MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2013 Activities by Category - Physical Sciences

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2013 EAPS Lecture Series: The Atmosphere as an Intersection with ...

Dan Cziczo

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

A series of four lectures that each focus on the atmosphere's interaction with a different component of the Earth system.

Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-911B, x3-3380, vsm@mit.edu


Space

Jan/07 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915

Dan Cziczo


the Arctic

Jan/14 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915

Rachel Chang


the Earth's Surface

Jan/18 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915

Alsona Wiack


Biology

Jan/28 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915

Gannet Hallar


Black Holes and Jets

Michael Nowak, Research Scientist, Herman Marshall, Principal Research Scientist

Jan/08 Tue 02:00PM-03:00PM 37-252 Marlar Lounge

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, particpants welcome at any session
Prereq: To attend Chandra tour, individuals must attend both talk

2:00-2:30pm      If black holes are black, then how do we see them? (Answer: sometimes we don't!)
Speaker: Dr. Michael Nowak (MIT Kavli Institute). No enrollment limit, no advance sign up.  For an abstract for this talk and a complete listing of Kavli IAP offerings, please visit:   http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

2:30-3:00pm      Talk by Herman Marshall, MKI Principal Research Scientist (no pre-requisite; no enrollment limit)

3:15-4:15pm      Tour of the Chandra Operations Control Center and Polarimetry Lab.  Tour will be led by Herman Marshall.  The Chandra X-ray Observatory is the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, allowing scientists to study the origin, structure and evolution of our universe in greater detail than ever before. The spacecraft and science instruments are controlled from the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For complete details, visit our IAP website:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Enrollment limit: 20 people, advance sign-up required; contact Dr. Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu).
Prerequisites: Attendance of talks preceding the tour.

Prerequisite:  attend both talks preceding the tour.  Tour limit = 20 people.  To register for the tour, please contact MKI IAP Coordinator Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu).

 

 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


DANCE and SCIENCE meets CREATIVITY

Larry Pratt, Adwoa Boakye

Jan/07 Mon 02:30PM-04:30PM McCormick Hall, Dance Studio
Jan/09 Wed 02:30PM-04:30PM McCormick Hall, Dance Studio
Jan/11 Fri 02:30PM-04:30PM McCormick Hall, Dance Studio

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

This class will merge science and creativity with improvised human motion.  The aim is to use dance as a way of accessing heightened consciousness and proprioception in a way that allows for more fluent creativity.   Movement improvisation as a group will be guided by ideas about energy, entropy, turbulence and other processes and properties that are commonly known but poorly understood. Participants will walk away with a deeper intuition into these entities.

 The workshops will be led by Riley Watts, professional dancer with the William Forsythe Company (Germany) and fluid dynamics expert Larry Pratt of the Woods Hole Oceanographic/MIT Joint Program. Please contact Larry Pratt, by email, to register.

Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Larry Pratt, lpratt@whoi.edu


Design Thinking For Scientists

Alorah Harman, Course 1 , THE MEME design

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/10
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: "scientist" self-label, some experience in a wet-lab ideal.

For the scientist who wants an extra shot of creativity in their IAP!

Design thinking is a framework and a process that uses a designer's tools to analyze and characterize ill-defined problems. Using design thinking, we can supplement a linear approach to a problem (in lab for example) with a more fluid and iterative investigation alongside. 

This hands-on class is about idea generation, communication, and team dynamics specialized for scientists. Working in groups, we'll get a primer on how to think like a designer, especially with regard to mindset, group and solo brainstorming, and how to tease out and categorize qualitative insights to inform the design of quantitative experiments.

To learn by doing, we'll apply our human-centered frameworks to a high-energy 2-day exercise of envisioning the future of "the lab," sharing our end results with each other. All disciplines are welcome, but we'll have a focus on wet-lab environments (especially bio-labs).

**ROOM CHANGE** Saturday and Sunday (1/12-1/13)  1pm-4pm in 32-124. 

Now enrolling excited scientists (U/G/etc.) as space allows until Jan 10th. Contact aharman@mit.edu with interest.

Sponsor(s): Biology
Contact: Alorah Harman, AHARMAN@MIT.EDU


Session I

Jan/12 Sat 01:00PM-04:00PM 32-124

Session II

Jan/13 Sun 01:00PM-04:00PM 32-124

Detecting Gravitational Waves

Dr. Matthew Evans, Professor, To Register for Tour: Dr. Eric Miller, Research Scientist

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/07
Attendance: must attend talk 2:00-2:30pm preceding tour

Detecting Gravitational Waves
Professor Matthew Evans (MIT Kavli Institute)

Talk:  2-2:30pm; Location:  Marlar Lounge, MIT 37-252 @ 70 Vassar Street
It is an exciting time in the field of gravitational wave astrophysics; new detectors are under construction around the world and significant results are expected in the next 5 years. Laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors are the most sensitive position meters ever operated, aiming to detect the motion of massive bodies throughout the universe by pushing precision measurement to the standard quantum limit, and beyond. I'll talk about astrophysical sources of gravitational waves, the principals behind gravitational wave detection, and the technological challenges involved in interferometric gravitational wave detection.

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up.

Tour: 2:45-4:00pm  Tour of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) Lab
Professor Matthew Evans (MIT Kavli Institute)
Visitors will be taken on a tour of the LIGO prototyping facilities at MIT. These include a full-scale prototype of the LIGO vacuum chambers, laser, isolation and suspension systems, and laboratories for thermal and optical noise measurements.

Enrollment limit: 10 people, advance sign-up required; contact Dr. Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu)
Prerequisites: Attendance of talk preceding the tour.

For a complete listing of MKI 2013 IAP Offerings, please visit:   http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Eric Miller and Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617-253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Detecting Gravitational Waves

Jan/10 Thu 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

It is an exciting time in the field of gravitational wave astrophysics; new detectors are under construction around the world and significant results are expected in the next 5 years.

For a complete description, please visit:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up.

Dr. Matthew Evans - Professor


Tour of LIGO

Jan/10 Thu 03:15PM-04:15PM Depart from 37-252

Tour of the LIGO Lab.  For complete description, please visit:   http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/    or contact Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu)

You must attend the talk from 2-2:30pm preceding the tour.  Register for tour by emailing Dr. Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu)

 

Dr. Matthew Evans - Professor


Does God Exist? - Building the Scientific Case

Chris Swanson

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Is there evidence for a Creator? This series provides facts and insights from philosophy, cosmology and biology to show that belief in God is rational.  We will survey recent findings in the physical and biological sciences, as well as mathematical probabilities, which provide a compelling case for the existence of God. These lessons also show how God's existence offers a coherent explanation for objective and meaningful morality.  This is a 5 part series, including lecture and discussion.  Optional free dinner before at 5pm.  If you want to come for the dinner email fanqig@mit.edu.  

Sponsor(s): Campus Crusade for Christ
Contact: Chris Swanson, W11-004, 515-451-9542, cswanson@mit.edu


Does God Exist? - Session 1

Jan/08 Tue 05:30PM-07:00PM 4-145

This session will examine how faith and reason are in harmony and start examining the evidence of God's existence from cosmology - is there evidence for a designed universe?  


Does God Exist? - Session 2

Jan/10 Thu 05:30PM-07:00PM 4-145

We will continue to examine the evidence from cosmology - looking at the design, beginnings, and fine tuning of the universe.  


Does God exist? - Session 3

Jan/15 Tue 05:30PM-07:00PM 4-145

This session will look for evidence for God through biology...DNA, life's origin, and more.  


Does God Exist? - Session 4

Jan/17 Thu 05:30PM-07:00PM 4-145

This session will continue our look at evidence from biology.  


Does God Exist? - Session 5

Jan/22 Tue 05:30PM-07:00PM 4-145

Our last session will look more to philisophical ideas that point to God's existence - specifically human morality.  Does our moral experience as humans point to the existence of God?  Is the existence of God the best explanation of human morality?


Evolution of the Early Universe

Dr. Brendan Griffen, Postdoctoral Fellow (MIT Kavli Institute), Professor Anna Frebel, Professor of Physics (MIT Kavli Institute)

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Please visit http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/ for complete details.

2:00-2:30pm     Talk #1: Title & Abstract TBA; speaker Dr. Brendan Griffen (MIT Kavli Institute)

2:30-3:00pm     Talk #2: Stellar Archaeology: New Science with Old Stars
Prof. Anna Frebel (MIT Kavli Institute)
The early chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the Universe is vital to our understanding of a host of astrophysical phenomena. Since the oldest Galactic stars are relics from the high-redshift Universe, they probe the chemical and dynamical conditions of a time when large galaxies first began to assemble. Through analysis of their surface composion, they probe the chemical and dynamical conditions as the Milky Way began to form, the origin and evolution of the elements, and the physics of nucleosynthesis. Some of these stars display a strong overabundance of the heaviest elements, in particular uranium and thorium. They can thus be radioactively dated, giving formation times ~ 13 Gyr ago, similar to the ~ 13.7 Gyr age of the Universe. In addition to talking about the science results, I will show a few video clips about observing with the 6.5m optical Magellan telescopes in the Atacama desert in Chile.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Eric Miller and Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Talk Title TBA

Jan/31 Thu 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Title, abstract, and additional details will be posted here:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Dr. Brendan Griffen - Postdoctoral Fellow (MIT Kavli Institute)


Stellar Archaeology: New Science with Ol

Jan/31 Thu 02:30PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Stellar Archaeology: New Science with Old Stars

complete event description available here: http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Professor Anna Frebel - Professor of Physics (MIT Kavli Institute)


Exoplanets

Kevin Schlaufman, Kavli Postdoctoral Fellow, Bryce Croll, Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Please visit: http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/  for talk titles and abstracts

 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Eric Miller and Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Planet Formation and the Origins of Life

Jan/15 Tue 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

The first planet outside of our Solar System was discovered in 1995. Since then, over 800 of these "exoplanets" have been identified orbiting other stars in our own Galaxy. Few of these planetary systems resemble the Solar System, & those differences may determine the frequency of life in the Universe. 

See the full abstract here: http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

 

 

Kevin Schlaufman - Kavli Postdoctoral Fellow


Exoplanets

Jan/15 Tue 02:30PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

How to Find and Characterize a Habitable Earth-like Planet

To many members of the public, and indeed the wider astronomical
community, one of the most pressing questions in the field of extrasolar
planets is how are we going to find a planet similar to the Earth that can
support life, and how are we going to know it when we find it?

complete abstract posted here:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Bryce Croll - Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow


FT-IR Sampling Capabilities in CMSE

Tim McClure

Jan/28 Mon 10:00AM-01:00PM 13-2137

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/25

The Center for Materials Science and Engineering's Analysis Shared Experimental Facility has an extended range FT-IR Microscope with a variety of sampling accessories that are available for the use of researchers. Come find out about the many sampling options now available for FT-IR.  Pre-register via e-mail.

Sponsor(s): Center for Materials Science and Engineering
Contact: Tim McClure, 13-4149, x8-6470, mtim@mit.edu


Health and Safety Issues of Nanomaterials

Marilyn Hallock, Susan Leite

Jan/24 Thu 11:00AM-12:00PM 46-3189

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

The exciting field of nanotechnology is creating the next industrial revolution in engineering. It is also creating the new field of nanotoxicology. Are nanoparticles more toxic than dust particles we normally work with? Could carbon nanotubes possibly be the next asbestos? Come find out what we know and don't know and how to work safely in your laboratory with nanomaterials. No prerequisite.

Sponsor(s): Environment, Health and Safety Office
Contact: Marilyn Hallock, N52-496, x3-0344, hallock@mit.edu


Introduction to TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy)

Yong Zhang

Jan/25 Fri 02:00PM-03:30PM 13-2137

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, particpants welcome at any session

The lecture provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of transmission electron microscopy. Topics covered include the illumination system, electron lenses and their aberrations, image formation and resolution. A variety of imaging and analysis techniques and their roles specific to inorganic materials, such as crystallography, diffraction patterns and high resolution imaging are to be present with practical demonstration.  This presentation will also introduce TEM sample preparation techniques for a wide range of materials, including metals, semiconductors, powders and thin films. 

 

Contact: Yong Zhang, 13-1034, 617 253-5092, YZHANG05@MIT.EDU


New Instruments for Understanding the Evolution of the Universe

Professor Jacqueline Hewitt, Prof. of Physics; Dir, Kavli Inst Astrophysics & Space Res, Dr. Ralf Heilmann, Associate Director, Space Nanotechnology Laboratory

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/14
Attendance: must attend talks 2-3pm to attend tour

2-2:30pm  Looking for the First Stars with a New Radio Telescope in Western Australia
Professor Jacqueline Hewitt (MIT Kavli Institute)

Abstract available here:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

 

2:30-3:00pm High-resolution x-ray optics at the Space Nanotechnology Laboratory: From nanometers to gigaparsecs
Ralf Heilmann

Abstract available here:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/



3:15-4:15pm Tour of the Space Nanotechnology Lab
Dr. Ralf Heilmann (MIT Kavli Institute) 

During the tour of the SNL's three clean rooms visitors will see sophisticated optical (interference lithography stations for the fabrication of submicron period gratings, high power UV laser, metrology station for optics shape measurements, sub-nanometer resolution interferometers, etc.) and mechanical systems (XY-air-bearing stage, sub-micron accuracy alignment system, environmental enclosure, active vibration isolation, etc.) that support the development of thin-foil x-ray optics and gratings.

Enrollment limit: 6 people, advance sign-up required; contact Dr. Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu).
Prerequisites: Attendance of talks preceding the tour.

 

 

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Eric Miller and Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Looking for the First Stars with a New R

Jan/17 Thu 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

Radio astronomers, including some of us at MIT, are building a novel low-frequency radio telescope in Western Australia to search for hydrogen signals associated with the first stars. I will present results from our 32-antenna prototype array, and a report on the construction of our 128-antenna array that's designed to detect the signals we seek.  Complete description: http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Professor Jacqueline Hewitt - Prof. of Physics; Dir, Kavli Inst Astrophysics & Space Res


High-resolution x-ray optics at the Spac

Jan/17 Thu 02:30PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

High-resolution x-ray optics at the Space Nanotechnology Laboratory (SNL): From nanometers to gigaparsecs
The SNL develops advanced lithographic and nano-fabrication technology for high performance space instrumentation, as well as nanometer-accuracy metrology and assembly technology. For a complete description of this talk, visit:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up.

Dr. Ralf Heilmann - Associate Director, Space Nanotechnology Laboratory


Tour of Space Nanotechnology Laboratory

Jan/17 Thu 03:15PM-04:15PM leave from 37-252

During the tour of the SNL's three clean rooms visitors will see sophisticated optical and mechanical systems that support the development of thin-foil x-ray optics and gatings.  For a complete description, please visit:

http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Limit: 6 people, advance sign-up required; contact Dr. Eric Miller.
Prerequisites: Attendance of talks preceding the tour.

Dr. Ralf Heilmann - Associate Director, Space Nanotechnology Laboratory


Nuclear Weapons: Physics, History and Abolition?

Aron Bernstein, Professor of Physics, Olli Heinonen, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard; former Dep Dir IAEA

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None

This course will give an overview of the physics of nuclear weapons and their devastating effects. The history of their development will be covered as well as the initial discussions of their implications, including the debates of the atomic scientists who developed them and then tried vainly to control their use and spread. The cold war history of the weapons deployment will be covered as well as the treaties which limited their use, such as the nuclear test ban and the anti-ballistic missile treaty. The threat of nuclear proliferation, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) inspections will be covered with emphasis on Iran. The current discussion about abolition of nuclear weapons will also be discussed. The linking of these issues to the original scientists' debate  will be covered. Students are welcome to participate in  any or all of these sessions. There will be time for questions and discussion.

1)Tues. Jan 22, 2013: Overview: history, physics history, history of weapons numbers in the cold war, outlook for reduction and elimination. A.M. Bernstein
2) Thurs . Jan. 24, 2013: Nuclear proliferation, non-proliferation treaty, IAEA inspections, Iran: O. Heinonen
3) Tues. Jan. 29, 2013: The Cold War Era: weapons, strategies, and treaties; A.M. Bernstein
4) Thurs. Jan 31, 2013: Outlook for nuclear weapons policy, Obama Administration, abolition?; A.M. Bernstein

Sponsor(s): Lab for Nuclear Science, Science, Technology, and Society, Physics
Contact: Aron Bernstein, 26-419, 617-253-2386, bernstein@mit.edu


Overview

Jan/22 Tue 03:00PM-04:30PM 26-414

Overview: history, physics history, history of weapons numbers in the cold war, outlook for reduction and elimination.

Aron Bernstein - Professor of Physics


Nuclear Proliferation

Jan/24 Thu 03:00PM-04:30PM 26-414

Nuclear proliferation, non-proliferation treaty, IAEA inspections, Iran.

Olli Heinonen - Senior Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard; former Dep Dir IAEA


The Cold War Era

Jan/29 Tue 03:00PM-04:30PM 26-414

The Cold War Era: weapons, strategies and treaties.

Aron Bernstein - Professor of Physics


Outlook

Jan/31 Thu 03:00PM-04:30PM 26-414

Outlook for nuclear weapons policy, Obama Administration, abolition?

Aron Bernstein - Professor of Physics


Physics Lecture Series

John Belcher, Professor & Class of 1960 Faculty Fellow, Department of Phys

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

IAP 2013 Physics lecture Series

Sponsor(s): Physics
Contact: Denise Wahkor, 4-315, 617 253-4855, DENISEW@MIT.EDU


Voyager 1 Is In Interstellar Space!

Jan/07 Mon 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Voyager 1 Is In Interstellar Space!"

Voyager 1 and 2 have already crossed the heliopause, the outer limit of the Sun's magnetic field.RECENTLY VOYAGER I HAS CROSSED INTO THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM, the medium from which the Sun condensed. We will discuss those observations.

John Belcher - Professor & Class of 1960 Faculty Fellow, Department of Phys


The Art of Interviewing

Jan/09 Wed 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

The interview is a key component for most job searches.  This includes summer internships, postdoctoral fellowships, and faculty searches.  This talk will help show you the steps you can take to prepare for the process, and how to handle tough questions during the interview itself.   This talk is open for undergraduates, graduates, post-docs, staff and anyone else who wants to improve their interviewing skills.

Matt Cubstead - Administrative Officer


Shining Some Light

Jan/11 Fri 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Shining Some Light on the Search for Dark Matter".

Astrophysical evidence for the existence of Dark Matter abounds, while a confirmed laboratory 'direct' detection still eludes experimentalists. An overview of the current state of the dark matter field will be given, focusing upon the contradictory experimental results of allowed signal regions and excluding upper limits. 

Dr. Kimberly Palladino - Postdoctoral Fellow


Topological Materials

Jan/14 Mon 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

The search for new phases of matter has been a driving force behind condensed matter research. Among the myriad of electronic phases in solids, topological states of matter exhibit universal and quantized properties that arise from the symmetry and topology of quantum many-body wavefunctions.

Liang Fu - Professor, Department of Physics


Energy Critical Elements

Jan/16 Wed 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Energy Critical Elements: More precious than gold".

I will then turn to our recent report on ¿Energy Critical Elements: Securing Materials for Emerging Technologies¿, describing rare elements¿ roles in emerging technologies, constraints on availability, and government actions to avoid disruptive shortages.

 

Robert Jaffe - Morningstar Professor of Science, Department of Physics


Seeing Electron Energy Levels by Quantum

Jan/18 Fri 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Seeing Electron Energy Levels by Quantum Tunneling"

This talk describes results from a technique that averages responses to millions of short pulses to measure electron energy levels or "spectra". The spectra revealing striking and previously hidden features of the behavior of electrons that are restricted to move in two-dimensions.

Raymond Ashoori - Professor, Department of Physics


Quantum Fields

Jan/22 Tue 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Quantum Fields that went Bump in the Night: Cosmic Inflation and the Latest Observations".

Our universe likely underwent an enormous expansion, or ¿inflation,¿ fractions of a second after the big bang. Inflation would have stretched tiny quantum fluctuations to cosmic scales, imprinting subtle patterns in the cosmic microwave background radiation.

David Kaiser - Director and Professor, STS & Sr Lecturer, Physics, Program


From Science to Quanitative Trading

Jan/23 Wed 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Phase Transition: From Science to Quantitative Trading."

What do quants do in finance? What does it take to be successful on Wall Street? How did quantitative field evolve over the last twenty or so years and what might the future bring?  I will use my own path from Physics to finance to illustrate which of the skills scientists possess might be applicable.  

Vlad Portnoy - MIT Alumni


What Do Students Do, Learn From

Jan/25 Fri 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "What Do Students Do, Learn From, and Want to Learn"?

What knowledge are students learning? What instructional activities are they learning it from? What student habits are helpful or detrimental to learning? What learning do they remember at graduation?  We must be able to answer these questions to have an informed discussion about our educational process.   

David Pritchard - Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics, Department of Phys


Anticipating sudden transitions.

Jan/28 Mon 11:00AM-01:00PM Whitehead Auditorium

Title: "Anticipating sudden transitions in biological populations: Cooperation, cheating, and collapse".

Natural populations can suffer catastrophic collapse in response to small changes in environmental conditions. We confirm this possibility experimentally and explore how such social parasitism can lead to population extinction.

 

Jeff Gore - Professor, Department of Physics


To flex or to focus

Jan/30 Wed 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "To flex or to focus, that is the question"

We'll explore the Physics Focussed and Flexible major options. Come learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Physics Flexible major and options for designing a Physics degree that best fits the interests and aspirations of each student.

 

 

 

John Belcher - Professor & Class of 1960 Faculty Fellow, Department of Phys, Nergis Mavalvala - Curtis (1963) and Kathleen Marble Professor


Photon-photon interactions

Feb/01 Fri 01:30PM-02:30PM 6-120

Title: "Photon-photon interactions".

Photons are ideal carriers of quantum states but the stored information is difficult to process because photons in vacuum do not interact with one another. I present some recent experimental results on inducing interactions between individual photons, including an all-optical transistor that operates with a single control photon.

Vladan Vuletic - Professor, Department of Physics


Plasma Science and Fusion Center IAP Series

Paul Rivenberg, Abhay Ram, Martin Greenwald

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

This series introduces plasma physics research and areas of related interest at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. See URL below.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, x3-8101, rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu


Simulations of Fusion & Space Plasmas

Jan/07 Mon 11:00AM-12:00PM NW17-218

An Overview of Numerical Simulations of Fusion and Space Plasmas: Magnetized plasmas are an important constituent of the universe, but are so complex that deep understanding can only be achieved with the aid of large-scale computation.  This talk will review how we can learn about the behavior of fusion and space plasmas from numerical simulation.

Barrett Rogers - Professor of Physics and Astronomy


An Introduction to Fusion Energy

Jan/08 Tue 11:00AM-12:00PM NW17-218

Fusion, which powers the stars, could be a game-changing energy source for our ever-developing planet, with potential to deliver sizable amounts of useful energy with relatively low environmental impact. This talk will introduce the basic concepts of today's magnetic fusion experiments, and shed light on where fusion research and development are likely to take us over the next generation.

Jerry Hughes - Research Scientist


Magnetic Reconnection

Jan/08 Tue 02:00PM-03:00PM NW17-218

Magnetic Reconnection - A Celestial Phenomena in the Laboratory: What do Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) from the Sun, the occurrence of Auroras (Northern light) and the VTF experiment at MIT have in common? VTF simulates the magnetic field explosions in the solar corona and the Earth's magnetosphere, unlocking the secrets of the most violent phenomena in our solar system.

Jan Egedal - Associate Professor of Physics


Exploring AP Phenom with Lasers

Jan/09 Wed 11:00AM-12:00PM NW17-218

Exploring Astrophysical Phenomenon with Lasers in the Laboratory: Unique, scaled laboratory experiments in laser-matter interactions have been used to explain and quantify properties of several astrophysical phenomena. The resulting discoveries provide important insight into frontier astrophysics and represent a significant advance in addressing critical astrophysics issues in the laboratory

Chikang Li - Research Scientist


Implosions Designed for Ignition on NIF

Jan/09 Wed 02:00PM-03:00PM NW17-218

The National Ignition Facility at LLNL is a 1.8 MJ, 192 beam laser designed to produce the conditions of temperature and density in compressed deuterium-tritium ice that theory predicted would produce thermonuclear ignition. Moving towards starting ignition experiments, NIF recently completed its first implosion campaign. Learn the results and what lies ahead.

Joe Kilkenny - Research Scientist


The Plasma-Wall Program on C-Mod Tokamak

Jan/10 Thu 11:00AM-12:00PM NW17-218

The C-Mod tokamak is a major magnetic fusion experiment located on the MIT campus.  It is the premier facility in the world for studying the interactions between the boundary plasma, operating at at temperatures above 1,000,000 K, with the first wall, made of material at ordinary temperatures.

 

Bruce Lipschultz - Research Scientist


Tour of Alcator C-Mod

Jan/10 Thu 01:30PM-02:30PM NW17-218

Visit the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, a well-tested approach to fusion research that has direct applications to ITER, the world's largest tokamak, currently under construction in France.

Session Leaders TBD


Hurricanes: The Relationship to Climate

Jan/14 Mon 11:00AM-12:00PM NW17-218

Hurricanes - Their Physics and Relationship to Climate: Hurricanes are elegant examples of heat engines operating very near Carnot's theoretical limit of efficiency. After describing the energetics, structure, and climatology of these storms, Prof. Emanuel will discuss how they change in response to changing climate.

Kerry Emmanuel - Cecil and Ida Green Professor


Taming Turbulence in Magnetized Plasmas

Jan/14 Mon 02:00PM-03:00PM NW17-218

Taming Turbulence in Magnetized Plasmas - From Plasmas for Fusion Energy to Black Hole Accretion Discs: Turbulence is usually the most important mechanism for transporting energy and mass in magnetized plasmas.  This talk will cover instabilities and turbulence in magnetized plasmas and their relevance to achieving magnetic confinement fusion in the laboratory, and to understanding processes in astrophysical plasmas.

Troy Carter - Associate Professor of Physics


Start a UNESCO Club at MIT!

Lina Cherrat, Undergraduate

Jan/24 Thu 05:00PM-06:00PM 56-154

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

While UNESCO clubs are very popular in Europe, with around 280 clubs in France, Spain and Germany alone, only a handful exist in the US. The purpose of such a club is to “defend and promote science, culture and education as a way of bringing people together”.

A UNESCO club has the following goals:
Informing both the members and the general public by disseminating information about national and world issues.

Taking action and implementing activities to promote and apply the values of UNESCO

A UNESCO club can undertake a large variety of projects such as the Tesla Memory project, political debates, humanitarian work, etc.

If you're interested in finding out more attend this session.  If you can't make it to the session contact Lina Cherrat lcherrat@mit.edu

Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Lina Cherrat, lcherrat@mit.edu


The Ins and Outs of Galaxy Clusters

Dr. Eric Miller, Research Scientist (MIT Kavli Institute), Dr. Michael McDonald, Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow (MIT Kavli Institute), Dr. Steve Kissel, Research Scientist (MIT Kavli Institute)

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None for talks; talks required to attend tour

Two talks and lab tour.

2:00-2:30pm TALK #1 -- Clusters of Galaxies: The Cosmic Melting Pot
Dr. Eric Miller (MIT Kavli Institute)

2:30-3:00pm  TALK #2 -- Black Hole Feedback Versus Cooling Flows - An Epic Battle in the Center of Galaxy Clusters 
Dr. Michael McDonald (Hubble Fellow, MIT Kavli Institute)

3:15-4:15pm Tour of the Chandra ACIS CCD Lab
Dr. Steve Kissel (MIT Kavli Institute)
In this tour, we will introduce the participants to the CCD detector development at MIT.

Enrollment limit for tour: 15 people, advance sign-up required; contact Dr. Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu).
Prerequisites: Attendance of talks preceding the tour.

For titles, abstracts, and details, please visit: http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Eric Miller and Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


Talk Title TBA

Jan/24 Thu 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

For title and abstract, see:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Dr. Eric Miller - Research Scientist (MIT Kavli Institute)


Talk Title TBA

Jan/24 Thu 02:30PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

See description:  http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Dr. Michael McDonald - Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow (MIT Kavli Institute)


Tour of the Chandra ACIS CCD Lab

Jan/24 Thu 03:15PM-04:15PM leave from 37-252

Tour of the Chandra ACIS CCD Lab
Dr. Steve Kissel (MIT Kavli Institute)
In this tour, we will introduce the participants to the CCD detector development at MIT.

Enrollment limit for tour: 15 people, advance sign-up required; contact Dr. Eric Miller (milleric@mit.edu).
Prerequisites: Attendance of talks preceding the tour.

Dr. Steve Kissel - Research Scientist (MIT Kavli Institute)


The Life Cycle of Stars

Dr. Norbert Schulz, Research Scientist (MIT Kavli Institute), Dr. Laura Lopez, Pappalardo Postdoctoral Fellow;Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Two talks:

(1)  The High Energy Lifestyle of Young Stars (Speaker: Norbert Schulz)

 

(2)  Dissecting the X-rays from Supernova Remnants  (Speaker:  Laura Lopez)

 

Please visit http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/ for a talk titles, abstracts, and details.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Eric Miller and Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU


The High Energy Lifestyle of Young Stars

Jan/29 Tue 02:00PM-02:30PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

The abstract and additional details are posted at http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Dr. Norbert Schulz - Research Scientist (MIT Kavli Institute)


Dissecting X-rays from Supernova Remnant

Jan/29 Tue 02:30PM-03:00PM Marlar Lounge 37-252

The abstract and additional details are posted at: http://space.mit.edu/home/milleric/iap2013/

Dr. Laura Lopez - Pappalardo Postdoctoral Fellow;Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow


Visualization in Science and Engineering Education

Violeta Ivanova, Program Leader and Instructor, ARTEMiS, Betsy Skrip, Lead Illustrator and Animator

Jan/30 Wed 02:00PM-05:00PM 2-147, Refreshments will be served

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 35 participants

The workshop will present principles and techniques for visual communication and will introduce tools and methods for creating visualizations of high aesthetic quality that accurately represent scientific and engineering concepts for education and research. Effective visualizations, including illustrations, 2D and 3D computer animations, movies, and games, will be analyzed and discussed in terms of visual structure, production workflow, software authoring tools, and media distribution formats. Examples will include visualizations in mathematics, physics, astronautics, biology, earth science, political science, and other fields, with an emphasis on visual media relevant to teaching and learning the MIT core curriculum both in a traditional classroom setting and via online educational platforms such as EdX. Topics will include:

·  Visual structure: composition, color, shape, rhythm, space, movement
·  Still images: illustrations, graphic design for print and web, data plots
·  Moving images: 2D and 3D computer animation, movies, games
·  Creative workflow: story development, production, curriculum integration
·  Technical issues: software, hardware, equipment, media file formats
·  Resources: finding good visualizations, working with artists, visual art training
·  Discussion: the role of visualization for education in the classroom and online

Please contact the ARTEMiS (web.mit.edu/artemis) visualization team (artemis-www@mit.edu) to reserve a spot, space is limited.

Sponsor(s): Office of Educational Innovation and Technology
Contact: Violeta Ivanova, NE48-308, artemis-www@mit.edu