February 2021 - sps-list

by Morin, David

If you are doing research through Phys 90r this semester, this google form replaces the old paper form: https://forms.gle/YgQhmxz4f54CvAT8A Please fill this out as soon as your 90r research plan is settled. This is just an internal physics form, so don’t forget to officially sign up for 90r in your crimson cart. Let me know if you have any questions.

4 months

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concentration reqs

by Morin, David

For the SENIOR Physics and Chem/Phys concentrators among you (but also for non-seniors, for future reference): I checked through all of the seniors' records and emailed you of any remaining concentration requirements. But just as a double check, in case I missed anyone, here are some general comments and caveats: 1. Even though I checked through things, you should also check through the requirements listed in the Handbook. 2. Ignore the "Advising Report" in my.harvard, as far as the Physics concentration reqs go. It may very well say that some requirements aren't satisfied when in fact they are. The information I emailed to you supersedes the Advising Report. (However, the Gen Ed part of the Advising Report is probably correct, so you _should_ pay attention to that.) 3. Students who skipped 15b and/or 15c (and took an approved substitute instead) are still required to do the labs, on a pass/fail basis. (But no need to do the 15b lab if you took AP50b or PS12b.) 4. The secondary-field information isn't recorded in the system, so I didn't take that into account in my assessment of any remaining requirements. If you are doing a secondary, be aware that only one course can double count for concentration and secondary. (In contrast, there is unlimited double counting in joint concentrations.) 5. Similarly, for the very few students doing the AB/AM program, the system sometimes doesn't show which courses are bracketed. Be aware that bracketed courses can't count for the undergrad part of the degree.

1 year, 4 months

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15b, 15c lab requirement

by Morin, David

This email is a reminder about the Physics Department's rule for the 15b and 15c labs. This rule applies to Physics concentrators, Chem/Phys concentrators, and students completing a Physics secondary: If you skip 15b and/or 15c and satisfy the E&M and/or waves requirement by taking an alternative course (approved by Prof. Georgi or me), then you must still complete the 15b and/or 15c labs at some point, on a pass/fail basis. (However, you don't need to do the 15b lab if you took AP50b or PS12b.) You can complete the labs in a future semester if you wish, but my recommendation is that you do them at the same time you take the alternative course. (Students in 15b and 15c must of course do the lab when taking the course.) To schedule your lab time, please email, as soon as possible: 15b: Dr. Carey Witkov (witkov(a)fas.harvard.edu) 15c: TF Kristine Rezai (kristinerezai(a)gmail.com) Please let me know if you have any questions.

1 year, 9 months

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March 2021 Harvard Science Book Talks!

by Gardner, Felice Ann

HARVARD SCIENCE BOOK TALKS Coming in March 2021: [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/9241ac4a-00f4-41…] REGISTER<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> Tuesday, March 2, 2021 @ 7:00PM Alan Lightman in conversation with Janna Levin Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings Can space be divided into smaller and smaller units, ad infinitum? Does space extend to larger and larger regions, on and on to infinity? Is consciousness reducible to the material brain and its neurons? What was the origin of life, and can biologists create life from scratch in the lab? Alan Lightman, whom The Washington Post has called “the poet laureate of science writers,” explores these questions and more. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/12b29c08-5f12-4d…] REGISTER<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> Tuesday, March 9, 2021 @ 6:00PM Chanda Prescod-Weinstein in conversation with Kiese Laymon The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred In The Disordered Cosmos, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter -- all with a new spin informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/4a2da723-d247-48…] REGISTER<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> Thursday, March 11, 2021 @ 5:00PM Robert Stickgold When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep When Brains Dream addresses these core questions about dreams while illuminating the most up-to-date science in the field. Written by two world-renowned sleep and dream researchers, Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold, it debunks common myths while acknowledging the mysteries that persist around both the science and experience of dreaming. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/54b9b13b-5727-4e…] Registration TBA Friday, March 19, 2021 @ 7:00PM Walter Isaacson in conversation with David Liu The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/884979c0-7883-46…] Registration TBA Monday, March 22, 2021 @ 7:00PM Euan Angus Ashley The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them In his book, Euan Ashley, professor of medicine and genetics at Stanford, details the medicine behind genome sequencing and introduces readers to the dynamic group of researchers and doctor detectives who hunt for answers, and to the pioneering patients who open up their lives to the medical community during their search for diagnoses and cures. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/059260e9-83e7-45…] Registration TBA Tuesday, March 30, 2021 @ 12:00PM Paul Nurse What is Life? Five Great Ideas in Biology In his new book, the renowned biologist Paul Nurse takes up the challenge of describing what it means to be alive. He illuminates five great ideas that underpin biology―the Cell, the Gene, Evolution by Natural Selection, Life as Chemistry, and Life as Information. He introduces the scientists who made the most important advances, and describes the challenges, the lucky breaks, and the thrilling eureka moments of discovery. [Twitter]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> Lectures are free unless otherwise noted. All lectures are open to the public. View previously recorded lectures<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> or the schedule of future talks<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…>. For more information and to be notified about future events, please contact: science_lectures(a)fas.harvard.edu<mailto:science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu>.

3 years, 1 month

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Weekly Digest: Upcoming Opportunities

by Belcher, Hannah

Hello! This message contains information on the following events and opportunities. Further details for each can be found below. SPS Newsletter<https://membership.spsnational.org/page/SPSNews193> 1. Nebraska Summer Research Opportunity<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__talisma-2Dmedia.unl.edu…> – Deadline: March 1 2. Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology Summer Program<https://www.mcqst.de/support/summer-program/> – Deadline: March 15 (Flyer attached – “SummerStudent2021_PakatA3-2”) 3. K-12 Science Teaching Jobs – Apply Here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__r20.rs6.net_tn.jsp-3Ff-…> 4. Msc/PhD program in Complex Systms Chemistry – CSC communication & Newsletter attached 5. The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal (THURJ) is accepting submissions<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__tiny.cc_zl38tz&d=DwMFaQ…> for our Spring 2021 publication – Deadline: Feb. 28 6. Graduate program at University of Alaska Fairbanks – Flyer attached (“flyer_grad_program”) 1. Now is the time for students to complete their application for the 2021 Nebraska Summer Research Program. Our 10-week residential summer research experience provides mentoring and research participation while allowing scholars to preview graduate school life at a research university. Participants all receive competitive stipends, room and board, travel/transport, graduate school preparation workshops, social and networking activities, and more. We remain hopeful that we will be providing an in-person experience this summer. Should that change, applicants will be notified as soon as possible and a virtual experience will still be offered. Explore the Programs: Applications and Foundations of Unmanned Systems Beneficial Insects Protection Research and Extension Experiences Bioenergy Systems Biomedical Engineering Devices Chemical Assembly Expanding Opportunities in Agricultural Sciences Lasers and Optics Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)) Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Plant Immunity Against Biotic Stress Redox Biology Resilience in Agricultural Working Landscapes Minority Health Disparities Initiative Research Experience for Undergraduates Sustainability of Horizontal Civil Networks in Rural Environments Systems Biology of Plant and Microbiome Virology Our online application is open until Monday, March 1, and students may apply for up to three different research groups. Thank you for your assistance in encouraging your students to think about Nebraska. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 1. Since January 2019 the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) has been a cluster of Excellence funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) uniting Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (LMU), Technical University of Munich (TUM) the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), the Walther-Meißner-Institute (WMI) and the Deutsches Museum (DM) in their endeavor to build a world-leading center in Quantum Science and Technology (QST), with a multidisciplinary profile, addressing important scientific and technological questions. MCQST comprises more than 60 research groups from disciplines such as physics, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, material science, and chemistry. Its research program is organized in seven research units, covering all areas of QST from basic research to applications. In order to nurture and advance young talents, MCQST offers a Summer Student Program for undergraduate students from the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, material science, or chemistry worldwide. Program Due to the continuing Corona crisis the program will take place online from 11 to 16 July 2021. The program includes online one on one meetings with MCQST PIs, introductions to research at MCQST by our experts, and virtual lab tours. In addition, participants will get the opportunity to improve their presenation skill. A junior researcher will mentor them during the program. At the end of the program participants will present a poster or give a talk at a student conference. Students will also gain a certificate after their successful participation. 3. K-12 private and independent schools around the South are searching for great teachers to join their school communities for next year. Schools plan to have in-person classes in the fall, and we have over a hundred science openings, many of them focused on physics. Our schools seek teachers with subject-matter expertise who are enthusiastic about working with children and teenagers—what is important is a gift for connecting with and caring for kids. Certification is typically not required (except in elementary grades and specialty areas). Southern Teachers has matched great candidates with schools in the South for over a century, taking the time to interview candidates, and know the person, not just the resumé. Our services are free for our candidates! The sooner you apply, the more opportunities you will have to pursue as you search for the right school community for you. Apply now at SouthernTeachers.com. As always, please let me know if you have any questions and thank you for your time and consideration. Best, Ali Buchanan | Recruitment Coordinator 434-295-9122 | SouthernTeachers.com 4. I am pleased to announce this year’s call for applications for the international integrated MSc/PhD program in Complex Systems Chemistry (CSC), with classes beginning in September 2021. Launched in 2018, this new graduate program aims to prepare a new generation of researchers to use complex systems chemistry as a tool for innovation, creating the leaders of tomorrow for both academia and industry. The program offers: · An interdisciplinary mix of courses spanning synthetic, biological, physical and theoretical chemistry · 14 months of research experience during the MSc · A stipend for the entirety of the program (600 €/month during MSc and roughly €1400/month during PhD) Over the past several decades, researchers in Strasbourg have been at the cutting-edge of complex systems chemistry, culminating in three Nobel Prizes in Chemistry. Our long-term excellence cluster grant on this topic was renewed last year for a further 8 years. 5. I am writing in hopes that you could share with concentrators in Physics that The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal (THURJ) is accepting submissions for our Spring 2021 publication. THURJ publishes the original research of Harvard undergraduate students to help facilitate the flow of academic knowledge within the undergraduate community. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed by both undergraduates in THURJ and faculty members from across the university's departments and schools. We strive to make submitting to THURJ a useful and rewarding experience, so authors receive feedback from their manuscript's faculty reviewers even if their manuscript is not selected for publication. Furthermore, THURJ rewards the author of the top-voted manuscript with a $500 prize. If any students in Physics are interested in submitting to THURJ, they may do so at http://tiny.cc/zl38tz. The deadline is February 28 at 11:59 PM EST, but if a student intends to submit this semester and requires more time, they may reach out to us in advance. Further details, such as our submission formatting requirements and examples of previous publications, are available at https://www.thurj.org/. 6. We would like to make the SPS members and the rest of the undergraduate physics students at your school aware of the Graduate Physics and Space Physics programs at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We offer a PhD in Physics, a PhD in Space Physics, an MS in Physics, and an MS in Physics with concentrations in Computational Physics or Space Physics. Attached is an electronic version of our Graduate program poster (~1MB in size), which we would greatly appreciate if you could print out and post somewhere appropriate for the students. We are still accepting applications for fall 2021 admission, though anyone interested in a teaching assistantship should apply quickly. Contact information is on the poster or you can contact Prof. M.Truffer (the graduate program coordinator and department chair) at mtruffer2(a)alaska.edu. Many people are not aware of a Physics Graduate program in Alaska, but we do offer a variety of interesting research opportunities ranging from Space Physics (with the only university-owned rocket range in the US) to Arctic Science and Nonlinear Physics; and all that in an unparalleled natural setting. Hannah Belcher (she/her) Undergraduate & Graduate Student Coordinator Harvard University Department of Physics 17 Oxford Street, 244 Jefferson Lab Cambridge, MA 02138 P: 617-496-3968<tel:617-496-3968>

3 years, 1 month

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Exploring Fields of Study office hours

by Morin, David

The Advising Programs Office has organized the Exploring Fields of Study program where first-years can learn about the various concentrations: https://advising.college.harvard.edu/exploring-fields-of-study Concentrations are assigned to different weeks, and next week (the week of 3/1) is the Physics and Chem/Phys week. So Prof. Georgi and I will be having a number of office hours where you can stop by to chat and ask any questions you have about Physics and Chem/Phys. The schedule is listed below, but the hours are also included in the College Calendar: https://calendar.college.harvard.edu/concentration_declaration#tabs-3459123… First-years are required to document an Advising Conversation in my.harvard, and our office hours of course count as that conversation. So please stop by to chat! SCHEDULE: 1. Tues 3/2, 7:30-8:30 am (Georgi, Zoom 1) 2. Tues 3/2, 7:30-8:30 pm (Morin, Zoom 2) 3. Wed, 3/3, 9:00-11:00 pm (Georgi, Physics Night, Congregate) 4. Thurs 3/4, 11:30 am-12:30 pm (Morin, Zoom 2) 5. Thurs 3/4, 4:00-5:00 pm (Morin, Zoom 2) 6. Fri 3/5, 10:00-11:00 am (Morin, Zoom 2) 7. Fri 3/5, 1:00-2:00 pm (Georgi, Zoom 1) Zoom 1: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/5399479325?pwd=emdIUGt5akZuQkdjNytUcTlXanJqUT09 Password: LesPhys16 Zoom 2: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95258793192?pwd=cEViNis1d1ozNDk3MmdpWjRyOVY1QT09<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.zoom.us_j_9525…> Password: morinOH Congregate: Physics Night -- at the "General Table" Log into: https://social.congregate.live/physicsnight<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://social.congregate.live/physicsnight&sa…> with Chrome (not Firefox or Edge or Safari) Choose "Log in with Google" (may require your Harvard google account - not sure) Then enter the password 15a15b15c16

3 years, 2 months

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Office hours

by Morin, David

Just a reminder that my office-hour schedule is located here: https://scholar.harvard.edu/david-morin/office-hours And the Zoom link is: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95258793192?pwd=cEViNis1d1ozNDk3MmdpWjRyOVY1QT09<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.zoom.us_j_9525…> Password if needed: morinOH Drop by with any questions you have about courses, research, or anything else.

3 years, 2 months

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TODAY: Harvard–Brandeis Experimental Particle Physics Seminar: Wednesday, February 24 @ 12:00 pm | Lesya Horyn: Going the Distance: A Search for Displaced Leptons in the ATLAS Detector

by Gardner, Felice Ann

WHAT: Harvard–Brandeis Experimental Particle Physics Seminar WHERE: ZOOM Virtual Lecture<https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95017158683?pwd=alFvbEhBS3dwc01JU3ZVbzZCZy9wQT09> WHEN: Wednesday, February 24th @ 12:00 pm EST TITLE: Going the Distance: A Search for Displaced Leptons in the ATLAS Detector Lesya Horyn<http://www.lesyahoryn.com>, Postdoctoral Researcher, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Abstract: With the lack of evidence for new physics from the LHC’s Run 2 dataset so far, it is essential that we leave no corner of phase space unexplored. In this talk, I will discuss a recent result from the ATLAS Experiment looking for leptons with large impact parameters. This result provides unique sensitivity to sleptons with lifetimes between 0.001 and 10 ns in Gauge-Mediated Supersymmetry Models for the first time at the LHC, improving upon previous limits by almost an order of magnitude. I will also discuss trigger limitations in searches for long lived particles, and how the planned upgrades to the LHC detectors might be able to improve the situation.

3 years, 2 months

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Wednesday "Night" Research Seminar (WNRS): Professor Julia Mundy

by Teng, Yanting

Dear All, This Wednesday (*Feb 24*) at *4:30PM*, *Professor Julia Mundy* will be the speaker for Wednesday "Night" Research Seminar for topics in *quantum materials*. Prof. Mundy is an experimental condensed matter physicist. Her research combines thin film deposition with advanced characterization techniques to design, synthesize and probe novel quantum materials at the atomic-scale. Emergent Phenomena in Oxide Thin Films Materials systems with many strongly interact- ing degrees of freedom can host some of the most exotic physical states known, ranging from superconductivity to topological phases. One of the hallmarks of these quantum materials is the ability for a small perturbation to dra- matically change the ground state. In thin films, the interface between two distinct materials forms a playground to engineer such emergent states. Specifically—and in contrast to bulk crystals—such an abrupt heterointerface can utilize the broken symmetry/reduced dimension- ality inherent to the interface as well as induce chemical potential offsets, epitaxial strain and provide proximity to functional phases. Work in the Mundy group will design, synthesize and probe such emergent phenomena in com- plex oxide thin films. Initial efforts will be particularly focused on using thin film epitaxy to con- struct metastable materials, with an emphasis on materials with strong spin frustration/exotic magnetic properties and novel superconductors. Please join us this Wednesday at 4:30PM here: *Zoom link*: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/98330756969?pwd=STVPcjcvWGFmQ3FrUkx0UTFBdVhsQT09 <https://harvard.zoom.us/j/99507365331?pwd=V0ZWTkkvc3pZU1BoRmJtMkVMT1hldz09> Hope to see you there! Best, Yanting

3 years, 2 months

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Save the Date: Puppet Show "Freaky PiDay" - Friday, March 12 at 7pm

by Cacciabaudo, Lisa N

Hi everyone! One year later, the G3s are delighted to invite the Harvard Physics community to the 2021 G3 Puppet Show, presented live via Zoom Webinar! We look forward to seeing everyone at 7 PM on Friday March 12 on the following zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/G3PuppetShow<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__tinyurl.com_G3PuppetSh…> You can also join us for a pre-show social at 6:30 on Gather: https://gather.town/app/lov6zNRGvKgTvRjl/universityquad<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gather.town_app_lov6zN…> (pw: HarvardPhysics) -The G3s [cid:image001.png@01D70A02.3ED1D3F0]

3 years, 2 months

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sps-list February 2021