Physics Research at UE

Biophysics   Professor Stamm's research is in protein structure and dynamics. Stamm is currently studying the structure and interactions of a cardiac muscle protein, phospholamban. Phospholamban is the key regulator of muscle relaxation in the heart and is thus a crucial target for therapeutic agents aimed at treating heart failure. Stamm has developed methods for producing and purifying large amounts of phospholamban, a necessary step for studying its molecular structure. High resolution experiments involving electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques are being used to test and refine atomic level models of phospholamban's molecular interactions. Deep insight into this important clinical question is gained when these experimental results are coupled with modern computer simulations. While integration with Computational Physics (Phys 340) is clear, this research is primarily applied to the interdisciplinary course in Biological Physics (Phys 322). Research involving molecular dynamics experiments and simulations accentuates the principles mastered in this and complementary courses in each of the natural sciences and leads to a wide variety of possible student projects.

High-Energy Astrophysics   Prof. Boone's research is in observational X-ray / γ-ray astronomy, and theoretical modeling of high-energy radiation signatures of relativistic outflows. Specifically, Boone is interested in understanding how such outflows produce their characteristic high-energy radiation. Active avenues of inquiry within Boone's research include analysis of observational data from a variety of satellite-based observatories including the Chandra X--Ray Observatory, INTEGRAL, RXTE, SWIFT, and in the future, GLAST. In addition, Boone is currently working on producing a full Monte Carlo model of the radiation mechanisms believed to be operating within these outflows. Boone expects the combination of this model with detailed observations to provide tremendous insight into these incredibly powerful and exotic formations. Boone's research projects spill over into a number of exciting topical courses within the major. Naturally, Astrophysics (Phys 320) benefits greatly from its close proximity to astrophysical research at UE. But an important complementary course is Cosmology (Phys 422). The huge influx of quality astrophysical data over the past decade has elevated the study of cosmology to an observational science. In particular, there are a number of key cosmological concepts that may be addressed through high-energy observations. In addition, the computational techniques employed in Boone's Monte Carlo simulations provide an excellent application for our course in Computational Physics (Phys 340).

Undergraduate Research Projects   Undergraduate research is an integral part of the Physics curriculum at the University of Evansville. Funds are available to students for conference travel to present research findings. UE physics majors have been well represented at both regional and national conferences. The University of Evansville Physics Department also encourages its students to seek research experiences funded by the NSF. There are many of these held each summer on campuses throughout the United States. Many students have had the opportunity to participate in these. Most REUs (Research Experience for Undergraduate) provide stipends for participating as well as some travel and room expenses. Participating in a REU fulfills part of the research requirement needed in order to graduate with a degree in Physics at UE. When the student returns to UE after participating in a REU he or she will give an average of two talks describing the methodology and results of the project he or she participated in over the summer. Information on NSF sponsored REUs is listed below.

Student	Project Name	Year	Performed at
Carrie Schindler	Electrospun PCL/CNF Scaffolds Coated with HA/BMP-2 for Localized Bone Reformation	2008	University of Alabama at Birmingham*
Maria Weber	Simulation of the Influence of Atmospheric Turbulence and Instrumentation on Solar Observations	2007	National Solar Observatory*
Sarah Bockting	Normal Subgroups of a Specific p-Group and Corresponding Doubly-Invariant Vector Subspaces	2006	University of Akron*
Mallory Walker	Laser Trapping and Cooling of Neutral Atoms	2006	University of Michigan*
Nick Armstrong	The Effect of Neutrino Mass on Supersymmetric Models	2003	Michigan State University*
Kimberly Scott	Variability of SiO Masers at 43 GHz in the Bipolar Nebula IRAS 19312+1950	2002	Maria Mitchell Observatory, Nantucket, MA*
Derick M. Tormohlen	Fermi National Accelerator Laboratories Experiment E-781	2003	Ball State University and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory*
Reijiro Matsuo	Critical Exponents for Percolation in Two Dimensions	2002	University of Evansville
Kimberly Scott	The Intrinsic Axial Ratios of Spiral Galaxies	2001	Cornell University*
Vassil Antonov	Simulation of Azimuthal Temperature Distribution in Experimental Capsule for Project SEE	2000	University of Tennessee, Knoxville, ORNL 1999*
Marc D. Mitchell	Surface Plasmon Resonance	2000	University of Evansville
Siddartha Naidu	Quantum Computing	2000	University of Evansville

A *Denotes Summer REU. The University of Evansville's Advantage site contains information on funding for student research at UE.

The NSF is the primary organization responsible for the coordination and funding of the various Research Experience for Undergraduates programs. The map on the right indicates the number and distribution of programs that come under the NSF umbrella and represent the bulk of the REU programs available. It is usually unecessary to contact the NSF (although contact info is listed below). Instead, find the programs that interest you in the NSF list of REUs and directly contact the program for information and application material. All NSF funded programs are closed to international students, who must instead look for independent REUs.