MIT IAP

IAP 2001 Activities by Category

Physical Sciences

2001 Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Lecture Series
Reg Newell
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

Series of noontime lectures and lab demonstrations on various topics in earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences.
Contact: Reg Newell, 54-1824, x3-2940, renewell@mit.edu
Sponsor: Earth, Atmos & Planetary Sci

Interior Structure and Dynamics of Planet Earth
Rob van der Hilst
This presentation will show how we can infer Earth’s internal structure from the propagation of seismic waves and how we can use the results to constrain the scale and nature of mantle convection.
Mon Jan 8, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Earthquakes: Major Natural Hazards and How to Live with Them
Nafi Toksoz
Tue Jan 9, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Hurricane Physics
Kerry Emanuel
What makes hurricanes go? How do we forecast them? And will global warming cause more intense storms? We will tackle these questions in a one-hour presentation.
Wed Jan 10, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Atmospheric Chemistry: Smog, Fog, and Clouds
Mario and Luisa Molina with Vivan Faye McNeill
Laboratory demonstrations and discussion of common phenomena in atmospheric chemistry and physics, including smog and aerosol formation, cloud formation, and cloud freezing.
Thu Jan 11, 02-03:30pm, 54-1811

Big Rivers-Chemistry and Field Work
John Edmond
Amazon, Congo, Nile, Yangtze. The names alone conjure up images of exotic, sometimes dangerous, habitats. All you ever wanted to know about these formidable waterways–but were afraid to ask!
Fri Jan 12, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Observing the Oceans with Alvin
John Edmond
Take a dive in the ALVIN! Huge fields of hot springs, much bigger and hotter than any on land, exist on the sea floor. These springs support dense and thriving colonies of organisms found nowhere else on the planet. These beautiful organisms can only be seen from ALVIN, a deep-diving research submarine.
Wed Jan 17, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Global Atmospheric Pollution Measurements from Aircraft
Reg Newell
Almost every country now produces some type of air pollution which is often blown around the world several times before being neutralized. How fast is pollution increasing? Is there a critical concentration? We discuss observations collected by five aircraft missions to the Pacific and five commercial airliners flying outside the Pacific.
Fri Jan 19, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Rediscovering the Red Planet: Recent Results from the Exploration of Mars
Maria Zuber
Observations from recent spacecraft missions to Mars have provided dramatic new views of the atmosphere, surface, and interior of the planet that have led to changes in our perceptions about present and past Martian environments. This presentation will highlight the new global view of Mars in the context of the history of water, the factors that influenced climate change, and strategies and challenges for future exploration.
Mon Jan 22, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

The Migration of Magmas
Brian Evans
The migration of partially molten rocks in the Earth result in the great eruptions along the Earth's island arcs and the building of magnificent volcanic edifices along continent margins and in the ocean basins. Mechanically the system is quite non-linear, prone to localization, and physically unstable. The deformation of the partially molten rocks has analogies to everyday experience including squeezing a sponge, mixing frosting for a cake, or building a sand castle on the beach.
Wed Jan 24, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Abrupt Climate Change: Lessons from the Past
Julian Sachs
Greenhouse gases from human industrial activities have the potential to warm the planet in the coming decades. How quickly can the climate change? This talk will cover evidence for abrupt climate change during the past 150,000 years, and how this evidence may be instructive for the future.
Fri Jan 26, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Effects of Large Collisions on the Atmosphere/Biosphere
Ron Prinn
The Earth has been bombarded by asteroids and comets over geologic time with potentially profound effects on the atmosphere and the land and ocean biospheres. The nature of these effects and tentative evidence for their occurence will be discussed.
Mon Jan 29, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

Asteroid Impacts on Earth
J.Scott Stuart
A discussion of the history of impacts on the Earth, as well as the scientific basis for the risk and consequences of future impacts.
Wed Jan 31, 12-01:15pm, 54-915

A Discussion of the Permian Mass Extinction: Wipe Out of Life on Earth 250 Million Years Ago
Sam Bowring, John Marshall, Charles Marshall, Andrew Knoll
A Harvard and MIT forum to discuss the implications of the Permian Extinction 250 million years ago. Descriptions of the talks within this session are detailed below.
Fri Feb 2, 12-03:30pm, 54-915, Refreshments will follow

Biological Selectivity in Permo-Triassic Survival
Andrew Knoll Harvard Professor
Dead men are said to tell no tales, but fossils found near the Permian-Triassic boundary constrain explanations for this remarkable shattering of Earth’s biological order. Survival was strongly enhanced in organisms able to tolerate or buffer against the physiological effects of high CO2. In contrast, proposed kill mechanisms such as productivity collapse and asphyxiation in anoxic waters predict patterns of extinction selectivity opposite from those actually observed.
Fri Feb 2, 12-03:30pm, 54-915

Analyzing the End-Permian Patterns of Biotic Extinction (250 mya)
Charles Marshall Harvard Professor
This presentation discusses the patterns of extinction at the end-Permian and illustrates methods for quantitatively adjusting for the incompleteness of the fossil record. One needs to establish the timing of the extinctions relative to other events that have left their signatures in the rock record to determine the causes of mass extinctions. However, the incompleteness of the fossil record makes it difficult to establish the relative order of key events.
Fri Feb 2, 12-03:30pm, 54-915

From Galaxy Clusters to the Alcator Program
Bruno Coppi
Tue Jan 9, 02-03:15pm, 26-210

Single session event

Galaxy Clusters are in reality x-ray emitting plasma objects,the mass of the plasma ("bright matter") being considerably larger than that of galaxies. The relevant physics as well as phenomena that have a central role in high energy astrophysics, such as the transport of angular momentum by collective modes in accretion disks, can be interpreted on the basis of experiments funded for nuclear fusion research.The Alcator program at MIT, established originally to simulate the different kinds of radiation emission for the X-ray stars that were known at the time, has made breakthrough advancements in the confinement of high density plasmas in high magnetic fields. One consequence is the beginnig of construction of an experiment that can attain ignition by fusion reactions. The lecture will be followed by a visit to the Alcator facilities.
Contact: Bruno Coppi, 26-217, 253-2507, coppi@psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics

G.R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory: Spectroscopy in Emerging Technologies
Michael S. Feld
Thu Jan 25, 10am-01:00pm, Grier Room 34-401

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none - Undergraduates especially invited to attend

Lasers and spectroscopy are being used in many novel and exciting applications. This set of talks, specially aimed at undergraduates, will discuss three such topics at a semi-popular level. Refreshments will be served.

"Using Spectroscopy to Meet Challenges in Environmental Science," Jeffrey I. Steinfeld, Department of Chemistry, MIT
"Exploring Genetic Noise Using Fluorescence Microscopy," Alexander van Oudenaarden, Department of Physics, MIT
"Lasers, Flames, and Automobiles," William Green, Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT
Web: http://web.mit.edu/spectroscopy/www
Contact: Valerie Kane, 6-014, x3-4881, vkane@mit.edu
Sponsor: Spectroscopy Lab

George R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory Research: A Poster Presentation
Ramachandra Dasari
Tue Jan 30, 12:30-02:30pm, Grier Room 34-401

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none

The Spectroscopy Laboratory pioneers in cutting-edge research in Physics, Chemistry, Biomedicine, and Engineering. The research activities will be presented in a poster session. The topics include studies on nanotubes, quantum dots, ultrasensitive laser spectroscopy techniques, physics of lasers, Raman spectroscopy of proteins, medical physics, and the diagnosis of disease. Attendees will have the opportunity for discussion with faculty, staff, and graduate students. All attendees are welcome to lunch.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/spectroscopy/www
Contact: Alison Hearn, 6-014, x3-4881, hearn@mit.edu
Sponsor: Spectroscopy Lab

Introduction to Beilstein CrossFire
Erja Kajosalo
Fri Jan 26, 10am-12:00pm, 14S-0645, Walk-ins OK if space permits

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 12 participants.
Single session event

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the basics of finding information on organic compounds and their properties using "Beilstein CrossFire."
Web: http://libraries.mit.edu/science/Subjects/Chemistry/beilstein.html
Contact: Erja Kajosalo, 14S-134, x3-9795, kajosalo@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries

Introduction to SciFinder Scholar
Erja Kajosalo
Fri Jan 19, 10am-12:00pm, 14S-0645, Walk-ins OK if space permits

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 12 participants.
Single session event

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the basics of finding chemical information from "SciFinder Scholar", the most comprehensive chemical database.
Web: http://libraries.mit.edu/science/Subjects/Chemistry/scifinder.html
Contact: Erja Kajosalo, 14S-134, x3-9795, kajosalo@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries

Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community
Professor Edward Farhi
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Contact: Professor Edward Farhi, 6-309, 253-4871, farhi@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics

Inflationary Cosmology and the Accelerating Universe
Professor Alan Guth
Mon Jan 8, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

A Step beyond Molecular Orbital Calculations and the Academic World
Ofelia C. de Hodgins, S.M.'89
Ofelia deHodgins, a Six Sigma Master Black Belt at Sony Electronics, will talk about how important her physics background was in the development of her career - from the semiconductor industry to a high profile managerial position at Sony Electronics, where she translates advanced statistical concepts and Statistical Process Control "defects" into service/transaction "errors". Six Sigma is a new approach adopted by business to improve profitability through reducing costs of poor quality, Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ). No longer able to reduce prices to increase market share, nor to raise prices to improve profit margins, companies implement Six Sigma to improve their gain margins.
Wed Jan 10, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Physics at the Largest Accelerator in the World
Professor Peter Fisher
In its final year of operation, the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider may have detected Higgs bosons, which brings up the questions: What is the Higgs boson? Why is it so important? In this lecture, I will attempt to answer both questions starting from sophomore level mechanics. I will then describe what was observed this year at LEP and conclude with what future experiments can observe.
Fri Jan 12, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Fortunes of Physicists Who Go Astray
William Layson, PhD '63
What opportunities and rewards come to physicists who stray out of academic research and teaching to pursue careers in applied technology and management? After MIT, Bill Layson was an active researcher in Australia, CERN, Berkeley, Cape Kennedy, and two high technology startups before moving to management roles in the largest US employee owned technology company. He retired as a senior vice president of Science Applications International Corporation in 1999.
Wed Jan 17, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Planets, Planets...
Professor Phil Morrison
Fri Jan 19, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

New Horizons in Particle Physics
Professor Jerome Friedman
Mon Jan 22, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Every Physics Course I Ever Took Turned Out to Be Useful - Only Never in the Way I Expected
Sheldon Apsell, S.B.'65
After graduating from MIT, Sheldon Apsell went on to earn a PhD in Physics from Brandeis University. He then entered the super-secret community developing digital reconnaissance satellites. After that he went into the world of business.Nevertheless, he found his background in physics to be both relevant and of practical use, but never quite in the way he envisioned when taking these courses.
Wed Jan 24, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

What You Could Do with a Quantum Computer if You Had One
Professor Edward Farhi
Fri Jan 26, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Free the Quarks
Professor Krishna Rajagopal
Tue Jan 30, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Is There Law Beyond the Physical Laws?
Thomas Halket S.B., S.M. '71
Thomas D. Halket, a Partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, will explore career opportunities in the law for physics graduates. Drawing on his own experience as a partner in a major corporate law firm, the issues he will cover include: patent law, litigation, technology law and the value of pre-law physics training. A brief overview on starting a high-technolgy company will also be presented.
Wed Jan 31, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Seeking New Laws 2000
Professor Frank Wilczek
Fri Feb 2, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

Plasma Science and Fusion Center IAP Series
Richard Temkin , Amanda Hubbard, Paul Bonoli
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: none

This Open House series is designed to introduce the MIT community to plasma physics research at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, and areas of related interest. Refreshments will be available before each talk.
Web: http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, x3-8101, rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Combating Global Warming: Technologies for a Greenhouse Planet
Martin Hoffert New York University
Staunch alternative energy advocate Martin Hoffert makes a case for funding serious research and demonstrations aimed at breakthroughs in primary power technology which can transform the global energy system. These include superconducting transmission lines for terrestrial renewables; satellite solar power for developing nations; fission-fusion hybrid breeding of plutonium/thorium; proliferation-resistant fuel cycles; deuterium/helium-3 fusion reactions; and seawater, lunar and outer planet mining of fission and fusion fuels. For more information see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/warming/beyond/
Tue Jan 9, 10:30am-12:00pm, NW17-218

Confining a Fusion Fire - A Grand Challenge for Science and Technology
Dale Meade Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
During the last decade of fusion energy research great progress has been made in raising plasma temperatures (over 300 million degrees C) and lengthening confinement times. Still, major technological and scientific challenges must be overcome to make fusion power a practical reality. The F.I.R.E. ignition experiment proposed at PPPL will be described.
Fri Jan 19, 10-11:00am, NW17-218

Nature's Magnetic Bottle: An Introduction to the Levitated Dipole Experiment
Darren Garnier Columbia University
The PSFC's newest fusion science experiment, a collaboration with Columbia University, was inspired by observing how plasma is confined in the magnetosphere around Jupiter. This session is followed by a tour of the experiment.
Fri Jan 19, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218

Tour of Levitated Dipole Experiment
Darren Garnier Columbia University
A tour the the Levitated Dipole Experiment will leave from NW17-218 after the 11 am talk by Darren Garnier.
Fri Jan 19, 12-01:00pm, NW17-218

A Modern View of Fusion Power Plants
Leslie Bromberg
For more information about this mini-symposium presented in conjunction with the Nuclear Engineering Department go to http://websis.mit.edu/searchiap/iap-3290.html, or check the Nuclear Engineering IAP schedule.
Mon Jan 22, 09:30am-04:00pm, NW17-218

The Tokamak Patisserie: a Gustatory Approach to Alcator C-Mod, or How to Make a Donut Appealing for Fusion
Réjean Boivin
This basic presentation on how tokamaks work will feature the latest questions scientists face in the quest for fusion. Torus-shaped pastries will be available for hands-on demonstration and consumption. No apron is required.
Tue Jan 23, 10-11:00am, NW17-218

Tours: Alcator C-Mod and Versatile Toroidal Facility
TBD
Compare two experimental plasma devices: Alcator C-Mod, a high-field tokamak involved in fusion research, and the Versatile Toroidal Facility (VTF), built by MIT students and currently used to study magnetic reconnection and ionospheric plasmas.
Tue Jan 23, 11am-12:00pm, Begins in NW17-218

Probing Cosmic Plasmas with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Claude Canizares
Wed Jan 24, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218

Riddled Basins of Attraction of Chaotic Systems: Inevitable Uncertainties in the Outcomes of Experiments
Ed Ott University of Maryland
In certain situations it is possible for the dynamical behavior of chaotic systems to be such that even the qualitative character of the eventual long time motion may be uncertain. This calls into question whether even the qualitative outcomes of experiments for such systems can be repeated. This phenomenon is due to a "riddled" basin of attraction. This talk will discuss riddle basins in elementary terms, giving illustrative numerical and analytical examples.
Wed Jan 24, 01-02:00pm, NW17-218

European Fusion Research: Highlights and Perspective
Jean Jacquinot Association Euratom - CEA, Cadarache, France
Dr. Jacquinot will discuss the European fusion research program, which encompasses strong efforts on tokamaks, stellarators and alternate concepts. The European program has already planned important new initiatives for the next decade. In the long run, Europe must decide on a commitment to the ITER project; the Cadarache Center is now preparing a bid to be the ITER site.
Fri Jan 26, 11-12:00am, NW17-218

The Feynman Films
Markos Hankin
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None

This series of films by Richard Feynman is open to the MIT community.
Contact: Markos Hankin, 4-309, 253-4844, mhankin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics

"The Law of Gravitation"
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 8, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"The Best Mind Since Einstein"
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 10, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"The Relation of Mathematics to Physics"
Markos Hankin
Fri Jan 12, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"The Great Conservation Principles"
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 17, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"Symmetry in Physical Law"
Markos Hankin
Fri Jan 19, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"The Last Journey of a Genius"
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 22, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"Take the World from Another Point of View"
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 24, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"The Distinction of Past and Future"
Markos Hankin
Fri Jan 26, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"Probability and Uncertainty"
Markos Hankin
Tue Jan 30, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

"Seeking New Laws"
Markos Hankin
Fri Feb 2, 12:15-01:15pm, 6-120

The Non-Euclidean World: History, Geometry and Analysis
Prof. S. Helgason
Thu Jan 25, 04-05:00pm, 2-135

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This lecture will describe the colorful history of
Non-Euclidean Geometry and discuss various models of the non-Euclidean space with an account of the more striking geometric theorems. This will lead to various topics in non-Euclidean analysis, some of relatively recent vintage.
Contact: Prof. S. Helgason, x3-3668, helgason@mit.edu
Sponsor: Mathematics


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Listing generated: 31-Jan-2001