Students from two nearby high schools designed and configured QuarkNet cosmic ray muon detectors to measure any changes in cosmic ray flux due to an inserted 0.1T magnetic field. The design included two separate methods to measure differences in muon path. We hypothesized that the neodymium magnetic field would vary muon flux in an offset detector array. Results will be presented.

The goal of this project is to integrate pre-existing analytical models of gravitational waves into Python so that undergraduate students have access to a model for gravitational waves that is straightforward and easy to understand. To facilitate this, we break the problem into two phases, the inspiral and the merger-ringdown. The inspiral phase is modeled using Post-Newtonian (PN) theory. The merger-ringdown phase utilizes an analytical model called the Implicit Rotating Source (IRS) that creates an analytical fit to data created by numerical relativity. To create the final waveform, we use two different matching techniques to combine the merger-ringdown and inspiral waveforms. Future students can use this template we have created to test the generated waveform with experimental data, create solutions for parameters such as non-zero eccentricity, statistically determine the accuracy of the matching technique, and conduct a wide variety of other research projects.

Over the course of the past semester, I have been working with the University of New Hampshire‘s PER research team, led by Prof. Dawn Meredith to complete my senior capstone project, required for graduation. As part of this team, I have focused on preparing for and conducting interviews to improve fluids education for Introductory Physics for Life Science Majors courses. As part of an NSF funded project, members of the team expect to interview approximately 140 students from at least 14 separate institutions across the United States to evaluate how students think about various topics. To obtain a truly representative sample of life science students, these institutions are in several regions of the country. As someone who hopes to have a career in education, this project has granted insights into the thought processes of students that should carry forward into a teaching position.

Physics has proven itself capable of profound impact on human well-being. How might student physicists structure their learning to maximize their capacity to enjoy an intellectually stimulating career while actively solving important human problems? The “Compleat Physicist Model” suggests three major domains of learning. First is the foundational domain that is the core of our existing curriculum: analytical, computational, and laboratory learning aggregate to create this foundation. This domain should be increasingly mirrored by student experiential learning in an applied domain where major areas of human activity are identified and the potential for physics-based contributions explored. The third competency domain connects foundations to applications: students forge an individual repertoire of practical skills to translate physics into useful technologies. The goal is to unify these domains so that students emerge with a strong interest and sense of efficacy in improving the world in which they live.