Newswise — Valparaiso University's Department of Physics and Astronomy is celebrating a milestone this year as one of only a handful of non-Ph.D. granting institutions to receive 25 years of continuous research funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, with recent renewal of that research support for another three years. Valparaiso has been a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research for over ten years.
"This long history of continuous grant funding is remarkable and is testimony to the department's accomplishments in collaborative research, engagement in 'world-class' physics experiments, peer-review endorsements, involvement of undergraduate students in research and alumni who have gone on to distinguished scientific careers," said Dr. Donald Koetke, a senior research professor of physics who joined the faculty in 1977 and wrote the proposal that won Valparaiso's initial Department of Energy grant. Dr. Koetke established the department's nuclear physics research group and led it for next 25 years.
The Department of Energy recently renewed funding for Valparaiso's nuclear physics research, providing $463,000 over the next three years. That adds to a total of nearly $3.5 million in federal support for nuclear physics research awarded to the Department of Physics and Astronomy (valpo.edu/physics) over the past 25 years.
Dr. Robert Manweiler, professor of physics and astronomy and the new leader of the University's nuclear physics research group, said both faculty and students benefit from engaging in experiments that seek to answer some of the most fundamental questions in nature.
"Students experience first-hand the dynamics of research and discovery, the focus and dedication required, and hopefully taste a bit of the rewards of such an endeavor," Dr. Manweiler said.
Each summer, up to four Valparaiso physics students participate in nuclear physics research on campus and at some of the world's leading accelerator facilities " including Los Alamos National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the TRIUMF Cyclotron Facility in Vancouver and the Brookhaven National Laboratory Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider " supported by of the Department of Energy grant.
Valparaiso faculty and students are currently involved in two large research projects:
* The STAR experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory, named after the Solenoid Tracker at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which discovered a new form of matter that existed in the brief seconds following the Big Bang. VU researchers are helping study the constituents of the nucleus of the hydrogen atom to learn why it appears to rotate (spin) as it does, which will add to the Standard Model of all fundamental physics.
* The TWIST (Tri-Universities Meson Facility Weak Interaction Symmetry Test) experiment at the University of British Columbia, which is studying the decay of elementary particles called muons (the electron's heavyweight cousin) that live for 2.2 millionths of a second. VU faculty and students are collaborating on this experiment to test whether present-day theories of radioactivity are completely correct, thereby significantly aiding the search for a more fundamental theory of nature.
Ansel Hillmer, a senior physics and mathematics major from Tampa, Fla., has worked on two separate projects with the STAR experiment as an undergraduate. The first, in the summer of 2007, involved calibrating particle detector hardware. Currently, Hillmer's senior research project involves the implementation of a new detector at STAR known as the Zero-Degree Calorimeter, to aid in measuring polarization of high energy beam particles during experiments.
"I was fortunate enough to spend a week out at Brookhaven National Laboratory two summers ago," Hillmer said. "It was a new and amazing experience, being immersed in a scientific community actively conducting research.
"Research is what I really enjoy about science. It has helped me find my vocation, as research in a scientific field is what I hope to ultimately pursue as an occupation. I simply loved the experience and want to eventually maintain it as a lifestyle."
Hillmer has been accepted to graduate school to study medical physics " which he noted has many parallels to the type of research he has done for STAR " and hopes to specialize in medical imaging techniques, including the development of hardware such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the creation of algorithms to aid analysis of images these machines generate.
Dr. Manweiler said Hillmer and other students involved in experimental research get to "test the waters" and determine their desire to pursue a career in a specific field of physics through interactions with physicists and other students from all parts of the world. At the same time, Valparaiso students and faculty are helping the scientific community better understand the universe.
"Students often present their work at national conferences, making others aware of this special place we call Valpo," he said. "Faculty greatly profit from the stimulation that working with physicists from other universities and laboratories provides. Having had the opportunity to investigate some of the deepest puzzles that nature presents, we are brought to ponder anew the intricate beauty and complexity of this universe at its deepest levels." In achieving the milestone of 25 years of continuous funding, Dr. Koetke said he's proud of how that support has enhanced the experience of Valparaiso's students.
"When I came to Valparaiso, we made a strong commitment to build a research program in physics and astronomy to complement our reputation for excellent teaching," Dr. Koetke said. "Research is a very strong motivator for students and an enlivening part of the academic life."
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