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IU South Bend Physics & Astronomy Indiana University

Data from June 8th Rainstorm

Posted on by hpscott

Here’s an animated gif with TWN data from the June 8 rainstorm, as measured at the IU South Bend station, showing the preceeding darkening as clouds rolled in coupled with decreasing distance to lightning strikes. Once the short-duration rain hit, the temperature dropped rapidly, and then the distance to lightning strikes increased again.

 

 

The rain measured at the Notre Dame River Observatory (NRO), which is right on the river a little south of Niles, started earlier and lasted longer, but was less intense than was measured at the IUSB station. Not surprisingly, the observed temperature drop was less drammatic at the NRO:

 

Planetary Alignment

Posted on by jhinnefe

CANCELED!!! (due to clouds)

Details: The IUSB Observatory will be open, weather permitting, from 6:45-8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28.  All seven of the other planets in the solar system will be above the horizon briefly in the early evening sky, and we plan to look at a few of them through the 16″ telescope during this event.

Come to the elevators on the 1st floor of Northside Hall at any time between 6:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. and wait to be escorted to the rooftop observatory.  If the building is locked come to the northwest entrance (by the green lawn between Northside Hall and the Student Activity Center).

Please be sure to check back here before traveling to campus in case we need to cancel due to cloudy skies.

This event is being organized by the IUSB Physics Club.

MTS Map

Planets Galore! — at the IUSB Observatory, Jan. 29

Posted on by jhinnefe

Details: The IUSB Observatory will be open, weather permitting, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29.  Six planets are visible in the evening sky this week, and we’ll try to see them all through the 16″ telescope during this event.

Come to the elevators on the 1st floor of Northside Hall at any time between 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. and wait to be escorted to the rooftop observatory.  If the building is locked come to the northwest entrance (by the green lawn between Northside Hall and the Student Activity Center.

Please be sure to check back here before traveling to campus in case we need to cancel due to inclement weather.

This event is being organized by the IUSB Physics Club and the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy.

MTS Map

Lunch with Alum E-Lexus Thornton

Posted on by jhinnefe

E-Lexus Thornton (BS Physics ’18) had lunch with Prof. Emeritus Jerry Hinnefeld at The Chocolate Cafe while back in town over the holidays.  E-Lexus earned an MS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky as part of an APS Bridge program, and he now works as a Quality Engineer for Toyota in Kentucky.  We always enjoy the opportunity to catch up with our alumni.

 

Andrew Ratkiewicz Receives 2024 Alumni of the Year Award for School of Natural Sciences

Posted on by hpscott

Andrew Ratkiewicz, who graduated in 2006 with a B.S. in physics and a minor in math, was honored with the 2024 Alumni of the Year Award for the School of Natural Sciences at the 3rd annual Night of the Titans event on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024.

Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus Jerry Hinnefeld was featured in a prerecorded introduction for Andrew, and the award was presented by Associate Dean Henry Scott. Our chair, Prof. Monika Lynker attended as well. Professors Hinnefeld, Lynker, Schrimmigk and Scott all worked with Andrew on various research projects with Andrew during his time at IU South Bend. While in South Bend to receive the award, Andrew gave a talk in our Contemporary Physics Seminar about some of his current work: Nuclear-Plasma Interactions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

We are all incredibly proud of Andrew!

Photos of Andrew receiving the award. The two images on the left are from IUSB photographer Michael Caterina. The lower-left photo includes Chancellor Susan Elrod on the left and Moira Dyczko, Director of Alumni Relations and Campus Ceremonies, on the right.

Commencement 2024

Posted on by jhinnefe

Five physics graduates participated in IUSB Commencement exercises on Tuesday, May 7.  Four of them are pictured here with Prof. Emeritus Jerry Hinnefeld — Phillip Derrickson, Zach Groshans, Joy Thompson, and Michael Wujcik.

The fifth, Emilee Edmonds, processed with the Platform Party as this year’s student speaker. Here she is giving her speech and receiving her diploma from Chancellor Susan Elrod.

Our sixth physics graduate, Seamus Cash, did not participate in Commencement.

Congratulations to all of our 2024 physics graduates!

Honors Night 2024

Posted on by hpscott

The College of Arts & Sciences celebrated its annual Honors Night on Thursday, May 2nd. The Department of Physics & Astronomy gave several awards:

Excellence Award in Physics

  • Phillip Derrickson

Ƶ Scholarship (for 2024 – 2025)

  • Nicholas Good

CTS Scholarship in Physics (for 2024 – 2025)

  • Akira Clark
  • Cosmo Cripe
  • Ryleigh Jebson
  • Josiah Nelson
Back Row, L to R: Nicholas Good, Phillip Derrickson, Prof. Scott Front Row, L to R: Ryleigh Jebson, Akira Clark, Prof. Lynker

 

Special Eclipse-Education Meet the Stars Events in January, February and March

Posted on by hpscott

 

Totality Path for the April 8, 2024, Eclipse. Click image for link to NASA's "When and Where" page.
Totality Path for the April 8, 2024, Eclipse. Click image for link to NASA’s “When and Where” page.

Please join IU South Bend faculty and student hosts for all-ages educational programming designed as preparation for the April 8th, 2024, solar eclipse (link to NASA’s eclipse site). These events are free, open to the public, and all are welcome!

These are intended to be fun yet educational and structured so that attendees have multiple simultaneous opportunities to participate in all or just a subset of the planned activities.

This is a collaborative program organized by faculty from the School of Education and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Faculty include Prof. Terri Hebert, Dept. of Professional Education Services, and Profs. Jerry Hinnefeld and Henry Scott, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy; there will also be student volunteers from the Physics Club and Prof. Hebert’s science-methods courses.

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New Endowment: Dr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Connon Physics and Astronomy Department Fund

Posted on by hpscott

We are pleased to announce that a new endowment has been established to support the Department of Physics & Astronomy:

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Connon Physics and Astronomy Department Fund

Dr. Thomas Connon, O.D., and his wife, Sue Ann Connon, were both students at IUSB in the 1970s. Dr. Connon worked closely with Professors Bruce Zimmerman (emeritus and still active on campus) and James Piowaty, and he was nearly done with a BA in physics when he left the university in 1978 to join the Air Force and, eventually, become an optometrist. Mrs. Connon completed her degree and is an alumna of the IUSB Dental Assistant Program.

Dr. Connon had been practicing as an optometrist in Dayton, Ohio, for decades before deciding, in 2013, that he’d still like to complete his physics BA. He coordinated with the Department to identify his remaining requirements, and it turned out that he was able to complete them at a community college in Ohio.

He graduated with a BA in Physics in 2015 and has recently retired from his career as an optometrist. He remains interested in physics, however, and the Connons established the new endowment in 2023. We are extremely grateful to the Connons for their generosity and would like to thank Moira Dyczko, Director of Alumni Relations and Campus Ceremonies, for her work in getting everything set up.

The endowment is designed for flexible use, but all in support of “equipment and programming” for the Department of Physics  & Astronomy.

Dr. Thomas Connon ’15 and Prof. Henry Scott
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