This event will be in the HUB.

Department of Physics

Up to 75 area high school students will compete in events that test their analytical and problem solving skills. The event will start in the HUB's Delaware room at 8:30 a.m.

Department of Physics

Abstract:

Optical traps use the momentum of light to exert forces on microscopic objects. As light is refracted and reflected through dielectric objects, the change in momentum of the light results in piconewton scale optical forces exerted on the diffracting object. Construction and use of optical traps has become relatively mature, but the performance of such instruments is limited with conventional approaches. Using feedback control, a versatile optical trap can be constructed that can be used to control either the position of trapped objects or apply specified forces. More importantly, feedback control offers techniques not only for controlling experimental conditions and protocols, but, with proper design can yield improved estimates of variables of interest.

This presentation discusses optical traps and various types of feedback control for the purpose of improving instrument performance for single molecule experiments. For various feedback approaches, the improvement of measurement SNR is discussed and is compared to the open-loop case. A technique is shown for effectively “cooling” the beads held in the optical trap, thereby limiting the effect that Brownian disturbances have on the beads’ motion. Finally, state-observation techniques are given for estimating molecular forces directly from measurements. Ultimately, feedback provides other advantages, including the ability to control other variables and to make a more robust instrument that can be easily adapted to changes in experimental conditions or the environment.

Department of Physics

The position begins in August 2012, and startup funding is available. We seek applicants at the assistant professor level who have the Ph.D. and postdoctoral experience in experimental physics/applied physics/materials science, or related disciplines.

The successful candidate must demonstrate evidence of excellence in teaching and research. Applicants are expected to develop a collaborative research program in sustainable energy technologies involving students and faculty from Physics, Chemistry, and other departments. They are also expected to teach at all levels of a rigorous undergraduate/graduate curriculum, including online courses in physics; advise and mentor students; and provide service to the department, university, and community at large.

To apply, submit application with a cover letter, curriculum vitae with a list of publications, statements of research plan, teaching philosophy, and three letters of references to Dr. Muhammad Z. Numan (mznuman@iup.edu), 56 Weyandt Hall, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705.

IUP, the largest of fourteen universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, located near Pittsburgh, Pa., is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity.

For more information, see the listing on the IUP Human Resources website.

Talwar and Zhou interacted with professional educators about the significance and implementation of nanotechnology and electro-optics in the college curriculum.

On April 15, 2011, the IUP Physics Club hosted a successful Physics Olympics for surrounding high schools.

Eleven high schools chose to participate in this year’s competition, which focused on four different events. Students competed over catapults, egg towers, mechanical surprise, and Physics Jeopardy! for monetary prizes.

Physics Olympics took place in the HUB, utilizing a number of rooms for the competition portions, and Pratt Auditorium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies. High schools that competed were allowed a maximum of two teams with five players each and provided their own travel to and from the event.

With help from the Admissions Office, the Physics Department was able to provide a free lunch to all competitors.

Dr. Mary Lou Zanich, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, gave an entertaining welcoming speech, and Dr. Kenneth Hershman, retired Physics professor and former chairperson, closed the afternoon with the awards ceremony and closing speech.

Throughout the 2010–2011 school year, the Physics Club raised funds for the olympics by selling food and refreshments in Weyandt Hall on Fridays.

The Physics Department would like to extend its congratulations to the Physics Club; its president, Mark Regalla (senior, Physics B.S.); Garrett Boots, vice president (junior, Physics Education); Rachel Umbel, secretary (senior, Physics B.S.); and Jarhed Szalkowski, treasurer (sophomore, Physics B.S.) for a great finish to this academic school year!

He attended the third Science Conclave with Nobel Laureates at IIIT–Allahabad; the International Conference in Geophysical Sciences at Varanasi; and the International Conference on Novel Materials at IIT–Kharagpur.

During his trip, he also visited the National University of Taiwan, Taipei, and gave four seminars at the Institute of Photonics, Department of Electrical Engineering. The purpose was to explore possibilities of future research collaborations with faculty members at the Institute of Photonics and Electrical Engineering Department.

Below are exerpts from numerous newspapers that featured Dr. Talwar's seminars during his month-long trip.

“Research Works Discussed at IIIT–A Science Conclave”

Allahabad: Scientific experts discussed different topics in order to apprise ongoing research works in their respective fields.

Professor D. N. Talwar, Department of Physics, IUP, spoke on “Nanotechnology: Making Efficient Solar Cells for Clean Energy.” He said that our lifestyle is changing very fast and our energy needs are rising very rapidly with every passing moment.

In his inspiring lecture, he talked on the current burning subject “Top 10 Global Issues,” stating about the technological solutions of acute energy needs and climate change in India.

—The Pioneer News Service, Dec. 14, 2010

“Solar Power Can Fulfill Energy Needs of World”

Allahabad: On the sixth day of science conclave organized at Indian Institute of Information Technology here on Monday, experts held discussions on various topics and the ongoing research works.

D. N. Talwar, Department of Physics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, spoke on “Nanotechnology for Solar Cells to meet the Global Growing Energy Needs.” He said that population has grown from 1.7 billion in 1909 to 6.8 billion in 2009 and is still growing. Talwar also spoke on the technological aspects of the solar energy, its harnessing and the chemical compositions of solar cells, focusing on multi-junction and nano-solar cells.

—Times of India, Dec. 14, 2010

“US Researchers Developing Cheap Photovoltaic Cells”

HT Correspondent

Varanasi: Chairman of the Physics Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, attending three-day International Conference on Geophysical Sciences–Energy ICON GSECES–2010 said that plastic-based nano-solar cells are easy to produce; the plastic based cells are not only cheaper, to make with efficiency comparable to Silicon-based photovoltaic cells, they can also be used in wide range of applications.

—Hindustan Times, Dec. 22, 2010

The department would like to extend its congratulations to the following professors for their hard work and accomplishments:

Gregory Kenning

“Origin of End-of-Aging and Subaging Scaling Behavior in Glassy Dynamics,” Physical Review

“Temperature Dependence of Effective Fluctuation Time Scales in Spin Glasses,” Physical Review

Larry Freeman, Muhammad Numan, and Devki Talwar (Co-authored)

“Surface Plasmon Resonance due to the Interface of a Metal and a Chiral Sculptured Thin Film,” Optical Engineering

Devki Talwar

“Optical and Vibrational Properties of Be-Zn Chalcogenide Alloys and Superlattices,” Physical Review

“Direct Evidence of LO Phonon-Plasmon Coupled Modes in n-GaN,” Applied Physics Letters

Feng Zhou (Co-authored)

“The Police Canine Bite: Force, Injury, and Liability,” Criminal Law Bulletin

Additionally, on the recent “natural and man-made disaster” in Japan, Dr. V. Wijekumar participated in an open forum for the university community on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Eberly Auditorium along with two Geoscience faculty members. The department extends its thanks to Dr. Wijekumar for presenting information and sharing his expertise at this open forum.

The Physics Department is very excited to welcome visiting scholar Alberto Baldelli from Italy. Alberto is an Italian student who has come to the United States to work with Dr. Majid Karimi, professor of physics at IUP.

Alberto's work is directed in the study of crack propagation in pure nickel and gold and their interface using molecular dynamics computer simulation. More specifically, he plans to build slabs of Ni, Au, and NiAu interface. Then, he can begin to study crack propagation in these materials using lammps (a parallel molecular dynamics code). Critical strains for the propagation of cracks, in these materials, will be calculated and compared with the available experimental/theoretical results.

Alberto is able to be at Indiana University of Pennsylvania thanks to his Italian advisor, Professor Alberto Salvadori, who arranged the collaboration with Dr. Karimi, an expert in this area. Professor Salvadori often visits the United States each year to advance his own research, and year by year has increased his contacts with like-minded professors, including Dr. Karimi.

When asked, Alberto said, “I am so glad to be here and have the opportunity to get to know a different part of the world, a different way to work and study, to learn new concepts, and introduce myself to the world of research. And for that, I have to thank my advisor, Professor Alberto Salvadori, who gave me this opportunity and Professor Karimi, who has graciously volunteered his time and expertise.”

On behalf of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Physics Department extends its joy in having Mr. Baldelli here and wishes him the best of success.

The department, with help from the Physics Club and Sigma Pi Sigma, participated in the Salvation Army’s Treasures for Children program by adopting a family in need for this holiday season. With the initiative from a graduate student, Christina Rost, and the departmental secretary, Kala Markel, we organized a successful drive for the family. The department collected gift and monetary donations throughout the month of December, and the project culminated in a "gift-wrapping party" held on Wednesday, December 15, 2010.

Through the donations made by faculty, staff, and students, the department raised more than $600 and was able to provide gifts and money for a holiday meal to the family. We would like to extend our gratitude to all who were able to assist and help make one family’s holiday season a little brighter.

The Physics Department welcomes speakers from various universities, including Pitt, CMU, and Penn State, as well as three undergraduate students as part of the Fall 2010 Colloquium Series.

During the Summer 2010 break, three Physics undergradute students were awarded internships by the National Science Foundation. NSF supported the 2010 Research Experiences for the following IUP undergradutes: Rachel Marie Umbel, Louis Didio, and Mark Regalla.

Ms. Umbell had the change to work with the University of Colorado on manipulation of laser beam waist and homodyne systems.

Mr. Didio worked with the University of Notre Dame and the importance of inquiry-based learning in the sciences and how the brain responds to learning.

Mr. Regalla interned with Michigan State University and presented his research on the fabrication of ultrasharp tips for scanning probe microscopy methods.

All three undergradutes were able to present their research during the Physics Department Colloquium series this Fall on September 24, October 8, and October 15, respectively.

The department extends its congratulations on the hard work of its students this summer.

For further information on the remaining seminars, please see the Physics Department events calendar.

A master’s degree in Physics is a minimum qualification. Other related fields may be considered.

Desirable qualifications include Ph.D. in Physics and teaching experience at the college or university level. All interested are encouraged to apply.

For more information, contact the Physics Department chair, Dr. Devki Talwar, at Devki.Talwar@iup.edu.

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the aim of this highly intensive week-long workshop was to encourage faculty members to implement part or all of the information (if possible) in their Physics/Engineering curriculum.

During his stay in Albuquerque, Devki also had the opportunity to meet with Sanjay Krishna, associate director of the Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico, and discussed with him on his recent work on Quantum Dot Infrared Photo-detectors.

Department of Physics

The meeting will be in Weyandt Hall, room 32, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Anyone interested in Physics is welcome to attend.

Agenda for the meeting.

Department of Physics

The five-day summer day camp is scheduled 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 15–19 and June 22–26, 2009. Campers can choose from one of the two weeks.

The summer camp is free and open to any students entering tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade this fall.

Any students interested in the Electro-Optics Summer Camp can contact Kelley Nuttall by calling 724-294-3300, ext. 24, or e-mail kelley.nuttall@iup.edu.

Details of the camp can be viewed at the Northpointe website or in the article published by the Leader Times on May 27, 2009, which reports the IUP’s EO summer camps.

The Physics Department is now offering a Nanotechnology Track Option.

To learn more about nanotechnology and the opportunities it presents, students are invited to a presentation called Nanotechnology: Applications, Research, and Educational Opportunities. The presentation will be given by Jamie Houseknecht of the Penn State Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization.

Please come to this special seminar to find out more from nanotechnology experts and learn how you can pursue the Nanotechnology Track Option in your undergraduate degree from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Dr. Devki Talwar, chairman of the IUP Physics Department, can answer questions. He may be reached in 56 Weyandt Hall or by sending e-mail to talwar@iup.edu.