WorldWorld--Class Research ProgramsClass Research ProgramsFrom fundamental to applied

Department of Physics and AstronomyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy

Research Expenditures per year (2004-2005): $5.25M- Most from external funding (NSF, DOE, DARPA etc)

Faculty Publications per year (2005-2006): over 200

National Ranking (NSF, 2004-2005): 43- out of 185 Ph.D. physics departments in the US

NSF CAREER awardsNSF CAREER awards

Sean Gavin2004 PECASE

Nuclear Physics

Peter Hoffmann2002

Condensed Matter Physics

Boris Nadgorny2002

Condensed Matter Physics

Alexey Petrov2005

Elementary particle physics

Gavin Lawes2007

Condensed Matter Physics

FIVE new physics faculty received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award in the last five years (most of any university in Michigan).

“The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program […] offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of […] those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education […].”

Education and Community ServiceEducation and Community ServiceWSU Physics research involves over 50 graduate students from more than 12 different countries and more than 20 undergraduate students.

High school and elementary school outreach activities have reached over 2,000 Detroit area students, teachers and parents over the past five years.

Continuing ExcellenceContinuing Excellence• Despite the current difficult fiscal climate, we continue to attract world-class funding, perform world class research and provide world-class outreach and education.

• Our research has applications in the development of new Ultra-fast (Quantum) computing, Nanotechnology, and fundamental questions of the Origin of the Universe.

• We have developed a new B.S. degree program in Biomedical Physics:

- Applications of physics to the life sciences and medicine. - Leads to medical school, medical physics, Bioengineering or other careers in the medical and life sciences.

- Funded in part by a private donor (Mr. Richard J. Barber)

• To continue and expand our excellent programs, we also rely on the full support of the university, especially with respect to building facilities.

Sean Gavin

NSFNSF--CAREER grant: Relativistic Heavy Ion Theory CAREER grant: Relativistic Heavy Ion Theory

Prestigious award Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at the White House. First at WSU!

Research: Nuclear TheoryQuark Soup from high energy nuclear collisions at Brookhaven National Laboratory in NYAn exotic liquid described by Quantum ChromodynamicsLast seen during the Big Bang!

Outreach: Course on the scientific method for K-12 teachersScience literacy for Detroit teachers of all disciplines -- and their students!

At WSU since 1998Promoted to Associate Professor w. tenure 2004Group: Currently 3 graduate students, 4 undergraduate studentsGraduated 2 Ph.Ds and 4 Masters students

Peter M. Hoffmann

NSFNSF--CAREER grant: SubCAREER grant: Sub--Angstrom Amplitude Atomic Angstrom Amplitude Atomic Force Microscopy: From Dissipation Imaging to Force Microscopy: From Dissipation Imaging to

Atomic ManipulationAtomic Manipulation

At WSU since 2001

Promoted to Associate Professor w. tenure 2006

Group: Currently 4 graduate students, 2 undergraduates and 1 post-doc. Graduated 1 Ph.D and 3 Masters students

Nano-science, Instrument development, Biomolecular Physics

Biomedical Physics and Materials Science program development

Career research: Atomic scale & molecular scale mechanics

Atoms of Silicon, image size 4nm

Outreach: Hands-on Lectures on Nanoscience to over 250 Students, Parents & Teachers.

Boris Nadgorny, Associate Professor

NSFNSF--CAREER grant: Spin Polarization Spectroscopy CAREER grant: Spin Polarization Spectroscopy of Complex Magnetic Materials and Spin Electronic of Complex Magnetic Materials and Spin Electronic

DevicesDevices

Joined Wayne State in 2001 after a postdoctoral position at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.

Currently supervising four graduate students and one postdoctoral fellow. Introduced senior research project for undergraduates in Physics. One of our most recent undergraduates, presented four papers based on this project.

Research area: Spintronics (for "spin-based electronics“). Spintronics is an emerging nanotechnology which exploits the quantum spin states of electrons as well as making use of their charge state. It has applications in ultra-fast (Quantum) computing. We are studying the new concepts, materials, and devices for spintronics. Quantum ComputingQuantum Computing

NSFNSF--CAREER grant: An Integrated Research and CAREER grant: An Integrated Research and Education Program in Physics of Heavy HadronsEducation Program in Physics of Heavy Hadrons

Alexey A Petrov

• Joined WSU in 2001 after a postdoctoral position at Cornell University

• Promoted to Associate Professor w. tenure 2006

• Group: currently 3 graduate students, 1 undergraduate and 1 postdoctoral associate

• Research: Theoretical elementary particle physics (matter/antimatter asymmetry of the Universe), computing in high energy physics

• Education and outreach: Project High School DiSCo (Distributed Scientific Computing), involving Detroit/Metro high school students and teachers in scientific computing projects, Internet distant learning

Gavin Lawes

NSFNSF--CAREER grant: CAREER grant: MagnetoelectricMagnetoelectric coupling in bulk coupling in bulk and thin film multiferroics and thin film multiferroics

Assistant Professor

Joined Wayne State in 2004 after a postdoctoral position at Los Alamos.

Supervising six graduate students, one undergraduate student, and one high school student.

Multiferroics will allow the development of new types of electronic devices, including better computer memory.

Gavin is working with the DCMST to develop new approaches to teaching current topics in physics to high school students.