2022 Fall Zone 7 Meeting

Meeting Announcement

The Fall 2022 Zone Meeting for SPS Zone 7 will be held in person on October 21-22, 2022, on the campus of Lawrence Technological University in conjunction with the Fall 2022 Meeting of the Eastern Great Lakes Section of the American Physical Society (EGLS APS), the Fall 2022 Meeting of the Michigan Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, and an Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) workshop. The meeting will be locally hosted by the Lawrence Technological University SPS chapter. There is no cost for students to attend  the zone meeting, but you do need to register at the meeting's web site, which also contains information about travel and accommodations. 

You need to set up a free APS account to register for the EGLS APS meeting. Additional information about student registration is posted on the "Registration and Abstract Submission" tab at the meeting's web site along with information about accommodations and travel. Note that free APS membership  is available for students who are first-time APS members (yes, it's really free!), so you might as well join!

Students who are not presenting at the EGLS APS meeting do not need to be an APS or SPS member to participate in the SPS zone meeting activities (except for the banquet).  But, of course, we encourage all students to join SPS to take advantage of its great benefits!

A limited number EGLS APS Travel Grants up to $100 were available for students (mostly undergraduate students).  The grants will cover expenses for traveling to the meeting from outside of the metro Detroit area.  Travel scholarships are limited to one per institution. The application due date for these grants is October 7.

Zone Meeting Schedule

Zone meeting events were scheduled in conjunction with other events on the EGLS APS/MI-AAPT meeting schedule to enable students to attend as many of those sessions as possible. 

Friday, October 21, 2022

 12:30-4:00 pm:  Plenary Sessions I and II

The plenary sessions featured presentations by

• Filomena Nunes, Michigan State University, "Nuclear Reactions for Astrophysics: What's New"

• Xandria Quichocho, Texas State University, "People Like Me: Intersectional Physics Development of Multiply-Marginalized Students"

• Emily Rauscher, University of Michigan, "A New Era of Three-Dimensional Maps of Exoplanet Atmospheres"

• Ilias Cholis, Oakland University, "The Current Status of WIMP Dark Matter Searches"

A video of the Friday plenary sessions has been posted.

4:00-4:45 pm:   Zone 7 Meeting Kick-off Event

The Zone Meeting Kick-off Event gave students a chance to meet other  members of the zone and find out about the latest information about programs and activities of SPS National. Associate Zone Councilor, Rebecca Abbott-McCune, and Zone Councilor, Prof. Ronald Kumon, provided an overview of the latest news, events, and programs from the SPS National Council.  We livestreamed the kick-off event via Zoom for people who were not able to make it to the meeting in person.  

An edited video recording of the Zoom session is available on the SPS Zone 7 YouTube page. The slides from the presentation have also been posted. Attendees including students, alumni, and faculty from Bowling Green State University, Case Western Reserve University, Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Kettering University, Lawrence Technological University, Marshall University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio University, and Wayne State University.

4:45-6:45 pm: Poster Session

A total of 24 posters were presented at the poster session, with most of the presenters being undergraduate students. Congratulations go out to the undergraduate poster award winner, Eric Johnson from the College of Wooster.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

8:15 am-9:45 am: Contributed Oral Presentations

A total of 21 oral presentations were were made including several presented by undergraduate students. Congratulations go out to the undergraduate presentation award winner, Mahal Wanner from Ohio University.

10:00-10:45 am:  "Careers in Physics" by Alexis Knaub

Alexis Knaub, Ph.D., is a consultant, evaluator, and researcher in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.  Her work involves topics such as sustainability and adoption of projects/innovations, equity and inclusion, research practices, and social experiences in education. She is a co-PI on a grant to encourage data science education in the context of physics (DSECOP) and project manager for the a project to create systemic, structural change in equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM fields (Physics and Astronomy SEA Change), among other projects.  Dr. Knaub spoke about careers in physics and also answered questions.  

A video of Dr. Knaub's talk has been posted (approx. 7:22 to 47:44). The slides from her talk along with some additional notes on physics careers resources have also been posted.  

10:45-1:20 pm: MI-AAPT Keynote & Plenary Sessions III 

These sessions featured presentations by

• Vashti Sawtelle, Michigan State University, "Research on Inclusive Practices: Supporting Two-Year College Transfer Students in the Physics Community (MI-AAPT Keynote)

• Nausheen Shah, Wayne State University, "The Naturally Unnatural Standard Model of Particle Physics"

• Rajesh Kuma, Kent State University, "Constraints on the Equation of State of Dense Matter Inside Compact Stars"

A video of these presentations has been posted (54:17 to end).

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend the meeting!

Over 25 undergraduate students from at least 11 chapters across the zone attended the meeting, making it our most successful zone meeting in recent years.  Chapters in attendance included Bowling Green State University, Case Western Reserve University, Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Kettering University, Lawrence Technological University, Marshall University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio University, and Wayne State University. A report on the meeting, including photos from the event, has been posted.  

Check back on the SPS Zone 7 web site for announcements about future zone meetings.