Welcome
40th Anniversary
In 2007, WSU and the Department of Physics celebrates 40 years of existence. The first physics faculty was actually hired in 1964, Robert Carpenter. From 1964 to 1967, Harvey Hanson, Joseph Hemsky, and Paul Wolfe joined the department.
We are planning a series of events throughout 2007 in order to showcase physics and the physics department. Examples include:
- Kick-off Lunch: December 6, 2006
The Physics Department will be holding the December holiday party again this year. The theme will be the 40th anniversary of WSU and alumni are particularly encouraged to attend this year. There will be surprise guests!
Pictures from the event, held in conjunction with our holiday party and Dr. Bambakidis' retirement party can be found here.
Please contact the office if interested. - Return of the Alumni!
A few alumni will return as part of the Alumni Seminar Series and give talks about their life and work, followed by a reception. All alumni are invited to attend the talks and receptions. If you wish to give a talk, please get in touch with me.
Current list:
- March 2: Mr. Robert Schneble (BS '77)
- April 6: Dr. Perry Rice (BS '82)
- May 4: Dr. James & John Mountz (BS '69)
- Dr. Richard Sheffield (BS '72)
- Development in the 4 Areas of Physics
We will have special seminars on the history and current status of the four main areas of physics: classical mechanics, statistical mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. Current list:
- Apr 20: Dr. Dan Fleisch (Wittenberg College) on Electromagnetism
- Oct 12: Dr. Dan Style (Oberlin College) on Quantum Mechanics
- Public talk: Professor Anthony Leggett, March 6, 2007
Professor Leggett, Physics Nobel Prize winner 2003 for work on superfluidity, will visit WSU to give a public lecture. He is currently Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Time & Location: 4:30-5:30PM, Oelman 109
Title: Does the everyday world really obey quantum mechanics?
Abstract: Quantum mechanics has been enormously successful in describing nature at the atomic level,and most physicists believe that it is in principle the "whole truth" about the world even at the everyday level. However, such a view prima facie leads to a severe problem: in certain circumstances, the most natural interpretation of the theory implies that no definite outcome of an experiment occurs until the act of "observation". For many decades this problem was regarded as "merely philosophical", in the sense that it was thought that it had no consequences which could be tested in experiment. However, in the last dozen or so years the situation has changed very dramatically in this respect. I will discuss the problem, some popular "resolutions" of it, the current experimental situation and prospects for the future.
Tidbits:
- In 1967, Hans Bethe was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning the energy production in stars."
