SFA
Physics,
Astronomy and Engineering News
October 28, 2003
Seminars
Titles: Theory
And Operation Of Wankel-Rotary Engines
JEREMY
PRUITT
Faster
than Light
TERESSA
MORONES
Time:
4:00 PM on Thursday, October 30th
Place:
Science Room 334
The department has weekly seminars on most Thursdays at
4:00 PM. All students and faculty are welcome to attend.
Refreshments will be served before the seminars. Here is a list of
our future seminars: http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/astro/seminar.html
Solar Activity
The dean of science and mathematics at SFA, Dr. Tom
Atchison, told me today that the recent solar flare is the third
largest on record. Dr. Atchison is also a HAM radio operator and
expressed concern about communications. Solar flares are associated with
coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, eruptions from the sun that, if headed our way,
can disrupt communications satellites and power grids. In March 1989,
an solar burst knocked out power for millions of people in Canada. In
recent years, however, satellite and utility operators have devised safeguards
that usually minimize damage from solar storms.
"The eruption was positioned perfectly. It's headed
straight for us like a freight train," said John Kohl, a Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics scientist, in a statement. "A major geomagnetic storm is
bound to happen." Check out the "complete movie" here:
http://www.spaceweather.com/
Three of the biggest sunspot groups to appear in years are
crossing the Sun's face right now -- and one of them just spewed one of the most
powerful coronal mass ejections ever recorded. The event may also trigger
spectacular aurorae (northern and southern lights). The best time to start
watching is after 2:00 a.m. CST on the morning of October 29th (about the
time this newsletter was sent). http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/sun/article_1084_1.aspRemember, never look at the Sun without proper eye protection. There
are a variety of ways to safely observe the Sun, many of which can be found
here: http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/sun/
SFA graduate Andy Wagers submitted this latest
information:
"Region 10486 was the source of a major M8.4 long duration
event peaking at 10:48 UTC. This event occurred in the eastern part of the
region and may have triggered a superflare in the remainder of the region, this
flare peaked at 11:10 UTC. This superflare has so far peaked at the class X18
level which makes it the second largest flare during cycle 23. The CME will
likely reach the Earth sometime between 8 and 17 UTC on October 29. This will
be a direct hit and extremely severe geomagnetic storming is
possible."
Alumnus
Message
A former SFA student Martin Prado sent this article and
information:
"I figured you maybe interested in some new oilfield
technology. I have been working on all aspects of this project since I have been
with Schlumberger. I have achieved a patent application and is being processed
as I write to you now. This project has been a real learning experience and
continues to be for me. I would like to say that the SFA physics department has
definitely had a bearing on my career. I have just returned from
Casper, Wyoming. Where we have been conducting field trials of our product, in a
joint venture with British Petroleum." - Martin Prado
Scholarship
Opportunity
SFA has
the chance to offer one of our students a $2,500 scholarship for an internship
in Washington D.C. Thanks to a society of Texans who live and work in
Washington D.C., an SFA student can have the opportunity to work in the nation's
capital next summer and receive scholarship assistance to help with
expenses. The Texas State Society, the largest state society in
Washington, is contributing $2,500 to SFA to help defray the expense of
interning in Washington D.C. To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must
be working in the Washington area for a semester or during the summer and
receiving academic credit or fulfilling an academic requirement at his or her
institution. Students who need information about the internship and scholarship
can contact Rebecca Shepherd in the Department of Financial Aid at
468-2403.
Physics
Conference
Last week Drs. Downing and Bruton along with SPS students
Ryan Williams, Andy Wagers, Jeremy Pruitt, Kris Byboth, Andrew Beal, Chris
Husband, and Justin Fenley drove to Lubbock, Texas for the Fall meeting of
APS/AAPT/SPS. There were about 200 Texas physicists in attendance and
about 125 talks. http://www.phys.ttu.edu/TSF03/
These meetings are a good experience and a nice break
from the normal semester routine. There is a lot of interesting research
taking place in the state of Texas. Consider going with us to the spring
meeting. What other chance do you have to race your professors
in go-carts and learn new words like "apogalacticon"? The
spring meeting will be held on April 1st at Tarleton State University.
Contributors
Links
Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)
Jupiter's New Dark Spot
"Who's on first?" -- Audio
File....Classic!
Word of the Day
Daily Dilbert for Scientist
Thanks to Larry Luther, Martin Prado, Lucas Rader, Andy
Wagers, John McClain, Steve Scurlock, Ryan Williams, Barry Smith, Chris Dahl,
and others for the links and information above. Feel free to send any
interesting links that you find. This email message is sent to students, alumni,
faculty, staff and friends of the department. If you would like to be removed
from the emailing list or are getting multiple copies of these newsletter, then
feel free to reply to this message with your request.
Clear skies,
Dan Bruton
astro@sfasu.edu