The UW-L Physics Department is one of the largest undergraduatephysics programs in Wisconsin and continues to garner nationalrecognition for its success. We have approximately 160 physicsmajors and are ranked third in the nation in terms of the averagenumber of graduates produced by BS-only-granting programs. Thisspring we were awarded the 2013 American Physical Society (APS)Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Education whichrecognizes physics programs that support the best practices ineducation at the undergraduate level. We are the first department toreceive this award in the state of Wisconsin. The other recipients ofthe award were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),Kettering University, and the Colorado School of Mines. In addition,we were cited in 2012 by the American Institute of Physics (AIP)Career Pathways Project as a model program with regard to oursuccess in placing our graduates into STEM (science, technology,engineering, and mathematics) careers. In the spring of 2012,representatives from AIP visited us to learn more about the ways weprepare our students and guide them along successful career paths.Previous accolades also include recognition from the National TaskForce on Undergraduate Education in 2003 and the 2004 TeachingExcellence Award from the UW-System Board of Regents.

Our success is due to the talents and hard work of our students,faculty and staff and their ability to create a supportive communitywith thriving student organizations, numerous research

opportunities, seminars and guest lectures by world-renownedscientists. Over the past few years, a number of additions have beenmade to the faculty and staff of the Department. Beginning in the fallof 2013, we will have 10 full-time tenured or tenure-track facultymembers and 3 full time instructional staff. Details about our facultyare included in this newsletter. Faculty in the Department havereceivedover $1.5milliondollars in external funding from theNationalScience Foundation (NSF), NASA, and other external agencies tosupport faculty and student research activities.

Our department strongly encourages undergraduate participation inresearch. During the past year, approximately 25 students haveparticipated in a wide variety of research projects with UW-L faculty:developing novel oxides for use in the next generation ofphotovoltaics/solar cells, investigating nuclear structure withaccelerators, studying erosion patterns in Wisconsin by measuringradioisotopes, studying interstellar shells, simulating galaxies,developing and testing physical models of the human knee, studyingthe mechanics and dynamics of microtubules, and counting singlephotons of light using quantum dots. At the National Conference onUndergraduate Research (NCUR) hosted by UW-L in April of 2013,eight physics students presented posters of their work and 10students gave oral presentations. We’re proud of our undergraduateresearchers andplan to highlight their activities in future issues of thisnewsletter.

UW-L Physics: What have we been up to?

UW-L Physics NOW

For those of you who graduated from UW-L awhile ago, here's an update on the status of the department.

Dear Alumni, Students, and Friends,

I am extremely pleased to have this opportunity to reach out to all of you through UW-LPhysics NOW, our first newsletter, at such an exciting time for the UW-L PhysicsDepartment.

Our Physics program received the prestigious 2013 American Physical Society (APS)Award forExcellence inUndergraduatePhysicsEducationandcontinues toattract a largenumber of quality students and dedicated faculty members. The Distinguished LectureSeries in Physics is flourishing. On October 10-11, 2013 Dr. David Wineland, the 2012Nobel laureate in physics, will be the fourteenth Nobel laureate to visit UW-L. Weintroduced a new Teacher Education Program in the fall of 2011 and also redesigned ourintroductory calculus-based physics courses (PHY 203 and PHY 204) to the active-learning format. Our Society of Physics Students (SPS) Chapter is vibrant and thriving,receiving an Outstanding SPS Chapter Award for the last two years. Our students aredoing extremely well, receiving awards and attending some of the best graduate schoolsin the country. More good news is that the science departments in Cowley Hall will bereceiving a new building with state-of-the-art facilities. Construction of the new buildingis scheduled to begin in the near future.

Please share your current ventures and activitieswith us. If you are in the area, please visitand share your experiences with our current students. I would love to hear from you. Ican be reached at gsudhakaran@uwlax.edu.

Best wishes,

Sudha

Summer 2013

Distinguished LectureSeries in Physics

Instructional &Support Staff

Bob Allen - planetarium director - Masters Degree,Michigan State University

Krista Anderson - academic department associate

Steve Harris - electronics technician

Roberto Salgado - lecturer - Ph.D. SyracuseUniversity

Steve Verrall - lecturer - Ph.D. University ofAuckland, New Zealand

Lyndon Zink - lecturer - Ph.D. University ofColorado

Eric Barnes - associate professor - Ph.DLouisiana State University. Research intheoretical/computational astrophysics,withan emphasis on understanding galaxies.

Jennifer Docktor - assistant professor -Ph.D. University of Minnesota. Research inphysics education with an emphasis onproblem solving.

Eric Gansen - associate professor - Ph.D.University of Iowa. Researching the use ofsemiconductor quantum dots for single-photon detection and other applications inquantum optics.

Taviare Hawkins - assistant professor -Ph.D. Syracuse University. Biophysicsresearch involving the mechanics anddynamics of cellular structures calledmicrotubules.

Seth King - assistant professor - Ph.D.University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.Research on the growth and characterizationof conductive oxides for application in thenext generation of solar cell devices.

Shelly Lesher - assistant professor - Ph.D.University of Kentucky. Research in nuclearstructure and environmental radionuclidestudies.

T.A.K. Pillai - professor - Ph.D University ofLouisville. Research in nondestructiveevaluation of composite materials andsupervises student in research projects.

Robert Ragan - professor - Ph.D. Universityof Massachusetts. Research on spintransport in quantum fluids and solids andcomputational research in biomechanics.

Shauna Sallmen - associate professor -Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley.Researchon shells in the interstellarmedium,using observations at a variety ofwavelengths.

Gubbi Sudhakaran - professor and chair -Ph.D. University of Idaho. Research inmolecular spectroscopy and supervisesstudent research in laser, atomic andmolecular spectroscopy.

Meet The Faculty

2012 DLS Speaker: 2006 Nobel Laureate inPhysics John Mather, Ph.D. University ofCalifornia, Berkeley

Since fall 2000, the UW-L DistinguishedLecture Series (DLS) in Physics is co-sponsored by the UW-L Foundation, Inc.,the Department of Physics, and the Collegeof Science and Health. The purpose of theseries is to bring to La Crosse a physicistwhose significant accomplishments andcommunication skills can inspire and enrichthe careers of students, faculty, and thegeneral public. The 2012 speaker was Dr.John Mather, a 2006 Nobel Laureate. Dr.Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist at NASA’sGoddard Space Flight Center and a SeniorProject Scientist for the JamesWebb SpaceTelescope, the successor to the HubbleSpace Telescope. He gave a public lectureentitled, “History of the Universe from theBeginning to End” and a physics seminarentitled, “Engineering Challenges andScientific Capabilities of the James WebbSpace Telescope.”

In the fall of 2013, the DLSwill host Dr. DavidWineland, a Staff Scientist at the NationalInstitute of Standards and Technology(NIST) inBoulder, COandwinner of the 2012Nobel Prize in Physics. Dr. Wineland willpresent a public lecture on Oct. 10 and aphysics seminar on Oct. 11. Both lectures

Faculty stand with 2012 DLS speaker John Mather. (from left to right) (back row) Seth King, EricGansen, Lyndon Zink, Robert Ragan, Eric Barnes (front row) Jennifer Docktor, Taviare Hawkins, T.A.K.Pillai, Steve Harris, Shauna Sallmen, Gubbi Sudhakaran, Shelly Lesher, Krista Anderson and NobelLaureate Dr. John Mather.

2013 DLSSpeaker: 2012Nobel Laureate inPhysics Dr. DavidWineland

One of the hallmarks of the Physics Department is its dedication to community outreachand recruitment activities. Faculty, staff and students organize a number of activities topromote interest in science and technology in people of all ages and to attract attentionto UW-L’s Physics Program.

Over the summer, the classrooms of Cowley Hall are buzzing with outreach activities.Each year, we kick off the summer with the “Physics and Laser Light ShowExtravaganza,”which is a physics/laser showgeared for elementary andmiddle-school-aged children. This week-long program is a popular field-trip for many of the localschools. In addition to the laser shows, Physics Faculty annually lead sessions of YoungScholars, Girls in Science and Boys in Science, which are UW-L sponsored programsaimed at providing school children hands-on learning experiences in math and science.This summer, Dr. Seth King led a program of the Young Scholars entitled “Fun withPhysics” where 5th through 9th graders performed activities involving alternative energy,pressure, flight, bridges, roller coasters and astronomy. He also led programs focusedon “Roller coasters” for Boys in Science andGirls in Science. Recent outreach activitieshave also included the Electronics and Electricity Workshop that was conducted by Dr.EricGansen andmembers of theUW-LPhysicsClub for theGirl Scouts of America. Thisprogram helped the scouts earn a badge in Electronics and Electricity.

Outreach and recruitment activities continue during the academic year. For the past 13years, the Physics Department has hosted the Distinguished Lecture Series in Physicswhere each fall Nobel Laureates in Physics are brought to campus to interact with student, faculty, and administrators and to give a publiclecture and a physics colloquium. Previous speakers have included the likes of Steven Chu, the current US Secretary of Energy, and mostrecently in 2012 Dr. John Mather. Recently, the Department has also initiated a special seminar series in the spring that is devoted tohighlighting thework of prominent female scientists. TheWomen in Science serieswas started in the spring of 2012 and has thus far hostedDr. Noemie Koller, Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, and Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, Professor of Physics at MIT.

In addition to special seminars, the Department also conducts a number of regularly scheduled outreach activities for young kids during theacademicyear. Mr.RobertAllen, directorof theUW-Lplanetarium,presentseducational programs for local schoolsandorganizations,whilestudents inDr. JenniferDocktor’sPHY106course (Physics for Educators) perform interactivedemonstrations andactivities at theLaCrosseChildren’sMuseum. The latter is an example of how the outreach efforts of the Department are directly integrated into its course curriculumthrough service learning.

Outreach & Recruitment

UW-L physics students, Sean Harrington and Chintan Modi, help GirlScouts construct a circuit at the Electronics and Electricity workshop.

Dr. Eric Gansen demonstrates Bernoulli'sPrinciple at the Physics and Laser Light ShowExtravaganza.

Students from Physics 106 - Physics for Educators engaging astudent with a Van de Graff generator at the La Crosse Children'sMuseum.

Faculty HighlightDr. Taviare Hawkins

I joined the Physics Department as an Assistant Professor in August 2012. Sincemyarrival, I have been busy setting up my laboratory and building a Total InternalReflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscope to perform single-molecule imaging.Before my arrival at UW-L, I did my undergraduate work in Physics at the Universityof Iowa (Iowa City, IA). My graduate work was done at Syracuse University(Syracuse, NY), where I earned two Master degrees, one in Computer Science andthe other in Physics. In 2009, I completed my dissertation work in computationalbiophysics and earned my Doctorate in Physics from Syracuse University(Syracuse, NY). I did my postdoctoral work in experimental biophysics at theUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst. In addition to my research, I also enjoyteaching. I have taught undergraduate physics at Syracuse University, XavierUniversity of Louisiana and most recently at Mount Holyoke College.

My research involves working on problems that lie at the intersections of physics, mathematics, engineering, biology andchemistry. I am a biophysicist that uses the quantitative skills and methods learned in physics to gain a better understand howliving cells do what they do. Since this problem is very complicated and quite broad, I focused my attention on the largest ofthe cytoskeletal filaments, the microtubule.

Microtubules are small, semi-flexible, hollow, polymeric, cylindrical tubes. They range in length from 1 to 50 microns and have25-nanometer diameters. Inside of all animals and plants are eukaryotic cells, which contain microtubules. They are essentialfor many cellular functions, such as motility, intracellular transport, and cell division. They are the most rigid of the cytoskeletalfilaments and they provide the structural shape to the cell. They are also dynamic and reorganize the cell when it needs to divideduring mitosis or meiosis. Microtubules complete these tasks with the assistance of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs).Although there are over 600 identified MAPs very little is known about their functionality or how they interact with microtubulesand perhaps even other cytoskeletal filaments.

Mywork is focusedonunderstanding themechanical anddynamical propertiesofmicrotubules inaddition tohow theaccessoryproteins work to fine tune these properties within cells. If you would like to read more on my recently spotlighted work entitled,“Mechanical Properties of Doubly Stabilized Microtubule Filaments.” see the Molecular Motors and the Cytoskeleton sectionof the Biophysical Journal collection (http://www.cell.com/biophysj/Motors).

This summer, my research student, Brandon Harris (Physics major, 2016) and I traveled back to my postdoc lab at UMass toworkwithDr. JenniferRoss'sgroup to learnsomenewexperimental techniquesandcollectdata forournextpaper.Weareeager

to present this summer’s results at this year’sBiophysical Society Local Networking Conference,which will be held at UW-L on Saturday, October 19,2013. The day will be filled with presentations, talks andseminars on various biophysics topics (moreinformation will follow on the physics website).

I would like to say that I have enjoyed my interactionswith the faculty, staff, and students of UW-L PhysicsDepartment this first year and I am looking forward to aneven more productive second year.

Midlred Dresselhaus - holdinga model of a Carbon nanotubePhoto by Quinn

Mildred Dresselhaus gave the 2013Public Lecture in Physics with a talk titled"Looking back at my fifty-year career innanoscience" which was co-sponsoredby the Physics Department and theCollege of Science and Health. Dr.Dresselhaus has dedicated her life tounderstanding the fundamental physicalelements of carbon fibers, carbonnanotubes and other nanostructures.Duringher stayshealsometwithstudentsto discussed graduate school and lookedbackonher careerwith the students in theHistory of Women in Science Class.

Students Represent PhysicsDepartment

Ran Ikeyama Zach TullyLance Hildebrand

Beth Tennyson Joe Krueger

Colin EgererIan Marsh

Adam Kindle

Andrew PrudhomCheuk Man Lo(JoJo)

Marcus Lowe

Richard Allenby, Tyler Nickel &Andrew Prudhom

Brandon Zink, Jenna Carsello &Allison Kubicek

Elizabeth Camenga

Contact detailswww.uwlax.edu/~physics

Undergraduate Research

The New STEP Program

As a department we believe student participation in research is of equal importance to traditional classroom activities. Research allows thestudents toapplywhat theyhavebeen taught in theclassroomto "realworld"experiences.During theacademic term, studentswork in researchlaboratories for class credit and through fellowships. In the summer, students are chosen to work in the laboratories full-time to feel the fullresearch experience.

Colin Egerer and Tyler Laszczkowski were awarded Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Research Grants to spend thesummer working on astrophysics with Eric Barnes and Shauna Sallmen, respectively.

Eric Gansen has two students working with him over the summer on quantum dots. Yann Talhouarne was awarded the School of Science& Health's Dean's Fellowship. Tyler Nickel will be supported by the Endowment for UnderGrad Research in Physics.

Taviare Hawkins and Brandon Harris have been working on biophysics research at Univ. of Massachusetts with support from UW-L facultyresearch grant and a supplemental NSF grant.

Ethan Dinauer has received a UW-L Dean's fellowship to work with Seth King in solar cell devices, Brandon Zink and Jo Krueger will alsospend the summer in Dr. King's lab under support of the WiSys grant.

Ran Ikeyama and Ian Marsh will be working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory supported by the Department of Energy. Zach Tully will beworking with Shelly Lesher at the University of Notre Dame andMarcus Lowe at UW-L both supported by her NSF grant. All four of them willbeworking innuclearphysics. BrettRosiejka is usinghisRussian inLaCrosse'ssister city,Dubnawhileworkingat theJoint Institute forNuclearResearch in their search for new elements.

Each year, there are a number ofscholarship opportunities made availableto students in the Physics Program. Thereare scholarships suited for both enteringfreshmen and upperclassmen. Studentscan apply for these scholarships throughthe UW-L Foundation website at http://foundation.uwlax.edu. The deadline forapplications is typically in February. Thisyears winners include:

Kenneth & Sharon Ring Scholarship:Nicole Larson

Ernie & Sally Micek Scholarship:Miranda Elkins

Students wishing to teach middle-school orhigh-school physics can enroll in the newSecondary Teacher Education Preparation(STEP) program. This university-wideprogram is committed to preparingknowledgeable, skillful and professionalmiddle and high school teachers who havethe content and pedagogical knowledge tomeet the needs of students in a variety ofsettings. Physics teacher candidates willearn a bachelors degree in physicscombined with professional educationcoursework and multiple field experiences,leading to licensure in Early Adolescence-Adolescence. The new streamlined PhysicsEducation Major and Minor will give futureteachers strong physics knowledge to carryinto the classroom. Dr. Jennifer Docktoradvises and mentors teacher candidates asthey progress through the STEP program.

Physics teacher training has been re-vampedinto the new STEP Program.

Awards andScholarshipOpportunities

Attention AlumniAlumni of the UW-L Physics department arerequested to sendcurrent contact information tothe department chair. We also hope you willsend in your recent accomplishments to sharewith fellow alumni in upcoming issues.

gsudhakaran@uwlax.edu www.facebook.com/148114179608