News
The Physics Department lecture demonstration office (one of the largest in the nation) is looking for a fun, energetic, and loyal student with that “creative edge”: someone with a background in the physical sciences or within physics itself, someone interested to learn more about physics, physics demonstrations, and audio/video equipment. Initially for 10 hours per week, with the possibility for more hours. Freshmen are welcome and encouraged to apply. Work-study are welcome to apply. Work trial period of one semester, with the possibility of continuation throughout the summer and into following year(s).
Job Requirements:
- Some general physics knowledge is a plus.
- Have a desire to learn more about physics and audio-visual equipment
- Must have a working knowledge of hand tools and/or willing to learn
- Be able to listen and follow instructions, but also present alternative solutions to problems.
- Be able to work both independently and as a team.
- Having the ablity to work during most of the summer months, big Plus!
- Having the ablity to work most Fridays from 3pm-4:30pm, big plus!
- Working knowledge of Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other microcontrollers would be awesome.
- Able to lift and move equipment (50lbs)
Job Duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Assist in the digitally record our weekly departmental colloquia on Friday afternoons and other lectures, and digital editing.
- Assist with the physics museum, tours, and our annual physics demo shows.
- Assist with researching and archiving of lecture demonstration equipment, including making and repairing equipment, fixing cabinets, data entry, labeling, and much more.
- Assist with audio/video maintenance, including pulling wire, testing cables, making cable, installing equipment, labeling, and troubleshooting.
- Assist with various odd jobs, cleaning whiteboards, hanging things, fixing broken items, woodworking such as sanding, painting and varnishing.
Please submit to Steve Narf (Room 2237 Chamberlin) or Jim Reardon (Room 2320g Chamberlin):
- Cover letter expressing interest in this job
- Resume & Skills
- Reference -
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.

Dr. Corcoran was killed in a bicycle accident on February 3, 2017. Dr. Corcoran was the 2008 recipient of UW Physics Department’s Distinguished Scientist award in recognition of her work at UW-Madison with Prof. Albert Erwin.
The Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is pleased to announce that its 2017 Laboratory Astrophysics Prize, given to an individual who has made significant contributions to laboratory astrophysics over an extended period of time, goes to James E. (Jim) Lawler (University of Wisconsin, Madison) for his contributions in atomic physics to advance our understanding of galactic nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution. His spectroscopic work has opened a new era of stellar chemistry by advancing our ability to compare nucleosynthesis predictions with accurate relative elemental abundances.
Photo Credit: Jeff Miller

The UW–Madison Department of Physics hosted a meeting of the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) this past weekend (Jan 13-15, 2017) at Chamberlin Hall, UW–Madison. This event was one of ten 2017 CUWiP conferences held simultaneously around the US and in Canada.
Over 140 undergraduate students from the Midwest (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa), including students from many of the UW branch campuses, participated. The meeting included presentations from prominent women in physics, opportunities for networking, career advice and support, and a student poster session.
The CUWiP meetings are cosponsored nationally by the American Physical Society, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. The UW–Madison conference involved other collaborators and supporters, including the Department of Physics, WIPAC, the Graduate School, the College of Letters and Science, the Office of the Provost, and the Brittingham Family Foundation.
The lead organizers were Susan Coppersmith, Robert E. Fassnacht and Vilas Research Professor of Physics; Lisa Everett, Professor of Physics; Laura Fleming, Associate Instrumentation Specialist, Department of Physics; and Pupa Gilbert, Professor of Physics, Chemistry, and Geoscience. The local organizing team also included Dr. Silvia Bravo Gallart, Education and Outreach Specialist at WIPAC; Ms. Megan Madsen, Education and Outreach Coordinator at WIPAC; and Dr. Susan Nossal, Associate Scientist, Department of Physics and Director of the Physics Learning Center, as well as UW-Madison students and staff, including many graduate students in Physics, Medical Physics, Biophysics, Engineering, and Astronomy.
It was a fantastic event that inspired all in attendance.
For more info, please visit the conference website: https://cuwip.physics.wisc.edu.

Writing online Thursday, Dec. 15, in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, a team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison physics Professor Pupa Gilbert describes studies of the physical attributes of nacre in modern and fossil shells showing that the biomineral provides an accurate record of temperature as the material is formed, layer upon layer, in a mollusk.

Research projects statewide, from electronics to optics and medicine, are set to benefit from a new system coming to UW–Madison that will use electron beam lithography (EBL), a specialized technique for creating extremely fine patterns — in some cases more than 5,000 times narrower than the diameter of a human hair.

The Physics Department occasionally sends announcements to undergraduate physics majors about opportunities for those with an interest in physics. Now, those who have not declared a physics major can subscribe to receive such announcements. Those who have declared a major will continue to receive announcements and do not need to self-subscribe.