Graduate School Newsblog

Tag: Physics

Physics Department Recognized Nationally for Percentage of Women PhDs

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The American Physical Society–an organization that works to advance and spread knowledge of physics through research journals, scientific meetings, education, outreach and advocacy–just issued a report listing the universities that awarded the highest percentages of PhDs in physics to women between 2010 and 2012.  Michigan Tech placed 12th in the nation with 42 percent of physics PhDs earned by women.

“This is a well-deserved recognition of the physics faculty members who are committed to diversity at Michigan Tech,” said Ravindra Pandey, chair of the Department of Physics.

Michigan Tech has made increasing the numbers of women students and graduates a key part of its strategic plan.  Due to a number of recruitment and retention initiatives, the percentage of women has been rising at the University, now nearing 25 percent, and Tech’s goal for 2035 is a student body that is 40 percent female.

“The Physics Department has already met and surpassed that goal, which is a great accomplishment,” said President Glenn Mroz.  “This is awesome recognition of the work of Ravi and his faculty.”

The College of Engineering also has been recognized recently for its percentage of overall doctoral degrees awarded to women. In its latest Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) ranked Michigan Tech 10th in the nation in percentage of engineering doctorates earned by women. According to the ASEE, engineering doctorates received by women at Michigan Tech totaled 31.9 percent of all engineering doctoral degrees awarded by the University in 2013.

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Graduate School Announces Summer 2014 Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Awardees

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce that the following students have earned the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship:

  • Douglas Banyai, PhD candidate in Physics
  • Rasika Kishor Gawde, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
  • Ryan Lemmens, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Seyedmehdi Morazavi Zanjani, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Ranjeeth Naik, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Ruiqiang Song, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Ehsan Taheri, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Khrupa Vijayaragavan, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering
  • Anqi Zhang, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Yunzhu Zhao, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering

Photographs and details of awards and fellowships coordinated by the Graduate School can be found online.

Nominations are currently being accepted for spring 2015 finishing fellowships. Nominations are due Oct. 21 by 4 p.m. to Debra Charlesworth. Please see the website for full details.

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Duan a finalist in the Student Paper Competition

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Ran Duan, a PhD candidate in engineering physics, has been named a finalist in the Student Paper Competition of the 2014 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation, cosponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Antennas and Propagation Society and the Union of Radio Science.

As a finalist, Duan has been been invited to present a poster on his paper titled “Multiband Unidirectional Cloaking Based on Geometric Optics” at the symposium in Memphis, July 6-11.  He will also receive a $1,250 award to help him attend the symposium.

Duan won Michigan Tech’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award for the fall 2013 semester.

Duan’s research is on an invisibility cloak being developed by Associate Professor Elena Semouchkina (ECE/Physics).  An invisibility cloak is a device that allows electromagnetic waves such as microwaves or light to bypass objects, essentially making them invisible.

Published in Tech Today.

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Student, Alumni and Faculty Research Opportunities at ORNL

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Opportunities for qualified students and faculty to participate in hands-on research in a real-world setting with award-winning scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) – Oak Ridge, TN.

Higher Education Research Experiences (HERE)
  • Undergraduates, Post-BS and AAS, MS, PhD and Faculty – Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) majors
  • Stipend based on academic status
  • Travel/Housing assistance (if eligible)
  • Full-time and part-time appointments
  • Professional development activities
  • Minimum GPA  – 2.5/4.0
  • U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR)

Nuclear Engineering Science Laboratory Synthesis Programs (NESLS)

  • Undergraduates, MS, PhD, and Post-MS or Postdoctoral – Majors related to Nuclear Science and Nuclear Policy; Engineering; Physics; Nuclear Medicine
  • Stipend based on academic status
  • Travel/Housing assistance (if eligible)
  • Full-time and part-time appointments
  • Professional development activities
  • Minimum GPA  – 3.0/4.0
  • Open to U.S. and International Citizenship
Visit http://www.orau.org/ornl or contact ORNL Education Programs at ornledu@orau.org for more information!
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NRC announces Associateship Programs for 2014

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The National Research Council (NRC) administers competitive graduate postdoctoral and senior research awards on behalf of 26 U.S. government research agencies and affiliated institutions with facilities at over 100 locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Annual stipends for recent PhD recipients for the 2014 program year range from $42,000 to $80,000 depending upon the sponsoring laboratory, and are appropriately higher for senior award recipients.  Graduate entry level stipends begin at $30,000 and are higher for additional experience.

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STEM Faculty Openings at the University of Maryland

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The University of Maryland has openings in the following STEM fields:

  • Biological Sciences-Lecturer
  • Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering-Assistant Professor
  • Chemistry and Biochemistry-Assistant/Associate Professor
  • Computer Science and Electrical Engineering-Assistant Professor, Professor of Practice, Lecturer
  • Economics-Assistant Professor
  • Information Systems-2 Assistant Professor, Lecturer
  • Marine and Biotechnology-Assistant Professor
  • Mechanical Engineering- Multiple Assistant Professors
  • Physics-Assistant Professor
  • Psychology-Assistant Professor

For more information and additional faculty opportunities: http://www.umbc.edu/facultydiversity/jobs.html

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DOE Scholars Program is now accepting applications

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The Department of Energy (DOE) Scholars Program is now accepting applications for Summer 2014.

The DOE Scholars Program offers unique opportunities that introduce students or post-graduates to the agency’s mission and operations. Participants in the DOE Scholars Program gain a competitive edge as they apply their education, talent and skills in a variety of scientific research settings within the DOE complex. Appointments are available in a variety of disciplines at participating DOE facilities nationwide.

Application deadline is January 12, 2014 at midnight EST.

Being selected as a DOE Scholar offers the following benefits:

  • Career possibilities with the nation’s leading sponsor for scientific research
  • Opportunities to learn from top scientists and subject matter experts
  • Stipends of up to $650 per week (depending on academic status)
  • Travel arrangements to and from appointment site

Eligibility requirements:

  • US Citizens
  • Undergraduates, graduates or post-graduates of an accredited college or university

For an overview of the program, click here.

To contact the DOE Scholars Program, click here.

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Michigan Tech Scientists Verify Nanodiamond Discovery

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Diamonds, usually forged in overwhelming heat and pressure miles deep in the Earth’s mantle, have now been made at atmospheric pressure and 100 degrees Celcius—the boiling point of water.

No one will be wearing these diamonds on their ring finger, however.  They are nanodiamonds, just two or three nanometers across, invisible to all but electron microscopes. But their properties could be as alluring as crown jewels. Unlike the other form of carbon, graphite, diamond is a semiconductor, similar to silicon, which is the dominant material in the electronics industry, and gallium arsenide, which is used in lasers and other optical devices.

The discovery, by project leader Mohan Sankaran, Associate Professor of chemical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, was aided by Physics Professor Yoke Khin Yap and graduate student Boyi Hao of Michigan Tech.  Using ultraviolet Ramen spectroscopy in Yap’s lab, they confirmed that Sankaran’s group had indeed made nanodiamonds.

Find out more at the Michigan Tech news site.

Published in Tech Today.

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