Are you interested in majoring in Physics? Come to P.U.M.P., an informational meeting for Prospective Undergraduate Majors in Physics. Tuesday, October 3rd at 4:30pm, Chamberlin Hall 2241.
News Archives
9/22 Colloquium: Laboratory cosmology
ART+ MASS, Aug 21, 5:30pm
MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 5:30 PM
MMoCA will present ART+ Mass on Monday, August 21 in conjunction with Forward Fest. This event will offer a dialogue on art as a lens and tool for exploring and documenting new discoveries in particle physics. The panel will feature:
- Artist Sonja Thomsen, whose immersive lobby installation at MMoCA is meant to transform a viewer’s encounters with light, space, time, and movement. Thomsen’s interest lies in “creating spaces that highlight the inaccessible. There should always be a place for wonder; it is a direct line to new knowledge.”
- Professor Wesley H. Smith. Bjorn Wiik Professor of Physics at UW-Madison, who has been deeply involved in work on the Large Hedron Collidor used to discover the Higgs Boson particle. The so-called “God particle” is believed to be responsible for giving matter mass and shaping the very early universe.
Fast radio bursts (marked with star) and best fit neutrino detections by IceCube (marked X)
Astronomers and astrophysicists expect that fast radio bursts (FRBs) happen all the time. Some estimates predict there are up to 10,000 per day. But they are not easy to detect. Telescopes with a wide field of view often don’t have good resolution. And the ones that have good resolution usually come with a much smaller field of view and might be missing them all the time.
FRBs are so short that regular follow-up observations by other radio or optical telescopes are not realistic. This could be a depressing scenario for scientists, but guess what: neutrinos might come to the rescue.
Geoff (PhD 1968) and Josie Fox – Team Moto-X Fox
Geoff and Josie Fox combined backgrounds in physics and art history, an appreciation for adventure, and a willingness to change course to gain incredible traction in the action sports industry.
Measuring the dark matter that surrounds us
“The big idea for dark matter detection is that it’s all around us right now, and it’s really important gravitationally, for how big structures—galaxies and bigger—form,” says UW particle astrophysicist Kimberly Palladino. “We know it doesn’t interact with light and with charge, and it doesn’t really interact much with itself.”
Three physics majors win Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships
Roger Waleffe (working with Prof. Forest)
Matthew Frazier (working with Prof. Gilbert)
Colin Adams (working with Prof. Vandenbroucke)
The Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships support undergraduate research done in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff. Approximately 97 – 100 Hilldale awards are available each year.
Prof. Jenny Thomas elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Jenny Thomas, Senior Scientist with the IceCube group and Prof. at University College London, has been elected to a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of their outstanding contribution to science.
Scholarship & Award Winners
Babara Jacak, Colloquium Speaker
Babara Jacak, Colloquium Speaker