Bethel Launches Electrical Engineering Major Two New Professors Join Dept. of Physics & Engineering

Bethel Launches Electrical Engineering Major

Bethel is proud to an- Inside this issue: nounce the addition of a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering de- Bethel Launches Electri- 1 gree. cal Engineering Major

The field of electrical engi- Two New Professors in 1 neering has long been a Physics & Engineering strong emphasis in Bethel’s widely-recognized DLS Conference Attend- 4 physics and engineering ed by 10 Bethel P&E stu- department. Previously, dents students could begin a pathway toward electrical Physics student lands 6 engineering fields through national AAPT intern- the dual-degree program, Professor Brian Beecken working with Electronics students in ship where they would com- one of the foundational lab courses of the EE major. plete undergraduate work Physics student attends 7 at Bethel and in their engi- Nobel Week neering field of choice at two years in a second into successful careers and an approved university, school’s graduate program, professional networks. Physics Alumna in 8 graduating with two bach- resulting in a master’s de- Forbes, wins Cyclotron gree in electrical engineer- elor’s degrees in five years. While the dual-degree and Road Fellowship A second popular path ing in six years. Countless applied-physics-to-grad- started with students earn- alumni have followed their school options remain ap- Physics Alumnus re- 9 research interests and ap- ing an applied physics ma- ceives NSF grant to study titudes shaped at Bethel Continued on page 2 jor at Bethel followed by geological swarming

Physics Alumna helps fix 11 Two New Professors Join Dept. of Physics & Engineering Bethel sinkhole

Dr. Greenlee retires 12 The Physics & Engineering department is excited to Remodeling P&E space 13 welcome two new professors, Dr. Karen Rogers and Dr. Julie Hogan! The fol- Bethel’s Leadership in 14 lowing is a brief introduc- “Lighting the Future” tion to each of them. Bethel Physics & Engi- 15 Karen Rogers neering on Facebook Dr. Karen Rogers comes to Bethel with 22 years of Class of 2017 16 experience teaching Elec- trical Engineering courses at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. While at Karen Rogers, associate professor of engineering, working Kettering she taught a with students in the Analog Electronics course Continued on page 3 Compiled by Alyssa Hamre 1 Bethel Launches Electrical Engineering Major (continued)

Continued from page 1 new full-time faculty members in She had a 22-year teaching career at pealing pathways for a number of the Department of Physics and En- Kettering University in Flint, Michi- engineering specialties, electrical gineering. She received her bache- gan, during which she served as in- engineering students will now have lor’s degree in electrical engineering terim department head for electrical the option to further specialize their from the General Motors Institute and computer engineering. As Beth- undergraduate focus and take a and her master’s and doctorate in el looks to the future and expanding more direct path toward employ- mechanical engineering from the on its already-stellar reputation in ment or graduate school in this high Massachusetts Institute of Technol- the sciences, Rogers’ leadership, -demand field. ogy—making her an ideal choice for teaching, and program development adding cross-functional expertise in and accreditation experience will be Preparations for this new major the rapidly-growing department. invaluable. Rogers joins six other have been underway for some time, full-time department faculty who with significant summer renovations “God prepares us for the jobs He hope to build on recent National in the department’s space to make has in store for us. As I look back Science Foundation (NSF) and other way for dedicated electrical engi- over my 22 years at my previous grants, valuable internship and re- neering-focused lab space and university, I see the many ways God search placements, and positive na- equipment and cosmetic upgrades was preparing me for launching the tional reputation to attract and serve throughout. While many universi- electrical engineering program at increasing numbers of students in- ties separate physics and engineer- Bethel,” says Rogers, who first set- terested in STEM careers. ing programs, Bethel has made a tled in to campus in the midst of conscious effort to keep the pro- construction dust and within days “Our commitment to preparing grams intertwined spatially as well was installing equipment and mak- students to tackle the world's most as programmatically. Physics and ing plans for her courses. She’s tak- challenging problems to God's glory engineering students—and faculty ing all the changes in stride, bring- and for our neighbors' good drives from the various programs—will ing her expertise and winsome char- the programmatic decisions that we work side-by-side and learn from acter to her new team and home at make. Well-educated, highly skilled, one another. Bethel. “I am excited to get started, ethical leaders in science, technolo- to meet the students, and to help gy, engineering, and math are in This summer, Karen Rogers also prepare them academically for the high demand in our world,” says joined the department as associate jobs God has in store for them." Executive Vice President and Prov- professor of engineering, one of two ost Deb Harless. “We have a long history of preparing students for competitive graduate programs in the sciences and high level technical and scientific positions in the mar- ketplace. God's hand has been evi- dent in providing the resources for this program, and I'm excited to see how He works in the lives of our engineering students.”

Article first appeared at bethel.edu/news, courtesy of Monique Kleinhuizen.

Physics & Engineering students Gabe Segura and Ben Harker work on Elec- tronics in the facilities updated to accommodate the Electrical Engineering major.

2 Two New Professors join Dept. of Physics & Engineering (continued)

Continued from page 1 She majored in physics at Vander- Bethel will join Dr. Hogan in search- wide variety of courses within the bilt University in Nashville, TN, and ing for high-mass exotic new physics EE discipline, and she is using that then pursued an M.S. and Ph.D. in particles. To perform these searches, breadth to teach Bethel undergradu- physics at Rice University in Hou- they will explore collision events ates pursuing their EE degrees. In ston, TX. She did her doctoral re- that leave massive “jets” of particles the Fall, she taught Analog Electron- search at Fermilab, outside Chicago, in the CMS detector, and study new ics; she is teaching Introduction to where the Tevatron accelerator col- software for classifying these jets Engineering during Interim, and lided protons with their anti- using deep machine learning algo- will teach Digital Electronics in the particles (“anti-protons”) at very rithms. They will also help develop Spring. high energies. If you’ve ever been and test new silicon-semiconductor shocked by a 9V battery, imagine microstrip detector elements for Dr. Rogers received her bachelor’s being shocked by a charge from a CMS upgrades to be installed start- degree in Electrical Engineering trillion volt battery – that’s how ing in 2023. With all the data col- from General Motors Institute in much energy these particles have! lected by CMS over the next decade Flint, Michigan, and her master’s Her group at the Tevatron was inter- they are sure to learn important new degree and doctorate in Mechanical ested in questions like “why is our truths about the universe. It’s an Engineering from Massachusetts universe made out of only matter, exciting time to do particle physics! Institute of Technology. As a faculty without much antimatter?” They member at Kettering, she was the were looking for evidence of matter Bios courtesy of Dr. Karen Rogers Interim Department Head for Elec- and antimatter particles interacting and Dr. Julie Hogan. trical & Computer Engineering for at different rates to try and answer one and a half years. During that this question. time, she shepherded that department through an ABET accredita- After receiving her tion visit, program reviews, and the doctorate, she be- reconstitution of an Industry Advi- gan a post-doc sory Board. She expects to draw on working at the that experience as Bethel will be Compact seeking ABET accreditation for its Muon Solenoid ex- engineering programs in a few periment (CMS), years. situated on the Large Hadron Col- Dr. Rogers’ professional interests lider (LHC) at the include biomechanics, feedback con- Conseil Européen trol systems, and designing projects pour la Recherche for developing countries. Other in- Nucléaire (CERN), terests include bicycling, quilting or the European and knitting. In the past few Council for Nuclear Research. At the months, she has become quite expe- LHC they collide rienced at unpacking boxes, as she protons with pro- and her husband settle into their tons to create a hot, Coon Rapids home. dense collision en- vironment with 13 Julie Hogan trillion electron- Dr. Julie Hogan is fascinated by fun- Volts of energy. damental particles, high energy phe- With this much en- nomena, and the mysteries they can ergy , collisions answer about the universe. Her high could produce school chemistry teacher did physics heavy particles that research during the summer and his have never been classes got her excited about mod- discovered, if they ern physics principles, such as light exist in nature. being a particle as well as a wave Dr. Julie Hogan in front of the detector at CERN in Switzer- and electrons behaving like waves as Students who do land, which she uses to obtain data for her research. well as particles. CMS research at

3 Ten Bethel students attend National Division of Laser Science (DLS) Conference

Ten Bethel students presented re- Einstein condensate work from the found it with a broad audience. That search at the Symposium on Under- previous summer in the lab of Dr. is how science advances. Our stu- graduate Research in Washington, Nicholas Bigelow at The Institute of dents were presenting their research D.C. on 17 September 2017. The 17th Optics at the University of Rochester. to peers, professors from other insti- annual Symposium, co-organized by Ella Johnson gave a talk about her tutions around the country, graduate Harold Metcalf and Bethel Associate optical atomic clock work the previ- students, and other scientists. One Professor of Physics Chad Hoyt, was ous summer at the National Institute commented to me that even though sponsored by the Division of Laser of Standards and Technology (NIST) they felt intimidated by the whole Science (DLS) of the American Physi- in Boulder, CO. Max Werner also concept, it was still a ‘fantastic learn- cal Society and was co-located with gave a talk about his work on ion ing experience.’ They had to field the 34th annual meeting of the DLS atomic clocks at NIST, Boulder. questions from professors and gradu- and the Frontiers in Optics meeting ate students, defend and explain our of the Optical Society (formerly Opti- Attending a national conference as an work, and have some back-and-forth cal Society of America). undergraduate is an important expe- with experts. It’s a little different rience for these students. Associate than studying for just another exam. Bethel students Kallai Hokanson, Professor of Physics Nathan Lind- Another commented that it was fun Josh Kolbow, and Joe Nelson pre- quist, who heads Bethel’s NanoLab, to share some of our ideas with folks sented posters of their work from Dr. says of the conference, “Sending stu- and to hear them respond by saying Nathan Lindquist’s Nanolab. Nate dents to a conference like this gives "so that's how you can do that!" Wahlberg and Keith Vollendorf pre- them a good idea about how the sci- These kinds of events show our stu- sented posters of their work from Dr. entific community operates on a larg- dents that, yes, other scientists from Keith Stein’s fluid dynamics lab. er scale. Beyond one-on-one discus- around the country really are inter- Greyson Stocker and Daniel Upcraft sions with a professor in the lab, or ested in what they are working on.” presented posters of their work from working alongside a student partner, Dr. Chad Hoyt’s atomic, molecular or presenting to the department, the As noted earlier, a few of the students and optical physics lab. Anna Slattery scientific community needs to share were presenting work done in nation- presented a poster of her Bose- what they've found and how they al summer internships, but most of (Continued on page 5)

DLS Attendees Back row from left: Greyson Stocker, Josh Kolbow, Joe Nelson, Nate Wahlberg, Max Werner, Dan Upcraft. Front row from left: Kallai Hokanson, Anna Slattery, Ella Johnson, Keith Vollendorf.

4 the students attending had done work in one of Bethel’s labs. Students from Dr. Lindquist’s nanotechnology lab presented work on nano-sized "tractor beams" used to manipulate viruses, using plasmons to take pictures of cells "edge-on," and methods for simultaneously imaging cells both optically and chemically. From Dr. Chad Hoyt’s Optical, Mo- lecular, and Atomic Physics lab, students presented work on fiber laser comb development and ultracold lithium atomic experiments with a hollow laser beam, based in the mag- neto-optical trap (MOT). Students who worked in Dr. Keith Stein’s Fluids lab presented on Schlieren and Mach-Zehnder inter- Nate Wahlberg ‘18 points out part of his poster presentation to a fellow DLS attendee ferometer techniques to image high- while his colleague Keith Vollendorf ‘18 looks on. speed recordings of compressible flows. This combined qualitative (visual) and quantitative methods provide a holistic analysis of gas dynamics.

What do students think of the conference? Student attendee Max Wer- ner ‘18 says of the OSA conference, “The OSA conference was an amaz- ing opportunity to connect with students and researchers while also learning about cutting-edge research being conducted in the field of optics. Additionally, it provided a broader view of the opportunities and careers available in optics.” Joe Nelson ‘19 says, “This year’s OSA/APS-DLS conference was a Joe Nelson ‘19 explains his poster to a fellow DLS conference attendee. great experience for me. Not only was it fun to travel with my classmates, I was also able to meet physics and engineering students from across the country. I gained experience both from presenting my research and from listening to other students’ research. “ As a positive learning and network- ing experience for students, we hope and anticipate that Bethel Physics & Engineering students will continue to attend this conference for years to come.

Written by Chad Hoyt and Nathan Lindquist

Bethel DLS attendees take a break to visit monuments on the National Mall

5 Physics Student Receives Prestigious Internship with American Association for Physics Teachers (AAPT) in Washington, D.C.

When Justine Boecker ’17 was in revise resources for K-12 physics do STEM [science, technology, engi- high school, she knew God was call- teachers. The internship combines neering, and math] earlier when they ing her to work with children. But physics with K-12 education and cur- want to learn about the world around she could also tell that she wasn’t riculum development—exactly what them.” supposed to give up her dream of interests Boecker the most. “I’m real- becoming a physicist. So when she ly passionate about getting science in Paulson recognizes how well Boecker got to Bethel, she was determined to elementary schools,” Boecker says. “I understands the learning progres- make a double major of physics and see how people develop in science sions for children and science, and elementary education work. from preschool to high school. I see that her understanding is a gift. how it should work and how it can be STEM programs that are designed Boecker remembers sitting down developmentally appropriate.” only for grades K-5 or grades 5-8 can with her advisor and professor of lead to misunderstandings among science education, Patricia Paulson, Since her freshman year at Bethel, teachers about what should be taught during her freshman year. After two Boecker has worked in the toddler and when, Paulson explains. “Justine hours they had figured it out: If eve- room at the university’s Child Devel- knows what it should look like and rything worked out perfectly, she opment Center, and for the past she’ll provide support to help those could do both majors and finish in three years she has also worked as a things happen,” Paulson says. “She’s four years. “She doesn’t let things birthday party coordinator at the an ambassador now for what science discourage or stop her,” reflects Science Museum of Minnesota. Both education should look like in the fu- Paulson. “She keeps persevering. jobs have provided opportunities to ture and she’s only going to get She’s persistent to be able to move in teach science lessons to children, stronger with the AAPT internship the direction God’s calling her. And adjusting the lesson to their ages— this summer.” she interacts very kindly and respect- from 16 months to 12 years. fully to make that happen.” The internship provides an oppor- “The idea for kids is that they are tunity to learn and contribute to fed- All those skills came into play a few more exploring science than digest- eral education policy on physics edu- months ago, when Boecker applied ing it,” Boecker explains. “I believe cation. Boecker will live in Washing- for an undergraduate internship with that kids are naturally curious and ton, D.C., for 10 weeks with others in the American Association of Physics always trying to understand what’s the Society of Physics Students. She Teachers (AAPT) to help design and going on around them. We need to will also attend AAPT’s Summer Meeting in Cincinnati and have a chance to interact directly with teachers and students.

University Professor of Phys- ics Emeritus Richard Peter- son had passed information about the internship to Boecker and wrote her a let- ter of recommendation for the position. “I was delighted with her application and op- timistic because of Justine's background. Still there was only one slot of this sort in the U.S., and there are na- tionally many universities more visible in physics education than Bethel,” Peterson says. “It worked because of Justine's enthusiastic track record along with high- quality STEM education Justine Boecker ‘17 works with students at Bethel’s Child Development Center (CDC) mentors at Bethel.”

6 Continued from page 6 physicists.” After the summer internship, Boeck- Boecker counts being part of the er hopes to return to the Twin Cities physics department as the best part Boecker’s many accomplishments and get a classroom teaching job. of her Bethel experience. She recalls garnered her a 2016 STEM Scholar- Eventually she would love to work as spending many hours in help ses- ship from the Minnesota High Tech a STEM specialist in an elementary sions during her freshman year and Association Foundation and also school, but those jobs are rare and later in the electronics lab building helped with her AAPT summer in- she doesn’t expect to get one as a circuits. In 2015, Boecker and her ternship application. Rebecca Vieyra, first-year teacher. Paulson has no friend Morgan Wittner ’17 co- K-12 program manager for AAPT, doubt that Boecker will become a founded the Women in Physics and recognized Boecker’s unique qualifi- STEM specialist one day. In fact, she Engineering club at Bethel. The goal cations and background with exper- could see Boecker coordinating was to build community between tise in elementary education and STEM education for the whole state, women studying physics as well as physics. “It is extremely rare to find not just one school. with their male classmates. “There is an aspiring teacher—especially in a large possibility that you will be the elementary education—who so whole Article first appeared at beth- only woman in your class, but the -heartedly embraces physics,” says el.edu/news, use courtesy of Su- guys are really great and they don’t Vieyra. “The nation desperately zanne McInroy treat us any differently,” Boecker needs teachers like Justine.” says. “They value us as people and as

Physics Student Wins Seaborg Award and Participates in Nobel Week

At the end of the spring se- mester, Aeli Olson ’17 head- ed to the president’s office for a meeting. President Jay Barnes had requested to talk with her before she graduated to hear her Beth- el story. As she was shown to his office, she remembers hearing a lot of voices.

Instead of scheduling a one- on-one meeting, Barnes had asked Olson’s professors to join him in presenting her with the Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship from the Swedish Council of America (SCA), an annual award given to one out- standing student within the natural sciences selected through nominations made by the college presidents of six Swedish heritage institu- Aeli Olson ’17 (center, with certificate) surrounded by her physics professors. tions. Fourteen of Olson’s professors Olson describes herself as “the easi- During her senior year in high showed up for the 8 a.m. surprise est case” for the Bethel admissions school, Olson discovered a field party to honor her. Olson was moved office four years ago. She was famil- called medical physics, which as its by the large show of support. “It was iar with the university because her name suggests, applies physics con- really touching,” she says. “It goes to two older siblings had already gradu- cepts, theories, and methods—such show that Bethel professors are real- ated from Bethel—Amalia Olson ’12 as quantum mechanics, nuclear ly high quality, and they care about and Christian Olson ’13—and she felt physics, and radiation—to the biolog- what they do.” called to study physics, a top major ical and medical areas. As a Bethel at Bethel. student, Olson began taking courses

7 Continued from page 7 As the recipient of the SCA’s Seaborg within Christianity. “I feel well pre- in those areas and attended a confer- Science Scholarship, Olson traveled pared to present Christianity to a ence at the Mayo Clinic on medical to Sweden to present her research at logical audience,” she says. physics. By her sophomore year she the Stockholm International Youth knew she was on the right path. Science Seminar. She is among 25 As she forges ahead, she will contin- other high-achieving young scientists ue to let her faith in God guide her. During her sophomore and junior from around the world participating “I’ve really stepped through the years as well as the summer between, in Nobel Week. Participants also tour doors as they open and I don’t see she worked as a student researcher universities and research institutes myself as trying to force anything in Professor of Physics Nathan Lind- in Stockholm, and meet Nobel laure- I’ve done,” she says. “I don’t think quist’s lab. During the summer be- ates. She then attends the Nobel I’ve done anything cool. I’ve just tween her junior and senior years, Awards Ceremonies and Banquet on been living and doing my work. But I she worked as a student researcher December 10. look back and see that He’s given me at the Mayo Clinic. All of these re- a really cool resume. He’s definitely search opportunities—plus a pub- Olson feels blessed with how Bethel blessed me. I try to keep working lished paper—helped her as she ap- has prepared her for the next chapter hard for Him and He keeps pushing plied to graduate programs during in her life, not just academically, but me.” her senior year. Now, Olson is pursu- in terms of her faith as well. She ing a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at credits the biblical and theological Article first appeared at beth- the University of Wisconsin- studies department at Bethel for el.edu/news, courtesy of Suzanne Madison—studying nuclear medi- helping her understand her Christian McInroy cine. faith better and the range of views

Physics Alumna in Forbes’ 30 under 30 in Energy, wins Cyclotron Road Fellowship

Lauren Otto '12 is a pioneer, developing materials that could enable the devices and technologies of tomorrow. And in November she made Forbes' list of 30 Under 30 in Energy, individuals described as “fueling a more sustainable future.”

Her niche interests were sparked by a realization she had very early in her career. While working as an intern at HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and now part of Western Digital Corpo- ration), Otto learned about materials challenges with metals in emerging hard drive technologies. She realized there could be solu- tions to these challenges in conductive ceramics, but that tradi- tional methods for creating these materials were not compatible with the tight manufacturing require- Lauren Otto ‘12, founder and CEO of tech firm Laminera ments of the hard drive industry. atomic layer at a time. Otto and her of Energy-funded Lawrence Berkeley team at Laminera have been award- National Laboratory. Being named to So Otto launched a company, ed a prestigious place among Cohort Cyclotron Road is a highly competi- Laminera, whose goal is to create Three of Cyclotron Road: an elite tive feat, with just nine entrepre- conductive ceramics through atomic group of hard science innovators neurial projects funded this year. As layer deposition (ALD), a process whose projects are supported by Ac- a member of Cohort Three, Otto is that can coat a surface of arbitrary tivation Energy and the Department granted access to tools and funds to shape and substance equally, one

8 Continued from page 8 access to materials and resources ‘Great Controversies in Science and explore the possibilities of the tech- were limited. “I decided that I wasn’t Technology’ class was one of the first nique she’s been developing with going to let that stop me from pursu- things that really got me thinking scientists at Berkeley. ing what I’m passionate about. I about faith’s relationship to science.” found another way,” she said. “My In the course, Department Chair and Though ALD of some conductive ce- colleague from HGST told me about Professor of Physics Brian Beecken ramics already exists in research- Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry demonstrates how Christianity and scale environments, Otto believes and suggested I submit a proposal. science are not in conflict with one Laminera’s technique will be better This could solve my access-to- another. suited for higher-quality materials resources issue. He introduced me to and the industrial-scale manufactur- his connections there, and over the “I tell students on the first day that ing of hard disk drives or other up- course of a few weeks, a collabora- my real, hidden goal is to get them to coming technologies. She’s excited tion came together both in Berkeley think and not just believe what they about the possibilities of this tech- and at the U of M.” She submitted hear,” Beecken says. “I want them to nique and for the future of Laminera: her proposal and was quickly accept- understand there are two sides to “There’s a lot to explore, lots of po- ed to do research at the Molecular every issue or controversy and that tential,” she says. “If I can make the Foundry. Additionally, Otto was they should never decide one way surface of something conductive, awarded a prestigious National Sci- without first checking out the other then I can use this not only in the ence Foundation Graduate Research side.” hard disk drive industry where I got Fellowship, worth $46,000 per year for three years. started, but also potentially else- Otto graduated from Bethel as a first where in semiconductor fabrication, -generation college student, double like in integrated circuits or solid All of these factors, along with the majoring in physics and mathemat- state data storage, with batteries or support of key mentors, came togeth- ics. “Getting to this point has been solar technology, or high surface area er for Otto to complete her Ph.D. "I very difficult, and I’ve often strug- electrodes for supercapacitors and also credit God's faithfulness and gled with what’s referred to as water desalination devices.” provision as I walked through this ‘impostor syndrome,’ or just a lack of unusual route to completing my de- confidence,” admits Otto. “But I’m None of this innovation would have gree and journeying on to what was much stronger now for the challeng- happened, though, if Otto had given next," she says. es I’ve faced. I’ve had to learn that up two years earlier. Otto was work- humility isn’t discounting who you ing on her Ph.D. in electrical engi- As a follower of Jesus and a scientist, are, it’s more about knowing who neering at the University of Minne- Otto is grateful for the educational you are.” sota and was grappling with a lack of opportunities and the “faith home” advisory support. Without it, Otto she found at Bethel. “Bethel kick- Article first appeared at beth- faced the possibility of having to start started the journey to where I’m at in el.edu/news, courtesy of Ava Bergen over with her research, as her own my faith right now. Dr. Beecken’s

Physics Alumnus receives NSF Fellowship for Geosciences from an Engineering Perspective

The Mackenzie Dike Swarm, an an- natural gas in today’s modern world. rock (magma) rising from depth and cient geological feature covering an To explore how naturally-occurring then driving cracks through the area more than 300 miles wide and dike swarms can lead to improved Earth’s crust. Dike swarms exhibit a 1,900 miles long beneath Canada methods of oil and gas reservoir self-organizing behavior that allows from the Arctic to the Great Lakes, is stimulation, the National Science hundreds of individual dikes to fan the largest dike swarm on Earth. Foundation (NSF) Division of Earth out across large distances. Although Formed more than one billion years Sciences awarded a $310,000 award petroleum engineers desire to ago, the swarm’s geology discloses to Andrew Bunger ‘00, assistant pro- achieve the same effect when creat- insights into major magmatic events fessor in the Departments of Civil ing hydraulic fractures for stimula- and continental breakup. and Environmental Engineer- tion of oil and gas production, the ing and Chemical and Petroleum En- industrial hydraulic fractures appear The Mackenzie Dike Swarm and the gineering at the University of Pitts- far more likely to localize to only one roughly 120 other known giant dike burgh’s Swanson School of Engineer- or two dominant strands. This locali- swarms located across the planet ing. zation leaves 30-40 percent of most may also provide useful information reservoirs in an unproductive state, about efficient extraction of oil and Dike swarms are the result of molten representing an inefficient use of

9 Continued from page 9 individual agents in the system ex- es that are known to be present any resources and leading to unnecessary hibit simple or even random behav- place that swarming morphology is intensity of oil and gas development. ior, but collectively the group observed. When we view dikes in this achieves emergent, or “intelligent,” way, we see that the alignment and In the study, “Self-Organization behavior. repulsive forces have been recog- Mechanisms within Magma-Driven nized for years, although never Dyke and Hydraulic Fracture “One of the hallmarks of self- placed in the broader context of their Swarms,” Bunger will take a novel organizing behavior within swarms role in swarming. However, the approach to understanding the me- was recognized by swarm theory’s origin of the attractive force is prob- chanics of fluid-driven cracks, which earliest proponents, who were actu- lematic. Why do all these dikes have he refers to as “geosciences-inspired ally motivated by developing algo- any mechanical impetus to grow near engineering.” Like the growing field rithms to simulate flocks and herds each other? Because the mechanical of biologically-inspired engineering, in computer animation,” Bunger ex- origin of the attractive force has not Bunger will be looking to processes plains. “They proposed that all been known, it is unclear why natu- in the natural world to better under- swarming behavior can be tied to the ral fluid-driven cracks – dikes – tend stand the constructed or engineered presence of three basic forces. One of to exhibit swarming behavior while world. these leads to alignment of the mem- such an outcome is far less common- bers with each other – it is what ly observed in man-made fluid- “I would like to challenge myself and makes a flocking bird fly in the same driven cracks associated with hy- the geoscience community to look at direction as its neighbors. A second draulic fracturing of oil and gas res- naturally occurring morphologies force is associated with repulsion – it ervoirs.” with the eye of an engineer,” says keeps birds within a flock from run- Bunger. “The first part of the study ning into each other and knocking “We will use computational models will involve developing a mechanical each other out of the air. The third and analogue experiments, which model to explain the behavior of the force is attraction – an often instinc- use artificial materials to simulate dike swarms. We are borrowing from tive desire of certain animals to be the Earth’s processes, to develop a a theoretical framework developed in near other animals of their own spe- new theory of fluid-driven crack biology called ‘swarm theory,’ which cies, typically for protection from swarms,” says Bunger. “Through this explains the self-organizing behavior predators.” advance, we would like to improve of groups of animals.” the stimulation methods used for oil “If you look at dike swarms,” Bunger and gas production. This will be a Swarm theory, or swarm intelligence, continues, “They have been called win-win for both industry and our refers to naturally and artificially ‘swarms’ for decades, but there has society that depends upon the energy occurring complex systems with no never been an effort to identify the resources they produce. Industry will centralized control structure. The mechanical origins of the three forc- benefit from more efficient methods, and society will benefit from lower energy costs and a decreased environmental footprint associated with resource extraction.”

In addition to a deeper understanding of the geological process that oc- cur throughout Earth’s history, Bunger also sees his research im- pacting planetary research of Mars and Venus. Both rocky planets con- tain a large number of giant dike swarms. Understanding how the geometry of dike swarms relates to the conditions in the Earth’s crust at the time of emplacement will lead to a new method for ascertaining the little-known geological structure and history of Mars and Venus though analysis of the geometry of their many giant dike swarms.

Courtesy of Matthew Cichowicz Physics alumnus Andrew Bunger ’00 in his research lab at the University of Pittsburgh

10 Physics & Engineering Alumna helps repair Bethel sinkhole

“Bethel University—what city is that located in?” When Rachel Hagen ’14 overheard that question posed near her desk in fall 2016, she couldn’t help but chime in with a hearty “Arden Hills!” The physics alum— and a new Civil Engineer in Training (CEIT) at Minneapolis-based BKBM Engineers—had already been as- signed to her share of projects, working on drainage and infrastructures “from the ground down,” as she explains her field. But the die-hard Royal jumped at the chance to get back to campus and serve her alma mater.

The project? Fix a sinkhole that was caused by significant underground erosion, leaving an unsightly pit in front of the Lundquist Community Life Center (CLC) and Benson Great Hall. As a violinist in Bethel’s Phil- harmonic Orchestra—and the 2016 Festival Orchestra—she was inti- mately familiar not only with Physics alumna and civil engineer Rachel Hagen ’14 in front of one of the projects Bethel’s campus and community, but she’s helped complete on campus. also the urgency of preparing for one of Bethel’s signature events, Festival almost completed design of a brand- Hagen wasn’t sure at first where she of Christmas. new Bethel Drive thoroughfare wanted to go to college, much less through campus. That project, which where she wanted to end up after she “That was stressful—we kept saying, will be completed in summer 2018, was done. She saw a Welcome Week ‘We have to get this done in time,’” will include new sidewalks, shoul- video on an overnight campus visit in Hagen recalls, noting that a sinkhole ders, gutters, crosswalks, signage, high school, and she was sold on the brings a lot of unknowns, with con- and drainage. Along the way, Hagen kind of place Bethel was and the type stant reassessment as the scope of has used her experience as an alum- of high-quality science programs she erosion is explored. “To not be able na to help prioritize purchases, could find here. She declared bio- to decorate for Christmas—for Festi- providing insight about what spaces chemistry and chemistry majors but val? Not okay. We needed it to be students would or wouldn’t use, quickly learned they weren’t for her. done on time and look nice.” Hagen, where to splurge or save money on Once she took a few more courses, BKBM Principal Tom Cesare, and the project, and how pedestrian traf- she landed on a path toward engi- Project Manager Joel Maier worked fic tends to flow on campus. neering, completing a B.A. in Engi- with Bethel’s facilities and grounds neering Science at Bethel and a teams to quickly design and install “[Rachel] gets the Bethel culture and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engi- an updated stormwater system, with what students care about,” says Mike neering at the University of Minne- new culverts in a material that would Lindsey, associate director of plan- sota through the dual-degree engi- work long term with the unique soil ning and projects in Bethel’s Office of neering program. She loves the and challenges in that part of cam- Facilities Management. “She repre- unique way civil engineering brings pus. sents everything that Bethel would together different materials and pro- hope graduates would be: excellent cesses, providing the foundation for Timely success with that project led in their field, professional, teachable, so many spaces people know and to BKBM helping design a natural and focused on customer service and love. stone retaining wall along the creek solid values. Plus, she has this big through campus during summer smile and bubbly, friendly personali- Now, as the only female and one of 2017 improvements. Now, they’ve ty—she’s really a delightful person.” the youngest members of her team,

11 Continued from page 11 she’s tapping into a whole new level huge role in your life or career a few she spends a lot of time using Auto- of experience that’s helping to bring years down the road. Bethel really CAD and HydroCAD stormwater a tangible project to fruition. helped lay the groundwork for my modeling software, developing sever- values and the type of person I want al projects at a time for diverse sites “It’s cool having all this knowledge to be—outside of what I want to do. across the greater Twin Cities area. that I never thought would be use- And it’s so cool to be a part of the Hagen says Bethel’s top-quality aca- ful—being able to recognize areas of work that’s going on here—it’s a demic experiences, tailored mentor- campus that are underutilized or that blessing to work on this campus, just ing and advising from physics facul- aren’t worth investing in,” says Ha- to be back on this campus.” ty, being on Welcome Week teams, gen. “I know where students hang and playing violin on a music schol- out, where freshmen cross the roads. arship all shaped who she’s turned You never know what experiences Article first appeared at beth- out to be as a person and a profes- you’re having that are going to play a el.edu/news, courtesy of Monique sional. But on this particular jobsite, Kleinhuizen

Dr. Tom Greenlee Retires

After 38 years of full-time service to theoretical physics—challenging the mathematical and theoretical ques- Bethel University and the Physics best students and yet still finding tions. We have always appreciated Department, the most consecutive ways to simultaneously reach the and benefitted from Tom’s willing- years of service by any current facul- struggling students—has truly been ness to apply his time and effort on ty member, Dr. Tom Greenlee began an inspiration. At the same time, problems that we encounter in our a well-deserved phased retirement in Tom has demonstrated a remarkable research. Fall, 2017. In phased retirement, we range in his teaching style by touch- are pleased to have Dr. Greenlee con- ing the lives of non-science majors in Every department needs someone tinuing to teach one course per aca- classes like Astronomy. who is willing to step up and get demic year for the next few years. things done, regardless of whether or Despite having received his Ph.D. as not the task fits their interests or fur- Tom Greenlee has played a huge role an experimentalist, Tom has served thers their career. No one could do in the growth and success of the as our resident theoretical physicist. that better than Dr. Greenlee. In the Physics Department for four dec- As a department, we have benefited 1980’s, Bethel devised a General Ed- ades. His ability to lead upper-level greatly from having a “go-to-guy” ucation curriculum that required classes through difficult, puzzling who helps us with those difficult every student to take laboratory science, so Tom taught himself to teach Astronomy. He spent over twenty years representing the Physics De- partment to the NASA Minnesota Space Grant Consortium. He has ad- vised the Society of Physics Students for as long as it’s existed. Tom has served faithfully and quietly for decades on essential tasks when no one else was willing or able. Tom’s last sabbatical was centered entirely on working behind the scenes to improve our department by writing lab manuals that will be used for many years to come by other professors— selfless, and typical of Tom.

In addition to all that Tom does for the department, Tom has been a great example of integrity and dedi- cation to Biblical Christianity. For example, many of his former stu- Dr. Tom Greenlee (left) with 2017 inductees into the Sigma Pi Sigma physics honor dents think Modern Physics simply society, a part of the annual Society of Physics Students (SPS) Banquet. cannot be taught without first hear-

12 Continued from page 12 ing one of the letters from C.S. Lewis’ Thank you, Tom, for 38 years of ded- Screwtape read. His integrity and icated, humble service that has been honesty are almost legendary. Both an inspiration to all of us. students and colleagues speak of how they cherish his commitment to Written by Dr. Brian Beecken Christ.

Physics & Engineering Department Renovation

As we looked forward to expanding from a Physics Department with an Engineering Program (known as “Dual-Degree”) to a Physics & Engi- neering Department that includes full majors in both fields, we knew that it would be necessary to add more lab space to accommodate the new Electrical Engineering major (see article on page 1). In addition, we anticipate continuing to add engineering majors in the future, which will also require increased space. In order to prepare for the space re- quirements of the new major plus possible future majors, we started by repurposing, re-organizing, and renovating some of the current space in the department, as well as expanding into some renovated spaces near the department. Contents of the old storage room in the General Physics lab during construction This was not a small task—most of the labs in the department under- courses. Between the Design lab and The Fluids lab, which has always went some renovation during sum- the former entrance to the depart- been a fairly small space for very mer of 2017. For some labs, this in- ment is a new Modern Physics lab. large equipment, moved into the for- volved refurbishing existing space, The Modern Physics lab was moved mer Carlsen Analysis Center with a while for other labs, it meant tearing to the new location so that the phys- few modifications to that room. The down walls and moving equipment ics and engineering labs would be increased space for equipment will to completely new locations. fully integrated together in the de- allow more room for students and partment, rather than having the two faculty in research and fluids pro- The most immediately obvious disciplines split into different areas. jects. changes took place in the space that The former Modern Physics lab then was formerly the “entrance hallway” became another new Electrical Engi- In order to replace some of the pro- to the department. What used to be neering lab to provide space for the ject and study space formerly housed the science division office and the number of lab courses in the new by the Carlsen Analysis Center, the faculty lounge were completely gut- major. storage room was completely emp- ted to create two new labs. The tied and renovated with study tables, outermost lab, with a full glass- While the two new labs expand the benches, an optics table, marker- paneled wall, is now home to the square footage of the department, a boards, and a sink. The room also Carlsen Electrical Design Lab, significant amount of the renovation has a window into the General Phys- named in honor of Emeritus Physics occurred in space already within the ics lab—hopefully revealing to Gen- Professor R.A. Carlsen. The lab will department. The most significant of eral Physics students all the exciting be used for some of the upper-level these was the three-way switching of things that happen in the back of the Electrical Engineering courses and the Fluids lab, storage room, and department! Because the room is promotes high visibility for the Carlsen Analysis Center. intended as a study and project hands-on work involved in those space, it has been named the Peter-

13 Continued from page 13 son Project Center, in honor of Uni- versity Professor of Physics Emeritus Richard (Dick) Peterson.

When renovating for the new Fluids lab (former Carlsen Analysis Center), the wall between that room and the machine shop was knocked down moved outwards, increasing the size of the machine shop and also adding a window between the shop and the Fluids lab. The additional space and visibility will increase the safety for those making use of the machine shop for projects or research.

The Nanotechnology Lab and small- er Lasers Lab, which often both housed nanotechnology research, were combined by knocking down the wall between the two in order to The new Carlsen Electrical Design lab create one larger Nanotechnology lab. The spaces were also renovated given a ‘facelift’ as well, being signifi- ovation and remodeling has settled, to integrate them into a single room. cantly brightened by the addition of and we look forward to many years whiteboards and new ceiling tiles of use in updated spaces with in- Since access to most of the Physics & and lighting. creased functionality. We invite you Engineering labs is mainly through to stop by the department and check the General Physics lab, that lab was Now that the dust from all of the ren- it out!

Bethel’s Leadership in “Lighting the Future”

Bethel faculty and students again played a leading role in the 3rd annual “Optics and Photonics Winter School and Workshop: Lighting the Future” held January 4-8, 2018 at the College of Optical Science (COS) of the University of Arizona, Tucson. Each of the major national centers for graduate work in optical science and engineering (including Universi- ty of Rochester, COS, CREOL, and others) were represented with speak- ers, and dozens of undergraduates were present from colleges and universities nationwide.

The Winter School portion of the program opened with two days large- ly devoted to helping undergraduates see the full breadth of optical science and engineering – including a focus on crucial optical advances in astronomy and space science. A centerpiece Physics student Max Werner ‘18 (left) presents his poster to other Workshop of the program included student re- attendees, including alumnus Seth Erickson ‘17 (center)

14 Continued from page 14 search, and over 20 poster papers were presented by undergraduates on Friday night. A Workshop program followed during the weekend, and it concluded with an experimental “Immersion Day” that en- couraged participants to directly become very “hands-on” familiar with building and operating an advanced lab optical system.

For three years, Bethel’s Dr. Chad Hoyt ‘94 has teamed up with Dr. Ja- son Jones ‘94 (University of Arizona COS faculty member and Bethel alumnus) in helping organize these national exposures to optical science and engineering. This year Hoyt led one of the concluding immersion experiments on his NSF supported, erbium-doped femtosecond fiber laser for use in advanced teaching laboratories. Bethel students led the Physics student Anna Slattery ‘18 discusses her poster with other Workshop nation in presenting the highest attendees number of posters from their undergraduate research. These included: Einstein condensates;” and Max keynote address, “On the Joys of Ella Johnson, “Frequency-doubled Werner, “Optical Path Length Stabi- Teaching Experimental Optics.” source for atomic state lifetime lization for Al+ Optical Clock.” measurements;” Anna Slattery, Bethel’s Dr. Richard Peterson pre- Written by University Professor of “Singularities in spinor 87Rb Bose– sented the workshop’s concluding Physics Emeritus Richard Peterson

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Picture at right: Physics & Engineering Department students and professors at the annual Christmas party

15 Spring 2017 Graduates

Back row from left: Spencer Seiler, Seth Erickson, Nick Stone, Jacob Heppner, Tylor Cromer, Austin Riedeman. Middle row from left: Robbie Hanson, Chris Auer, Chris Gill, Andrew Acker, Andrew Thomas. Front row from left: Krista Johnson, Abby Rankila, Morgan Wittner, Matt Larson, Alissa Montzka, Justine Boecker, Preston Huft, Aeli Olson.

Fall 2017 Graduates

From left: Prof. Alyssa Hamre, Dr. Keith Stein, Dr. Brian Beecken, Joey Gronseth, JT Thweatt, Izzi Rich, Rachel Stephan, Dr. Julie Ho- gan, Dr. Karen Rogers