Physics Newsblog

Category: Henes Center

The Elizabeth and Richard Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena

Physics Seniors’ Swiss Journey

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Students pose at entry to CERN
L-R: Josh Rolfe, Estyn LaMotte, Rita Wilson, Grant Schlaff, Daniel Barr, Josiah Jahncke, Rose Harvey, Lucas Hetrick, Nico Cifani, Cooper Chiarino

Ten senior undergraduates spent the beginning of May in Switzerland exploring scientific and cultural sites. Notably, the trip focused on a tour of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). CERN houses the largest high energy particle collider in the world, and performs cutting edge particle physics research. In fact, some of the students were so taken by the tour they returned to take it twice!

Students at a playground with mountain peaks in background
A classic static friction problem in the Alps.

Their trip continued in Interlaken, where they engaged in outdoor activities in the Swiss Alps. They visited Albert
Einstein’s former residence in Bern, and had a day excursion to Lyon, France.

With the help of the Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena, we’re proud to provide our students the opportunity to find their place in the global community of physics.

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Faculty Position

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Image of Michigan Tech campus from above
Michigan Technological University
Est. 1885

This position is no longer accepting applications. Thank you for your interest.

MTU is Michigan’s flagship technological university and will be a Carnegie-classified R1 institution in 2025. The university provides its graduates with an extremely high return on investment through its academic rigor and focus on experiential learning. Located near the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s scenic Upper Peninsula, the university provides a high standard of living. The community offers a small-town environment with outstanding four-season recreational opportunities.

MTU is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. 

About the Physics Department

Physicists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues. Our physicists take on the big questions to discover how the universe works—from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies. The Physics Department offers three undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your physics skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at physics@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the latest happenings. Or read more at the Physics Newsblog.

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Physics Students Expanding Horizons

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Students on the steps of the the Curie Pavilion of the Paris Radium Institute
On the steps of Musée Curie. L-R, Back Row: Wyatt Reller, Trevor Kieft, Marc Fritts, Dalton Knight, Riley Dickert. Front Row: Sarah Huffman, Kaz Zeiter, Bethany Hellman, Casey Aldrich, Daniel Koshar.
Marie Curie’s laboratory space
A 12 hour layover in Chicago allowed for time in the city. Here, students contemplate the unique optics of Cloud Gate (better known as “The Bean”)

This spring, senior physics majors had the opportunity to visit Paris, France, a center of sciences, arts, technology and culture for centuries.

The focus of the trip was a tour of the Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique. Thanks to Director François Hache for his warm welcome. LOB scientists showed how their advanced microscopy techniques are used to study molecular and cellular biology, including the imaging of living tissues.

With Ecole Polytechnique demonstrating the future of microscopy, touring the Musée Curie (Curie Museum) presented an important tie to the past. Housed in the Curie Pavilion of the Institut du Radium, the museum presents the lab in which Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie performed her research between 1914 and her death in 1934.

Students also broadened their cultural understanding with visits to the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles.

In a field with as rich a history as physics, it is important to find opportunities to understand how we fit into that history and our global community of science. Collaboration and communication with scientists worldwide is how our discipline will continue to grow.

Special thanks to the Elizabeth and Richard Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena, who’s support made this trip possible.

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Jacek Borysow Interviewed on Department Improvements

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Jacek Borysow Department Improvements
Jacek Borysow

Local students will soon see big improvements in the physics department

Elizabeth and Richard Henes see great potential in Michigan Tech’s physics department. Five years ago, a Tech professor impressed them by using a mouse trap to demonstrate quantum mechanics.

“There are only certain states, like energy [or] velocity which are allowed for the molecule. A mouse trap has only 2 states. One when the spring is loose and one when it is, how do you call it, set. Mr. Henes said thank you for the lecture and handed us a check for seven hundred thousand dollars,” said Jacek Borysow, a Physics Professor at the University.

Read more and watch the video at ABC 10 UP, by Amanda L’Esperence.

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