2025 Spring Zone 7 Meeting

Meeting Announcement

The Spring 2025 Zone Meeting for SPS Zone 7 was held on April 11-12, 2025, on the campus of Wright State University in conjunction with the Spring 2025 Meeting of the Eastern Great Lakes Section of the American Physical Society (EGLS APS).  The Wright State University SPS Chapter #8424 was the local host of the meeting. The theme of the meeting was "Multiscale Innovations in Applied and Fundamental Physics: Elevating Flight and Beyond," but contributions were accepted on any topic related to physics or astronomy.  

Registration

Registration for the meeting has closed. There was no cost for students to attend the meeting. However, to register for the EGLS APS meeting, students must set up a free APS account if they do not already have one. Free APS membership is also available for students who are first-time APS members (yes, it's really free!).  In particular,  please note that banquet ticket sales ended 3 weeks before the event (Friday, March 21).  EGLS APS generously subsidizes student banquet tickets, which are only $10.

Presentations & Posters

Students are encouraged but not required to present a poster or oral presentation. Students who wished to present a poster or talk needed to submit an abstract by Sunday, March 23, at 5:00 pm EDT. EGLS APS gave awards for the best poster and oral presentation given by undergraduate students. 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!  

Students who are preparing to present during the meeting are recommended to review the videos by past SPS zone meeting presenter Lisa McDonald from the American Ceramic Society on giving effective oral presentations or poster presentations.

Student Travel Scholarships

A limited number of EGLS APS student travel scholarships were available for undergraduate students traveling to the meeting from outside of the Dayton, Ohio, area to attend the meeting.  Travel scholarships were limited to one per institution and cover up to $100 in travel costs. Based on need, the section's Executive Committee considered scholarship applications on a case-by-case basis. Applicants were encouraged to team up with other meeting attendees for travel and lodging purposes and must register for the meeting to be eligible for a travel scholarship. Students had to attend the meeting in person to receive their scholarship. Applications for the travel scholarships have closed.

Zone Meeting Schedule

The meeting schedule is listed below (last updated 28 March 2025).  Any updates were posted here and on the Wright State University meeting page, which also has maps and a list of keynote speakers.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Noon-1:30 pm: Check-in and Registration [Front Entrance, Student Union]

1:35-2:35 pm: EGLS Invited Speaker [Apollo Room]

Kathy Koenig, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics, University of Cincinnati
"Enhancing Student Learning and Sense of Belonging through Interactive Web-Based Tutorials

2:45-3:00 pm: Poster Setup [Apollo Room and Endeavor Room]

3:00-5:00 pm: Contributed Poster Session and Light Refreshments [Apollo Room and Endeavor Room]

5:05-6:05 pm: EGLS Invited Speaker [Apollo Room]

Nicholas J. Morley, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, High Power Photonics, Air Force Research Lab
"High Energy Laser Beam Control - Aero-Optics and Opto-Mechanics at its Best"

6:10-7:10 pm: SPS Zone 7 Meeting Kick-off Event [Atlantis Room] (also live streamed)

This event was an opportunity for students to introduce themselves, meet fellow students across the zone, and find out more about the programs and activities of the Society of Physics Students.  This event was chaired by Associate Zone Councilor Jacob Callebs (Wayne State University) and Zone Councilor Ronald Kumon (Kettering University). Everyone, including faculty and other professionals, was welcome to attend.  A recording of the livestream has been posted to the SPS Zone 7 YouTube channel.

7:15-9:15 pm: Banquet [Apollo Room]

The banquet included remarks by student Spoogmay Khan from Ohio University about American Physical Society's Student Ambassadors program.

9:15-10:30 pm: SPS Game Night [Student Union Atrium] (snacks will be provided)

Saturday, April 12, 2025

8:00-8:30 am: Coffee and refreshments [Room 109, Oelman Hall]

8:30-9:30 am: Welcome and EGLS APS Invited Speaker  [Room 109, Oelman Hall]

Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics, The Ohio State University
"Molecular Materials for Quantum Information Science and Engineering"

9:40-11:05 am: Contributed Oral Presentations [Oelman Hall]

11:15 am-12:15 pm: EGLS APS Invited Speaker [Room 109, Oelman Hall]

Matthew Grasinger, Ph.D.
Research Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory
"Careers and Research at the Intersection of Statistical Physics and Aerospace Composites"

12:15-12:45 pm: Closing Remarks and Awards Presentations [Room 109, Oelman Hall]

Zifeng Yang, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor & EGLS APS Chair, Wright State University

1:00-3:00 pm: SPS Pizza Lunch [Student Union]

This event was free for students and chapter advisors.

Thank you to everyone who attended!

At least 30 undergraduate students and several faculty members attended the zone meeting events from at least 14 chapters.  Chapters in attendance included Grove City College, Kettering University, Lawrence Technological Unversity, Marietta College, Michigan State University, Oakland University, Ohio University, Ohio Northern University, University of Akron, University of Dayton, University of Toledo, Wayne State University, Wright State University, and Youngstown State University.  We thank the Wright State University chapter for providing a report about the meeting.

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