April 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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Virtual celebration of Gerald Holton: April 30th, 2021 @ 12:00 PM (EDT)

by E. Kaxiras, Physics Chair, Harvard

Dear Physics Community, The History of Science Department is pleased to invite you to celebrate Professor Gerald Holton on the occasion of his 99th year! Event date: Friday, 30 April 2021 Time: 12:00-12:45 PM (ET) Please find the Zoom link below the image. Best, Peter Galison, Anne Harrington, Rebecca Lemov and Gabriela Soto Laveaga [cid:image001.png@01D72C8C.09CF67B0] Harvard University News Office, AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives. Deborah Valdovinos is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Holton@99 Event Time: Apr 30, 2021 @ 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom meeting https://harvard.zoom.us/j/92580381750?pwd=K3BzZWM4RmtkK3FZS1phZG5PZVBOUT09 Password: 079009 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/aeq61xxywG One tap mobile: +13017158592,,92580381750# US (Washington DC) Join by SIP conference room system Meeting ID: 925 8038 1750 92580381750(a)zoomcrc.com<mailto:92580381750@zoomcrc.com>

3 years

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Signing Barbara Drauschke's virtual card - see you tomorrow at 4PM, April 29

by McCarthy, Mary

Good Afternoon, We are looking forward to celebrating Barbara Drauschke's retirement with you tomorrow, April 29 at 4:00PM. If you have not already done so, please extend your well wishes to Barbara on a Kudoboard here: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/Dw3dpwKY There will be time at the end of the event for folks to offer spontaneous well wishes, if you are so moved. Thank you. Mary McCarthy [cid:image003.jpg@01D73C3F.A4AA7640] Join Zoom meeting https://harvard.zoom.us/j/91757855167?pwd=b2FXZ2FOeXBtMmEveHk2TUJrb1J5dz09 Password: 482257 Join by telephone (use any number to dial in) +1 929 436 2866 +1 301 715 8592 +1 312 626 6799 +1 669 900 6833 +1 253 215 8782 +1 346 248 7799 International numbers available: https://harvard.zoom.us/u/ad3V3sp45k One tap mobile: +19294362866,,91757855167# US (New York) Join by SIP conference room system Meeting ID: 917 5785 5167 91757855167(a)zoomcrc.com<mailto:91757855167@zoomcrc.com> Mary S. McCarthy ~ Associate Director of Administration ~ Department of Physics 17 Oxford St., 358 Jefferson Lab, Cambridge, MA 02138 ~ (617) 496-0876

3 years

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May 2021 Harvard Science Book Talks!

by Gardner, Felice Ann

HARVARD SCIENCE BOOK TALKS Coming in May 2021: [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/b4d5c359-56c4-41…] Monday, May 10, 2021 @12:00PM REGISTER<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> ALESSIO FASANO and SUSIE FLAHERTY Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health We are at the dawn of a new scientific revolution. Our understanding of how to treat and prevent diseases has been transformed by knowledge of the microbiome—the rich ecosystem of microorganisms that is in and on every human. In Gut Feelings, Alessio Fasano and Susie Flaherty show why these microbial hitchhikers may hold the keys to human health. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/ea26fa38-b79b-48…] Tuesday, May 11, 2021 @7:00PM REGISTER<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> KATE DARLING, in conversation with RANA EL KALIOUBY The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots There has been a lot of ink devoted to discussions of how robots will replace us and take our jobs. But MIT Media Lab researcher and technology policy expert Kate Darling argues just the opposite, and that treating robots with a bit of humanity, more like the way we treat animals, will actually serve us better. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/e074ab65-b3da-45…] Friday, May 14, 2021 @7:00PM REGISTER<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> DAVID SULZER Music, Math, and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music Why does a clarinet play at lower pitches than a flute? What does it mean for sounds to be in or out of tune? How are emotions carried by music? Do other animals perceive sound like we do? How might a musician use math to come up with new ideas? Music, Math, and Mind, written for musicians and music lovers with any level of science and math proficiency, including none, demystifies how music works while testifying to its beauty and wonder. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/8b9a8b11-201b-40…] Tuesday, May 18, 2021 @5:00PM REGISTER <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> DAVID EAGLEMAN Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain In Livewired, the reader will surf the leading edge of neuroscience atop the anecdotes and metaphors that have made David Eagleman one of the best scientific translators of our generation. Covering decades of research to the present day, Livewired also presents new discoveries from Eagleman’s own laboratory, from synesthesia to dreaming to wearable neurotech devices that revolutionize how we think about the senses. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/e71ec820-a8fe-48…] Thursday, May 20, 2021 @5:00PM REGISTER <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> RUSSELL POLDRACK, in conversation with ELIZABETH PHELPS Hard to Break: Why our Brains Make Habits Stick We all have habits we’d like to break, but for many of us it can be nearly impossible to do so. There is a good reason for this: the brain is a habit-building machine. In Hard to Break, leading neuroscientist Russell Poldrack provides an engaging and authoritative account of the science of how habits are built in the brain, why they are so hard to break, and how evidence-based strategies may help us change unwanted behaviors. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/660a1ff8-e6cd-48…] Tuesday, May 25, 2021 @7:00PM Registration TBA CARLO ROVELLI Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland, he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. As scientists and philosophers continue to fiercely debate the meaning of the theory, Rovelli argues that its most unsettling contradictions can be explained by seeing the world as fundamentally made of relationships rather than substances. We and everything around us exist only in our interactions with one another. This bold idea suggests new directions for thinking about the structure of reality and even the nature of consciousness. [https://mcusercontent.com/2a42f9e6c5264bb277175db04/images/0d29c791-a805-45…] Wednesday, May 26, 2021 @5:00PM Registration TBA JORDAN ELLENBERG, in conversation with CATHY O'NEIL Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else Shape reveals the geometry underneath some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face. Geometry asks: Where are things? Which things are near each other? How can you get from one thing to another thing? Those are important questions. The word "geometry," from the Greek for "measuring the world." If anything, that's an undersell. Geometry doesn't just measure the world—it explains it. Shape shows us how. [YouTube]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> [Twitter]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> [Website]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.us9.list-2Dman…> [Email]<mailto:science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu> 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

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You're invited to a virtual celebration of Gerald Holton: April 30th, 2021 @ 12:00 PM (EDT)

by Davis, Jolanta M.

Dear Physics community, The History of Science Department is pleased to invite you to celebrate Professor Gerald Holton on the occasion of his 99th year! Event date: Friday, 30 April 2021 Time: 12:00-12:45 PM (ET) Please find the Zoom link below the image. Best, Peter Galison, Anne Harrington, Rebecca Lemov and Gabriela Soto Laveaga [cid:image001.png@01D72C8C.09CF67B0] Harvard University News Office, AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives. Deborah Valdovinos is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Holton@99 Event Time: Apr 30, 2021 @ 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom meeting https://harvard.zoom.us/j/92580381750?pwd=K3BzZWM4RmtkK3FZS1phZG5PZVBOUT09<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.zoom.us_j_9258…> Password: 079009 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/aeq61xxywG<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__harvard.zoom.us_u_aeq6…> One tap mobile: +13017158592,,92580381750# US (Washington DC) Join by SIP conference room system Meeting ID: 925 8038 1750 92580381750(a)zoomcrc.com<mailto:92580381750@zoomcrc.com>

3 years

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Fwd: Chilloquium: The Length of Time's Arrow [4/27, 4:30pm EDT]

by Chris Fechisin

Starting in just a few minutes at 4:30! Please stop by! ---------- Forwarded message --------- <https://forms.gle/HmBvP3iZJR1d6VP78> <https://harvard.zoom.us/j/95475661549> Meet our Speaker: *Dr. Gavin E. Crooks* from Google X is a theoretical physicist whose expertise lies in the foundations of thermodynamics and the physics of information. *Hear from our speaker about the physics:* The fundamental dynamical laws of physics are time reversal symmetric. The only fundamental theory that picks out a preferred direction of time is the second law of thermodynamics, which asserts that the entropy of the Universe increases as time flows towards the future. When the dissipation, or the total increase in entropy, is large, the orientation of time’s arrow is self-evident. If we watch a movie in which shards of pottery jump off the floor, assemble themselves into a cup, and land on a table, then clearly someone has threaded the film through the projector backwards. On the other hand, if the dissipation is microscopic, then the distinction between past and future becomes nebulous. If we repeat the same experiment many times, the entropy might increase or decrease on different occasions. Only the average dissipation must be positive. This tension between the time-symmetry of the microscopic dynamical laws and the inexorable increase of macroscopic entropy leads to a rich dynamics of disorder at the nanoscale, that is particularly pertinent to driven, molecule scale machines operating away from thermodynamic equilibrium. Dr. Crooks uncovered one of the key relations, the Work Fluctuation Theorem, and continues to explore the consequences of fluctuation theorems for nanoscale thermodynamics. *Cool publications to check out:* - Measuring thermodynamic length <https://arxiv.org/pdf/0706.0559.pdf> - The thermodynamics of prediction <https://arxiv.org/pdf/1203.3271.pdf> - Length of time's arrow <https://arxiv.org/pdf/0809.0025.pdf> 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/HmBvP3iZJR1d6VP78> <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

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Nature Review Physics

by Werbeloff, Marina D

FYI: Online access to Nature Review Physics has now been activated: http://ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/login?url=https://www.nature.com/natrevphy…. Marina ____________________________________________ Marina D Werbeloff Physics Librarian, Science & Engineering Services Division; Web and Social Media Administrator, Department of Physics Harvard University 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617) 495-2878 werbeloff(a)fas.harvard.edu<mailto:werbeloff@fas.harvard.edu>

3 years

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sps-list April 2021