of the South eM rian D y B African Institute of Physics hoto b P

Editor’s Note: It’s been 15 years since Nithaya Chetty completed his PhD in physics at the University of Illinois. A physics professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Chetty is currently president-elect of the South African Institute of Physics.

Tell us about your childhood, when your interest in physics began, and the individuals who encouraged and influenced that interest. I grew up in rural Natal province on the east coast of South Africa during beaches, parks, schools, and transport the height of the Apartheid system, systems—were separated according the country’s policy of racial to race. At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 16, 2005, the DeMarco group (graduate students segregation. I am of Indian descent, At that time, the choice careers Matt White and Matt Pasienski, post-doc Hong Gao, and Professor Brian DeMarco) and my forebears arrived in South amongst non-whites were medicine, took these images of Illinois’ first atomic Bose–Einstein condensate. The figure shows a Africa as indentured laborers who law, and teaching, which enabled sequence of absorption images; the temperature of the 87Rb gas decreases as the labels worked on the sugar cane plantations. graduates in these fields to practice increase from “1” to “12.” The BEC first emerges at Image “4” (around 150 nK and When growing up, I was in their own separate communities. 300,000 atoms), and the thermal gas disappears in the final two images. accustomed to knowing my place in Opportunities outside these usual the social order. For example, shop choices were few and, in some entrances and public amenities— continued on page 15

2 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2

Letter from the Head e are well into the new Symbolically, the White admin- to bring in a slightly smaller-than- Wacademic year and there is istration took flight on September 22 normal class, to correct for unexpected much to report. Generally the news at a gala inauguration ceremony. increases in acceptance rates in recent is good, but the future has many The Marching Illini led the procession years, the reputation of our graduate uncertainties. The most exciting news of nearly 500 students, faculty and program brought us another large is that a stellar cast of six new faculty staff members, alumni, and 90 class. members joined the department this representatives of other American Lastly, I have decided to step down fall. You can read about them in this universities and learned societies, as department head and retire in issue of the newsletter. Regrettably, we all clad in academic regalia, from the August 2006, which will mark my will lose two senior faculty members Illini Union to Krannert Center for completion of 6 years as head and mid-year, and two retirements at the the Performing Arts. President White’s 39 years as a member of the faculty. end of this academic year are certain. inaugural speech was what we A national search for my successor Change is normal. needed—frank about the challenges will begin soon, and there is every Another piece of good news is that we face, given decreasing state support reason to expect the new head will be Joe White, who became the 16th and uncertainties in federal funding, identified no later than April 2006 and president of the University of Illinois and uplifting about the University’s be in a position to take over in August. on January 31, 2005, is making his great strengths and enormous I encourage you to send your mark. He has launched a potential. recommendations for candidates for comprehensive, system-wide strategic Freshman physics major enrollments the next person to lead our remarkable planning initiative to identify where are up for another year and our new department to Interim Dean Ilesanmi we want to be in 2010 and what we graduate class exceeded our target Adesida. I must do to get there. again this year. Despite our efforts

Jeremiah D. Sullivan Whatever happened to… For one night a year they were stars

BY DAN PETRELLA “We would hear a song and think of and sort of went nuts,” said Neils. Post. Currently his two-year-old funny physics lyrics for the chorus,” He said that performing the second daughter keeps him too busy to play or several years at Physical Revue, Neils said. “Then we’d sit around and year was one of his fondest memories in a band. Fthe annual Physics talent show listen to each others’ ideas. If we could of his time in the band. Bonetti is a research scientist in held each December, a group of come up with lyrics for the entire Within a few weeks of that the Low Temperature Science and graduate students who called song, it was a go.” Neils noted that performance, the group even recorded Quantum Sensors Group at NASA’s themselves The Conduction Band they wrote a physics version of an album called “Goodwin Road” Jet Propulsion Laboratory. stole the show. AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night in the basement of a band member’s Neils is designing cryogenic Tony Bonetti and Dylan Smith Long” but it was never performed house in Urbana. “We sold about instruments for Quantum Design started the band after playing together because some group members 50 copies of it and actually in San Diego, California. in another short-lived group. Bonetti thought it was too racy. autographed a couple,” Wiemeyer Wiemeyer is a research scientist at joined the earlier group, in which The group was pleased with the said. Technology Service Corporation in Smith played bass, when it got a new response it received from the first Smith said the third year’s Los Angeles and worked as an extra singer and some of the other members performance. “The audience reaction performance “wasn’t quite as magical.” on the made-for-TV movie quit. The group didn’t last much was great,” Neils said. Brian Wiemeyer, The members were busy with working “18 Wheels of Justice.” longer. who joined the group on trumpet, on their theses and didn’t have as In addition to his position as an Smith and Bonetti decided to put assistant professor at Lake Forest a group together for the Physical College in Lake Forest, Illinois, Kim Revue in 1997. “Tony and I hadn’t is also the founder, president, and played out for a while and we were CEO of Palindrome Skateboards. itching to do that,” Smith said. Sheehy is a research associate in the The group’s line-up for the first year physics department at University of included Smith on bass and backing Colorado at Boulder. vocals, Bonetti on drums and backing Although they have been apart for vocals, Dan Sheehy on guitar and several years now, the members still backing vocals, and Bill Neils on have found memories of their time in lead vocals. the group. Wiemeyer recalled a time “They asked me if I wanted to sing. when a first-year graduate student I told them to keep looking. If they approached him in the hallway as couldn’t find anyone else, I would step though he were some kind of celebrity. in,” said Neils, who began singing in Neils’ fondest memory is the time a church choir and sang in choirs “Goodwin Road” they spent hanging out at Smith and throughout high school and college. Bonetti’s house, nicked named “the The band, whose name comes from Dog Pound,” writing song lyrics and the energy band theory of solids, keyboards and backing vocals the much time to devote to the group, making fun of each other. took popular songs and rewrote the second year, recalled being in the Neils said. “Honestly, the third year, About the possibility of a reunion, lyrics to relate to physics. Their songs audience for the band’s first it went down a bit,” said Wiemeyer. Smith said that he wouldn’t want to included “Seminar Daze” (based performance. “The first year, when “A group similar to ours went on necessarily go on stage but getting on “Purple Haze”/Jimi Hendrix), I was actually in the audience, it before we did, and stole our thunder back together to play would be fun. “Stayin’ Alive” (“Stayin’ Alive”/The was electric,” he said. a little!” “That’s Tae’s dream, I’m sure,” Bee Gees), and “Take Qual an’ Fail” Sheehy left the group after the first As members began graduating and he said. I (“Jump, Jive, an’ Wail”/Louis Prima). year and Yung Tae Kim took over leaving the university, the group “We tried to choose songs that both on guitar and backing vocals. disbanded. For more information about Conduction the grad students and the faculty The group’s members agree that Smith is still at the university as a Band, as well as song lyrics and performance would appreciate,” said Smith. the second year was the peak of postdoctoral research associate for the videos, visit the group’s website at guava.physics.uiuc.edu/~tae/conductionband. They tried to select a mixture of old Conduction Band’s career. “The second Materials Research Laboratory. Until and new songs and ones that would year, we already had a little cult this summer, he was playing in a hard appeal to a wide audience, like songs following, and the reaction was rock and funk group called Rodeo by The Beatles and the Brian Setzer even greater,” Wiemeyer said. “People Girl Collective that played mostly Orchestra. remembered us from the previous year cover songs at local bars like the Iron

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 3 Music of the Spheres, Part 2

BY CYNDI PACELEY at Indiana University, Princeton Scotland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Matthew Gordon’s newest musical University, and the University of Chicago and St. Louis are particular composition is “Finish Your Thesis rom classical to barbershop to pop, San Diego. hotbeds of barbershop, and this enables Oratorio in B-Minor,” a self-titled work FDaniel Bahr, Becky McDuffee, At the U of I, Bahr is in his fourth McDuffee to easily bring in vocal that explains why he hasn’t been singing and Matthew Gordon join their fellow year and working with Dale Van coaches from around the region for much lately. Physics colleagues featured in the Harlingen. He recently passed his one- or two-day training sessions. As it When his schedule allowed music Spring 2005 issue of Physics Illinois preliminary exam and will soon begin does for others around the country, this to fill more of his free time, Gordon’s News in singing music’s praises. designing and building a scanning additional tutelage helps her group interests included performing pop SQUID microscope as part of research maintain the high quality standards and classical, as well as composing. Daniel Bahr, currently pursuing a to make observations on magnetic Most recently, he sang in the PhD in condensed matter physics— fields at near absolute zero temperatures. Champaign-Urbana area with a band specifically in low-temperature “In observing vortices formed by called “Lost Episodes,” covering 1960s superconductivity—recently sang the magnetic fields piercing the and 70s tunes originally made famous difficult counter-tenor part of The superconductor, we can gain magnetic by the likes of Elvis Presley, Bob Seger, Coronation of Poppea in a University topography information of different and Van Morrison, along with those of of Illinois School of Music production symmetry structures in unconventional contemporary artists such as Chris Isaak at Krannert Center for the superconductors,” Bahr explained. and Santana. Prior to that, he sang Performing Arts. He hopes to pursue a job in industry with the U of I Chorale. Poppea—written in 1642—was or a postdoctoral fellowship following “I found performing with the Chorale Claudio Monteverdi’s last opera and completion of his doctorate in roughly extremely challenging, since most considered his another three years. members of the group are choral supreme conducting majors and I’m strictly an masterpiece, Becky McDuffee, a 20-year Physics staff amateur,” Gordon said. “During my a work that secretary, joined the Champaign-Urbana first semester with them, we performed combines tragic Sweet Adelines in 1979. She all 25 movements of Rachmaninoff’s and comic transitioned from a member of the Vespers, which, above and beyond the elements with chorus to serving as the group’s assistant technical requirements, is quite a deep character director for 15 years. Nearly six years marathon,” he added. development. ago, she became director of the His pursuits turned to composition The earliest opera 24-member chorus in the community in the past year when he wrote a Daniel Bahr to be based on of Danville, 35 miles east of C-U. 10-minute musical, “Uraniborg,” about historical figures, it relates the story of Though the directorship role the life of Danish astronomer Tycho a beautiful courtesan who schemes to prohibits her from singing with the Brahe. The piece made its debut as become empress of Rome during group, she readily cites a performance part of the Penny Dreadful Players’ Nero’s reign. at the 2004 regional contest as her 10-minute play festival in 2004. “It was definitely my most most exciting show. Originally from the north Chicago challenging role to date, but I enjoyed “It’s the finest compliment a group suburb of Glenview, Gordon’s first it immensely,” Bahr said. “There was can receive when the audience starts exposure to music performance was an amazing amount of music to smiling and clapping before the piano lessons, including a brief foray memorize.” performance is even over,” McDuffee into the then-popular “Suzuki method,” Growing up in Rochester, said. which he abhorred. He abandoned Minnesota, Bahr was surrounded Their final song garnered three piano for drums in the school band, by music. His parents listened to ovations (one standing). They have also and began singing in a junior high everything from Anne Murray to earned the prestigious “most improved school choir. Willie Nelson, played the piano, and chorus” award, and McDuffee won the He studied voice with a private encouraged their children’s musical novice director award in her first year. teacher while in high school and interests. Singing since the age of 7, Apart from Sweet Adelines performed in the concert and jazz Bahr began in a community boys’ competitions, another cherished honor choirs, as well as in madrigal and a choir and continued as a member was leading the singing of “Happy capella groups. of the Southeastern Minnesota High Birthday” at Professor and Nobel While earning a bachelor’s degree in School Honors Choir. Led and inspired Laureate John Bardeen’s 80th birthday physics at Princeton University, Gordon by Rick Kvam, Southeastern’s voice party. Becky McDuffee anchors her barbershop explored both pop and Jewish liturgical teacher, the group won a young “That was pretty memorable— quartet, Off Senter. From top, Lu Senter, a capella groups and continued training artists’ contest in Vienna. leading physicists in vocal tribute Anita Edge, Betty Lightfoot, and Becky with a vocal coach. “Dr. Kvam was an incredible to Professor Bardeen,” she said. McDuffee. Following graduation from Princeton, teacher,” Bahr recalled. A native of Champaign who earned he worked as a systems integrator for “He holds both a medical degree and an associate’s degree in music from required before a quartet or chorus is Geodesic Systems in Chicago. He a master’s in music conducting from Parkland College and a bachelor’s degree given Sweet Adelines performing rights. completed a master’s in physics at the Harvard,” Bahr said. “At that time, in rhetoric from the U of I, McDuffee “Being a chorus director is definitely U of I and is currently pursuing a PhD. he combined the two by working confesses to being “a ham” her entire about watching people grow and He is now working with Paul Selvin part-time in a hospital emergency life. Surrounded by parents and siblings develop, both personally and vocally,” to develop new applications of single- room while teaching at Southeastern.” who sang, she joined a high school she added. molecule fluorescence to biophysics. Bahr emulated his instructor beyond choir and, later, a church choir. There is even a physics aspect to “It’s a very fast-moving, exciting music by earning a triple major She became hooked for life, however, barbershop music, McDuffee said. field these days, and I’ve done some (physics, music performance, and when she sang in a barbershop quartet “Barbershop is sung a capella with interesting work, both in genomics mathematics) undergraduate degree as a teenager. four voices, ideally matching resonance and proteomics,” Gordon said. with honors from Luther College in “I realized that in addition to our and vowels, and singing intervals so “We recently filed for a patent on Decorah, Iowa. shared interest in music, these were mathematically exact—Pythagorean a method for determining generic “At the outset, I was a pre-med and people I liked to be with,” she recalled. tuning—that the frequencies line up haplotypes by observing single DNA music major, but my heart wasn’t in “That’s why I found Sweet Adelines and create harmonics,” she explained. molecules,” he added. medicine,” he added. “After switching so appealing—it combined singing, These harmonics mean that while He hopes to graduate within the to physics and getting the triple major, camaraderie, and razzle dazzle.” four notes are being sung, one or more next year and to pursue a postdoctoral I told my father that he got his tuition’s Now in its 60th year, Sweet Adelines additional notes above them—and fellowship. I worth from Luther College,” Bahr International boasts a membership sometimes, one or more notes below— joked. of nearly 30,000 women in 1,200 can be easily heard. While pursuing his undergraduate registered quartets and 600 choruses “Lining up your voice with three degree, he completed a rigorous in most of the 50 states, as well as in others and ‘ringing’a chord hooks many 10-week research program in plasma Australia, Canada, England, Finland, a singer to barbershop,” she added. physics, conducted over two summers Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand,

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

4 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 Observations on Life in Rhyme and Meter

Ginsberg’s retirement in August 1997. Chicago, and headed to the University Ginsberg and Van Harlingen joined It expands on his earlier book of of California, Berkeley for his PhD. three other distinguished Illinois Physics poetry, Sunbeams Fall, published in Involved in a superconductivity faculty—two-time Nobel Laureate John 2002. project at Berkeley and with a thesis Bardeen, National Medal of Science “My poems comment on everyday on the same topic, Ginsberg was well winner Harry Drickamer, and National life, with its rapid changes and its acquainted with the work of Professor Academy of Science Comstock Prize frequently amusing peculiarities and Nobel Laureate John Bardeen at winner Charles Slichter—who have also and paradoxes,” Ginsberg noted. the University of Illinois. won the prestigious Buckley Prize. With titles ranging from “The Voice” As he finished his doctorate, he Ginsberg retired nearly a year and to “Speeding Down the Highway” and was invited to join the U of I faculty. a half after first being diagnosed with chapters allocated to both humorous He remained for 38 years and, along Parkinson’s disease. One of his largest and serious topics, such as physics the way, served as graduate thesis frustrations with the condition is that it observations, word games, hobbies, research adviser to 36 students who ended his ability to play the flute—an and friends, At the Edge of a Dream is earned PhDs. During his career, he avocation he began at age 55. Oscillations Electromagnetic enjoyable reading for the physicist was named a Fellow of the American “I had my first music lesson about and non-physicist alike. Physical Society, was twice honored 50 years late, but I enjoyed playing Oscillations electromagnetic And true to character for a faculty as an A.P. Sloan Foundation Research and was very happy to perform in I send you with signals of love, member frequently cited among those Fellow, and received a Postdoctoral the Parkland College Orchestra,” Generated by motions frenetic University of Illinois teachers ranked as National Science Foundation Ginsberg said. Of electrons, by laws from above. “excellent” by their students, Ginsberg Fellowship for research in Cambridge, His second poem, “Pianissimo Don,” The message flies on as by magic, even included homework—partial England. made light of his abilities and captured At the maximum possible speed. poems for the reader to finish or to He was also awarded the Daniel C. his self-described style of play: “a flutist begin. Drucker–Tau Beta Pi Eminent Faculty who never plays forte.” If my meaning were lost, ’twould be tragic; Ginsberg credits a charismatic high Award in 1992, and joined the elite Ginsberg recently began a regimen Let no one my signals impede. school English teacher with imparting ranks of those named a University of physical therapy and has seen a love of words and poetry. Scholar in 1994–95. improvement in his Parkinson’s “She showed genuine enthusiasm It was his most recent professional symptoms. And more good news: he for her subject, and that enjoyment honor that was also the most is busy with new poems in preparation BY CYNDI PACELEY was contagious,” he recalled. significant. The 1998 Oliver E. for his third book. Excelling in all subjects, Ginsberg Buckley Prize, which Ginsberg shared Like its two predecessors, the third ormer students of Professor attended Chicago’s Hyde Park High with U of I colleague Dale Van tome will no doubt express in rhyme FEmeritus Donald M. Ginsberg School for three years before enrolling Harlingen, along with John R. Kirtley and meter the author’s philosophy of will be pleased to know the engaging at the University of Chicago, which and Chang C. Tsuei of IBM, rewarded life—enjoy our beautiful universe, share scholar is still writing and publishing. accepted students after two, three, or their seminal work using phase- a laugh, and try not to stub a toe on His current literature, however, four years of secondary education. He sensitive experiments in the every chair you pass. I doesn’t involve the results of first earned a bachelor’s in liberal arts elucidation of the orbital symmetry condensed matter physics research; the before tackling a second undergraduate of the pairing function in high-T Editor’s Note: If you would like to order a copy of c At the Edge of a Dream, email Professor Ginsberg latest work, At the Edge of a Dream, degree in physics. A year later, he superconductors. at [email protected]. features 125 poems composed since completed a master’s in physics, all at

Now That’s Using Your Neurons!

n a uniquely U of I product, 2003 Nobel Laureate Anthony Leggett is “January” in the IBig Brains on Campus 2006 calendar, produced by the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology. The calendar features artistically enhanced brain scans of 14 campus faculty, students, staff, and administrators, while providing information about various brain regions and functions that each person uses in his or her work. Leggett’s brain scan focuses on the regions of the brain that contribute to ingenuity. “This project allows us to bring together our technology and our people to underscore the incredible brain power we have on this campus and the cutting-edge resources we have at Beckman,” said Tracey Wszalek, associate director of the Institute’s Biomedical Imaging Center. “It’s an opportunity to showcase magnetic resonance imaging research by personalizing the science.” The Beckman Institute cultivates groundbreaking, interdisciplinary research in three scientific and technologically relevant areas: biological intelligence, human-computer intelligent interaction, and molecular and electronic nanostructures. Calendars are available for purchase online at www.beckman.uiuc.edu/bigbrains.html. The Department of Physics also has a limited supply of calendars; write to Celia Elliott ([email protected]) if you’d like to purchase one. The cost is $14.95 plus mailing. Recently featured on Paul Harvey and in the Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Globe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Post, and Miami Herald, as well as on ABC, CBS, and Yahoo News, the calendar has also been publicized in Canada and Australia. With this much

attention, they’re sure to sell out quickly, so don’t delay in placing your order. I

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 5

Protein Movements Re-evaluated Researchers Look at Channels With New Technique Alfred O. Hanson, 1914–2005 lfred Olaf Hanson, 90, an emeritus professor of BY GREG KLINE, NEWS-GAZETTE STAFF WRITER Aphysics, died July 2 in Urbana. Born September 26, 1914, on his father’s homestead rotein molecules form minute, gated that naturally binds to so-called Shaker farm near Braddock, North Dakota, he was the son of Ppores in cell membranes to let things potassium ion channels. The toxin Norwegian immigrants. He recalled that, as a boy, he pass through—water and ions like salt molecule includes a tiny dye marker that collected buffalo bones on the farm and observed circles and potassium, for example. fluoresces, or glows, green when excited of stones which secured Sioux teepees. The proteins open and close the by a laser. He married Elizabeth Marie Miller on May 16, 1942, in channels they form in a way that lets Since the researchers know the toxin Columbia, Missouri. He is survived by his wife and their enough through to do the job, but not attaches outside the top of the protein four children: Andrew Jorgen Hanson of Bloomington, Indiana; Donald Farness Hanson of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ardith Hanson Field of Colorado Springs, too much, which would damage the channel, the marker gives them a baseline Colorado; and Craig Demorest Hanson of Rochester, New York; and by four integrity of the cell. from which to measure the changes in the grandchildren. It is a basic biological process going part of the protein that serves as a gate. Professor Hanson received his elementary education in a one-room country on in cells inside us all the time and in That part is marked with a different school in Emmons County, North Dakota. After his family moved to Grand Forks, every other type of cell, so vital that its colored dye. North Dakota, in the mid-1920s, he attended high school and college there, earning a BS in education at the University of North Dakota in 1936. He was a high school ette

az science teacher in Pine River, Minnesota, in 1936–37, but returned to the University

ews G of North Dakota as a teaching assistant in mathematics, obtaining an MA in science in 1938. He then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a graduate ell/The N

idw student in physics. In 1942, he received his PhD in physics under the direction of anda B

V R.G. Herb and remained at the University of Wisconsin van de Graaff generator y laboratory as an employee of the secret, wartime, atomic-bomb Manhattan Project hoto b P until April 1943, when the two Wisconsin van de Graaff generators—and most of the staff working with them—were moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to continue the neutron measurements needed in design of the atomic bomb. On July 16, 1945, Hanson was in charge of a small ground experiment at the New Mexico Trinity-North site, 10,000 yards from ground zero, when the first atomic bomb test shot was detonated. In January 1946, with his wife and young son, Andrew, he moved from Los Alamos to the University of Illinois as an assistant professor of physics to begin his long and distinguished career in academic experimental nuclear physics. At that Prof. Paul Selvin, left, and graduate student David Posson work with an electro-physiology time, Donald Kerst’s 20-MeV betatron at the University of Illinois produced the microscope they use to look at frog egg cells injected with proteins they study, in a laboratory highest energy x-rays in the world, and Professor Hanson, with colleagues, used at the University of Illinois’ Loomis Lab. them to investigate the structure of, and especially the size of, atomic nuclei. In 1948, Professor Hanson was joined by E.M. Lyman and M.B. Scott in a breakdown can contribute to many The UI researchers manipulate the seminal electron scattering experiment, which was celebrated 35 years later by diseases, and many drugs to treat diseases electrical voltage across the cell, in this a commemorative conference held in Urbana. target it. case a frog egg, where they’ve injected the By 1950, a much larger betatron, capable of producing 300-MeV electrons and “The way you think and feel and see proteins, which causes the gate to open x-rays, had been constructed at Illinois. In a sense, the earlier betatron was used are all nerves firing and nerves firing are and close. to investigate how atomic nuclei are constructed from protons and neutrons, while based on these ion channels,” University They excite the dye markers and use the larger machine was used to study the structure of the protons and neutrons of Illinois Professor Paul Selvin said their fluorescence to track the distance the themselves. Using this new capability, Professor Hanson’s group performed a series recently. protein gate moves from the scorpion toxin of elegant experiments that laid the path for others to follow. He also pointed to research done and the degree to which it changes shape. In 1967, when support for the 300-MeV betatron was being terminated, he began elsewhere where slight modifications “The change in distance was much, experimental work with a new kind of electron accelerator, a microtron, which, using in ion channels of fruit flies left them much less ... than expected” based on a superconducting linear accelerator, produced much more intense electron beams. needing very little sleep, and caused previous research using X-ray In his career at Illinois, Professor Hanson directed 18 students to their doctoral them to die much earlier. crystallography, Posson said. They also degrees in physics. The protein channels “are of saw no evidence of a sizeable change In 1955–56, Professor tremendous physiological and clinical in the protein’s shape or position. Hanson was a Fulbright significance,” he said. The results are similar to another s Scholar in Turin, Italy, where Now, Selvin, a biophysicist, and UI tudy, also published in Nature, that Selvin he assisted in setting up a researcher David Posson are shedding and colleagues released in 1999. But the betatron laboratory there. light on the way the proteins open and addition of the scorpion toxin, which On July 27, 1956, having close their channel gates and may settle wasn’t available then, improves the preceded his family back to something of a scientific controversy. experiment and enhances the findings. the United States, Hanson Proteins work by moving and taking Selvin said it’s possible the fluorescent met them on the docks in shapes, and some scientists have proposed markers could affect the results as well. New York City as they that they make a major shift, for a But he said UI researchers tested different disembarked from the ship that had rescued them from protein, in acting like a switch or plunger chemical compositions and checked the the ill-fated voyage of the to regulate the gates. electrical properties of the proteins before Andrea Doria. Again, in 1960, Al Hanson at the controls of the U of Wisconsin But in an article in the journal Nature, and after looking for any effects and he served as a Fulbright van de Graff (“long tank”) generator, imported to released today [August 11, 2005], Posson, found none. lecturer—with the betatron wartime Los Alamos. Selvin and colleagues say the proteins UI scientist Pinghua Ge, Christopher group in Sao Paulo, Brazil. appear to move very little and change Miller at Brandeis University and Pancho Professor Hanson spent a sabbatical at the Brookhaven National Laboratory shape even less. Bezanilla at UCLA contributed to the in 1961–62 and, in 1965, managed a high-energy experiment there. Selvin said scientists who have study. The research was funded by the He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of Sigma Xi. examined the process previously used a Carver Foundation, the National Science Other activities included service with the National Research Council sub-committee technique called X-ray crystallography, Foundation and the National Institutes on neutron measurements and standards, 1948–50; committee for the review of which basically freezes the proteins in of Health. nuclear programs of the National Bureau of Standards, chairman 1965; co-chairman, order to study them. The study gets at the nature of the with Peter Axel, of the Gordon Conference on Photonuclear Reactions, 1959. But that technique may affect a protein’s movement, but how the whole Professor Hanson was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, was active protein’s state itself and influence the process works is still an open question with the Boy Scouts, and enjoyed hiking, canoeing, and camping with his family. results, the UI researchers contend. on which Posson plans to focus next. In retirement, he joined his wife in several Earthwatch expeditions and in In contrast, they’ve developed a method Selvin also wants to look at mechano- co-stewardship of the Tomlinson Pioneer Cemetery Savannah-Prairie Remnant, of looking at the molecules in action. sensitive channels, which are channels now a dedicated Illinois State Nature Preserve in Kerr Township of Champaign “That’s a big advantage of our that appear to open and close based County. He conducted the first prescribed burns of the Urbana Park District’s technique,” Selvin said. on pressure on the cell membrane as (later much expanded) Meadowbrook Propagated Prairie. I Posson, who finished his doctoral opposed to electrical voltage. I work at the UI this year and is now a Reproduced by permission of the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. post-doctoral researcher in Selvin’s lab, Permission does not imply endorsement by the newspaper. Article was used a specially modified scorpion toxin originally published on August 11, 2005. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

6 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2004 NUMBER 1 Department News Six New Faculty Call Physics Illinois Home

ummer 2005 brought a flurry of nanosensors; membrane transport, ion visiting scientist at the IBM Almaden respectively. He has spent his entire Sremodeling and moving to Loomis channels, and biomolecular modeling. Research Center in San Jose, California, career to date at the University of Laboratory of Physics as the department He received his PhD in chemistry cum where his research focused on detecting Massachusetts, rising rapidly through made room for six outstanding new laude from the Institute of Physical the spin of a single electron using the ranks from research associate to full faculty members: Peter Abbamonte Chemistry, Warsaw, Poland, in 1999, MRFM. The long-term goal of this professor. He came to Urbana in August (MS ’94, PhD ’99), Aleksei after completing a master’s degree in work is to achieve three-dimensional 2005 as a full professor of physics and Aksimentiev, Raffi Budakian, Nadya particle physics at the Ivan Franko Lviv sub-surface imaging of atomic structure, of educational psychology. Although Mason, Jose Mestre, and Smitha State University in his native Ukraine in a capability that would transform our trained as a nuclear physicist, his Vishveshwara. 1996. He received postdoctoral training understanding in areas ranging from the academic interests evolved more than at the Materials Science Laboratory determination of protein structure to 20 years ago to the questions of how R&D Center of Mitsui Chemicals, the characterization of buried interfaces students learn physics. He is a Tokyo, Japan, from 1999 to 2001, in semiconductor devices. distinguished scholar of physics learning when he joined the Theoretical and and arguably the most highly regarded Computational Biophysics Group at the researcher in the field of physics University of Illinois as a postdoctoral education in the United States. He research associate. He accepted the has adapted tools from cognitive and position of assistant professor of physics educational psychology to investigate at Illinois in August 2005. forefront issues in the development of Aksimentiev’s recent work includes a scientific knowledge and how it is collaboration with experimentalists and conveyed in instruction, and he brings theorists in electrical engineering and great strengths and new perspectives to Peter Abbamonte physics at Illinois, who are exploring the physics education research group at A condensed matter experimentalist, the use of nanometer-diameter artificial Illinois. His research interests focus Peter Abbamonte received his PhD in pores in ultrathin silicon membranes on cognitive processes pertaining to physics from the University of Illinois to sequence single molecules of DNA Nadya Mason learning science, the role and at Urbana-Champaign in 1999, after under physiological conditions. In A person of enormous energy, Nadya interaction of language in problem obtaining a bachelor’s degree in physics principle, the chemical sequence of a Mason found an outlet in her earlier solving, and the use of technology in from the University of Texas, Austin, DNA molecule can be determined by years as a gymnast in Houston, training science and mathematics education. in 1992. He was a National Science analyzing the electrical signals produced with the legendary Bela Karolyi and Foundation Fellow in the Materials by the molecule as it squeezes through becoming a member of the U.S. Science Centre at the University of the nanopore in the membrane. Using National team. Mason received her Groningen, the Netherlands, and a MOSFET fabrication technology, a low- bachelor’s degree in physics from visiting scientist at Brookhaven National noise amplifier is being integrated with a Harvard University in 1995 and her Laboratory from 1999 to 2001. nanopore, enabling rapid detection and PhD in physics from Stanford He received postdoctoral training in amplification of the electric signals University in 2001. Prior to joining our biophysics at the Laboratory of Atomic resulting from the DNA-nanopore faculty, Mason was a junior fellow of and Solid State Physics, Cornell interaction. the Harvard Society of Fellows, where University, from 2001 to 2003, where she collaborated with Professors Charles he developed new concepts for studying Marcus and Michael Tinkham on attosecond phenomena, in particular projects related to both carbon energy transfer in photosynthetic nanotubes and nanostructured Smitha Vishveshwara membranes, using x-ray scattering. superconductors. A condensed matter theorist with He worked as an assistant physicist at A condensed matter experimentalist, wide-ranging interests, Smitha the National Synchrotron Light Source Mason will focus on how electrons Vishveshwara received her bachelor’s at Brookhaven National Laboratory behave in low-dimensional, correlated degree in physics magna cum laude from and as an adjunct assistant professor at materials, where enhanced interactions Cornell University in 1996, and her SUNY, Stonybrook, from 2003 to are expected to give novel results. She is PhD in theoretical physics from the August 2005, when he joined the particularly interested in the effect of University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Physics as an assistant reduced dimensionality and correlations in 2002. She served as a postdoctoral professor. His research interests include on electron coherence, the control of research associate with Paul Goldbart resonant soft x-ray scattering and Raffi Budakian which is relevant to a variety of systems, and Tony Leggett in Physics at the inelastic x-ray scattering; Part of the team that first imaged the including quantum communication, University of Illinois at Urbana- unconventional superconductors and spin of a single defect in glass (Nature information storage, and qubit control Champaign from 2002 to 2005, high Tc superconductivity; and 430, 329–332 [2004]), Raffi Budakian’s in quantum computers. Mason will working on tunneling and fractional elementary processes in condensed research focuses on developing ultra- exploit modern fabrication techniques statistics in quantum Hall systems, matter that occur on the attosecond sensitive spin detection techniques for to make and study a variety of Aharonov–Bohm effects in carbon time-scale. single spin imaging and quantum nanostructures, such as quantum nanotubes (Science 304, 1132–1134 readout. His current research includes dots and wires, as well as arrays of [2004]), and critical dynamics in design and fabrication of micro- superconducting dots. charged superconductors. She joined machined silicon cantilevers for the department as an assistant professor sub-attonewton force detection; in August 2005. development of spin detection/ Vishveshwara’s research interests span manipulation protocols that enable a broad range of topics in theoretical force detection at the thermal limit; condensed matter physics, and she imaging single dopants and defects in maintains strong collaborative ties with semiconductors; spin control via active experimentalists. Over the next few feedback; and combining magnetic years, she plans to extend ongoing resonance force microscopy (MRFM) projects and to expand her research into with electron nuclear double resonance problems involving ultracold atoms Aleksei Aksimentiev (ENDOR) for high sensitivity nuclear trapped in optical lattices, electronic Alek Aksimentiev is a theoretical and spin detection. properties of single-walled nanotubes, computational biophysicist interested in Budakian earned his bachelor’s, Jose Mestre and exotic features of quantum Hall molecular motors, mechanical proteins, master’s, and PhD degrees in physics Jose Mestre received bachelor’s and PhD states. I F-ATP synthase; high-throughput DNA from the University of California, Los degrees in physics from the University sequencing, silicon biotechnology, Angeles. From 2002 to 2005, he was a of Massachusetts in 1974 and 1979,

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 7

Physics Welcomes Displaced Professor

Y ODI ECKEL ette and his wife get prescription refills and B J H az

ews-G it provided hepatitis shots, vouchers for hen physics Professor Zhiqiang clothing, a voucher for a night in a W Mao left his home in Metairie, on/The N hotel and some supplies. It also helped ohn Dix

Louisiana, and his lab at Tulane y J them with enrolling their daughter in

hoto b school. University the day before Hurricane P Katrina hit, he faced losing valuable “We didn’t expect we’d receive so research time. many helps,” Mao said. Now he’s at the University of Illinois Alice is attending King Elementary and ready to start work again. Tulane University physics School in Urbana, which has a Chinese “This is the ideal place for me,” Mao Professor Zhiqiang Mao, language program, much to Mao’s left, joined by University said. “If I couldn’t stay here to continue delight. The family speaks Chinese at of Illinois physics Professor my work, it would have a huge impact home, but Alice will be able to work on Myron Salamon, her reading and writing skills at King, on my research.” demonstrates an optical Mao is on campus at the invitation of floating zone furnace he said. Myron Salamon, a UI physics professor, at the UI's Materials Mao has received some good news associate dean in the College of Research Lab in Urbana. from home, as well. A friend checked Engineering and director of the his house in Metairie and found minor Engineering Experiment Station. water damage from a leak, but it was Salamon and Mao are part of a small tracked him down through his former students and his family, and another not flooded and a tree that fell in the group of scientists worldwide who work adviser at Penn State. friend and his family. Mao said 11 back yard missed the house. with a family of materials based on “My first thought was to send a check people stayed in the one-bedroom “My lab is probably OK,” he added. three elements and study their to the Red Cross, and I did that,” apartment for a week. “The damage may be very minimal. fundamental physical properties. Salamon said of his reaction to news Then Mao and his family flew to My lab is on the fifth floor, so it Mao is an expert in growing the of Hurricane Katrina. “But I thought, North Carolina to stay with relatives shouldn’t be flooded.” materials in an optical floating zone is there anything I can do as a colleague and decide where he would go from He’ll have no access to his samples furnace—a furnace that focuses a beam to help the people we know? We know there. He had offers to work at or data there for some time, but “I can of light on material to melt it and form what Dr. Mao does. We read his papers. universities in Japan, the United reproduce the samples very quickly,” a crystal. The furnace provides the We compete with him. If we can’t beat Kingdom and at Florida State he said. “We’ve ordered the chemicals. necessary superclean environment for him, we’ll bring him up here. It seemed University. But he wanted to stay in I think we can start our work right growing the compounds, which are natural, if he came here and we had a the U.S. and Florida State couldn’t away when we receive those chemicals. sensitive to impurities. And the UI is furnace, we’d all benefit from it.” accommodate his graduate students. “The research atmosphere is one of a half-dozen places in the “My concern is we have young So he arrived at the UI a little over wonderful, just wonderful,” Mao said of country with such a furnace. scholars early in their careers, and this a week ago. The UI is providing free his impression of the UI. “I feel I’m so Salamon had never met Mao before is a big disruption” for them, he added. housing to Mao and his two graduate lucky. My house is undamaged. I got he arrived in Champaign-Urbana, but When Mao left New Orleans with his students at its Orchard Downs so many helps from the University of Salamon knew Mao’s work and is one wife, Yu Wang, and their 10-year-old complex, an office and a modest Illinois and Professor Salamon. I really of several UI researchers who have used daughter Alice, they drove to amount of supplies for Mao, use of the appreciate all these helps.” I samples grown by Mao. When the Houston—and what is usually a five- furnace, and the privileges of UI faculty, Reproduced by permission of the Champaign-Urbana hurricane hit New Orleans, Salamon hour trip took 15 hours because of such as being able to use the bus system News-Gazette. Permission does not imply endorsement thought of Mao and tried to e-mail him heavy traffic flowing out of New for free. Tulane is still paying his salary. by the newspaper. Article was originally published on to offer him a place to work. He Orleans. They stayed with a friend, When he arrived, the local chapter of September 24, 2005. couldn’t reach Mao by e-mail but who also took in one of Mao’s graduate the American Red Cross helped Mao

New Gift Benefits Biological Physics

rom his perspective, the University also concerned about the divergent paths juncture in their careers,” Sullivan noted. doctorate degrees in physics from the Fof Illinois has been very good to of physics and industry. Credited with helping to lead General University of Illinois, Edelheit began his Lewis (Lonnie) Edelheit and his wife, “It seemed that the biotechnology area Electric into the medical imaging sector, career as a physicist at the GE R&D Susan. So when an opportunity arose would be a great place to bring physics Edelheit’s personal impact on the field Center, where he made significant to show his appreciation, Edelheit and industry closer together, and that is has been far-reaching and profound. contributions to all-video fluoroscopic eagerly stepped forward with financial another goal of the fellowship,” he added. His contributions have been recognized by x-ray systems and to fast-scan, “fan- support for the Physics Department. “We will award the fellowship to a his election to the National Academy of beam” computed x-ray tomography His gift creates the L.S. Edelheit student who has already demonstrated Engineering and receipt of the George E. scanners. Family Endowed Fund in Biological outstanding research ability and who Pake Prize of the American Physical His patent (#4,063,097) covers the Physics, which will be used for an shows great promise for making Society. He is also a Society fellow. concepts for GE’s first CT x-ray system, annual graduate fellowship to the best substantial contributions to the biological In a career that spanned 33 years—all a major advance in medical imaging student in biological physics (theory physics field,” said Jeremiah Sullivan, head but six in various capacities with GE— he helped to pioneer through his own or experiment). of the physics department. Edelheit championed the field of medical seminal scientific contributions and “I had three key reasons for giving The award will free the student from imaging. He served as the first project through his leadership of engineers and back and for choosing the biological other responsibilities to allow him or her manager for a computed tomography (CT) scientists from a wide range of technical physics area in particular,” Edelheit to make maximum progress during the scanner and went on to oversee GE’s disciplines. said. “I’ve been pretty fortunate in my fellowship year, completing the PhD as emergence in the medical electronics Edelheit credits his three UI degrees life and realized just how much I owed early as possible. market, today heralded as one of the with providing important knowledge in the U of I for my circumstances,” he An obvious assist to recruiting top company’s most successful enterprises. the broad nature of physics and the continued. Above and beyond his students, the fellowship will benefit a At his retirement in 2002, he directed the ability to think about complex systems— education, he also met his wife of physics faculty adviser as well. Schenectady, NY-based GE Research and electrical, mechanical, computer, and 40 years while at the U of I. “In working with the award recipient, the Development Center, one of the world’s mathematics. Recognized as one of GE’s leaders in faculty adviser will have the opportunity to largest and most diversified industrial “I would have been hard pressed to modern-day medical imaging, Edelheit explore new ideas in promising areas that laboratories. He concluded his career as find an area that called on complex liked the idea that the fund would are not yet funded,” Sullivan added. GE’s senior vice president for corporate systems analysis more than that of reflect his career’s work—that of “In this way, the Edelheit name will be research and development, as well as a medical imaging,” he said. I studying and refining the interaction associated with those students who are member of the company’s corporate of radiation with the human body. most likely to have a significant impact on executive council. As the holder of a PhD in solid state biological physics. Winning the fellowship After earning an undergraduate degree physics who works in industry, he was award will provide assistance at a critical in engineering physics and master’s and

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

8 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2004 NUMBER 1 Alumni News Alumnus Bill Edelstein Nelson Receives Prestigious Honored with AIP Prize Award from IEEE

y providing detailed pictures from the depths of ayne Nelson (MS ’59, Physics; PhD ’65, Bthe living body, magnetic resonance imaging WStatistics) received the 2005 Lifetime (MRI) has saved many lives and dramatically Achievement Award from the Reliability Society of increased knowledge of human anatomy, particularly the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers the brain. More than 22,000 scanners worldwide (IEEE). After receiving a bachelor’s degree from now perform some 60 million scans annually. But Caltech, Nelson earned a master’s degree in physics without the ingenuity of an industrial physicist and and completed all work for his doctorate except for his colleagues, magnetic resonance would not have the thesis. In 1962, he switched to statistics and made its sudden jump in the early 1980s from a tool received his PhD from Illinois in that field in 1965. for esoteric laboratory research to a widely available Nelson remarked, “As a statistical consultant on medical technology. For his pioneering developments engineering applications of statistics, I have found in the commercialization of high-resolution MRI for my physics background invaluable.” medical applications, Physics alumnus William A. Edelstein (BS ’65) received the Formerly a statistical consultant with the General Electric Research and 2005/2006 American Institute of Physics Prize for Industrial Applications of Development Center for 25 years, Nelson now consults and offers courses for Physics. companies, professional societies, and universities. He recently spent four months Edelstein joined the General Electric Corporate Research and Development in Argentina on a Fulbright Award, doing research and lecturing on analysis of Center in Schenectady, New York, in 1980. He spent the next 21 years making product reliability data. key contributions to MRI science and technology and the development of GE’s The Reliability Society award recognized Nelson’s many innovative MRI systems. While Edelstein retired in 2001 from GE, he remains active developments of practical methods for analysis of reliability and accelerated as an independent scientist and consultant and a visiting scientist at nearby test data, his effective and knowledgeable teaching of thousands of reliability Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is also a senior research associate at Case practitioners, and his skilled consulting, which lengthened the life of hundreds Western Reserve University, where he has done theoretical research on shielding of clients’ products—including toasters, heart pacemakers, car and jet engine pulsed gradient fields to reduce eddy-current-induced acoustic noise. components, and aluminum siding. After receiving a PhD from Harvard University, Edelstein was a postdoctoral In addition to this most recent honor, Nelson is a Fellow of the IEEE, the research fellow at Glasgow University, working on gravitational wave detection. American Society of Quality, and the American Statistical Association. He also He moved to Aberdeen University, also in Scotland, as a research fellow from earned the American Society for Quality’s Shewhart Medal in 2004 for his 1977 to 1980, and was part of a pioneering effort to develop MRI. There, he technical leadership. I collaborated in constructing one of the first whole-body scanners and was the primary inventor of the “spin warp” imaging method still used in all commercial MRI systems. Gendron Tapped to Head After joining GE in 1980, his early analysis and experimental work on MRI signal-to-noise ratios helped establish what was then high field 1.5-T (64-MHz) Woodward Governor imaging and its commercial feasibility. Edelstein was part of the team that produced the first 1.5-T image and spectra of the head. He collaborated in the homas A. Gendron (BS ’83) became president development of the rf “birdcage” imaging coil that operated successfully at Tand chief executive officer of Rockford, Illinois- 64 MHz and built a version that made the first 1.5-T whole-body image. based Woodward Governor Company, effective Recently at GE he elucidated the sources and pathways of acoustic noise July 1. He was also elected to the company’s board generated in MRI systems and assembled an experimental system having of directors. substantially reduced noise. He is continuing that work as an independent Only the sixth person to lead Woodward in its scientist and consultant in collaboration with university and industrial partners. 135-year history, Gendron had served for more than Edelstein is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Fellow of the 14 years in both the aircraft and industrial businesses, Institute of Physics (UK), and a Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic providing leadership in sales, marketing, business Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM). He was awarded the Gold Medal Prize from development, and product support management. ISMRM in 1990, and in 1991 was named a Coolidge Fellow, GE’s highest He was named president and chief operating officer corporate scientific honor. He joins fellow Illinois alumni Charles H. Henry in September 2002 after serving as vice president of (PhD ’65) and Joseph E. Killpatrick (BS ’55, Electrical Engineering) as winners the industrial controls division. Prior to joining the company, he held positions of the AIP Industrial Applications of Physics Prize. I with Sundstrand Corporation and Thermotron. “Tom has been the primary architect of our business strategy, which has delivered results and continues to be very successful. Along with his years of experience at Woodward, Tom will be supported by an established team of senior executives as he begins his tenure as CEO,” said John A. Halbrook, Woodward’s chairman of the board. Save the Date! Woodward is the world’s largest independent designer, manufacturer, and service provider of energy control solutions for aircraft engines, industrial engines Physics Alumni Association “March Meeting” Reception and turbines, power generation, and mobile industrial equipment. The company serves global power generation, transportation, process industries, and aerospace In keeping with its proud markets from locations worldwide. I

tradition of having the best om Ricci y D

party at the APS March hoto b meeting, the Physics P Alumni Association will Calling all Nuclear and Particle Physicists! host a reception for alumni and friends at The physicists of Illinois are organizing the the 2006 meeting in 2006 Conference on the Intersections of Baltimore. Mark your Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2006), calendar for Tuesday which will be held May 30 to June 3 at Westin evening, March 14, 2006, Rio March Beach, Puerto Rico. The conference and check your meeting Professor Charlie Slichter and John Carlisle (PhD will explore the “intersections” between particle program for room ’93), a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, and nuclear physics in an environment where location. reminisce at the 2005 APS Illinois Alumni both communities can meet and share. Go to Reception in Los Angeles. cipanp.physics.uiuc.edu for details.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 9 Defining the Art of Teaching Student News

BY CYNDI PACELEY complex systems conference in 2000 Physics Sweeps 2005 Goldwaters and has chaired its organizing assion, determination, and committee each year. Ppersistence are at the core of He is a master at translating hysics undergraduates Laura Book, undergraduate research team supervised by Alfred Hubler’s teaching excellence, research findings to the classroom— PGuy Bresler, Dan Dorris, and Andrew Frederick K. Lamb and Stuart L. Shapiro, and these habits figure prominently and his students’ evaluative comments McCormick have been named 2005 continues a solid tradition of Goldwater in the success of his research group prove it. Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, the only winners in the group, joining alumni Patrick as well. One such remark: “Professor Hubler University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Draper (BS ’05), Randall Cooper (BS ’03), Hubler is consistently named to does an excellent job of conveying students to receive the award this year. Harish Agarwal (BS ’02), David Webber the campus list of faculty ranked as very difficult subject matter using real This prestigious national scholarship (BS ’02, MS ’03), Jared Mehl (BS ’01), Eric excellent and, each semester for the world examples, traditional teaching competition recognizes outstanding Engelhard (BS ’00), and Kevin Huffenberger past two years, all eligible graduate techniques, and computer academic performance and demonstrated (BS ’00) as winners of this prestigious students associated with his complex programming.” promise in scientific research. The Barry award. Dan is a junior in engineering systems research group were also on Other student observations include: M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence physics from Leroy, Illinois. He plans to the list. But the accolades don’t end “Professor Hubler wanted to make in Education Program was established by obtain a PhD in theoretical physics and join there. sure his students learned” and Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry the professoriate in physics at a major M. Goldwater, who served his country research university. Members of the Hubler for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, Andrew McCormick is a Chancellor’s group of outstanding including 30 years of service in the U.S. Scholar from Charleston, Illinois—a dual teachers. From left, back row: Vadas Senate. The purpose of the Foundation is major in physics and mathematics. He has Gintautas, Eila to provide a continuing source of highly worked with Professor Thomas Junk on Stiegler, Alfred Hubler, qualified scientists, mathematicians, and the CDF experiment at Fermilab (Summer Anne Hanna, Glenn engineers by awarding scholarships to 2003) and with Dr. Achim Franz on the Foster, and Peter Fleck. college students who intend to pursue PHENIX experiment at Brookhaven National Front row: Jian Xu, careers in these fields. Laboratory (Summer 2004). He also Davit Sivil, Chris Laura Book, who graduated from worked for a semester at Illinois on the Strelioff, and Tim University High School in Urbana, is a detector test stand for the PHENIX muon Wotherspoon. junior in physics. Her goal is to earn a trigger upgrade at Brookhaven. Andy Photo by Darren Wright PhD in astrophysics and do research received a grant to present his work on at a national laboratory or university, PHENIX at the 2004 fall meeting of the In the past seven years, five “Interesting and enthusiastic lectures; concentrating on theoretical astrophysics. Division of Nuclear Physics of the APS members of his research group he is highly skilled in using computer She has been working with Charles in Chicago. He plans to earn a PhD in received the Physics Department’s technology as a tool for instruction Gammie since Summer 2004 on the physics and conduct research in the field Scott Anderson Award in recognition and research.” propagation of photons in curved of quantum mechanical physics, with an of outstanding teaching assistants. It’s easy to see why “energetic” spacetime near spinning, uncharged emphasis on discoveries to engineer The National Science Foundation and “enthusiastic” are descriptors black holes. She spent the past summer new devices and methods. also took notice, underwriting several frequently found in students’ doing research at the Smithsonian The Goldwater Scholars were selected complex systems research projects and evaluations of his teaching. By his Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, on the basis of academic merit from a field naming Hubler principal investigator own admission, Hubler is passionate Massachusetts. of 1,091 mathematics, science, and of a recently concluded three-year about originating and imparting new Guy Bresler, also a graduate of engineering students who were nominated study of adaptation to the edge of ideas. He creatively applied the University High School, transferred by the faculties of colleges and universities chaos and critical scaling in the self- principles of nonlinear resonance to to Illinois from Princeton University after nationwide. Of the Scholars, 165 are men, adjusting perioxidase-oxidase reaction. develop an intuitive, interactive Web- a successful 2003 summer REU project 155 are women, and virtually all intend to At the center of this attention is based software package used to teach a with George Gollin, where he worked on obtain a PhD as their degree objective. a scholar whose personal love of variety of university science courses, learning influences his students’ both at the University of Illinois and a Fourier series kicker for the TESLA Twenty-seven Scholars are mathematics quests for knowledge. around the world. Dubbed damping ring. He is a dual major in majors, 239 are science majors, 45 are “As a high school student, I was “CyberProf,” the software analyzes electrical engineering and engineering majoring in engineering, and 9 are fascinated by seemingly unsolvable student homework problems in real physics, and he intends to earn a PhD in computer science-related majors. problems, such as predicting time and provides individualized electrical engineering. His ultimate career Many of the Scholars have dual majors earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, feedback to each student. goal—conduct research and teach at the in a variety of mathematics, science, traveling faster than the speed of light, Although his most recent research research university level focusing on engineering, and computer and philosophical questions about results are the fabric of his graduate wireless communication, coding theory, disciplines. I defining knowledge and intelligence,” courses, Hubler also weaves research and/or cryptography. Hubler said. “I became interested in findings into the curriculum of his Dan Dorris, a member of the theoretical complex systems because the beauty Behavior of Complex Systems class— astrophysics and general relativity of the experiments appealed to me— one of the University’s small-section examining fractal river networks, Discovery courses for freshmen. To turbulent flows, dynamics of swarms encourage their interest in physics of birds and fish.” beyond the classroom, he also strives Students Present at Undergraduate Research Conference As director of the Center for to involve undergraduates in research. Complex Systems Research, Hubler’s His own education was completed Undergraduates Yongsun Kim, el Kim current study focuses on system in his native Germany, capped by Hye Ryong (Hazel) Kim, and az Aaron Veicht have been working y H

identification with nonlinear earning a PhD, summa cum laude, hoto b with Professor Matthias Grosse P resonances and optimal control of from the Department of Physics at Perdekamp on the upgraded adaptive and non-adaptive noisy the Technical University of Munich. muon trigger for the PHENIX chaotic systems using the Chua After a postdoctoral fellowship at the experiment at the Relativistic oscillator. His article, “Predicting University of Stuttgart, Hubler came Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven Complex Systems with a Holistic to the U of I as a visiting assistant National Laboratory. All three Approach,” appeared in Complexity, professor in 1989. The following year, were selected to present their the field’s leading journal, in 2005. he was named an assistant professor research at the special He also co-authored a paper on and the associate director of the undergraduate research conference held in conjunction with the American Physical Society’s Division of Nuclear Physics annual meeting September 18–22 at the Ritz- formation and structure of ramified Center for Complex Systems Carlton Hotel in the Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui. The DNP’s “Conference charge transportation networks in an Research, which he now directs. Experience for Undergraduates” allows undergraduate students who have conducted electromechanical system (PNAS 102, Hubler served as a Toshiba Chair research in nuclear physics to present their results and to interact with one another and 536–540 [2005]). These join Hubler’s Professor at Keio University in with the larger community. About 75 U.S. students received travel support to more than 100 published works. Tokyo in 1993/94. I participate this year. I He also helped originate an annual

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

10 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2

with such a positive and proactive Luttinger liquid physics, quantum attitude towards teaching. (Believe coherence effects, and fractional Endowed Student Awards me—I have experience with a lot quantum numbers. Her thesis adviser of other departments.) It’s such a is Eduardo Fradkin. In her spare very year, the “Physics on-the-Campus Luncheon” on the last pleasure for me to be able to be a part time, Eun-Ah loves to explore of it!” (Editor’s Note: Tamara became different ethnic cuisines and about EThursday in April provides a venue for us to celebrate the even more a part of Physics in March other cultures through cooking. when she married graduate student achievements of our student scholars. The luncheon, which is and fellow Physics Van veteran Tim HARRY G. DRICKAMER McArdle.) FELLOWSHIP supported by the Physics Alumni Association (PAA), was held this The award is named for Physics year on April 29 at the Illini Union. Many of the prizes that are alumnus Scott Anderson (MS ’37, The 2005 Drickamer Fellowship was PhD ’40), who founded Anderson presented to Joseph Altepeter, whose awarded each year have been made possible by the vision and Physics Laboratories in Urbana in thesis adviser is Paul Kwiat. Harry G. 1944. A creative and prolific Drickamer, for whom the Drickamer generosity of the department’s faculty, alumni, and friends. In this entrepreneur, Anderson developed Fellowships were named, was a metal halide lighting systems that distinguished member of the section, we highlight some of these remarkable students as they are used worldwide. It was through Departments of Physics, Chemical begin their physics careers. Joining the University of Illinois Alumni Anderson’s initiative as president of Engineering, and Chemistry at the Physics Alumni Association and Illinois. Drickamer’s work led to Association automatically makes you a member of the PAA, and a his generous philanthropy that the advances in the understanding of the Anderson Award was endowed. molecular, atomic, and electronic portion of your dues supports Physics activities such as POTCL. properties of matter and provided the RENATO BOBONE AWARD tools to study these properties with greater detail and precision. The Renato Bobone Award, which Joe started his research with Kwiat FELIX T. A DLER Wing Ho, who was also a Bronze recognizes the year’s outstanding as an undergraduate in the quantum Tablet Scholar, was a regular on the European graduate student based on optics laboratory at Los Alamos ELLOWSHIP F Physics Van crew and participated in academic achievement, was awarded National Laboratory, where he Dan Chitwood and Kazutaka the Van’s “Snoozeum” at the Museum for 2005 to Kalin Vetsigian of worked on the first experiment to Nakahara shared the 2005 Felix T. of Science and Industry in Chicago Plovdiv, Bulgaria. A 2000 graduate of demonstrate the existence of two- Adler Award, which recognizes in February. MIT, Kalin is working with Nigel particle “entangled” quantum states outstanding work by a graduate The award is named for Ernest M. Goldenfeld on the role of horizontal that were immune to certain forms student in nuclear physics. Dan, Lyman, who served on the faculty gene transfer in microbial evolution of decoherence, the essential noise who is advised by David Hertzog, for 36 years. In addition to making and the evolution of the genetic code. process that is the bane of quantum is involved with the precision seminal contributions to experimental This award was created by Physics information processing. At Illinois, he measurement of the positive muon nuclear physics—he was a world alumnus Renato Bobone (PhD, ’60), devised a novel compensation scheme lifetime in the µLan experiment at expert on electron scattering—Lyman a student of Hans Frauenfelder’s, who to achieve a new world record in the Paul Scherrer Institute in maintained great interest in teaching spent his entire career (1960–1987) entangled photon production, nearly Switzerland. He earned a bachelor’s undergraduate physics. at the General Electric Knolls Atomic an order of magnitude better than degree from the University of Power Laboratory in Schenectady, previous sources. As a graduate Missouri–Rolla in 1999. With his SCOTT ANDERSON AWARD New York. When he endowed the student, Joe has also formalized and wife Jessica, he is the proud father award in 1985, Bobone wrote: extended his characterizations of the The 2004/05 Scott Anderson of Malia and Kieontai. “Interest in physics and the education processes that affect entangled Outstanding Teaching Assistant Kaz Nakahara is studying parity- I have been privileged to receive in photons. This work resulted in the Awards, which recognize superlative violating electron-proton scattering Italy, first, and then in this country, first implementation of a method to performance in teaching by graduate in the D0 experiment at the Thomas have carried me over many obstacles completely characterize all quantum students, were awarded to Tamara Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and will be with me ever. I look on processes. Says Kwiat, “Joe is Gossman for her work in Physics 111 in Newport News, Virginia. His the award as another bridge between continuing to push the frontiers in the Spring 2004 semester and to thesis adviser is Douglas Beck. He countries already joined by many ties of research in quantum information Peter Fleck for his Physics 213, 214 notes, “When I was an undergrad [at of people, culture, and friendship.” processing, and I am confident that contributions in the Fall 2004 Carnegie Mellon University], I had to he will one day he will be one of the semester. Both Tamara, a Physics make a choice between majoring in JOHN BARDEEN AWARD true leaders in our field.” Van veteran, and Peter are superb physics, chemistry, philosophy, or classroom instructors who are regulars The John Bardeen Award is given history. In hindsight, I made the JORDAN S. ASKETH FELLOWSHIP on the University’s “Incomplete List annually to recognize outstanding right choice.” Professor Adler of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by research achievements in condensed Alexandros Gezerlis was selected to would agree. Their Students.” matter physics or the physics of receive the 2005 Jordan S. Asketh The Adler Award was endowed Peter, a graduate of Friedrich- electronic devices by a physics Fellowship, which recognizes the by the family and friends of the late Alexander University graduate student. The 2005 award work of an outstanding European Felix T. Adler, a theoretical nuclear Erlangen–Nürnberg in 2000, is was presented jointly to Sergey graduate student. Alexandros enrolled physicist who was instrumental in working in Alfred Hubler’s group Frolov, an experimentalist, and at Illinois in 2003, after graduating making Illinois into a center for on microscopic hardware Eun-Ah Kim, a theorist. from the National Technical reactor science and engineering in implementations of artificial neural Sergey, who graduated from the University of Athens in electrical and the 1960s. networks. He wrote of his success in Moscow Institute of Physics and computer engineering, “although I teaching, “I would especially like to Technology in 2000, is working with always knew that what I really wanted ERNEST M. LYMAN PRIZE thank Professor Jim Wolfe for his the Van Harlingen research group on to do was physics.” He is working on The 2005 Ernest M. Lyman Prize, continued kindness and support.” ferromagnetic Josephson pi-junctions. computational studies of Fermi gases which is awarded to the outstanding Tamara (BS ’03, Animal Science), He is interested in their fundamental with Vijay Pandharipande. senior physics student, was presented a veterinary medicine student, often properties as well as their applications The Asketh fellowships were to Wing Ho Ko (BS, ’05), an finds herself answering the question, for quantum computers. About his endowed by the late Jordan Asketh international student from Hong “Why physics?” Her answer, “Why time in Urbana, Sergey says, “I enjoy to fund “graduate study grants” for Kong majoring in physics and not! It’s fun!” She goes on to say, the Illinois Physics graduate program students in the fields of physics, mathematics. In addition to the “I really enjoy working with the a lot. I like the atmosphere, the chemistry, and medicine. To honor Lyman Prize in physics, Wing Ho students. And I really enjoy working science, the people. It has been both his Greek heritage, Asketh specified received the Mathematics in this department. I think it gets challenging and stimulating to study that, whenever possible, these Department’s H. Roy Brahana Prize, taken for granted a bit, but the and work here.” fellowships should be awarded to which is presented to the “graduating atmosphere here is just amazing! Eun-Ah, a 2000 graduate of Seoul graduate students of Greek descent senior with the most exceptional I don’t think that there’s another National University, is concentrating who are pursuing advanced degrees undergraduate mathematics career.” department anywhere on campus on quantum Hall tunnel junctions, at the University of Illinois.

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PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 11

RICHARD K. COOK THREE RECEIVE LORELLA JONES GUILIO ASCOLI AWARD FOR BRISTOW/COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIMENTAL HIGH-ENERGY EDISON SCHOLARSHIP The 2005 Richard K. Cook FELLOWSHIPS PHYSICS Kara Lamb, a sophomore who Scholarship, recognizing a meritorious Thanks to the vision and generosity The Ascoli Award is made possible graduated from Peoria Notre Dame undergraduate engineering physics of the family and friends of former by the generosity of the family and High School, was presented with the student at the end of his or her Professor Lorella M. Jones, three friends of Guilio Ascoli, a member 2005 Beryl Bristow/Commonwealth sophomore year, was presented to outstanding undergraduate students of the faculty from 1950 to 1986. Edison Endowed Scholarship, which Aaron Veicht. In addition to his were able to pursue hands-on During his career in high-energy recognizes an outstanding freshman formal studies, Aaron has worked independent research projects this physics, Ascoli participated in the or sophomore woman physics with Matthias Grosse Perdekamp on summer as part of the department’s design and fabrication of hardware student. Kara plans to pursue a the design and simulation of a drift “senior thesis” program. and in the development of algorithms doctorate in physics. chamber for a resistive plate counter for data analysis for experiments at The Bristow scholarship was test stand being built for the muon Kyle Arnold, who graduated from CERN, Argonne National established by Commonwealth trigger upgrade of the PHENIX Marmion Academy in Aurora, Laboratory, and Fermilab. The Ascoli Edison to recognize Beryl Bristow’s detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Illinois, in 2002, is a double major in Award is presented annually to the achievements as part of its Collider at Brookhaven National engineering physics and mathematics. outstanding graduate student in commitment to women in math, Laboratory. He credits his high school physics high-energy physics. The 2005 science, and engineering. After The scholarship is made possible by teacher, who was also a research recipient is James Kraus. graduating from Illinois—she was the generous gift of Richard K. Cook physicist at Fermilab, with stimulating James, who graduated from the the first woman to receive a master’s (PhD ’35), who spent his entire career his interest in physics. He used the University of Toledo in 1999, is degree in physics from Illinois— at the National Bureau of Standards Jones Fellowship to work with Paul working with Kevin Pitts on the Bristow worked for CommEd as a (now the National Institute of Kwiat on quantum information Collider Detector Facility experiment data analyst. Standards and Technology [NIST]). science—specifically on developing at Fermilab. He worked on Dr. Cook specialized in ultrasonics and testing an optical storage system development of high-speed digital ANTHONY SUMMER for a quasi-deterministic single- electronics for the CDF data and acoustics. RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS photon source. Kyle is also a member acquisition system. He is currently of the Illini Tae Kwon Do Club and measuring the production rate of Jonathan Wilson and Dustin AURA ISENSTEIN WARD L B. E A teaches a class in the sport. bottom quarks in high-energy Schwenk, both undergraduates in Laura Book, who also received a proton-antiproton collisions engineering physics, were selected to prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, Rachel Hillmer, an Urbana High produced by the Fermilab Tevatron. receive the first Philip J. and Betty was named the Laura B. Eisenstein School graduate, spent the summer Anthony Summer Research Fellowships. Award recipient for 2005. The working with Federico Capasso at OUTSTANDING SENIOR Dustin had a head start on Eisenstein Award recognizes Harvard University, where she studied THESIS AWARDS outstanding undergraduate women the Casimir force using various research. As a sophomore, he physics students and is named for atomic force microscopy techniques. The discretionary funds provided by participated in the “Research Laura B. Eisenstein, a Fellow of the The experience was a revelation for the Department’s Excellence in Experience for Undergraduates” American Physical Society who was Rachel, who discovered a real interest Physics endowment allowed us to program at Indiana University, where deeply concerned about the status of in and flair for experimental physics. recognize once again two outstanding he worked with Caty Pilachowski to women in physics. Eisenstein served undergraduates for their work in the unravel the chemical composition of the Department and the biological Working with Russell Giannetta, Department’s “senior thesis” courses. the globular cluster Omega Centauri, physics community with distinction Zane Shi spent the summer An integrated three-semester the most massive and most luminous from 1969 until her untimely death measuring the low-temperature sequence, “senior thesis” emphasizes cluster in the Milky Way. Using in 1985. penetration depth of the organic communications and research skills spectrographic data taken by the 2 and introduces students to Cerro Tololo InterAmerican A graduate of University High superconductors κ-(ET)2Cu(SCN) fundamentals of scientific ethics, Observatory, Dustin determined each School in Urbana, Laura intends to and κ-(ET)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br. Another earn a PhD in astrophysics and pursue musical physicist, Zane considered collaboration, and peer review while star’s iron, calcium, aluminum, and a career in research. She is off to a majoring in piano performance before providing the opportunity to do europium content. His results were great start; she has been working with settling on physics. As he explained, hands-on research. Beginning in presented at the January 2005 Charles Gammie since Summer 2004 “Physics can explain much of the 2006, thanks to a gift by W. Dale meeting of the American on the propagation of photons in world around us, but there is still Compton (PhD ’55) and his wife Astronomical Society in San Diego. curved spacetime near spinning, much in physics that we don’t Jeanne, the Robert E. Hetrick (BS He is currently working with Susan uncharged black holes. In Summer understand. I want to solve some ’63, MS ’64, PhD, ’69) Prize will be Lamb on computer simulations of 2005, she worked with Lee Hartman of these unknowns to further our given to recognize two outstanding galaxy collisions to elucidate the at the Smithsonian Astrophysical understanding of science.” senior thesis students. evolution of dark matter halos. Observatory in Cambridge, Jon worked with Alexey Bezryadin Massachusetts, on time-dependent Lorella Jones was an outstanding Wing Ho Ko (BS ’05), was on quantum mechanical effects and calculations of simple accretion disk theoretical high-energy physicist. The recognized for his theoretical thesis electron transport in superconducting models with an aim toward explaining first woman to attain tenure and a full with Richard Martin on “Diffusion nanowires. He got a start in research FU Orionis outbursts. Another professorship in the Department, Monte Carlo Method in Few- last summer in our own REU musical physicist, Laura sings with the Jones was a superb researcher and a Electron Systems.” A graduate of the program, working with Susan Lamb's UI Concert Choir and plays the viola dedicated and innovative teacher who Diocesan Boys’ School, Hong Kong, “Colliding Galaxies” group, using an in string quartets with her family. was particularly interested in using Wing Ho is now a first-year graduate N-body code to model the collision computers for physics education. student in physics at MIT. of two galaxies having a supermassive black hole in their centers of mass. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR In 1985, she pioneered the use of computerized quizzes for a large Zachary Hensel (BS ’05), a graduate He then switched to fly-by CHANCELLOR’S SCHOLARS elementary physics course at Illinois— of Blue Valley Northwest High encounters between two galaxies at The Chancellor’s Scholars program one of the earliest developments of its School in Overland Park, Kansas, was a large impact parameter and high recognizes academic excellence by kind nationwide. She died in 1995. recognized for the best experimental relative velocity and compared annually selecting the top 100 project. He worked with Zvonimir simulation results with astronomical students campuswide, regardless of Dogic at Harvard University on observations. Jon is now studying the class year or discipline. Physics had a “Chiral Liquid Crystals in quantum electronic properties of record number (five!) of Chancellor’s Suspensions of Salmonella Flagella” granular thin films with the Scholars again in 2004/05—Paul during the summer of 2004. Zach is Bezryadin group. Dalach (BS ’05), Patrick Draper (BS pursuing a PhD in biological physics Physics alumnus Philip J. Anthony ’05), Irina Marinova (BS ’05), Nathan at Johns Hopkins University. (MS ’75, PhD ’78) and his wife Betty VanHoudnos (BS, ’05), and Amy provided summer stipends for Dustin Waitz (BS ’05). and Jon to pursue their research.

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12 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 Faculty News Fred Lamb Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Pandharipande Named Willett Professor t a gala induction ceremony on October 8 in A Cambridge, Massachusetts, the American nterim Dean Ilesanmi Adesida Academy of Arts and Sciences officially I announced June 8 that Center welcomed its 225th class of Fellows, including for Advanced Study Professor of Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Fortner Physics Vijay R. Pandharipande Endowed Chair in Theoretical Astrophysics has been named a Donald Biggar Frederick K. Lamb. The Academy is an honorary Willett Professor of Engineering. society that recognizes outstanding achievement Willett Professors are selected by in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and the College Advisory Committee on Appointments and ratified humanities and conducts a varied program of by the Dean of the College of projects and studies responsive to the needs and Engineering, the Campus problems of society. Also in this year’s class are Committee on Endowed television journalist Tom Brokaw; physicist and Appointments, and the Provost. Nobel Laureate Eric Cornell; Harvard Law School dean and former White House official The Willett Professorship carries Elena Kagan; Chicago Symphony Orchestra musical director Daniel Barenboim; poet Susan an annual stipend and has a Stewart; and genetics pioneer Nancy Wexler. renewable five-year term. of the constituent nucleons. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded during the American An internationally recognized His pioneering variational Monte Revolution by individuals who contributed prominently to the philosophical foundations of nuclear theorist, Pandharipande Carlo calculations have become the the new nation and to the establishment of its government and institutions. John Adams, has played the leading role in the standard methods for the field. development of the nuclear many- later to become the second President of the United States, initiated the chain of events that In addition to his nuclear studies, body problem. His contributions led to the formation of the Academy. On December 15, 1779, “an Act to incorporate a Pandharipande has applied his have led to a state-of-the-art Society for the cultivation and promotion of Arts and Sciences” was read in the expertise to condensed matter comprehensive, quantitative, and physics, where his research has Massachusetts House of Representatives. On May 4, 1780, the Legislature, “although reliable theory of nuclei, neutron included Bose and Fermi helium involved in all the calamities and distresses of a severe war,” enacted the Charter of the matter, and neutron stars, and liquids and drops, including Academy. Today, Academy projects have focused on the changing nature and needs of have been extended more generally structure, response, and elementary higher education and research, the well-being of the humanities in the United States and to quantum liquids. His excitations in liquid helium. their central role in assuring the vitality of our cultural life, the emerging challenges of theoretical contributions have set Most notably, he predicted scientific and technological advances, geoglobal politics, population and the environment, the agenda for experimental work, structures subsequently observed and the welfare of children. Now in its third century, the Academy continues to mobilize the significantly advancing the use of in the dynamic response of electron scattering as a probe of 4 intellectual resources needed to anticipate, examine, and confront the critical challenges superfluid He and demonstrated nuclear structure. Working with facing our society. the important effects of the his graduate students and enhancement of the effective The Academy’s membership, which is elected, represents distinction and achievement in collaborators, he has initiated the entire range of the intellectual disciplines and professions. Its 4000 U.S. Fellows and mass at the Fermi surface of and carried through over several 3 liquid He. I 600 Foreign Honorary Members are divided into four classes—the physical sciences, the decades a successful research biological sciences, the social arts and sciences, and the humanities and fine arts. Among program to describe all nuclear its Fellows are 168 Nobel laureates and 58 Pulitzer Prize winners. Physics faculty Gordon systems in terms of the elementary Baym, David Ceperley, Hans Frauenfelder, Laura Greene, Miles Klein, Tony Leggett, David two- and three-body interactions

Pines, Charles Slichter, and Dale Van Harlingen are also members of the Academy. I

Gary Gladding wins 2005 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award

ssociate Head for Undergraduate Programs Gary E. Gladding (BS, ’65) received the A2005 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers for his lasting contributions to undergraduate physics teaching. At the AAPT annual meeting, held in August 6–10 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Gladding gave a featured lecture, “Reforming Introductory Physics Courses at Research Universities.” Gladding, an engineering physics alumnus, joined the Department of Physics as an assistant professor in 1973, after receiving his PhD from Harvard in 1971. He is currently involved in experiments using the silicon vertex detector (CLEO II) at the Wilson Synchrotron Laboratory at Cornell University to study charmed meson decays. Earlier, he made numerous original contributions to high energy experiments at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, where he was involved in experiments measuring the decay of B mesons produced in the decays of the Z boson (SLD collaboration) and the initial detailed studies of particles containing the charmed quark (MARK III collaboration). He also contributed to the first studies of the photoproduction of particles containing the charmed quark at Fermilab. Beginning in 1996, Gladding led the faculty group responsible for the success of the massive curriculum revision that has fundamentally transformed the way introductory physics is taught at Illinois. This effort, spanning six years, has improved physics Gary Gladding works on an “interactive example”—a difficult numeric homework problem that instruction for more than 20,000 science and engineering undergraduate students at offers detailed help to guide students to the correct answer. The help sequence proceeds through Illinois. In addition, the Illinois model has been adopted at Purdue University, the three different stages: a qualitative analysis, a strategic analysis, and a quantitative analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Washington, Seattle, Chicago using questions that engage students in a Socratic dialogue. Students choose how much help they State University, Bradley University, and many community colleges throughout Illinois. receive and can opt to answer the initial question at any point in the dialogue. Complete sets of He now leads the Physics Education Research Group at Illinois interactive examples have been introduced into both the algebra-based and calculus-based (http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/Research/PER/). I introductory physics courses at Illinois.

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PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 13

Stelzer Receives Innovation Award

“I-Clickers made class fun because I felt like I was participating in the lectures instead of just being talked at.” Assistant Research Professor of Physics Timothy J. Stelzer received the College of Engineering’s 2005 BP Amoco Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Instruction for his leadership in the development of the I-Clicker, a two-way rf communication device the size of a TV remote control that promotes true instructor-student interactivity, even in large lectures. “It encouraged me to think about the material as I was learning it. It also demonstrated concepts right on the spot, which helped solidify them for me. It encouraged me to know that even when I got a question wrong, many other students were thinking like me.” Student response to the I-Clicker has been phenomenal. The Department of Physics gives end-of-term surveys in all introductory classes, repeating certain questions every semester. The questions that we repeat are of the form “Overall, how important was X in helping you to understand the course material?” Students select one response: “essential,” “very useful,” “useful,” “not very Inauguration Day useful,” and “useless.” Looking at X = lecture, for Physics 101, Fall 2004 (the B. Joseph White, center, is congratulated by his predecessors, former UI presidents first time I-Clickers were used in this course), 76 percent of the students said Stanley O. Ikenberry, left, and James J. Stukel, in a September 22 gala in which White the lectures were very useful or essential—the highest rating ever for “lecture” was officially inaugurated as the university’s 16th president. The ceremony included greetings in this course. For example, in Fall 2003, when Tim Stelzer was also the lecturer by Edwin Goldwasser, a former provost at Urbana and 55-year Physics faculty member, but I-Clickers were not used, the same fraction was 59 percent. who also represented Harvard University, his and White’s alma mater. In his inaugural “In a normal class setting I do not like to participate in class, but with the address, White promised strong leadership at every level to help the UI achieve “a brilliant future.” I-Clickers I was able to participate since I did not feel inferior if I answered the question wrong.” In an independent evaluation of I-Clicker use, Dr. Cheryl Bullock, head of educational research, Center for Teaching Excellence, and Laura Hahn, educational specialist, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois at Van Harlingen and Thaler Urbana-Champaign, documented the students’ ready adoption of I-Clickers, their liking of the technology, and their improved learning of physics. I Appointed to Center for Advanced Study Gammie Named Third Sony Van Harlingen Appointed Thaler Named 2005–06 Faculty Scholar CAS Professor CAS Associate

harles Gammie, professor of Professor of Physics and Donald Center for Advanced Study Cphysics and of astronomy, has Biggar Willett Professor of associates are tenured faculty joined colleagues S. Lance Cooper and Engineering Dale J. Van Harlingen members whose proposals are Paul Selvin as a Physics Sony Faculty has been appointed a permanent selected in an annual competition. Scholar. His three-year appointment professor of the Center for These appointments grant one was effective in August 2005. Advanced Study (CAS). The CAS semester of teaching release time “Charles Gammie is a rising star serves as the intellectual nexus to allow the associate to focus in theoretical and computational of the campus by providing the on an individual scholarly or astrophysics and is widely recognized academic community with creative project. and one of the top players in his area opportunities for top-flight Thaler, a high-energy of research,” said Head Jeremiah interdisciplinary scholarship experimentalist, will use his Sullivan in his recommendation to and interactions. appointment to pursue tantalizing the Dean. “His research is central to Selected from the faculty on questions at the intersection of understanding the physics that shaped simulation of astrophysical plasmas, the basis of their outstanding particle physics and astrophysics. the development of our universe and the formation of interstellar clouds, scholarship, the CAS Professors are The evolution of the universe underlies extraordinarily powerful and the collapse of dense clouds to among the most highly recognized since the big bang depends processes that are now being detected form stars. He was named an NCSA members of the professoriate. crucially on the properties of by satellite-based instruments.” Faculty Fellow in 2001, and he The 24 CAS Professors form the the elementary particles that it Gammie received his bachelor’s received a Presidential Early Career core of the Center for Advanced contains. Several interesting degree in mathematics in 1987 from Award in 2002, the highest honor Study community, meeting puzzles have attracted Thaler’s Yale University and his PhD in bestowed by the United States on regularly for informal lunches and attention—the contribution of astrophysical sciences from Princeton young scientists and engineers. scholarly presentations. They also neutrinos to the formation of in 1992. He was a postdoctoral fellow Funding for the Sony Faculty participate in a yearly roundtable cosmological structure (stars at the University of Virginia from Scholars comes from a long-standing discussion of research interests. and galaxies) and the nature of 1992 to 1994, and at the Harvard- Sony endowment to the University of Other Physics CAS Professors so-called dark matter and dark Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Illinois. The appointment recognizes are Gordon Baym, Nick energy. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from outstanding scholars at the early Holonyak, Jr., Miles Klein Thaler was one of only 12 1995 to 1998. He joined the faculties stages of their tenured careers. (emeritus), Tony Leggett, Vijay associates selected from the of physics and astronomy at Illinois (Eligibility is restricted to associate Pandharipande, David Pines entire campus for the current in January 1999. professors or recently promoted full (emeritus), and Charles academic year. I Gammie’s research involves professors.) The Department of Slichter (emeritus). magnetohydrodynamics, star Electrical and Computer Engineering formation, and accretion physics. at Illinois also hosts three Sony He is a leader in the computer Faculty Scholars. I

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14 PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2

Goldbart “Excellent” Teacher t

he 2005 Arnold Nordsieck Physics Award for oldbar Teaching Excellence was presented to Paul M. aul G T y JP

Goldbart for his inspired and inspiring teaching—in the hoto b broadest meaning of the word—of graduate students. P According to Jeremiah Sullivan, “Paul is a regular on the Incomplete List for his classroom teaching; indeed, one of my hardest jobs is coming up with fresh words, semester after semester, to commend Paul for his exceptional teaching. His success is a result of his meticulous preparation, his creativity, his boundless enthusiasm for doing physics, and his genuine desire to educate the next generation of scientists.” Goldbart is passionate about classroom teaching, and his coursework is painstakingly prepared and rigorously vetted. Not only does he meticulously prepare the entire course package, complete with comprehensive annotated lecture notes and extensive homework sheets, but he also rehearses prior to every lecture, so that the “performance” is the best that he can give. In a typical example of his organization and clarity, he ticks off his “guiding principles” of teaching:

• “To bring to the fore the essential structure of the subject, whatever it is, so that the technical elements have as natural a framework as possible into which to fit. • “To be extremely clear and organized—physics is hard enough—without being obscured by the presentation. Clockwise from top left: Nigel Goldenfeld, Paul Goldbart, Sir Sam Edwards (Cambridge • “To require the students to work very hard, but also to think very hard and, University), and Professor David Sherrington (Oxford University) in New College, thus, really to extend themselves; and, at the same time, to engage the students Oxford, November 2004. personally and to help them feel like the vital members of the department that they are. • “To treat students with the utmost respect—if they don’t understand something, it is because I am not explaining it well. Stealing the Gold • “To bring out the idea of science as a human enterprise, conducted by people just like our students. To this end, I try to illuminate my lectures aul Goldbart is also a co-editor, with fellow Nordsieck Award recipient with elements of the history and culture of science.” P Nigel Goldenfeld (2002) and Professor David Sherrington (Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Oxford University), of Stealing The One of the things that Goldbart is best known for in Physics is his “office hours,” Gold: A Celebration of The Pioneering Physics of Sam Edwards. The book a regular block of time set aside every week when he meets with the students celebrates the career of British physicist Professor Sir Sam Edwards, who taking his classes, and they work together to solve that week’s homework has led the field of condensed matter physics into new directions, ranging problems. Typically, some two-thirds or more of the class attends, to work from the electronic and statistical properties of disordered materials to the collaboratively through—often in exhaustive detail—various problems and mechanical properties of granular materials. The book describes the genesis, exercises that Goldbart has chosen with scrupulous care. In his office hours, evolution and future prospects of the various subfields of condensed matter Goldbart captures the feeling of the centuries-old schola—the kind of learning theory, written by the leaders of the field (including one chapter authored we associate with Socrates or the medieval university, but seldom with modern by Yoshitsugu Oono, and one chapter co-authored by Goldbart and U.S. higher education. Goldenfeld) along with reprints of a selection of Edwards’ seminal papers Perhaps Goldbart’s skill and dedication can best be illustrated by the pensive that helped give birth to the subject. The title, Stealing the Gold, comes from comment that one of his students penciled on the back of an ICES form: “While Edwards’ credo for selecting research problems—“The first person in the sitting, confused, in other classes, I frequently thought to myself, ‘If only Paul bank vault steals the gold.” Goldbart were teaching this, I’m sure I would understand.’” The book also illustrates the complex “family” of physics—Edwards was The Nordsieck Award was endowed by the family of former faculty member the PhD adviser of Goldenfeld and Sherrington; Sherrington was the PhD Arnold T. Nordsieck to recognize his commitment to superlative teaching. adviser of Goldbart. Edwards’ PhD adviser was Julian Schwinger, who was Former winners include Dennis J. Kane (BS, ’72), Nigel D. Goldenfeld, George also the adviser of Illinois professors Gordon Baym and Shau-Jin Chang D. Gollin, and Naomi C.R. Makins. All five winners were able to meet with (among many, many others). Nordsieck’s son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Gerry Nordsieck, when they Stealing the Gold was published by Oxford University Press (2005) as visited Urbana in September. I part of the International Monographs on Physics series. I

Physics Van Reunion

One weekend in March, former Physics Van crew members left behind their day jobs as physics teachers, engineers, graduate students, and researchers and returned to Urbana from as far away as Redmond, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona, for the first Physics Van Reunion. Timing their visit to coincide with Engineering Open House, the veterans critiqued the current Van show demonstrations, ate pizza at Papa Del’s, took the hovercraft for a spin, and even found time to set off a few soap explosions. For more photos, see http://van.physics.uiuc.edu/van/reunion/ reunionhome.htm.

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PHYSICS ILLINOIS NEWS • 2005 NUMBER 2 15

Interview with Nithaya Chetty, How did you choose your Have you had the opportunity to in the mainstream. The South African President-Elect of the South particular areas of physics? return to Illinois to take part in physics community has championed African Institute of Physics I must admit that in 1985 I was initially research or to work with your the cause of scientific development as attracted to the glamour of particle former professors? a vehicle for progress at all levels continued from page 1 physics. However, with the department’s I was very fortunate to secure a second within society, including educational, strong tradition of world-class solid state Fulbright fellowship for visiting scholars commercial, industrial, instances, simply not permitted. For and condensed matter physics, I very in 2004. Naturally, I chose to return to governmental, etc. example, I remember being rejected soon saw the advantages of pursuing a Illinois where I spent the fall semester for a bursary position from the Atomic research career focused on more practical working with Richard Martin. What would you like to achieve Energy Board of South Africa because applications. Professor Martin’s warm during your presidency of SAIP? my race did not allow me to study personality and superb intellect played Tell us about the South African I am actively promoting the nuclear science. no small part in influencing my Institute of Physics. internationalization of physics in South I chose to attend the University of decision. I was his first research I have been a Council member of the Africa. Thus far, the funding regimes in Natal, a one-time whites-only university, student at Illinois. SAIP since 2003. I have held the South Africa do not recognize the crucial for my undergraduate studies. By the Today, my field of endeavor is highly portfolio of Transformation—focused importance of scientists’ working with time I enolled, the government had relevant for the burgeoning materials on addressing issues that are of relevance each other on an international basis. relented slightly, and a quota of 7% was industry in South Africa. to the new South Africa democracy, such I would like to see more foreign postdocs permitted for people of color. I managed as greater access for previously gracing our shores. I would like to to make the quota based on my high How long have you been on the disadvantaged black students. I have have more high quality international school results, and then subsequently faculty at the University of attained first-class passes with certificates KwaZulu-Natal? of merit [first place] in each of my I arrived in January 1997 after a short subjects for all four years of studies at stint at the University of South Africa in Natal. I secured a Fulbright scholarship Pretoria. Prior to this, I had postdoctoral which took me to the University of appointments at the Brookhaven Illinois in 1985. National Laboratory (1992–1995) and I was fortunate to have had an at the Technical University of Denmark excellent high school physics teacher (1990–1992). I am currently an in Mr. Kiran Maharaj, who made me associate professor, and I direct the yearn for a world of science beyond undergraduate program in the classroom. I am very grateful to computational physics. Professor Roger Raab (a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford), who was the head of physics Tell us about the research project during my undergraduate days and who you currently find most exciting. motivated and encouraged me to pursue Our country is the largest supplier of a career in physics. I save my highest natural diamonds, and the rich diamond praise for Professor Richard Martin, who fields are in the hands of the de Beers supervised my PhD at Illinois and who Mining Company, which was started by is a deep source of inspiration for me, Cecil John Rhodes in the 19th century. not only in physics but also in terms De Beers also produces artificial of human issues. Professor Martin has diamonds and other hard materials, a profoundly deep understanding and David Ceperley and Nithaya Chetty in South Africa such as cubic boron nitride and silicon intuition of physics combined with an carbide abrasives for cutting tools that inordinate amount of patience, creating are needed in the heavy mining and also been charged with rewriting the physicists participate in workshops, for me a nurturing and supportive metals industries. Institute’s constitution to bring it in conferences, and schools in South Africa. environment which enabled me to grow My students and I are currently line with the new ethos of democracy At the same time, I want to see more as a person and as a physicist during working on a new anisotropic in South Africa. African physicists, who often toil under my graduate student days. coarsening theory that is being applied I have also served on the South difficult circumstances and in isolation, My five years at Illinois gave me a to anisotropic growth of silicon nitride. African IUPAP committee, which sent to spend more time in South Africa glimpse into a different world from that Our new theory and computational me to the General Assembly in Berlin, establishing collaborations, using our of my childhood. I was able to meet scheme is applicable to the study of a Germany, as a voting member of the laboratory facilities, and interacting with people from all backgrounds, races host of other anisotropic systems, such South African delegation. with our international visitors. and creeds and to interact with them on as silicon carbide. Within the Theoretical Physics I have been involved in the an equal basis. I had decided long ago My quest is to find research problems Specialist Group of the SAIP, I have establishment of the National Institute to return to South Africa to help change of scientific value that will contribute been involved in hosting the Chris for Theoretical Physics from the outset. the society in which I had grown up. to the understanding of questions of Engelbrecht Summer Schools series This will be a fantastic opportunity to I felt the best place to do this was within relevance to South African research that has brought a number of notable ensure that the brightest of young the realm of higher education, though and development. U of I physicists to South Africa, African minds are exposed to the world’s it is ironic that I should return as a including David Ceperley, Richard best physicists. I aim to draw on my professor to the very same institution What is your favorite memory Martin, Paul Goldbart, Tony Leggett, Illinois connections to ensure that we that gave me marginal access as an of your time at the U of I? and Paul Ricker. have a steady stream of world-class undergraduate student. Still, I would Attending the Thursday afternoon I currently chair the SAIP Working visitors to this part of the world. rather be here making an incremental physics colloquia and meeting with my Committee on Computational Physics, There are a number of pan-African contribution to improving the human friends during tea time at the MRL whose primary brief is to promote initiatives that have come to fruition condition than to enjoy a materially lounge are cherished memories. computational physics in South Africa. over recent times: The African Institute successful life elsewhere in the world. In addition, I enjoyed the for Mathematical Sciences, The African Cosmopolitan Club and interacting What do you feel is the organization’s Laser Centre, The Advanced African Why did you choose the with people from all parts of the world greatest strength? Greatest challenge? Institute for Information and University of Illinois? at a number of events, including skiing Physics the world over has changed, and Communication Technology, The After completing my BS in physics in at Allerton Park and canoeing at Turkey we do not possess the glamour that our African Materials Research Society, etc. 1985, I was awarded a Fulbright Run State Park. I remember very fondly discipline enjoyed during the previous More funding is becoming available scholarship for MS studies. I applied to the great number of dinners at Richard century. This poses a huge challenge to from the Southern African a number of US universities. During my and Beverly Martin’s home, especially attract good students and funding. Development Corporation, New vacation work in 1984 at the Council of at Thanksgiving. The SAIP has positioned itself in a Partnership for African Development, Scientific and Industrial Research in developmental role in South Africa— and the African Union. Under my Pretoria, South Africa, I met Professor this is one of its key strengths. Arguably, presidency, the SAIP will ensure that Carl Altstetter (Metallurgy, U of I), who the single most important reason why it plays its role in maximizing the strongly recommended that I go to Africa lags behind the rest of the world goals of these initiatives. I Illinois. The rest, as they say, is history! in terms of development is its lack of basic mathematical and scientific literacy

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Physics Illinois News 215 Loomis Laboratory of Physics, MC-704 Department of Physics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1110 West Green Street Backward Glance Urbana, IL 61801-2982 USA If you have suggestions for stories or features that you In May 1977, Physics hosted 48 European, Canadian, Latin American, and U.S. physicists at a workshop on Nuclear and Dense would like to see, comments about this edition, or Matter Physics. Contemporary developments in the reaction-matrix and variational theories of quantum fluids, their application requests for an electronic version of the newsletter, please write to us. We’re listening! to simple Fermi systems, and to nuclear and neutron-star matter were discussed. Workshop organizer Vijay R. Pandharipande (second row, third from right) arranged formal and informal talks on topics including models of the nucleon-nucleon interaction, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the type of matter properties they predict, and the scattering of nucleons and pions by the nuclear medium. Nobel Laureate Hans is an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution. Bethe summarized the “Status of the Nuclear Matter Problem” and proposed a number of interesting model problems. Whom do

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