Stevens Society of Physics Students

Recent News

Week of Oct. 6 Newsletter
Wednesday, Oct. 8

SPS News and Notes

From the President:
Since this newsletter has begun spamming a larger audience, I'm going to take a moment to re-introduce this group to everyone. But first, a quick recap of the meeting Monday.

We're beginning to budget for next semester and are taking event suggestions. You'll see a few ideas already added to the pipeline below, and we welcome more input. Email your suggestions to sps@stevens.edu.

Also, the latest Problem of the Week winner is Jeff Padham! He will receive $20 in Vito's gift cards for his winning submission.

NEXT MEETING: Monday, October 20th, 9pm K228
Followed by SPS Movie Night!!

Events

This Week:
Nanotechnology Seminar - MEMS-based Tools for Nanoscale Characterization
Wed, Oct 8, 11am, B118
Professor Aman Haqu, Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University

Upcoming Events:
SPS Movie Night - Primer (2004)
Mon, Oct 20, 9pm, K228
Primer is an American science fiction film about the accidental invention of time travel. The film stars Shane Carruth as Aaron and David Sullivan as Abe, two engineers who create a device which will allow an object or person to travel backwards in time. The movie will be followed by a short discussion.

13 THINGS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time.
Wed, Nov 12, 4pm, BC122
Science journalist Michael Brooks, a former editor at New Scientist and novelist, will give a talk based on his new book "13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time." He will discuss such controversial topics as the accelerating expansion of the cosmos, homeopathy, cold fusion and free will. Hosted by the Center for Science Writings.

Events in the pipeline:
"Futures in Physics" gathering with physics alumni
Thor Labs tour/Stargazing
SKIL Expo
---------Spring 2009----------
End of the World Party
Museum/Planetarium trip
Scavenger Hunt

News

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2008
This morning, the Nobel Committee announced the winners of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics. The winners are Yoichiro Nambu (1/2) "for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics," and Makoto Kobayashi (1/4) and Toshihide Maskawa (1/4) "for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature."

Just for Fun

The 2008 Ig Noble Prize Winners
Awarding "research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK." PHYSICS PRIZE. Dorian Raymer of the Ocean Observatories Initiative at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA, and Douglas Smith of the University of California, San Diego, USA, for proving mathematically that heaps of string or hair or almost anything else will inevitably tangle themselves up in knots. REFERENCE: "Spontaneous Knotting of an Agitated String," Dorian M. Raymer and Douglas E. Smith, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 104, no. 42, October 16, 2007, pp. 16432-7

First Meeting Recap, Other Things
Tuesday, Sept. 2

Here's a recap of the introductory meeting:

The SPS is a professional society expressly for students. Its mission is to bring together physics students and to promote the study and understanding of physics.
Join the SPS National organization here. You want to do this. It's $20, but very much worth it.
Coming soon: Movie Night w/ Philosophy Club (Movie Info). Date/time TBA
Planning: SKIL Project Expo, Dec 3.
We have a few speaking events entering the planning stages and will begin to be discussed concretely at our next meeting.
We are in the process of bringing Sigma Pi Sigma to campus. This is the national physics honors society. You will want this.
We voted to hold the next meeting on a Monday. (Considering that all of you who couldn't make the meeting did not vote on this, this may have been slightly biased. Let me know of any serious issues you have with attending)

The next meeting will be Monday, September 15, 9 PM, in a room to be determined. TOMORROW is the Club Fair. Help us win the Best Table Contest and $300! Stop by Palmer Lawn after 3 PM to learn about the group and some cool gadgets! THURSDAY is the final day for submitting your answer to the Problem of the Week for a chance to win a $10 Vito's gift card. Find the problem here. Check the Stute each week for a new problem.

Just for fun: YouTube - Large Hadron Rap.

Problem of the Week #1
Friday, Aug. 29

The first problem of the week can be found by clicking right here, checking the Archive page, or finding yourself a copy of the Stute. Additionally, the Archive page details all the rules for this contest. Of course, you can always solve the problems for fun!

The solution will be posted next week on Friday, Sept. 5.

About Page Updated
Tuesday, Aug. 26

The About page now has some content, featuring a small description of the SPS and the Executive Board. If you want to know a little about the goofs behind this organization, please do check it out.

Also, the first Problem of the Week contest will begin this week. On Friday, Aug. 29, check the Stute or this site for the problem.

Archive Page Updated
Monday, Aug. 11

The Archive page now contains a blurb on the Problem of the Week contest we will be hosting, beginning with the orientation edition of The Stute on Aug. 22. Only one page to go until each page actually has a purpose!

Links Page Updated
Sunday, Aug. 10

The Links page now has some content in the form of a few resources and affiliates, with links to each (naturally). More to come soon.

Stevens SPS Website Premieres
Friday, Aug. 8

Here we have the Stevens SPS website up and running (mostly). I'd like to add a few more advanced features, but that'll wait for now. The Home page will have a list of upcoming events, and recent news which I hope can function similarly to a Stevens SPS blog of sorts.

In About we'll feature the background of the organization, profiles for the E-board and Advisor, and some blurbs for our affiliates. The Archive will simply be an archive for Problems of the Week. Links will have some relevant links and resources for physics students.

That's all for now, I guess.