Faculty from the IUSB Dept. of Physics & Astronomy are partnering with MPI Engineered Technologies to study conditions that may cause seasonal corrosion issues with the steel “clutch-separation plates” fabricated at their Fineblanking plant in Knox, IN. The team will use Arduino-based data loggers, custom designed by Prof. Brian Davis, and fabricated by a growing team including students and local high school teachers, to collect high-frequency environmental measurements throughout the plant.
This collaboration was initiated when Spencer Wesler, a chemical engineer from MPI, accompanied his grandson for an observatory tour, led by Prof. Henry Scott, during an IUSB Admissions “open house” for prospective students. Scott described recent efforts with Profs. Ilan Levine and Davis to adapt their traditional research expertise to address novel problems with greater local relevance and community-outreach opportunity. Wesler took interest, described the problem he’s trying to solve, and a pilot study is underway less than a month later.
The event was a huge success, with constant traffic at the Physics Club table, and club members interacting with roughly 250 kids. (As a lower bound, ~240 yo-yos, with a spherical cow + telescope graphic, had been distributed by about 3:30, and the event went until 4:00 p.m.).
PHYS-N 190 (VT: Physics of Sound) will be offered by Professor Henry Scott in Summer Session 1, 2023, either with or without a lab component. The course is designed for non-science majors and to be accessible to all; it will run from Monday, May 15 to Monday, June 26.