Physics Colloquium
Michigan Technological University
Thursday, March 27, 2014
at 4:00 pm
Room 139 Fisher Hall
A Study of Enhancement in Faraday Rotation and
Circular Dichroism in Ultra-Thin Magnetic Garnet Films
by Ashim Chakravarty
Advisor: Dr. Miguel Levy
Vice President for Research Announces Faculty Fellows Selections
The Office of the Vice President for Research has selected the 2014 recipients of the newly implemented Faculty Fellow Program. The first Faculty Fellows for 2014-2015 are: Larry Sutter (MSE), for Sponsored Program Administration, Adrienne Minerick (ChE) for Strategic Planning and Budget, and Yoke Khin Yap (Physics) for Economic Development and Technology Commercialization.
From Tech Today.
A Faculty Fellow in Economic Development and Technology Commercialization will be involved in areas such as IP commercialization and startup support.
Physics researchers at Michigan Tech produced some results of interactions of boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) and amino acids through the use of density functional theory. The 2011 paper entitled “Sensitivity of Boron Nitride Nanotubes toward Biomolecules of Different Polarities” (DOI: 10.1021/jz2010557) created the following response in a recent experimental paper “Facile and Mild Strategy Toward Biopolymer-Coated Boron Nitride Nanotubes via a Glycine-Assisted Interfacial Process” (DOI: 10.1021/jp4073729):
Inspired by these theoretical investigations, we set about to assess experimentally the interactions of BNNTs with glycine. We discovered that this simple amino acid is remarkably efficient in breaking up pristine BNNT bundles, yielding hydrophilic BNNTs dispersed in water as individual, debundled, nanotubes.
Authors of the theoretical study include Saikat Mukhopadhyay, Ralph H. Scheicher, Ravindra Pandey, and Shashi P. Karna.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics Gowtham attended the HPC (High-Performance Center) Advisory Council Conference and Exascale Workshop at Stanford University in February 2014. Gowtham presented “Streamlining Computing Infrastructure: A Small School’s Experience.”
International Science Grid This Week (iSGTW) interviewed Gowtham regarding the issues and challenges experienced by Michigan Tech during this overhaul of research computing. The interview appeared in the February 12, 2014, article “How one small school streamlined research-computing infrastructure,” by Amber Harmon.
Gowtham is an HPC Research Scientist for Information Technology Services at Michigan Tech. Learn more about high-performance computing at campus.
Professor John Jaszczak (Physics and A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum) published an article “Optically sector zoned (star) diamonds from Zimbabwe,” with co-authors J. Rakovan (Miami Univ.), E. Gaillou (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County), J. E. Post (Smithsonian Institution) and J. Betts in the latest issue of Rocks and Minerals vol. 89 173-178 (2014).
DOI:10.1080/00357529.2014.842844
From Tech Today.
Mac Brennan (Physics alum) and Joshua Pearce (MSE/ECE) co-authored an article in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells titled “Effects of spectral albedo on solar photovoltaic devices.”
From Tech Today.
See the Seniors Spring 2013 group photo in the Flickr site for the Department of Physics.
Physics Colloquium
Michigan Technological University
Thursday, March 6, 2014
at 4:00 pm in Room 139 Fisher
Metallic Nanoparticles Functionalized Boron Nitride Nanotubes for Tunneling Electronic and Plasmonic Applications
Boyi Hao
Advisor: Dr. Yoke Khin Yap
The 2007 research paper entitled “Physisorption of nucleobases on graphene: Density-functional calculations” has been cited 124 times. The work is from Phys. Rev. B 76, 033401 – published 2 July 2007, by S. Gowtham, Ralph H. Scheicher, Rajeev Ahuja, Ravindra Pandey, and Shashi P. Karna.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.76.033401
The research concerns first-principles investigation on the relative interaction strengths of the nucleobases with a graphene sheet. The study relates to how the base sequence of DNA can affect its interaction with carbon nanotubes, as observed experimentally.
2014 Graduate Research Colloquium
Memorial Union Building Ballroom
Wednesday, February 19th
Human Impact (A2)
Timing Sunsets with Smartphones: Proof of Concept for a Citizen Science Project that Quantifies the Atmosphere and Supports Astronomical Observations – Teresa Wilson, Physics
Measurement Techniques and Analysis Methodology (A3)
Minimum Principles in Electromagnetic Scattering by Small Aspherical Particles – Ajaree Mongkolsittisilp, Physics
Thursday, February 20th
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Measurement Techniques and Analysis Methodologies (B1)
12:00 PM – 12:20 PM: Electric Field Manipulation of Magnetoresistance in a Single Molecular Spin-Valve Device – Kamal Dhungana, Physics
View the Abstract Book | View the Photo Gallery | View the Results Page
Research Engineer in Physics David Ciochetto is shown in the slideshow gallery of the recent Michigan Tech News article “One-Celled Plants Key to Understanding Changes in the Great Lakes.” The article is about Colleen Mouw’s research as an assistant professor in Michigan Technological University’s Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences and the University’s Great Lakes Research Center.
Ciochetto, who is working with the atmospheric sciences group, has an oceanography background.
Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Jennifer Donovan.