National Science Foundation gives career boost to professors
Two professors in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering have won prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) awards for young faculty members. Matthew Escarra, an assistant professor of engineering physics, and Eliot Kapit, an assistant professor of physics, are two of approximately 500 recipients from across the country to receive the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which provides $520,000 over five years in support of early career research and education vision.
Stargazers Flock to Reopened Jones Hall Observatory
March 2nd, almost 100 people attended the Physics Department’s re-opening of the Tulane Jones Hall Observatory to the public for the first time since 2014. The event was a coordinated effort between Society of Tulane University Cosmic Observers (STUCO) and faculty members Dan Purrington and Lev Kaplan. PEP students formed STUCO to demonstrate that there was still a passion for astronomy in the Tulane community. STUCO hopes to open the Observatory again for future public viewings, and eventually prove the demand for reinstituting astronomy classes.
Engineering Physics Graduate Carries Blues Torch
Engineering Physics major Wade Hilts met Little Freddie King his freshman year at the Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street and never looked back. Wade had the opportunity to speak to Little Freddie after the show, and the two forged a bond over Blues that lasted for the duration of Wade's college career. Wade was even invited to play supporting guitar with trio Little Freddie, Lightnin' Lee, and Alabama Slim. Wake still does gigs with Lightnin' Lee and is a lifetime Blues fan.
Oldest Living Newcomb Alumna Looks Back
The oldest living Newcomb alumna, Mary Lou Lanier Fife, graduated from Newcomb College with a degree in Physics over 80 years ago. The Physics Department at Tulane, which was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of LA, has been in existence since 1850 when Claudius Wistar Sears was appointed professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy and Dean of the Collegiate Department. Newcomb was founded in 1886 as the women’s college of Tulane, and the Physics Department is proud to call Newcomb’s oldest alumna one of its own.
Tulane Researchers Awarded Grant to Develop Smart Polymers
The Tulane scientists — Hank Ashbaugh, Wayne Reed, Scott Grayson, and Bruce Gibb — are part of the Louisiana-Mississippi Consortium, which will develop new experimental and computational tools for accelerating development of smart polymers used to create materials for targeted drug delivery, self-healing materials that recover from damage and nano-composites that resist bacterial growth.
Summer Research Colloquium
On Friday, August 29, the Physics and Engineering Physics Department held a Summer Research Colloquium to celebrate all of the exciting work going on in the department. The event featured twenty-seven researchers who presented their summer findings in the form of a talk or a poster. Research was presented from both on-campus and off-campus laboratories. Topics ranged from neutron science and many-body physics to new types of energy storage and high performance transistors.
A Materials Boom at Tulane
Tulane University's Physics and Engineering Physics (PEP) Department is undergoing a major expansion in the area of materials science and engineering, a field that is both as old as human civilization and a critical focus area for 21st century technological advancement. The department has a recent history of strength in this area, and the focused growth in faculty, research, educational programs, and infrastructure is designed to make Tulane's program an internationally recognized center of excellence.
