February 2022 - 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

1
8
0 0

Phys, Chem/Phys Advising

by Morin, David

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer. The new semester is fast approaching, so here we go... This email is relevant to the Physics and Chem/Phys concentrators among you. It's a long email, but please pay special attention to the "YOUR TASK" item below. THE SHORT VERSION: Email your concentration advisor and set up a zoom meeting sometime between Mon 8/16 and Wed 8/25 (Thurs 8/26 is the course registration deadline). Your advisor will lift the hold on your crimson cart (sometimes called “study card”). More info on the various dates can be found here: https://college.harvard.edu/guides/course-preview-period THE LONG VERSION: (1) A picture of your Individual Concentrator Advisor should show up in your my.harvard list of advisors. If it doesn't, or if there are any issues (you want to change advisors, etc.), please let me know right away. (However, I’ll be away from 8/14 to 8/21.) (2) All of you automatically have Prof. Georgi (Head Tutor) and me (Co-Head Tutor) as academic advisors. You can talk with us about anything at any time, ranging from course selection, to future plans, to lab work, to concentration requirements. Our office hours are posted at: www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~hgeorgi<http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~hgeorgi> and 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…> We encourage you to drop by zoom, but email also works. (3) In addition, we give all of you another faculty advisor. The purpose of this Individual Concentration Advisor is to act as a mentor, and to help you down the Physics or Chem/Phys path. However, concerning concentration requirements, Prof. Georgi and I have seen all the ins and outs and variations on these, so we encourage you to save such questions for us. In short, when talking with your faculty advisor, you can pretend that there are no course numbers or requirements to worry about. Just get some real physics advice about what subjects are good to know, what lab experience is good to have, etc. You can view your faculty advisor in my.harvard. (4) YOUR TASK: Email your faculty advisor to set up a meeting to discuss your classes and future plans and such. In addition to providing you with advice, your advisor will also provide you with the necessary electronic signature on your crimson cart. If you'd like to also meet with Prof. Georgi and/or me, by all means stop by zoom, but please do so in addition to (not instead of!) seeing your individual advisor. NOTE: Occasionally more than one email is needed to set up a meeting with your advisor. All of us let an email slip away now and then. So don't hesitate to send a second email after a day or two if you haven't heard back. Also, ***PLEASE CC THE FACULTY ASSISTANT** for your advisor on your FIRST email, unless you're sure that your advisor will get back to you right away (and definitely cc if a second email is required). This person can be identified by clicking on your advisor on the page: www.physics.harvard.edu/people/faculty<http://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/faculty> The Faculty Assistant is listed below the advisor's research blurb. If you have trouble getting a response from your advisor, let me know, and we can always switch advisors. (5) The Physics FAQ page is: https://www.physics.harvard.edu/undergrad/faqs-concentrators Please let me know if there's a topic you would like added. Enjoy the last few days of summer! DJM

9 months

1
3
0 0

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

1
1
0 0

summer research, REUs

by Morin, David

For those of you who are planning to do research this coming summer, this email contains important information, as does the physics summer-research webpage: https://www.physics.harvard.edu/undergrad/summer 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. Stop by office hours if you have any questions about contacting profs. 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 $5000 (total from all sources). In the event that the number of students increases significantly, the amount will probably be more like $4500. Additionally, as we did last year, we’ll be able to give supplements based on the level of financial need. 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 another summer either here or elsewhere. Variety can be nice - it's good to see some other places in the country/world. But it’s also certainly fine to spend all your summers here. Try to bookend at least one of those with a semester or two 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 DJM

1 year, 5 months

1
1
0 0

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

1
5
0 0

SAVE THE DATE - April 5, 5pm, David Ruelle, "A personal historical view of the theory of deterministic chaos", Lee Historical Lecture in Physics

by Davis, Jolanta M.

David Ruelle Member of the Académie des Sciences de Paris foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the US Academy of Sciences "A personal historical view of the theory of deterministic chaos" 2022 David M. Lee Historical Lecture in Physics [cid:4f4da631-c694-4816-ac14-bd995d62fadd] Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 5:00pm the lecture will be held in Jefferson 250 and streamed live through zoom # # # "A personal historical view of the theory of deterministic chaos" Classical deterministic time evolutions exist with apparent random features, as is seen in hydrodynamic turbulence. Such phenomena have been called deterministic chaos, and are associated with sensitive dependence on initial conditions. We discuss chaos theory with emphasis on the multidisciplinary work concerning chaos in natural phenomena during the three decades 1970-2000. Work in that period has involved developments in pure mathematics, new experimental techniques, and the use of digital computers. The problems addressed include hydrodynamical turbulence, meteorology, chemical kinetics, and the astronomy of the solar system. These problems can be handled with precision. More general applications of deterministic chaos theory remain open. # # # David Ruelle was born in 1935. He is a mathematical physicist. His career was pursued in Belgium (ULB), Switzerland (ETHZ), the USA (IAS, Princeton) and France (IHES: Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques). His work started in Quantum Field Theory (the Haag-Ruelle scattering theory). Then his interests turned to Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (thermodynamic limit, the Dobrushin-Lanford-Ruelle equation, two books: Statistical Mechanics Rigorous Results (1969), Thermodynamic Formalism (1978)). This was followed by mathematical work on Hyperbolic Dynamics (transfer operators, dynamical zeta functions, Sinai-Bowen-Ruelle measures). He was interested in hydrodynamic turbulence, and is one of the fathers of chaos theory (Ruelle-Takens (1971), etc.). He has made a number of other scientific contributions and his current interests center on nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. David Ruelle has written two books for general audience: Chance and Chaos (1991), the Mathematician's Brain (2007). He is now Honorary Professor of Mathematical Physics at the IHES. # # # David M. Lee Historical Lectures in Physics are sponsored by the Marvin and Annette Lee Fund _________ Jolanta M. Davis, Administrator to the Chair of the Department of Physics, Prof. Efthimios Kaxiras (pronounced Yo-lan-ta<https://forvo.com/word/jolanta/>) Harvard University | Department of Physics | 17 Oxford St., Jefferson 370 | Cambridge, MA 02138 Tel.: 617-495-2866 | Fax: 617-495-0416 | https://www.physics.harvard.edu/ In the office: 8:15 - 4:15 Mondays and Wednesdays Working remotely: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays

2 years, 1 month

1
3
0 0

Weekly student/faculty lunches

by Morin, David

Starting the week of March 7, the Physics Department will be hosting weekly student/faculty lunches, as an opportunity to chat with professors and get to know them better. The lunches will roughly alternate between Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12:00-12:45 in Lyman 330. A week in advance, we’ll let you know the name of the next professor and whether the day will be Tues or Wed, and then you can sign up by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/UvuASzKPUPqsFPk16. Each lunch will be capped at eight students (we’ll choose randomly if more than eight sign up). Stay tuned for more info in a few days.

2 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Harvard Physics Colloquium - 2/28/22 - Edward Farhi, MIT (In person!)

by Clayman, Stephanie D

Harvard Physics Colloquium Monday, 2/28/22 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Jefferson 250 Also available via Zoom (link below) Edward Farhi MIT From Particle Physics to Quantum Computing I will use my path from particle physics to quantum computing to review some physics based quantum algorithms. I will also discuss some recent developments in applying quantum algorithms to find low energy configuration of spin-glasses. https://harvard.zoom.us/j/97436600302?pwd=WmJEdFdaYWZ1RFRxVjVXWS82ZUIwUT09 Password: 053794 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/aRjoaNgbD One tap mobile: +19294362866,,97436600302# US (New York) Meeting ID: 974 3660 0302, 97436600302(a)zoomcrc.com<mailto:97436600302@zoomcrc.com> Stephanie Clayman (she/her) Reception Harvard University Physics Department Jefferson 360, 17 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-2872

2 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

WiP Welcome to the Physics Department!

by Elizabeth Guo

Are you *1) Curious about concentrating in physics and doing physics research?* or *2) Have experience in the department and would like to speak about it with fellow students?* **RSVP here <https://forms.gle/xJ5ra2cgGadoXoB4A> (non-binding, but extremely helpful for planning purposes) and drop by the WiP "Welcome to the Physics Department" event this Friday!** *Be on the lookout for another email this week with a schedule of lab tours and chats! This event counts as an Exploring Fields of Study advising conversation for prospective Physics and Chem/Phys concentrators.* -- *Elizabeth Guo* Harvard Class of 2022 elizabethguo(a)college.harvard.edu

2 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Support Ukraine

by Nikolaenko, Alexander

Dear All, I hope this email finds you well. As you remember, I am an international student from Ukraine. On February 24th, Putin declared an official war with Ukraine. That day at 5 am, my family woke up to the sound of our city being shelled, and the Russian army is currently mounting an attack on the whole country. It is extremely difficult to be so far away from home, understanding that your family and friends are in a state of immediate danger and are forced to hide in a basement. I am emailing you to invite you to a rally being organized for today (2/26) at 12 pm on the Widener steps. We will be showing solidarity for Ukraine as we believe that the best way to move the US representatives to take action is through activism and media attention. At the rally, we will be handing out yellow and blue ribbons for students, and other attendees, to tie onto their backpacks to show that we support our Ukrainian peers, their families, and their country’s people. We will also be asking everyone at the rally to contact their Congressional representatives to ensure they take action in defending and supporting Ukraine. We believe this will put sufficient pressure on our government officials to react more quickly and more powerfully. Finally, we will be educating attendees about what else they can do to support Ukraine, giving them a list of actionable items. I hope you will be able to attend to show your personal support. It would mean the world to me and my peers. Yours sincerely, Alexander Nikolaenko

2 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

sps-list February 2022