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Astronomy Grants

1.  

   Astronomy Outreach and AstroCamps/PI/SD Space Grant Consortium. $10,400 (2015-2018).

2. Physics of Atomic Nuclei: Connecting Content and Practices with Applications, Careers and the Sanford Underground Research Facility/Co-PI/U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR with SDSU (Robert McTaggart), University of South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã, Sanford Underground Lab and Black Hills State University. $29,000 (2015-2016).
3. Cosmic Connections 2013/Co-PI/ U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR/with SDSU (Larry Browning and Christine Larson). $49,962 (2013-2014).
4. Cosmic Connections 2012/Co-PI/ U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR/with SDSU (Larry Browning and Christine Larson). $49,670 (2012-2013).

Astronomy Professors

• Judy Vondruska

Teaching is a large part of this department's mission. Understanding the nature of teaching and learning is important and is the goal of education research. The focus of research in this department is threefold: physics education; astronomy education; and technology in education.

Current Education Projects

• Demographic Analysis of Learners in Physics Using Student Response Systems. (Researcher: Judy Vondruska)
• Exploring the Lab Partner Relationship in Introductory Physics Classes (Researcher: Judy Vondruska)
• Enhancing the Problem-Solving Skills of Introductory Physics Students (Researcher: Judy Vondruska)
• Understanding Phases of the Moon: Hands-On versus Virtual Modeling (Researcher: Judy Vondruska)
• Language Miscues Between Science and Math Teachers (Researchers: Judy Vondruska, Sharon Vestal, Christine Larson)
• Using Student Mentors in Introductory Physics (Researcher: Larry Browning)

Education Grants

1. OLC/SDSU/SDSMT Pre-Engineering Education Collaborative (OSSPEEC)/External Evaluator/NSF. $495,000 (2016-2019)
2. Engineering Design for Physical Science/PI/U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR/with SDSU Engineering Faculty. $46,534 (2016-2017)
3. Engineering the Future 2015/PI/U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR/with SDSU Engineering Faculty. $49,989 (2015-2016)
4. Engineering the Future 2014/PI/ U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR/with SDSU Engineering Faculty. $49,985 (2014-2015)
5. Engineering the Future/PI/U.S. Department of Education and SDBOR/with SDSU Engineering Faculty. $49,426 (2012-2013)

Professors

• Larry Browning
• Judy Vondruska

The Physics Materials and Nanoscience (PMNS) Lab at SDSU houses state-of-the-art research facilities to carry out cutting-edge research in novel magnetic materials. Primarily, materials in the form of bulk ingots, single-crystalline films and nanostructured particles for permanent magnets, spintronic devices, magnetic refrigeration and biomedical applications are developed. The PMNS Lab provides physics undergraduates with important research skills in materials synthesis and characterization, preparing them for quality graduate programs or industry jobs.

Lab Facilities (Crothers Engineering Hall 350)

The facilities in the PMNS lab include:

• Materials Preparation - two sputtering systems to fabricate multi-layered thin film structures;
• X-ray structural characterization;
• Thermal treatment under controlled environment in ultra-high vacuum;
• Electrical and Magnetic properties characterization in 50K – 1000K;
• Optical property characterization.

Grants Internal to SDSU

• Title: Research Experience for Physics Undergraduates on Novel Magnetic Materials
  • Granting Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, SDSU
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 11/1/2014 and 6/30/2015
  • Total project funding award: $5,550
• Title: Structural, Magnetic and Electron Transport Properties of Rapidly Quenched CoFeCrAl Nanostructures
  • Granting Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, SDSU (Dissemination)
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 11/1/2014 and 6/30/2015
  • Total project funding award: $1,500
• Title: Structural and magnetic properties of CoFeCrSi Heusler alloy
  • Granting Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, SDSU (Dissemination)
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 11/1/2015 and 6/30/2016
  • Total project funding award: $1,500
• Title: Experimental investigation of spin gapless semiconducting materials
  • Granting Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, SDSU
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 11/1/2015 and 6/30/2016
  • Total project funding award: $2,650
• Title: Effect of disorder in the structural and magnetic properties of spin-gapless semiconducting Heusler alloys
  • Granting Agency: Office of Research Assurance and Sponsored Programs, SDSU
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 04/1/2016 and 03/31/2017
  • Total project funding award: $2,150
• Title: Effect of Fe Substitution for Ti on the Structural, Magnetic and Electronic Band Properties of Half-metallic Co2TiSi
  • Granting Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, SDSU (Dissemination)
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 11/1/2016 and 6/30/2017
  • Total project funding award: $2,040

Grants External to SDSU

• Title: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope
  • PI: Zhengrong Gu; Technical Support: Parashu Kharel
  • Granting Agency: NSF
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 09/2014-08/2017
  • Total project funding award: $1,210,576
• Title: NSF-MRSEC summer research program
  • Granting Agency: NSF/Nebraska MRSEC
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 06/2014-08/2014
  • Total project funding award: $20,000
• Title: Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (NCMN) summer research program
  • Granting Agency: NCMN through ARO grant
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 06/2015-08/2015
  • Total project funding award: $14,000
• Title: NSF-NNCI funded Nebraska Nanoscale Facility (NNF), Professor/Student Pair Summer Research program
  • Granting Agency: NSF/NNF
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 06/2016-08/2016
  • Total project funding award: $20,000
• Title: NSF-NNCI funded Nebraska Nanoscale Facility (NNF), Professor/Student Pair Summer Research program
  • Granting Agency: NSF/NNF
  • à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã start and end date: 06/2017-08/2017
  • Total project funding award: $15,000

Materials Science Professors

• Yung Huh
• Parashu Kharel

Medical/Health Physics Professors

• Robert McTaggart

As the current nuclear workforce retires, and the need for more clean energy increases, nuclear-savvy employees are in high demand by utilities, hospitals and national laboratories. Students that pursue an internship or an undergraduate research project in an area of nuclear science or nuclear engineering are well-prepared for these opportunities.

The ability of materials to perform in high-radiation environments is of interest for nuclear power, space exploration and fusion power. Robert McTaggart is pursuing several studies regarding the irradiation of different materials and devices with gamma rays and neutrons and their response before and after said irradiation. Besides allowing current nuclear technologies to operate longer, such irradiation testing is also worthwhile for durability testing of solid state materials used in photovoltaics.

The department operates a nuclear laboratory that studies both naturally-occurring and man-made isotopes in the environment via gamma spectroscopy and alpha/beta counting. Such isotopes serve as natural radiotracers for natural or man-made activities. Neutron activation analysis complements mass spectroscopy by assaying trace amounts of heavy metals after exposure to neutrons. Construction and calibration of new detectors is also of interest.

McTaggart has also been involved with the developing Sanford Underground Research Facility, and supports low background counting for ultra-low levels of Uranium, Thorium and Potassium isotopes that produce unwanted statistical backgrounds for rare event physics searches like dark matter. Radon also plays a role in generating unwanted backgrounds for the underground experiments.

The B.S. in physics and the minor in nuclear engineering prepares students either for direct employment in a nuclear career or for graduate school in particle physics, health physics, radiochemistry, medical physics, nuclear medicine or nuclear engineering. Physics is also very interested in facilitating double-majoring that would enhance your nuclear career goals and make you more competitive in the nuclear workplace.

Nuclear Physics Professor

• Robert McTaggart

This research focuses on satellite radiometry of Landsat 4, 5 and 7. Radiometric calibration of satellites involves characterization and correction of systematic degradations affecting the imagery.

The projects have been primarily funded by EROS Data Center, South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland and NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi.

Satellite Calibration Professors

• David Aaron
• Larry Leigh