The Department of Physics 50th Anniversary Celebration

Detailed Event Schedule | Parking | Hotels | Restaurants | Program (pdf)

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Detailed Event Schedule

Friday May 1, 2009
1:00-4:00pm	Registration	Physics Department Office
	Come by the Department Office and say hello. Be sure to pick up your packet, name tag, and, of course, some commemorative bling! Bring a few bucks if you want to buy the t-shirt. If you can't get here by 4:00pm, no worries. We'll get your stuff to you later.
2:00-4:00pm	Floyd English Scholarship Reception	Bell Memorial Union 210
	Floyd English was the first graduate of the Department of Physics. Every year his foundation bestows $50,000 of scholarships on the best and brightest science majors at CSU Chico. We have been invited to join the festivities. There will be light refreshments.
4:00-7:00pm	Dinner in small groups
	Since many of you will just be getting here Friday evening, we decided not to arrange dinner. Come by the Department Office and join a group heading for a downtown restaurant.
7:00pm-10:00pm	Wine & Cheese - Show & Tell	Physical Science Courtyard
	We want each of you to stand up and share something. Us education types might do a physics demo, while industry folks might show off a short video of their latest project, others might present an unusual physics toy they found, and some might just have a photo of their family. It will be a blast, but beware of the five minute gong! We will be welcomed by the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Dr. James Houpis. Adult beverages and an amazing array of hor d'oeuvres will be provided.
Saturday May 2, 2009
8:00-9:00am	Bagels, Sweet Rolls, Fruit, & Coffee	Physical Science Room 106
	A lovely spread of breakfast nibbles and some of the best light conversation you've had at this time on a Saturday morning in years!
9:00-9:15am	Welcome	Ayres 120
	Chris Gaffney, Physics Department Chair will kick off the day.
9:15-10:05am	Invited Presentation	Ayres 120
	"The Importance of Gamma-Ray Detector Energy Resolution for Homeland Security" Mr. Thomas Gosnell, Radiation Physicist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory The Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office has established numerous radiation detectors at U.S. ports of entry to identify the presence of radioactive threat materials entering the United States. Identification is done primarily by recognition of the unique gamma-ray signatures of radionuclides. We have completed the first systematic study of the gamma-ray detector energy resolution needed to unambiguously discriminate between threat sources and the many non-threat sources encountered in daily in commerce.
10:15-11:45am	Contributed talks	Physical Science lab rooms
	Time PS 104 PS 105 10:15-10:40am Life of a 1st Year Grad Student Ms. Tiara Diamond Physics Graduate Student Florida State University More Scientists and Engineers Please! Some ways to trick high school students into liking physics and pursuing scientific courses of study in college. Mr. David Atkinson Physics Teacher Lindhurst High School 10:45-11:10am Angels and Demons and Physics or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Media Mr. Brendan Diamond Physics Graduate Student Florida State University Electronic Part Reliability in Earth, Mars, and Jupiter Missions Mr. Joseph Piacentine Electrical Engineer Jet Propulsion Laboratory 11:15-11:40am Fusion Cross Sections to Internal Transport Barriers: An Overview of Tokamak Physics Mr. Eric Edlund Physics Graduate Student Massachusetts Institute of Technology Trains, More Than Bells & Whistles...You Gotta Have a One Track Mind! Mr. Tuka Gafari Union Pacific Railroad
Noon-1:00pm	Picnic lunch	Alumni Glen
	A terrific luncheon await us under the trees and next to the creek at the beatiful Alumni Glen.
1:15-1:30pm	CSU Chico President Dr. Paul Zingg	Ayers 120
	President Zingg has a few words to share with us on our special day.
1:30-2:20pm	Invited talk	Ayres 120
	"ElectroMagnetic Tools for Exploration" Dr. Thomas Nielsen, Chief Technology Officer, Quasar Geophysical Technologies The talk will give a brief overview of a number of past, present, and future electromagnetic sensing systems developed by the Quasar family of companies. Most of these systems will eventually end up on the seafloor, where they are used as exploration tools for hydrocarbons.
2:30-4:30pm	Contributed talks	Physical Science lab rooms
	Time PS 104 PS 105 2:30-2:55pm Electromagnetically Induced Transparency in GaAs Quantum Wells Mr. Tim Sweeney Physics Graduate Student University of Oregon Chemical Plant Process Improvement Mr. David Snyder Plant Superintendent Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC 3:00-3:25pm Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow Visualization with the Raman-shifted Eye-safe Aerosol Lidar (REAL) Dr. Shane Mayor Research Professor California State University, Chico The Anatomy of a Pitch: Using Pitch/FX Data from Major League Baseball Dr. David Kagan Professor of Physics California State University, Chico 3:30-3:55pm Trends in Optics and Lasers at Chico State Dr. Anna Petrova-Mayor Professor of Physics California State University, Chico Making a Case for Case Studies Ms. Lynda Klein Professor of Physics California State University, Chico 4:00-4:25pm Einsteinian Quantum Theory Dr. Tom Love Professor of Mathematics CSU Dominguez Hills Critical Thinking and You! Ramblings of a New Skeptic Mr. Andrew Fisher L-3 Communications
6:00-10:00pm	Banquet & Graduates Gala	CARD Center
	We will send this year's class of graduates off right with a program that highlights our alumni and friends. Fresh Approach Catering has a fabulous feast planned from hor d'oeuvres to dessert. The CARD Center is at 545 Vallombrosa Avenue.   Time Event 6:00-6:30pm Hor d'oeuvres and hosted bar 6:30-6:45pm Group photograph 6:45-7:30pm Let the feasting begin! 7:30-9:00pm Banquet Speaker: Dr. James Millerd Chief Technology Officer 4DTechnology "Grease Monkey to Quantum Mechanic: How Chico State and Physics Changed My Life." Scholarship Awards, Sigma-Pi-Sigma Installation, Recognition of Graduates

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Parking

In Chico? Are you kidding? Things are no better now than when you went to school. There are many lots with parking meters (50¢ per hour) on Friday, but free on Saturday. The city maintains this parking map.

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Hotels

Here are the names of some downtown hotels:

• The Hotel Diamond $$$
• The Grateful Bed & Breakfast $$$
• Vagabond Inn $
• Days Inn $
• Heritage Inn Express $

Here are some other hotels in Chico:

• The Heritage Inn $$
• Oxford Suites $$
• Courtyard by Marriott $$
• The Holiday Inn $$

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Restaurants

Here are the names of some downtown restaurants:

• Tres Hombres Mexican $
• Smokin' Moes Barbeque $
• Christian Michael's Ristorante Italian & California $$$
• Crush 201 Italian $$
• The Raw Bar Sushi $$
• Broadway Heights California Cuisine $
• House of Bamboo Thai $

Here are some other restaurants in Chico:

• The Red Tavern California Cuisine $$$
• Sierra Nevada Taproom & Restaurant Bar Food & California Cuisine $$
• Fifth Street Steak House Beef and Fish $$$
• Original Nash's Coffee Shop $

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