Motor Madness 6-16-2021 and the Physics of Roller Coasters 7/1/2021!
Upward Bound students from Marshall University over summer 2021 got to participate in two different workshops hosted by the Department of Physics and run by SPS leaders. A hands-on motor workshop was conducted on June 16th. The students got to build their own motors and the fastest one from each group received a prize, Department of Physics sweatshirts. Additionally, a roller coaster workshop was also run on July 1st. The aim of this roller coaster workshop was to provide them the knowledge of how energy and motion contribute to the sensations we feel when riding roller coasters. All were students were socially distanced and wearing masks. They put this information to good use on a separate trip to Cedar Point in Ohio through Upward Bound. The Society of Physics Students (SPS) sponsored the roller coaster workshop by providing candy to those who volunteered to answer questions. Dr. McBride helped to run the workshops and was assisted by SPS member Alec O’Dell and his undergraduate research student, Carrie Cockerham, an undergraduate civil engineering major.
Summer 2021 SPS and Physics Major Recruitment!
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) Advisor, Dr. Sean P. McBride, an Assistant Professor of Physics at Marshall University, was happy and excited to participate in Marshall University approved face-to-face recruiting events over summer 2021 on behalf of the SPS group (many SPS students went home for the summer). At said events, he recruited for the Physics Department, which also contains the Marshall University Chapter of the Society of Physics Students. There were four main recruiting events attended, with the largest one being Recsest August 21, 2021! The other three events were held in the Don Morris Room and lobby of the Memorial Student Center on July 15th and 16th, and August 5th. Dr. McBride showed some cool physics demos and also showcased many of the awards and distinctions that the SPS Chapter here on campus has received over recent years. Below we see what one of the joint tabling efforts looked like (left) as well as meeting one of our future award-winning Physics majors and SPS member Joeseph Powell for one of the first times (right).
SPS Fall 2021 Recruitment and Welcome Cookout!
In the fall 2021 semester on October 9th, the SPS had a good old fashion barbecue, which was hosted by then SPS Vice President Peter Burberry and his parents at their home. This was an outdoor event that involved many of the new SPS members and most of the SPS officers and Peter’s family. There was a quick Zoom call during this outing for then SPS President Ellie White who was unable to attend the barbecue in person. All SPS members were well fed and everyone got to chat and meet each other. It was really a great time! All SPS members thanked Tim and Hannah Burbery for hosting this great event. Invitations were sent to all physics majors and pre-majors in an effort to attract new members. All the food was sponsored by the MU Chapter of the Society of Physics Students through the endowed Society of Physics Students Fund.
SPS members participate in Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone workshop!
Members of Marshall University’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) participated in the Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone (GLEE) workshop Oct. 21-24 in Boulder, Colorado. This opportunity for travel and supplies awarded was in excess of $4,000 and was sponsored by the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Students A.J. Messinger and Peter Burbery, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Sean P. McBride of Marshall’s Department of Physics, joined 19 other teams chosen from high schools, community colleges and universities across the country for this beta version of the hands-on workshop. The GLEE mission aims to deploy 500 LunaSats to the lunar surface of the moon to conduct local and distributed science missions. LunaSats are spacecraft, small enough to fit in one’s hand, that have an array of sensors onboard. The Marshall students who participated in the beta version of the hands-on GLEE workshop have secured their spot for an anticipated December 2023 lunar landing and will be LunaSat assistants for the Spring 2022 virtual workshop. Peter and AJ worked hard and played hard. After the workshop concluded, students hiked around the Lost Gulch Overlook area before catching their flight. To the right we see A.J. Messinger standing in what appears to be a precarious position on a rock face at roughly 7600 feet above sea level. Checkout the GLEE website for the most up to date information on GLEE.
- A University Press Release was issued for the event and is found here: Students participate in Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone workshop – Marshall University News
SPS Participates in Huntington Middle School Pumpkin Drop (11-9-2021)!
Congratulations to the winners of the Huntington Middle School Pumpkin Drop created and led by Ms. Leann Haines! The event was a huge success and enjoyed by all involved! All ~50 contestants in grades 6th through 8th made their way to the roof of the middle school building on a beautiful brisk 39-degree Fahrenheit morning for device check-in at 8 am. All devices passed with few infractions. As the pumpkin enclosures dropped, and the temperatures warmed, only two teams emerged victorious with their pumpkins surviving the near 40-foot free fall off the roof. Judges, Dr. Sean P. McBride (SPS Advisor) and Dr. Maria Hamilton from the Marshall University Physics Department were on hand to judge devices at check-in, and post impact, as well as assisted in releasing the pumpkin enclosures off the roof. Many thanks to Craig Flowers and Justin Clevenger of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity of Marshall University for assisting the students with their enclosures on the last available build day before the big drop. Also, AJ Messinger from the MU chapter of the Society of Physics Students was present on several build days to work with the students leading up to the main event. This was a great event! Students learned some science as well as learned how to write about what they did in a more technical fashion. Thank you, Ms. Haines, for your hard work organizing and planning! Can’t wait to be part of it next year!
SPS Members Become Department of Physics Tutors!
Peter Burbery, then an Engineering major, and Eli Williamson, a Secondary Education Major with an Area of Emphasis in Physics, both were hired by the Department of Physics to be tutors for all 100-200 level Physics courses.
SPS at the 58th Annual International Festival!
SPS advisor Dr. Sean P. McBride helped with recruitment by attending the 58th Annual International Festival on behalf of the SPS student organization and Department of Physics to aid in recruitment of both members and physics majors. Parents and students of all ages had fun and were amazed and intrigued from demonstrations shown on optics, electricity and magnetism, fluids and mechanics. “West Virginia’s oldest and longest running international festival, the annual exposition features international foods, world music and dance and displays representing many different countries and cultures. The festival is open to the public and is free of charge to enter. Learn more at the Marshall University International Festival website.”
The First Face-to-Face SPS Meeting of 2022!
Thank you to all the potential new members and current members that showed up to the first Society of Physics Students meeting of the 2022 academic semester (1-20-2022 from 1-2 pm in room 179 in the Science Building)! It was great to meet you and sit down and share some good food and good conversation. We hope to see you at meetings in the future, sharing your ideas for great outreach and cool projects, and participating in outreach events that we already have established. Participation in such outreach organizations looks fantastic on resumes. All the food was sponsored by the MU Chapter of the Society of Physics Students through the endowed Society of Physics Students Fund.
MU SPS Celebrates the 100th Birthday of Sigma Pi Sigma!
On 1-27-2022, the Marshall University Chapter of the Society of Physics Students were able to celebrate, face to face as a group, the 100th birthday of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics and Astronomy Honor Society. Student officers, members, and guests enjoyed cake and ice cream. Faculty SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma Advisor, Dr. Sean P. McBride, put together a presentation on the history of both Sigma Pi Sigma and the Society of Physics Students, along with the unique history of the MU SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma Chapters and who were the key players in their development. A link to the presentation can be found here. AJ Messinger, Vice President of SPS, then helped to lay out the plans for the actions of the SPS group over the next couple of weeks with outreach and community involvement opportunities. All the food was sponsored by the MU Chapter of the Society of Physics Students through the endowed Society of Physics Students Fund.
SPS Members Provide Feedback on the Grad School Shopper Magazine!
On 2/3/2022, 10 of the 11 Marshall University students that are associated with Marshall University’s growing chapter of the Society of Physics Students participated in a business lunch with the National Director of Society of Physics Students & Sigma Pi Sigma (ΣΠΣ), Dr. Brad Conrad and the Director of Sales & Marketing for the American Institute of Physics, Christina Unger Ramos. The chapter thanked Dr. Brad Conrad and AIP for covering the lunch provided by Firehouse Subs. Over the course of the hour, many good discussions were had about the recent issue of gradschoolshopper (https://gradschoolshopper.com/gss-magazine.html). This magazine is a fantastic resource for students curious about the process of selecting and applying to graduate school in many fields with particular emphasis on Physics and Astronomy and related Fields. The magazine is a printed companion resource to go with the https://gradschoolshopper.com/ website, which is an outstanding searchable database of schools that have graduate programs in Physics and Astronomy and related Fields. The discussions led by Dr. Conrad and Christina Unger Ramos promoted and prompted the transfer of knowledge about applying to graduate school programs between senior and younger members of the group, but also provided important feedback to AIP about changes that could be made to the upcoming issues that would help future students.
Marshall University’s College of Science hosted the 2022 West Virginia Science Olympiad with Support from the MU SPS Chapter
In March of 2022 about 70 high school students from around the state traveled to the Marshall University Huntington campus to test their scientific knowledge. The Marshall SPS Chapter had a role in assisting during the event itself through either running events as supervisors or helping event supervisors. Those from SPS who helped during the Science Olympiad event were Treasurer Victoria Maynor, Secretary Liv Stockwin, Social Media Officer Kolbey Walker, Vice President AJ Messinger, as well as member Aidan Payton. Also present at recruitment was Sigma Epsilon, another student organization that Dr. Sean P. McBride is currently the advisor of. “Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school teams from 50 U.S. states compete each year. U.S. territories do not compete; however, since 2012 high school teams from Japan have competed at the national tournament as unranked guests.” ~ Science Olympiad – Wikipedia
Marshall University Science Olympiad and SPS Student Organizations Work Together to Coach the 2022 WV State Championship Science Olympiad Team!
Our SPS chapter also earned a grant from the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium for $2,360 to coach ~15 students on the West Virginia State Championship team for Science Olympiad who belonged to Cabell Midland high school. This was a joint effort with the Science Olympiad student organization here on campus who also helped with the coaching. Both student organizations helped prepare the high school team members for the 2022 National Science Olympiad Competition. This opportunity for Science Olympiad coaching was made possible by the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Grant # 80NSSC20M0055. Vice President AJ Messinger and then President Peter Burbery (along with other students from the MU Science Olympiad student organization) were coaches for this project. Efforts were made to meet weekly with respective groups of students to practice for particular events in the national Science Olympiad competition.
- A University Press Release was issued for the event and is found here: College of Science hosts 2022 West Virginia Science Olympiad, will prep winning team for national competition – Marshall University News
Energy and Motion Workshop with Saint Joseph 9th Grade Students!
Students from the Marshall University Society of Physics Students and their advisor, Dr. Sean P. McBride from the Physics Department at Marshall University had fun working with the talented 9th grade students at Saint t Joseph Catholic High School during a two-day Energy and Motion Workshop on March 29th and March 31st. SPS members that participated were AJ Messinger, Eli Williamson, Kolbey Walker, Frances Harper, Aidan Payton, and Victoria Maynor. Students first learned about potential and kinetic energies and how they are incorporated into the principle of conservation of mechanical energy. They also learned about projectile motion. Each team was then given identical building kits with various building supplies and a variety of projectiles that could be assembled or altered in any way they wished. They then competed against each other in 2 person teams trying to build a ramp with the given materials that would launch their projectile as far as possible under the influence of gravity alone. Fun was had by all! The first and second place teams won Marshall Physics Department Sweatshirts and T-shirts, respectively. All the building supplies and materials were sponsored by the MU Chapter of the Society of Physics Students through the endowed Society of Physics Students Fund.
SPS Attends the 2022 Zone 7 SPS Kickoff Meeting!
On behalf of the SPS members at Marshall University, SPS Advisor Dr. Sean P. McBride attended the Zone 7 SPS Meeting and Zone 7 SPS Kickoff. Ideas for outreach, recruitment, and activities were discussed at the Zone 7 SPS Kickoff. This was a virtual meeting, 4 – 5 pm, April 1st. Hosted by Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.
SPS Member Alec O’Dell Presents Project at Physics Department Spring 2022 Convocation Day!
Physics faculty and SPS members showed up April 8th, 2022 to support their fellow SPS member Alec O’Dell when he gave a Physics Department Convocation Day talk on “Multi-messenger Signals in Python: Modelling Magnetized Mergers of Binary Neutron Stars”. The presentation was on part of his capstone project as part of his graduation requirements. Dr. Maria Hamilton in the Department of Physics was his capstone advisor.
SPS Member Alec O’Dell and SPS Alumni Andy Prostor Present their Physics Capstone Projects!
Congratulations Andy Prostor, education major with minors in math and physics, and Physics Major Alec O’Dell on presenting your capstone research projects Thursday, April 28th, 2022! Andy’s Faculty Mentor was Dr. Sachiko McBride and he presented on “Herd Hours: What makes it successful and how it was affected by COVID”. Alec’s Faculty Mentor was Dr. Maria Hamilton and he presented on “Multi-messenger Signals in Python: Modeling Magnetized Neutron Star Binary Mergers”. Great job!
Sigma Pi Sigma Inductions – Spring 2022!
SPS member Aiden Payton was inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma during the spring 2022 Convocation Day on April 8th, 2022. The physics department was on a path of setting a new tradition, doing annual Sigma Pi Sigma inductions for junior/senior physics majors with impressive GPAs every fall during their newly established Physics Week (click here and here for 2018 and 2019 events). During their traditional physics week, the physics department invites all alumni that they have contact info for to these events. In recent years, illustrious alumni have been invited to speak at these annual events accompanied with a welcoming dinner with all department faculty, alumni, and family and friends of inductees and speakers. However, COVID-19 and unusual graduation dates have disrupted this new tradition and this event was simplified in the 2021 year into a virtual format combined with convocation day, which was allowed to proceed face to face for spring 2022. Everyone looks forward to the traditional fall face-to face events.
SPS Member & Alumni Present at the MU College of Science Research Expo & MU Research and Creativity Symposium!
Andy Prostor, education major with minors in math and physics gave a successful presentation of his poster titled “Herd Hours: What makes it successful and how it was affected by COVID.” This poster was presented at both the College of Science Research Expo and Marshall University Creativity Symposium. SPS advisor Dr. Sean P. McBride is a coauthor on this poster as Herd Hours is an active area of research for him dating back to spring 2017. Alec O’Dell also presented his work on “Multi-messenger Signals in Python: Modelling Magnetized Mergers of Binary Neutron Stars” in poster form for the College of Science Research Expo and also gave an oral presentation at the Marshall University Research and Creativity Symposium on the same topic. Marshall University Research and Creativity Symposium was held on the Marshall University Huntington campus for undergraduates on April 19th. The college of Science Research Expo was on the Marshall University Huntington campus for undergraduates on April 8th, 9 – 11 am. Congratulations to both on successful presentations of their work!
SPS Member Peter Burbery Provides Talk on the International System of Units
Peter Burbery, SPS president for the Spring 2022 semester and elected Recruitment Officer for the 2022-2023 academic year gave a talk on the International System of Units on 4-21-2022. The purpose of this talk was to support the use of SI system and educate those not familiar with the unit system. This talk was delivered to the SPS group and Peter’s parents face-to-face though Peter eventually wants to deliver the talk to a group of youngers students to get them more involved with and educated about International System of Units. Through this talk, Peter gained some positive feedback, enhanced his public speaking skills, and improved his presentation skills and ability.
Motor Madness with Chapmanville High School!
On 4-26-2022, students from Chapmanville HS had the opportunity to build DC motors in a workshop hosted by the Department of Physics, which was run with the help of those in the Society of Physics Students! HS students got to learn how magnetic fields and currents interact to produce magnetic forces on current loops. Students got to take their motors home with them and the winners with the fastest motor received official Marshall University Physics Department T-shirts or Sweatshirts. Society of Physics Students President Eli Williamson was able to assist in running the workshop with SPS Advisor Dr. Sean P. McBride. Thanks to Deborah Curry, Director of Rural Outreach and Development for the Center for Rural Health, for bringing students onto campus and including the Physics Department. This workshop was sponsored by the Department of Physics in conjunction with the endowed Society of Physics Students Fund.
Sky Fest Spring 2022!
The 2022 Sky Festival was a face-to-face campus event where elementary students in grades 3-5 had the opportunity to learn about all things astronomy and meteorology. It took place 9 am-1 pm on Tuesday May 17, 2022. Events where held inside and outside various buildings across the Marshall University Huntington Campus. SPS members Eli Williamson and AJ Messinger (right), along with SPS Advisor Dr. Sean P. McBride, were able to participate helping out in 2 stations. Groups rotated every 30 minutes to see multiple stations throughout the day. This was a great event with dozens upon dozens of students present (~200 students). Eli taught about the craters on the moon and how the Earth can shield the moon from a lot of the smaller objects on the tidally locked face that we see from Earth. Students were then given a setup of a cake pan filled with flour and dusted with cocoa powder to drop projectiles to simulate objects such as asteroids and meteorites hitting their simulated moon surface. This was all modeled after the JPL’s Educator Guide “Whip up a Moon-Like Crater.” https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/make-a-crater/.
AJ and Dr. McBride helped all the students at their station make pinhole cameras that they could take home with them. The best images observed with their cameras received a prize, a marshall physics bag. At their station, the students also got to observe sunspots using a sun tracking telescope with a sunshade. All supplies for the pinhole cameras were sponsored by the MU Chapter of the Society of Physics Students through the endowed Society of Physics Students Fund. Dr. Maria Hamilton from the Department of Physics also participated with her efforts focusing on demonstrating Einstein’s Gravity, Orbits, Black Holes Collisions, and Gravitational Waves.
SPS Members Participate in New Student Orientation and Recruiting
The society of Physics students and their advisor participated in New Student Orientation on June 7th, 2022 from 11:30 -1:00 pm! This portion of the New Student Orientation event packed the lobby of the Memorial Student Center with active student groups and these groups also sprawled out on to the Plaza. All student organizations provided possible opportunities for new students giving them a peek into student life on campus. Nearly a dozen students showed an interest in either the Society of Physics Students organization or the physics major or minor. Information about the SPS group and the physics major and minor were provided. Thanks SPS members AJ Messinger (Vice president), Aiden Payton, Kolbey Walker (Social Media), and Victoria Maynor (Treasurer) for assisting today!
Fall 2021 to Spring 2022 Recognitions, Awards, Scholarships, Fellowships Granted to SPS Members!
Ellie White (former SPS President Fall 2021)
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First author paper, “Green Bank Telescope: Overview and analysis of metrology systems and pointing performance”, Astronomy and Astrophysics, volume 659, A113, March 2022, Received: 2 August 2021 Accepted: 25 October 2021, https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202141936.
- Graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Physics and minor in Math in December ’21.
- Secured a job as a Scientific Data Analyst with the Green Bank Observatory starting spring 2022.
- Marshall University President’s List, Fall 2021 semester.*
AJ Messinger (SPS Vice President):
- Presented an Award for Outstanding Undergraduate award from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Presented with the Alva and Dixon Callihan Scholarship/John Marshall Scholarship from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Presented with the A. Dixon Callihan, Donald C. Martin, and Ralph P. Hron Memorial Physics Scholarship from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Presented with the Outstanding Undergraduate in Mathematics and Statistics award from the Mathematics department, spring 2022.
- Marshall University President’s List, Fall 2021 semester.*
- Marshall University Dean’s List, Spring 2022 semester.**
Jacob Lee (SPS member, shown to the right):
- Presented with the Alva and Dixon Callihan Scholarship/John Marshall Scholarship from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Presented an Academic Achievement award from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Marshall University Dean’s List, Spring 2022 semester.**
Alec O’Dell (SPS member):
- Presented the Outstanding Undergraduate award from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Marshall University President’s List, Spring 2022 semester.*
Joseph Powell (SPS member):
- Presented with the Dr. Thomas J. and Mary Manakkil Memorial Scholarship from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
- Presented an Academic Achievement award from the MU Physics Department, spring 2022.
Eli Williamson (SPS President):
- Marshall University Dean’s List, Spring 2022 semester.**
- Preservice and Early Career Research for Teachers (PERT) researcher summer 2021
Victoria Maynor (SPS Treasurer):
- Marshall University President’s List, Spring 2022 semester.*
Kolbey Walker (SPS Social Media Officer):
- Marshall University President’s List, Spring 2022 semester.*
Liv Stockwin (SPS Secretary):
- Marshall University President’s List, Spring 2022 semester.*
- Marshall University President’s List, Fall 2021 semester.*
Peter Burbery (SPS member):
- Marshall University Dean’s List, Spring 2022 semester.**
* The President’s List – for undergraduate students who have a 4.0 Grade Point Average for at least 12 graded hours.
** The Dean’s List – for undergraduate students who have a 3.3 Grade Point Average for a minimum of 12 graded hours.