California Polytechnic State University

August 2009, Volume 17

PHYSICSPHYSICSPHYSICSPHYSICSNewsletter

Although antimatter is real and is created at CERN and particle accelerators like it around the globe, the idea of making an antimatter bomb comfortably remains “...merely a science fiction device invented to tell a good story.” The LHC will make around ten million particles of antimatter per second as it operates, which sounds like a lot, until you consider how long it would take to collect enough antimatter to make a bomb. According to Klay, “even if the accelerator were to run 24/7 with 100% efficiency AND we could collect and store all of those particles, it would take several hundred million years to accumulate enough antimatter to produce a bomb that could rival conventional explosives. I doubt that anyone wants to wait that long,” Klay said with a grin.

In addition to calming fears of particle physics producing new weapons of mass destruction, Professor Klay also addressed the so-called “doomsday scenarios” that have been circulating about the safety of the LHC. Some opponents have raised the question of whether the collider should be allowed to operate given some calculations that suggest it might produce microscopic black holes. The fear is that these black holes could attract the matter around them, grow, and eventually swallow the entire earth. “The most direct and irrefutable response to these claims is that nature conducts these types of experiments at much higher energies than we will produce at the LHC all the time,” said Klay. “In fact, the earth and moon have been bombarded by high energy comic rays for billions of years, with no evidence of such catastrophic consequences. We are merely trying to perform the same experiments in a more controlled way so that we can learn more about the fundamental forces that bind all matter together.” Klay and her students will be busy all summer getting ready for the first collisions at CERN, expected in the Fall of 2009.

Stay tuned for exciting results from this unique experiment and more stories about how Cal Poly students are helping to unlock the mysteries of the Universe at the LHC.

For more information, please see: http://angelsanddemons.cern.ch/ or http://www.uslhc.us/Angels_Demons/

Angels and Demons and AntimatterMicrocosm - the CERN exposition building where the current exhibit is the science behind Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons and antimatter, oh my!The science behind the summer blockbuster, “Angels and Demons,” based on the book of the same name by Dan Brown, was the subject of two public lectures given by Cal Poly physics professor Jennifer Klay in May and June 2009. The central action of the book and film involves a plot to destroy the Vatican using a canister of antimatter stolen from CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland. Klay and her students are engaged in the real science of particle collisions there at the world’s largest accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The lectures were part of a larger series organized by the US LHC Users Organization, of which Cal Poly is a member institution. “The opportunity to capitalize on the release of this film to tell the real story of what we’re doing at the LHC was too good to pass up,” said Klay.

Chris Brown, Brandon Boswell, Jennifer Klay and daughter Lyra at CERN

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ANGELS AND DEMONS AND ANTIMATTER “Jennifer Klay”

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Matthew Moelter

NEW ASTRONOMY MINORDavid Mitchell

SOCIETY OF PHYSICS STUDENTSAlison Goodsell

ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETYMichelle Ouellette

SUMMER FUNPhysics Faculty

MORE SUMMER FUNPhysics Faculty

RADIOACTIVE ALUMINUM IN SPACERoger Grismore

RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

RECENT GRADUATES

CONSIDER TEACHING PHYSICSNancy Stauch

IN MEMORIAM

ALUMNI NEWS

RETIREMENTS & FACULTY FAREWELLSMatthew Moelter

BOOK REVIEWThomas Gutierrez

HONOR ROLL CONTRIBUTORS

NEWSLETTER ONLINE 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Letter from the Chair

Wow! This has been a year of changes. The office staff is entirely new since the fall. Rosa Jones and Dale Wilbur, replacing Alice Gold and Rachel Roberts, have done a wonderful job learning about physics at Cal Poly and helping faculty and students. Most importantly, they keep the department going and make it seem like I know what’s happening. Thanks to former chair Rich Saenz for helping us all with the transition. Five tenure-track faculty also joined us last fall, and Profs. Granger, Griffith, Holtzapple, Jasbinsek, and Johnston have settled in and seem right at home. They, along with existing faculty, and their students are doing some very exciting physics, described in the following pages. This summer, students and faculty are working here at Cal Poly and at the pier in Avila Bay, while others will go to New York, Switzerland and Italy. The physics topics range from sustainable technologies for developing countries to quantum computing. We will be seeing less of Profs. Mottmann and Poling, who have officially retired, but will continue to teach at a reduced load. We were all saddened by the passings of Profs. Ozawa and Rosen, who contributed so much for so long. In his memory, Prof. Rosen’s family and friends established the first endowed scholarship in physics. Perhaps this next year will not have as many changes, but the budget situation will create its own challenges. We are thankful to our friends and alumni for their generous and ongoing contributions in support of physics at Cal Poly.

Dr. Matt (Moelter)

P.S. An important change is our decision to make this the last printed newsletter as we transition to an electronic format in 2010.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

www.calpoly.edu/~phys, click on Alumni on left sidephysics@calpoly.edu

NEW 2009 Astronomy Minor by David Mitchell

Starting in 2009, Cal Poly will offer a minor in astronomy, which will provide students an opportunity to learn about and analyze astronomical phenomena and processes. The minor explores our current scientific understanding of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. In addition, the minor enhances familiarity and skills in observational astronomy, including telescope data collection, analysis, and interpretation. A minor in astronomy provides a foundation for graduate-level studies in astronomy or work in related fields.

A new course in observational astronomy has been added, ASTR 444, as the capstone course for the minor. Students taking ASTR 444 will learn about modern equipment and observing techniques, and will use the Cal Poly Observatory to take observations for their own astronomy work, presenting their results at a class conference at the end of the quarter. ASTR 444 will be offered for the first time this fall.

For details on the required courses for the astronomy minor, please go to the curriculum link at the physics department website: http://www.calpoly.edu/~phys/. If you are considering the astronomy minor, please contact one of the astronomy advisers: Dr. David Mitchell (email: dsmitche@calpoly.edu) or Dr. John Keller (email: jmkeller@calpoly.edu).

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sOCIETY OF PHYSICS STUDENTS By Alison Goodsell Faculty Advisor: Ron Zammit

Another exciting year in the physics department has come to an end. This past year saw many changes for the department, including additional faculty, a new department chair, and two new administrative staff members. The Society of Physics Students (SPS) continued to promote interaction between the students, faculty, and staff through quarterly events and department get-togethers. The passing of two well-loved and respected physics professors, Dr. Ken Ozawa and Dr. Art Rosen, was disheartening; they will always be remembered for their commitment and dedication to the students. The physics department carried out many wonderful events and fulfilled its pledge to unify the entire department.

Incoming freshmen and transfer students were first introduced to the physics department during the Week of Welcome. Faculty and continuing students showed these new physics majors around the labs, “spider building”, and, most importantly, h-bar! And we were even able to lure some of the freshmen to the Annual Fall Picnic. There, the students, faculty, and staff met at Santa Rosa Park to eat some delicious BBQ, play outdoor sports, and gear up for the coming year of classes. Later in the quarter, new and continuing students were offered guidance on class scheduling along with a free dinner at Pizza Advising. Friday Sports was also organized each week to gather students and faculty for some out-door fun. Some awesome games of soccer, Ultimate Frisbee and kickball were held throughout the year.

Beginning the Friday of Hump Week (the 5th week of the quarter and other Fridays), the physics department congregated for Downtown Brew (DTB) Night. We ate, chatted, and played some amazing games of pool! Faculty, staff and students all enjoyed these stress-free nights. DTB is a restaurant, so students of all ages were welcome.

The quarterly events of the Burn Off, Garlic Off, and the Bake Off were all wildly successful. At each respective gathering, attendees competed for the Spiciest, Most Garlicky, and Best Presentation prizes. Dishes from the three events were hugely varied: we sampled roasted garlic, spicy Senegalese curried chicken, chocolate cakes, spicy pizza, garlic fries, and many other great foods. This was also the first Bake Off the physics department had held in a long time – and all the food was fantastic! The turnout at each event was amazing, and continued the department’s objective of forming lasting relationships between the students and faculty. Thank you to Drs. Matt Moelter and Keith Stowe for letting us hold the events at their houses!

The Annual Spring Banquet was held May 9 at the Dairy Creek Golf Course in San Luis Obispo. We gathered to celebrate senior graduations and to recognize the Professor of the Year. This semi-formal dinner continued the physics department’s tradition of bringing faculty and students together to create a strong learning and social environment. The students awarded Professor of the Year to Dr. Ron Zammit for his commitment to “Learn by Doing” and his unflagging support for the students. Our department Chair, Dr. Matt Moelter, was awarded the first Chair of the Year Award, and he received a miniature golden chair and flowers. Graduates Elizabeth Keil, Justin Lawson, and Chris Seck were recognized for their stellar academic records and were awarded the complete Feynman Lectures. We were also fortunate to have multiple physics alumni contribute to the event; a few even attended the banquet!

It is difficult to believe that another year has passed in the physics department. But I am sure that next year will offer even more excitement for the students, faculty, and staff. Thanks for the wonderful year! Alison Goodsell SPS Senator 2007-2009

SPS Senate 2009-2010Ben Knudson, Connor Drake, Ryan Moriarty, Tim Wolf,

Robin Reil, Laura Mitchell

The new SPS Senate Election resulted in six Senators for the 2009-2010 year. Congratulations to the new Senate!

ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY By Michelle Ouellette, Faculty Advisor

The Cal Poly Astronomical Society (CPAS) was very busy this year, led by Casey Allard (president), Rebecca Rosen (vice-president), and Galen Cauble (treasurer). Outstanding job! CPAS members gave their first show at the SLO High Planetarium in May, which was attended by Cal Poly astronomy students. They also hosted star parties at Shell Beach Elementary School and Templeton Middle School as well as Poly Canyon Village.

Astronomical Society Officers 2009-2010 Brian Norman, Matt Curry, Jason Stine

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, and CPAS members gave talks about different celestial objects and processes. We encourage anyone with an interest in astronomy to attend a meeting. The new officers are Brian Norman (president), Matt Curry (vice-president), and Jason Stine (treasurer). Future plans include creating a sky calendar, complete with images taken at the Cal Poly Observatory, and offering more shows at the planetarium. It promises to be another active year!

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Every year we tell you about the great physics-related projects our students are engaged in, some supported by external grants and the bulk supported from our College-Based Fees. This summer three of our faculty have external grants which are providing funds for student research involving international travel.

Kevin James is working with DR. JODI CHRISTIANSEN at Cal Poly this summer searching for Cosmic Strings using gravitational lensing signature in archival images from the COSMOS survey taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Kevin is developing a novel feature extraction method based on Shapelet decomposition of galaxies.

Jesse Miller is working with DR. ROBERT FIELD this summer on energy flow on Venus and other inner planets. This project will explore the feasibility of a senior project on the thermal structure of the troposphere of Venus. Jesse is an aerospace engineering major with a physics minor who may graduate with a double major.

Chris Seck is working with DR. GLEN GILLEN on a project to experimentally measure laser beam intensity patterns for diffracted-focused Gaussian laser beams. These measurements will serve as an experimental verification for a theoretical model developed by Glen and Kendra Baughman (Cal Poly ‘08).

Andrew Ferdinand, Eric Muckley, and Grant Rayner are doing research with DR. KAT GILLEN this summer. The goal of their project is to construct a magneto-optical atom trap that can cool Rb atoms to ~200 micro-Kelvin above absolute zero. This requires a combination of an ultra-high vacuum chamber, two lasers, a pair of electromagnets, and a lot of optics - all working together to trap the Rb atoms. Once the cold atom sample has been achieved, the students will work towards trapping the cold atoms in a new kind of light trap: the diffraction pattern behind a pinhole.

Aaron Jahoda and Jeremy Kruger are working on a project-to-project diffraction pattern from just behind an aperture to a region of free space beyond the lens. Projection of complex diffraction patterns will eventually be used in collaboration with DR. KAT GILLEN to trap cold neutral atoms using laser light. What makes these atom traps unique is that they are created using diffraction patterns where localized regions of high and low intensity light are created. The “low intensity” light traps are of particular importance as they can be used to trap atoms in a region of no laser light which is surrounded by a “barrier” of high light intensity. Aaron will be working on the experimental setup and measurement of the projected light patterns, while Jeremy will be working on computer programming and theoretical prediction of various projected light patterns.

Andy Ferdinand is mounting the vacuum chamber to the laser table where the Rb atoms will be trapped.

S U M M E R F U Nby PHYSICS FACULTY

Alison Goodsell and Robin Reil are working with DR. THOMAS GUTIERREZ on R&D for CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Ob-servatory for Rare Events), a proposed experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay in Tellurium. The students are spending one month this summer living near L’Aquila, Italy and are working at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, an under-ground facility about two hours outside of Rome at the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga. They are perform-ing shifts for the Three Towers diagnostic test and will help test the crystals used to detect the extremely rare neutrinoless double beta decay signal.

Ben Knudson is work-ing with DR. THOMAS GUTIERREZ on developing a novel musical instrument called a Doppler Calliope. The device exploits the doppler effect to create a unique musical experience. Ben is working out the physics and music theory as well writing computer simula-tions for the instrument.

Melissa Lund and Floyd Linayao are working with DR. DAVID MITCHELL in the Cal Poly observatory, taking data, and testing several new observing projects for use in the new Observational Astronomy class. These projects could also lead to other student research or senior projects. In addition, they will be installing our new spectrograph, which will also be used for student research.

DR. MICHELLE OUELLETTE is supervising three students this summer: Shaun Stenstrom is running simulations of the heating and cooling of neutron stars in binary system. The neutron star accretes material from the companion star, and he will determine how the rate of accretion shut-off affects the cooling rate of the star.

Michelle Wilbur is studying central compact objects. These are found at the center of supernova remnants and appear to be neutron stars, but they are much smaller than standard neutron stars. She will determine if any of the central compact objects could instead be black holes.

Kelsi Flatland continues to make follow-up observations of 6 RR-Lyrae stars discovered in the Northern Sky Variability Survey. RR-Lyrae stars serve as distance indicators in the Milky Way, meaning they can be used to study the structure and evolution of the Galaxy.

Laura Sparks is working with DR. JOHN SHARPE on optical tweezers.

Grant Rayner is putting together the vacuum chamber that will hold the cold Rb atoms.

Eric Muckley is working on the laser that will cool atoms to 200 microK

from absolute zero.

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VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) is a ground-based gamma-ray observatory near Tucson, Arizona. Under the guid-ance of Dr. JODI CHRISTIANSEN (Cal Poly) and Dr. David Kieda (University of Utah), Cal Poly physics students Tim Wolf and Dan Jackson are spending the 2009 summer working on VERITAS. Dan and Tim are spending half their time do-ing manual labor for the project, and the rest of their time doing gamma-ray astronomy research. VERITAS is moving one of the four telescopes to optimize the effective observational area. The Cal Poly students are assisting the moving process by making and moving cables and painting the optical support structure. They also perform maintenance checks

on the other three telescopes, which helps the students understand how the telescopes work. The rest of the time at VERITAS is spent learning about the gamma-ray astronomy conducted at the site, including active galactic nuclei, blazars, neutron stars, and black holes. Each student will select a source to analyze using the knowledge they have gained over the summer.

Tim Wolf and Dan Jackson by VERITAS telescope in Arizona

Galen Cauble and Tom Baker

DR. PETE SCHWARTZ is working with Cal Poly physics students Kyle Clarke, Trevor Davis, and Jason Rapp, joined by Steve Rogers (Cal Poly ‘09, current EE graduate student), Christina Blattner (MATE), and Connor Barickman (ME) to study renewable energy and how to implement these technologies both here and in developing countries in order to improve the standard of living by “leapfrogging” over the carbon-intense path taken by the industrialized west. They are partnering with a non-profit organization in Congo (http://workingvillages.org), and hope to introduce low carbon energy technologies there. In particular, they are: investigating the adaptation of Concentrated Solar Thermal Electric to urban environments utilizing the heat co-product; designing and construct-ing a concentrated solar cooking facility for deployment in developing countries; conducting Life Cycle Analysis of costs and emissions related to rail transportation in California; and comparing the environmental impacts of different alternative automobile fuels.

RADIOACTIVE ALUMINUM IN SPACEby Roger Grismore

The Cal Poly/University of Central Florida Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics Collaboration has just received the reprints of its latest publication, entitled “Radioactive Al-26 Measured on LDEF Satellite Clamps – What Is Its Source?”. The authors are Dr. Roger Grismore, the late Dr. Arthur Rosen, Dr. Ralph A. Llewellyn of the University of Central Florida, and 2003 Cal Poly physics graduates Jacqueline Hodge and Will Wright. The paper describes a set of measurements made with the Cal Poly multi-dimensional gamma-ray spectrometer on aluminum tray clamps which flew for five years on the Long Duration Exposure Facility satellite. These measurements demonstrated the existence of radioactive Al-26 on the clamps, and proved that it had to have been accreted onto the surfaces of the clamps from near-Earth space. The experiment also allowed the researchers to deduce a tentative maximum value for the density of Al-26 in near Earth space of 52 ± 6 atoms per cubic meter.

M O R E S U M M E R F U N

Galen Cauble, Chris Ferguson, and Tom Baker are conducting experimental research in physical oceanography with DR. ELIZABETH GRIFFITH. The team is improving the ocean drifter fleet that is used to map surface currents from Avila Bay. With new electronics, the 16 drifters will be able to transmit GPS data via satellite from as far as the coast of Mexico or Alaska. The team is re-designing the drifter bodies for lower cost and improved performance. The students are also analyzing existing wind and surface current data from beyond Avila Beach (based on radar), and are developing techniques to obtain representative velocity fields and time scales of the ocean flow based on their drifter data.

Congratulations to Alison Goodsell and Laura Sparks for representing Cal Poly physics at the CSU Research Competition at CSU, LA in May of 2009! They presented research performed last summer in Assergi, Italy at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory with Dr. Thomas Gutierrez.

Alison Goodsell and Laura Sparks

Robin Reil

Robin Reil presenting a poster at the Cal Poly CSM Student Research Conference

RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

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R E C E N T G R A D U A T E S

Consider Teaching Physicsby nancy stauch

The call for more qualified physics teachers to meet the needs of our future scientists has been answered at Cal Poly. Over the past five years we have “grown” thirteen high school physics teachers, most of whom are currently teaching in California. This spring, we will graduate three physics teachers; Brandon Pettenger, Clark Pennelly, and (home-grown physics major from Cal Poly) Colin Rodriguez. Pictured is Colin celebrating with his master teacher, Walter Bunning, physics teacher at Righetti High School, Santa Maria, California. We are proud of our physics majors that choose teaching – the most noble of professions!

If you are interested in becoming a high school or secondary physics teacher, feel free to contact Nancy Stauch in the physics department (email: nstauch@calpoly.edu).

Colin Rodriguez and Walter Bunning

Left to Right: Tyler Florez, Ethan Speakman, Stephen Rodenkirk, Trevor Strickland, Chris Seck, Thomas Baker, Nikolaus Glasar, Elliot Hayter, Steven Rogers, Chad Clawitter, Elizabeth Keil, Tim Fletcher (Kevin James not pictured)

Elizabeth Keil will be working as an Systems Engineer at Raytheon Missiles Systems in Tucson, AZ.

Stephen Rodenkirk will be spending the summer doing Army Reserve annual training. After that, he hopes to work in industry for a few years and may even consider teaching physics as a career.

Steven Rogers is working for Dr. Pete Schwartz this summer helping to train the new people in the art of non-imaging optical design and ray tracing for his renewable energy research projects. As far as industry goes, he is waiting to hear back on job interviews he had earlier in the quarter.

Christopher Seck will be finishing work this summer with Dr. Gillen and Dr. Echols before attending Northwestern University in their physics Ph.D. program with an IGERT NSF fellowship in the fall. At Northwestern, Chris will be working with Dr. Odom doing molecule cooling/trapping/precision measurement.

Ethan Speakman was busy this year running Friday sports for SPS and did a great job working on his senior project with some images of the Sun learning about sunspots. He is still working on career plans.

Trevor Strickland is looking into teaching and joining the Cal Poly Teaching Credential Program. He hopes to be a high school physics teacher.

Thomas Baker is going to graduate school at CSU Long Beach to earn an MS in physics. To the rest of us, Tom says, “Keep fighting the good fight!”

Chad Clawitter is currently in Mission Viejo and is hoping to find a position as a high school physics teacher in Southern California.

Tim (Kyle) Fletcher will be working with Campus Crusade on the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo. He will be mentoring students and overseeing Campus Crusade events.

Tyler Florez is very interested in philosophy and the connections to spacetime. He is finishing his senior project this summer.

Nikolaus Glazar will attend Kent State University in Ohio. He will be working on his Ph.D. in physics at the Liquid Crystal Institute.

Elliot Hayter plans to enter the Cal Poly Teaching Credential Program, but would first like to teach English in Japan.

Kevin James will be working with Jodi Christiansen at Cal Poly this summer searching for Cosmic Strings using gravitational lensing signature in archival images from the COSMOS surveytaken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

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IN MEMORIAM

Kenneth S. OzawaProfessor Ken Ozawa passed away Wednesday, March 4, 2009 with family by his side in San Luis Obispo. He was born in Tokyo, Japan, in November 1931 and lived with his parents, two brothers and a sister until he was 18. He moved to the United States, initially Cleveland, Ohio, and got his BS in Physics at John Carroll University in 1959, an MS in Physics in 1960 and was asked to stay and teach, which he did from 1960 to 1963.

In 1963, he came to Cal Poly as an Assistant Professor in physics and was an Associate Professor from 1967 to 1972. He then went to the University of Kansas and completed his Ph.D. in engineering mechanics in 1975. He returned to Cal Poly and was a Professor from 1975 to 2000, Emeritus professor of physics in 2000, and continued teaching until January 2009. Ken taught in the physics, math, mechanical and electrical engineering departments. He earned the university’s Distinguished Teacher Award (one of just three). He also received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers and held the position as secretary for the national AAPT. Ken was known for going the extra mile for his students - he held office hours in the dorms, created an endowment to support the Society of Physics Students, provided financial support for students at the annual Physics Spring Banquet, and was a donor for the upcoming Center for Science and Mathematics. He always encouraged students to do their best and enjoy whatever they did.

The most important part of Ken’s life was his family. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Setsuko “Kay” Shiino, two daughters, Linda and Dianne, who both graduated from Cal Poly, and three grandchildren.

For those wishing to remember Prof. Ozawa, the family requests that donations be sent to: Ken Ozawa Endowment for the Society of Physics Students, Cal Poly Foundation, c/o College of Science and Math, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93407.

Arthur Z. Rosen Professor Art Rosen died May 9, 2009 with family and friends by his side in San Luis Obispo, and a memorial gathering for friends and family was held at Cal Poly. He was born to Mary and Sam Rosen of Oil City, Pennsylvania on February 5, 1920 and had three elder brothers: Norman, Maurice “Maurie,” and David. He lived in Oil City and attended Grove City College on scholarship. In the late 1930’s, Art made the trip to California and entered the physics program at UC Berkeley. While there, he met Marie Venetia, an anthropology student who he married on December 9, 1941. They were married until Marie’s death in 1988. Art was at the forefront of nuclear physics at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab from 1942–1945, when he joined the Navy. Upon discharge, he re-entered Berkeley in pursuit of his Ph.D., which he obtained in 1952.

Dr. Rosen was a lecturer at UCSB in 1951. In 1953, he accepted a position at California Polytechnic College (later, University), where he joined the Science Department. Over the next 40 years he was instrumental in the development of the physics department, its programs and new faculty. He was especially influential in the quantum lab sequence. From 1958 to 1980, he served as Cal Poly’s Radiation Safety Officer, and in 1981 helped establish the Radio-Analytical Facility (RAF), which conducted environmental radiation monitoring throughout SLO County, involving PG&E, the California Department of Health Services, and the SLO County Health Department. Since 1995, the RAF has been sponsored by county, university, and private sources. Art “retired” from Cal Poly in 1993, and completed much of the RAF activity as a volunteer while an emeritus professor.

Art was active in the community and served on the local board of directors for the ACLU, was active in La Causa, and contributed to many professional groups and causes. His interest in music was life-long, and he was a major contributor to the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center and the Mozart (Mosaic) Festival

For those wishing to remember Professor Rosen, the family requests that donations be sent to: The Cal Poly Foundation (Memo — Arthur Z. Rosen Memorial Scholarship) c/o College of Science & Math Advancement Office, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 Attn: Cassie Carter.

Walter OgierWalter Ogier passed away May 15, 2009 at the age of 83. He was a CalTech graduate, a low temperature experimentalist interested in the properties of superfluid helium. He moved to Atascadero in 1989 after retiring from Pomona College in Claremont, where he was a long-time department chair. Walter was always a friend to Cal Poly Physics, a part of our part-time faculty for a number of years, attending our colloquia, and maintaining his friendships in the department. He was very active in AAPT - and very committed to undergraduate teaching and making physics interesting and enjoyable.

Aimee (Balderman) Adams (‘00) is a math instructor at Tommie Kunst Junior High School in Santa Maria. She has been teaching seventh graders for the past seven years. Aimee and her husband live in Los Osos. They are enjoying their new little daughter, Jayda Erin.

Armand Amoranto (‘95) and his family moved to Oceanside for their children’s health, leaving Visalia where the air quality is not very good. Armand is teaching physics and is enjoying the challenge of developing and focusing on one course. It’s quite different compared to when he was at Farmersville H.S. and taught physics, AP physics, chemistry, earth science, and coached Science Olympiad and Team America Rocketry Challenge. If there is anyone who plans on teaching physics in the future and would like to share curriculum, contact him. Email address: aamoranto@hotmail.com

Jay Austin (‘90) and his wife joined the faculty at the U. of Minnesota, Duluth in 2005. He feels fortunate to have a joint assistant professor

position in the physics department (where he teaches general physics and graduate fluid mechanics) and the Large Lakes Observatory (a group of scientists who all work on developing a better understanding of the fundamental structure and behavior of large lakes around the world). His particular interest is in understanding the thermodynamic balance of large lakes and their reaction to climate variability. He is also interested in the role that winter ice cover plays in moderating the behavior of lakes throughout the year. Last year, Jay was awarded a grant through the National Science Foundation to investigate inter-annual variability in Lake Superior. His lab will be maintaining an array of moored instrument platforms in the lake over the next three years, as well as developing models of the physical and biogeochemical cycling of the lake, to study how it responds to different climate scenarios. His favorite part of the job is being out on the university’s research vessel, the R/V Blue Heron, deploying or recovering equipment that is used to study the lake.

Brad Blocksom (‘83) is a computer engineer living in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

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Mitchel Bowman (‘05) & Steffen Jensen (‘95) work at SolFocus. Mitchel has been incredibly happy since he began working as a Program Management Associate, but working for a pre-revenue, limited resource, start-up. Mitch says they all seem to perform work outside of their job descriptions, and he and Steffen have been showing those at SolFocus the excellence of a Cal Poly physics degree.

Cassie Fallscheer (‘04) is currently working on a Ph.D. in Astronomy, U. of Heidelberg, Germany. She went to Ireland just before Christmas 2008 with her boyfriend, Thomas Baumann, an engineer from Cal Maritime whom she met during Cal Poly at Sea. While there, he proposed. So now they are engaged and planning to marry in Spring 2010.

Paul Foster (‘08) has a baby daughter and recently moved to Fullerton. He is a financial services professional working in Los Alamitos in Orange County. He’d be happy to meet with you if you are in the greater Los Angeles area. Email address: pmfoster@gmail.com

Jeffrey Lee Funk (‘78) is an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, Division of Engineering and Technology Management. After teaching at Penn State for five years and two universities in Japan for ten years, he is now in Singapore teaching and researching how firms manage technology in hi-tech industries. He enjoys scuba diving and sailing and has twin daughters that are juniors in high school.

Ricky Gibson (‘06) participated in NSF IRES Summer Research Project through the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State where he will visit the University of Madgeburg. Ricky has been accepted to Ph.D. programs at UCR in physics and U. of Arizona in optics for Fall 2009.

Cristian Heredia (‘04) received his M.S. in physics from San Francisco State and is working on a Ph.D. in Applied Science Engineering at UC Davis. Last summer Cristian worked with the Advanced Detector Group at LLNL. He also worked at Stanford’s Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) and Berkeley’s Advance Light Source (ALS). At LLNL he designed small vacuum chambers

that were later fabricated to be used at an end station at SSRL. At ALS, Cristian helped assemble an end station that was later coupled to the synchrotron. They used superconducting spectrometers to characterize materials used in high-area low-cost solar cells; the data collected from ALS will be used to improve the photovoltaic fabrication process for increased efficiency.

Alumni News

KEEP IN TOUCH!!

Despite all the positive feedback we receive from our alumni, only a small percentage of you really keep in touch. How to do that? One of three ways: go to our website http://www.calpoly.edu/~phys and click on the alumni link; reply to the email you receive from us

each spring (IF we have your correct email); or just email the Physics Department at physics@calpoly.edu). NOTE: Find the most recent contact information from physics alumni at http://atom.physics.calpoly.edu/alumni/browse.php

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Brad Blocksom

Jay Austin

Cassie Fallscheer

Mary Lee (Weeks) McJimsey (‘05) is aKnowles Science Teaching Fellow while finishing her third year as a physics teacher at North Central High School in Spokane, WA. While at Cal Poly, she was inspired to pursue a teaching career by the Teacher-in-Residence from Phys-TEC. Mary Lee says PhysTEC prepared her for the classroom. She highly values PhysTECH’s community of fellow teachers. If she has a question about a lesson, she can call one of her fellow PhysTEC teachers or Knowles Fellows and ask if they think it is a good lesson. Since she is the only physics teacher at her school, these interactions are extremely valuable. Mary Lee works with an education researcher in the state of Washington who often visits and videotapes her class to collect data on how students learn physics in a real-life setting. She loves teaching because it helps her change her community. She says, “I can help a student choose to go to college, and maybe even become one of the next engineers or physicists who’s going to change the world. I see 130 kids in my classroom, and probably double that in the halls. I see many teachers, every day, who come to me to help them solve a problem; every day is different. I plan, but I never know what to expect... If you have a good sense of humor as a teacher, you’re going to find a lot of fun in the things kids do and say.” Mary Lee says, “the challenge of learning is just a nice journey to be on with the students.” See more at: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/people/mcjimsey.cfm

Tyler Otto (‘07) is living in San Diego and finishing his masters thesis on “Modeling the Power Output of Grid Connected Photovoltaic Arrays.” He has a strong interest in doing research on novel solar technology and hopes to enter a Ph.D. program at UC Davis doing research on nano-semiconductors.

Brian Perry (‘04), after living in Lake Tahoe for three years and working in the marketing and finance departments of Harrah’s Casino, moved to Seattle. He worked for Washington Mutual for a short time and made a very timely switch to consulting, which has proved to be a perfect niche for his skills. Brian worked all his life as a “jack-of-all-trades” and has now found a profession that requires that as a core competency. Brian is a senior consultant at Vynamic Solutions Northwest in Washington. His firm’s main client is Microsoft, and he has been working in their Data Modeling & Analytics department. It is a small company, but the employees

are extremely talented in their field of expertise and it’s a pleasure working with them. Seattle is not as rainy as people warned him, but it can be gloomy quite often, easily offset by enjoying the abundance of outdoor activities, skiing, and nature Seattle’s surrounding area

has to offer. Todd Rigg-Carriero (‘99) is happily married to Dawn and has a two-year-old daughter, Ava Sophia Carriero, who may also be a Cal Poly alumn one day. Todd is a tenured faculty at City College of San Francisco. He is an astronomy instructor.

Kevin Ulrich (‘95) is a data quality analyst at LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group.

Mark Horning (‘96) is married to Jennifer Langley (‘95) and has three children, ages three to eight. He is currently employed as a senior engineer by L-3 Communications working at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory in Mesa Arizona. Primary research activities involve night vision goggles, IR sensors, and solid state aircraft lighting.

Brian House (‘91) is an environmental geologist and has worked in the environmental consulting industry since graduating from Cal Poly. He also performed environmental geology field investigation and analysis work throughout the Pacific Islands, Europe, Alaska and California. He has three boys, and lives and works in the East Bay area. Leonard James (‘94) is now attending CSU Northridge working towards an M.S. degree in Electronics Engineering (ECE). He was working with Northrop Grumman before returning to the university.

Michael Jock (‘98) finally got tired of all the sunshine in CA and went back to his roots in Massachusetts. He is married to Arika (from Santa Barbara) and they both loved the more-than-average snowfall in New England this year. They have two dogs and are hoping to start a family soon. Mike got into the field of optics after graduating from Cal Poly and is just finishing his Master’s thesis for a M.S. in Optics from the U. of Arizona in Tucson. He is currently a systems engineer with BAE Systems in Lexington, MA. BAE is a government defense/aerospace contractor with a very broad variety of products and programs, which keeps Mike from getting bored. BAE also has a great intern and co-op program. If any students are interested, contact Mike at mjock@yahoo.com.

John W. Longwell (‘93) is married and living in Houston, Texas. After Cal Poly, he worked a year in Silicon Valley for a company that manufactured MRI machines. They collapsed that year, so he decided to go to medical school. After four years in medical school and four years in an anesthesiology residency, he was on faculty teaching anesthesia residents at the Naval Medical Center in San

Diego. John spent eight months in western Iraq with the Marines working out of a small tent patching up our wounded Marines. John says that was the most fulfilling period of his life. He left the US Navy in 2005 as a Lieutenant Commander, and became an associate professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He currently works as a private practice anesthesiologist in Houston, Texas. John looks back fondly at his experience and education at Cal Poly. He sends a special thanks to the physics department, including Richard Saenz, Leonard Wall, Keith Stowe, Neil Fleishon, Ronald Zammit, Richard Frankel, Ronald Brown, and to any other professors who had to endure his constant haggling over every point he received on exams. After teaching for a number of years himself, he understands. He says, “I must have been a real pain in the ‘rear end’.”

Monica Lopez (‘06) is a systems engineer for space-based infrared systems (SBIRS) and works at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.

Alumni News

Physics Newsletter 2009 | 9

John Longwell

Todd Rigg-Carriero

Mary Lee McJimsey

Monica Lopez

10 | Physics Newsletter 2009

RETIREMENTSHappy trails to you!

John Mottmann

After 35 years in the saddle, Prof. John “Cowboy” Mottmann is hanging up the spurs. John came to Cal Poly in 1974 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate in 1978 and Full Profes-sor in 1982. He was department chair from 1988-1989 and through the 1990-1991 academic year. John taught a wide range of astronomy and physics courses and could always be counted on to do the best for our students. Over the years he shared his enthusiasm and insights in teaching physics with papers in The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics. Luckily for the department, we will not lose John completely as he plans to continue some teaching as part of the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP). We will miss John’s hard work and faux- curmudgeon demeanor. Apparently he’ll miss us too, as he says, “For the overwhelming majority of the time it has been a great ride for me personally, and I’m very, very glad we got to ride together for at least a part of it.”

John Poling

Prof. John Poling has decided to officially retire after 34 years in the department. John came to Cal Poly as a Lecturer in 1976, was hired as an Assistant Professor in 1978, and then promoted to Associate in 1980 and Full Professor in 1985. He taught courses in physical science, astronomy, and physics, ranging from Astronomy 101 to Physics 462, bringing commit-ment and enthusiasm to his teaching. Besides teaching a wide range of courses, John was an important collaborator in the Radio-Analytical Facility. He was also actively involved in courses for younger students (Young Scholars) and teachers (Central Coast Science Project) along with NSF-funded programs for teachers. Over the last decade John was an instructor several times (and director) on the Golden Bear in the Cal Poly at Sea program. His enthusiasm for astronomy had him teach-ing the full spectrum of courses, supervising astronomy activities, and upgrading our telescope. John’s hard work, attention to detail, and thoughtful perspective will be sorely missed.

CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes!Steve Harfenist, a full-time lecturer for the past several years, has taken a tenure-track position at Keene State College in New Hampshire. Thanks to Steve for all the teaching and student research he did while at Cal Poly. He will be missed and we wish him all the best.

BOOK REVIEWBy Thomas Gutierrez

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell explores the nature of extraordinary personal talent and the extremes of human success. Take any field - sports, art, music, science, business, technology, or engineering - and each has its own set of luminaries and prodigies. An “outlier” is a person whose contributions to humanity and whose natural gifts appear so exceptional, so beyond the ordinary, they sometimes appear superhuman. Certainly in physics we have our share of such individuals. Is the source of their success something rare and mysterious, perhaps a quirk intrinsic to their biology or neurology? Gladwell doesn’t think so. Through a series of engaging arguments and anecdotes, Gladwell analyzes several cases of highly talented individuals and seeks common threads. The pattern of success turns out to be somewhat surprising. Why are 40% of professional Canadian hockey players born between January and March and only 10% born between October and December? How did Bill Gates become so good with computers and become the leader of arguably the most successful computer software company in history? Why do most of the top New York law firms all have founding partners whose grandparents and parents were tailors? Why is the man with the highest tested IQ in the world working as a bar bouncer instead of changing the world? How is it that fourteen of the seventy-five wealthiest people in recorded history are Americans born in the 1830s? Gladwell takes these and other stories and comes to a remarkable observation: outliers are made, not born. Yes, there is a threshold of natural skill, intelligence, and talent necessary for extraordinary success, but that bar isn’t as high as one might think. What really matters is a combination of opportunity, luck, and context. But the common condition was the “expert rule”: put in your 10,000 hours and master your craft, subject to intense self-correction. “Practice makes perfect.”

Outliers is a fast, fun, and fascinating read that changed the way I look at natural talent. It gave me hope that, with a little luck and the right opportunities, we all have the ability to tap into our latent inner genius. That is, we are focused and willing to work for it.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSPhysics Department FacultyAlison Goodsell, ContributorRoger Grismore, Contributor

Thomas Gutierrez, Contributor/EditorRosa Jones, Contributor/Editor

Jennifer Klay, ContributorDavid Mitchell, Contributor

Matthew Moelter, Contributor/EditorMichelle Ouellette, Contributor

Nancy Stauch, ContributorDale Wilbur, Contributor/Editor/Graphic Designer

Physics Newsletter 2009 | 11

Honor Roll of Corporations

Agilent Technologies, Inc.Chevron CorporationCross Speech & Language CenterDirecTV GroupFLIR Systems, Inc.IBM CorporationStephen J. Freyaldenhoven MD, Inc.Tsurugi Japanese Restaurant

Honor Roll of Donors

Anonymous DonorJay A. AustinPhilip S. and Christina A. BaileyCharles R. BallekKari BenassiJames C. BunnellDiane M. and Peter L. CairnsBruce L. and Doria K. CampbellVerna L. ConstantineElizabeth B. and Michael B. DiamondJustin C. DillardAaron L. DodellScott T. DowsonKeith A. and Meg EvansBarbara K. Finn and Robert S.MerrickDurand A. Forcier and Lori J. PurvisAlan F. and Patricia Francis-LyonRichard B. and Julie R. Frankel

Last Printed Newsletter!

The physics department is “Going Green” and joining the move toward electronic communi- cations. In order to better use our existing re$ources, this will be the last printed edition of the newsletter. We will continue to have a newsletter, but beginning next year, it will be available only in electronic format. So that we can keep you informed, keep us up-to-date with your latest address and email. Please let us know where you are and what you are up to at physics@calpoly.edu or Department of Physics, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407.

Jay D. and Mary E. FreemanDavid W. GilbertMaureen L. GodboutMarilynn A. and Roger GrismoreCynthia W. and James GroverDavid and Gina HafemeisterRobert J. and Peggy A. HayesKenneth R. and Priscilla M. HeckHans K. and April A. HessKazuo and Mitsuko IkedaGeorge K. and Kimiko IkenoyamaJoanne K. ImuraGeorge W. Jeffers Jr.Starr and Stella JenkinsHima S. JoshiGeorge and Katsuro KagawaJames S. and Lucia T. KalathilEndel Kallas Jr.Hiroshi and Masako KawaguchiJeffrey G. KnirckDaniel L. KrejsaChristine A. LancellottiHeather M. and David K. LaneGeorge L. LangDoug and Loni LaRoseRonald S. LongacreSteven J. and Bertha MadonnaLeon W. and Lida R. MagurPaul A. and Dottie ManaWendy A. McKeown

HONOR ROLL CONTRIBUTORSWe wish to thank everyone who has sent us a donation over the years. Below is a list of contributors for only the past year; but we wish to thank all of you. Your donations have been used for the benefit of our students, and your kindness is very much appreciated.

Unny and Pauline MenonWeston M. and Christine A. MikulichMichael T. MillsBarbara MoriDon A. Murphy and Leslie Y. VazquezIchiro B. NishiLinda M. NishiY.J. NishiJack E. and Joan OldsMasako OzawaPamela J. ParsonsCarrie L. PeressiniKarla QuirogaMarcel RocheArthur Z. RosenLee and Shirley RosenStephen RosenRichard A. SaenzDavid and Motomi SakamotoElijah G. StinyPaul N. and Sandra J. SwansonJohn G. and Sermin TaberYoshiko Tachibana and Delmar D. DingusJanet and Shigemi TakataRussell L. and Donna H. TiceAyako TobeWillem L. and Margaret Van WyngaardenWendy J. WarnerDonley and Carol WingerJames and Sharon WoolawayKay and Ron Zammit

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Physics 2008 Fall Picnic