The first organizational meeting was held on Wednesday, August 30th. The officers introduced themselves and some of the activities we'll be doing this year. Those include field trips, Engineering Open House (EOH) projects, faculty talks, pizza outings and more. (Stay tuned to this page for further details.) Ice cream was made with liquid nitrogen and, beginning a new tradition for Physics Society meetings, there was an explosion. If the first meeting is any indication, this looks to be a great year for Physics Society!
Also mentioned at the first meeting was the Physics Van project, a group of U of I students who go out to local schools to get kids excited about science. Visit their Web page and get involved!
The Physics Society held a picnic at Illini Grove. Burgers and brats were served, and drinks were provided as well. A few more people paid their dues (including me!), but there may be a few other there who haven't yet. C'mon, it's for a good cause! :-) Pictures (other than the one below) of the event are on the way, so stay tuned...
On Wednesday, September 13 Professor Dave Hertzog gave a talk on the g-2 experiment at Brookhaven Lab in New York. The purpose of the experiment is to measure the magnetic moment of the muon to an unprecedented degree of accuracy. The work on the experiment has been going on for years, and it won't actually be performed for some time yet. Prof. Hertzog's excellent explanation of the experiment's design and theory (that even this non-physics major could understand) as well as his characteristic humor really made attending his talk worthwhile for everyone. (Picture on the way...hopefully.)