Quarks are the smallest things that science has discovered, shown experimentally to be about a million billion times smaller than a grain of sand. Tatiana Proksch, Luther College junior of Santa Barbara, California, is researching the physics of quarks and the forces by which they interact for her summer research project at the college.
Messier 23, also known as M23, is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. Madilyn Heinke, Luther College junior of Seymour, Wisconsin, is researching and observing Eclipsing Binary stars and Long Period Variable stars in M23 as part of her summer research at the college.
As technology continues to get smaller, there is a need to know the wear properties of objects on the nanoscale. Jared Barnes, Luther College senior of Fort Worth, Texas, is researching and analyzing the effects of nanoscale wear for his summer research project at the college.
Kevin Honz '18, has been awarded two prestigious scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year: the Rossing Physics Scholarship and the Goldwater Scholarship.
The Luther College Physics and Chemistry departments invite community members to experience optical illusions and laser displays and enjoy the mystifying side of science during their Haunted Lab from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, and 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
Luther College junior Caleb Anderson of Rockford, Illinois, received a Rossing Physics Scholarship Honorable Mention award in the amount of $5,000 for the 2016-17 academic year. The scholarship is highly competitive and is awarded annually to physics students of exceptional merit through the Thomas D. Rossing Fund for Physics Education.
Luther College President Paula Carlson and Dean of the College Kevin Kraus have announced promotions and grants of tenure for current faculty members.
The Luther College Physics and Chemistry departments invite community members to experience optical illusions and laser displays, make rockets and enjoy the mystifying side of science during their Haunted Lab from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
Whether building a pyramid or designing an engine, friction has long been a prominent factor in human innovation. Inventors must take into account the effects of friction on materials. Jesse Hitz Graff, Luther College senior of Winona, Minnesota, is experimenting with aluminum oxide to determine how the compound fares when friction is taken into account in certain technologies.
Todd Pedlar, Ph.D., Luther College associate professor of physics, has received a $150,000, grant renewal from the National Science Foundation for his research in elementary particle physics.
The Luther College chapter of the Society of Physics Students will host their annual Haunted Lab from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, in the basement of Valders Hall of Science. The Haunted Lab boasts classic physics favorites and new Halloween-themed physics demonstrations to play with and be amazed by.
An article in Radiations (the publication of the physics honors society Sigma Pi Sigma) was published in Spring 2014 about Luther Physics department activities, past and present.