March 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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Important: Harvard summer TF positions

by Belcher, Hannah

Dear physics graduate students (and others), If you aren't planning on having an RA or fellowship funding over the upcoming summer and would like to be a TF for one of the Harvard Summer School physics courses<http://www.summer.harvard.edu/course-catalog/courses?subjects=Physics>, please fill out this online form<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__goo.gl_forms_Y5MdxKbUx…> as soon as possible. Note that the time commitment will run from June 21 through August 6. First priority will go to Harvard physics graduate students just finishing their G1 year and second priority will go to Harvard physics graduate students from later years. Requests will otherwise be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Note that the number of available TF positions is subject to change depending on final course enrollments, which won't be definite until May. And there may be fewer TF positions available than in previous summers due to current circumstances, which have led the Harvard Summer School to move entirely online this summer. If all the TF positions for the physics courses fill up, there may also be opportunities to work as a TF for a summer course other than those listed in physics, such as for a course in a related field like electronics, math, astronomy, computer science, or engineering, so please look over those courses in the course catalog<http://www.summer.harvard.edu/course-catalog/courses> as well. (Note that some of those courses run for only 3 1/2 weeks.) To request a TF position for a course other than those listed in physics, please still fill out this form, but also email the instructor identified in the catalog for that course. Please feel free to reach out with any questions! Best, 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>

2 years, 12 months

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Spring 2021 Undergraduate Physics Survey

by Belcher, Hannah

Dear Undergraduates, We would love to hear your thoughts on the following topics: * Courses & Teaching * Inclusivity * Departmental Events & Organizations * Department Culture * Advising * Research Opportunities * Course Scheduling * Any other topics of concern What things are working well? What suggestions do you have for changes? It would help us if you could complete this brief form<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__docs.google.com_forms_…> to provide your feedback by Thursday, April 8. The form is anonymous unless you choose to leave your name and email to set up an individual appointment with the advising team. We are eager to hear from all students, in all years, who have interacted with the Physics Department in one way or another. So we very much encourage you to fill out the survey if you've taken any physics courses, even if you aren't a Physics or Chem/Phys concentrator! There are several questions marked "OPTIONAL", regarding concentration, year, gender, and URM status. More information from you will help give us a better understanding of what is going on in the department, but please only complete these questions if you feel comfortable doing so. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you! 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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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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summer research opportunities in the Kovac lab for CMB cosmology

by John Kovac

Dear students, Our lab is looking for undergrads to work on several projects this summer. Following the excellent example of Prof. Hoffman, this email lists two specific projects below. Ihe HCRP deadline is Thursday, April 1 (tomorrow) so if you want to apply to that, please reach out *today*. That said, other support arrangements are possible, as are additional projects, and potential combinations of summer and term research. There are no prerequisites, but eagerness to tackle hands-on challenges in physics, engineering, and instrumentation with care and precision is essential. *Thermal stability of the BICEP Array Cryogenic System* We are continuing to characterize a cryogenic receiver for the BICEP Array telescope that will be deployed to the South Pole for measuring the Cosmic Microwave Background. Testing at Harvard allows us to prepare this receiver for deployment as well as improving our understanding of the system so that we can improve similar receivers as well. We are looking for undergraduates to lead the testing and development of the sub-Kelvin thermal filtering and to assist with cryostat assembly and manufacture of related hardware. Tasks and skills that can be learned on the job: General laboratory hardware skills (soldering, mechanical assembly, etc.) Analysis and fitting techniques (python and/or MATLAB) Working with high pressure gasses and vacuum equipment If interested: email your CV (including coursework) to Prof. Kovac <john_kovac(a)harvard.edu> and postdoc David Goldfinger <david.goldfinger(a)cfa.harvard.edu> ** *Gas Diffusive Properties of New Microwave Vacuum Windows* This project seeks to characterize a new vacuum window material that could dramatically increase the sensitivity of BICEP Array, and subsequently all microwave instruments, by being up to 80% thinner than current vacuum windows. A much thinner window, however, results in other challenges: we do not fully understand the gas diffusion rates of these thin vacuum windows. We are looking for an undergraduate to design and carry out an experiment to compare the new material’s diffusive properties with previously used vacuum window materials. Tasks and skills that can be learned on the job: * Experimental design of vacuum system with a mass spectrometer * Data analysis with python and/or MATLAB * General laboratory hardware skills If interested: email your CV (including coursework) to Prof. Kovac <john_kovac(a)harvard.edu> and graduate student Miranda Eiben <miranda.eiben(a)cfa.harvard.edu> Other projects may be possible, particularly for students with experience of CAD or building--contact Prof. Kovac to discuss. -- ___________________________________________________________________ John Kovac jmkovac(a)cfa.harvard.edu Professor of Astronomy and of Physics, Harvard University 160 Concord Ave rm 103b, Cambridge MA 02138, 617-496-0611

3 years, 1 month

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Physics summer research form

by Morin, David

For those of you who will be applying to HCRP and the Physics Dept for summer research funding (by April 1 at noon), here is the link to the Physics google form: https://forms.gle/SyshjbyS2p3HPjah9 (The HCRP application is separate, through their webpage.) If you applied to PRISE and/or Herchel Smith, please wait until you hear from them before filling out the Physics google form. Their results will be known before April 1. If you get one of those, you don’t need to (and can’t) apply for Physics/HCRP. There is no advantage to filling out the Physics google form early. Please let me know if you have any questions. From: "Morin, David" <djmorin(a)fas.harvard.edu> Date: Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 1:23 PM To: "sps-list(a)lists.fas.harvard.edu" <sps-list(a)lists.fas.harvard.edu> Subject: [SPS] summer research, HCRP/Physics For those of you who will be applying to HCRP and the Physics Dept for summer research funding, the deadline for both applications is Thursday, April 1 at noon. For the Physics application, I’ll send a link to a google form by March 15, so don’t worry about that yet. In addition to that form, the other parts of the application are a research proposal and a rec letter from your lab professor (both of which HCRP needs too). If you applied to PRISE and/or Herchel Smith, please wait until you hear from them before filling out the Physics google form. Their results will be known before April 1. If you get one of those, you don’t need to (and can’t) apply for Physics/HCRP. It’s not known yet what exactly research will look like this summer, so be sure to talk with your lab professor to see what the options are for the various scenarios. From: "Morin, David" <djmorin(a)fas.harvard.edu> Date: Monday, December 28, 2020 at 2:38 PM To: "sps-list(a)lists.fas.harvard.edu" <sps-list(a)lists.fas.harvard.edu> Subject: [SPS] summer research, REUs For those of you who are planning to do research this summer, this email contains important information, as does the physics summer-research webpage: https://www.physics.harvard.edu/undergrad/summer At the moment, there is no way to know what the summer will look like – in person or remote. And there is also no way to know when things will be known. So just contact professors and apply to various programs as you would do in a normal summer, and then we’ll see what happens. You can do research either with a Harvard professor, or in a program somewhere else. For the latter case, there are a zillion REU opportunities listed at: https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nsf.gov_crssprgm_r…> And others are listed on the above summer webpage. In you want to do research with a Harvard prof, your main task is to find an advisor by searching the faculty webpage: https://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/faculty and sending out emails. (Feel free to look in related departments too.) Once you find a lab (let me know if you have any trouble with this), the funding is guaranteed to work out, with the following caveat: Assuming that the usual number of students apply for Physics Dept funding (pieced together with HCRP and faculty funding), we'll been able to give awards of about $4200 (total from all sources). In the event that the number of students increases significantly, the amount will probably be more like $4000. The standard time span is 10 weeks of full-time work (don't try to add on a summer course). If you are planning on heading to grad school, my personal recommendation is to do at least one summer of research with a Harvard prof, and then a second summer either here or elsewhere (in either order). Variety can be nice - it's good to see some other places in the country/world. For the summer you spend with a Harvard prof, try to bookend it with at least one semester of research, so that you have a longer total time in the lab. You should strongly consider applying for PRISE (for research here) and for the Herchel Smith fellowship (for here or elsewhere). See the above summer webpage. These deadlines are early. If you get one of these, then there is no need to apply to Physics or HCRP. Because of this, the Physics application purposely won’t be available until early March. I’ll send out a link to a google form then. If you're a first-year who is going to be a Physics or Chem/Phys concentrator, then you're certainly eligible for Physics Dept funding (item #3 on the above summer webpage). Let me know if you have any questions. Office hour schedule: https://scholar.harvard.edu/david-morin/office-hours Zoom link: 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 DJM

3 years, 1 month

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Chilloquium: Black Hole Portraiture (3/30, 4:30pm EDT)

by Chris Fechisin

<https://forms.gle/i2xFhSg2VCLujSQ27> <https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95475661549> Meet our Speaker: *Dr. Shep Doeleman* from Harvard is an astrophysicist whose work focuses on super massive black holes with sufficient resolution to directly observe the event horizon. He is a senior research fellow at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Founding Director of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project. *He led the international team of researchers that produced the first directly observed image of a black hole.* ------------------------------ *Cool publications to check out:* - *First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole <https://iopscience-event-horizon.s3.amazonaws.com/article/10.3847/2041-8213…>* - *Event-horizon-scale structure in the supermassive black hole candidate at the Galactic Centre* <https://www.nature.com/articles/nature07245> - *Detecting Flaring Structures in Sagittarius A* with High-Frequency VLBI* <https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/78061115.pdf> *About the physics:* NIK SPENCER/*Nature*; Avery Broderick/University of Waterloo Chilloquium is the virtual colloquium for *every* physics student. These weekly talks: - lie somewhere between a conversation and a lecture - highlight each speaker's personal journey as well as their work - are designed with undergrads in mind To those joining us for the first time this week, welcome! Note that RSVPs are not required but help us plan and let you pre-submit questions. <https://forms.gle/i2xFhSg2VCLujSQ27> <https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95475661549> [image: Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/groups/2613345588897975/> [image: Website] <http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~physics/> Harvard-Radcliffe Society of Physics Students · 17 Oxford St · Cambridge, MA 02138-2933 · USA

3 years, 1 month

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Harvard Physics Colloquium – 4/5/21 – Janet Conrad, MIT

by Clayman, Stephanie D

Harvard Physics Colloquium Monday, 4/5/21 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM via Zoom (link below) JANET CONRAD MIT Of Elephants and Oscillations This talk explores next steps in the search for new physics in the neutrino sector. The discovery of neutrino oscillations has changed the way we think about our model of particle physics. We must now incorporate tiny neutrino masses into our theory, as well as consider the possibility of other unexpected properties. You might ask what a tiny mass particle has to do with elephants? To learn this, you need to come to the colloquium. Zoom log in: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95777067936?pwd=U01DVmNVc2xXLy9YRjZyQmRJVjRNZz09 Password: 140608 Join by telephone (use any number to dial in) +1 301 715 8592 +1 312 626 6799 +1 929 436 2866 +1 253 215 8782 +1 346 248 7799 +1 669 900 6833 International numbers available: https://harvard.zoom.us/u/abvDBesvJb One tap mobile: +13017158592,,95777067936# US (Germantown) Stephanie Clayman (she/her) Reception Harvard University Physics Department Jefferson 360, 17 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-2872

3 years, 1 month

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sps-list March 2021