Department of Physics
Department News
Part-time Lecturer Opening
The Department of Physics at Boston College is looking to hire a part-time lecturer for the academic year 2012-2013 to teach our calculus-based introductory physics course. The lecturer will be responsible for two sections of this large course geared towards biology and premedical program students, as well as for coordinating the efforts of the course teaching assistants. A Ph.D. in physics and previous teaching experience are required, and experience teaching an introductory physics course is preferred. Please send a letter of application and CV to physics@bc.edu, and arrange for two reference letters specific to teaching experience to be sent as well. Evaluation of applications will continue until the position is filled.
Improved Semiconductor Performance
Physics Professor Zhifeng Ren (left), graduate student Bo Yu and their MIT colleagues report improving the performance of a bulk alloy semiconductor, an advance that could yield broader clean energy applications.
News release | PhysOrg, Nanowerk LLC, R&D Magazine, The Next Big Future
"Blackbody" of Energy Research
A designer metamaterial has shown it can engineer emitted "blackbody" radiation with an efficiency beyond the natural limits imposed by the material's temperature, a team of researchers led by Physics Associate Professor Willie Padilla report in the current edition of Physical Review Letters. Nanowerk News, Science Daily
“Painting with Drops, Jets, and Sheets” is the featured article in the June 2011 issue of Physics Today
An article co-written by Research Associate Professor Andrzej Herczynski titled, “Painting with Drops, Jets, and Sheets” is the featured article in the June 2011 issue of Physics Today. Professor Herczynski collaborated with Boston College Art History Professor Claude Cernuschi and Harvard Professor of Applied Mathematics L. Mahadevan. The article offers a fluid dynamics analysis of various modes of gravity-assisted painting as well as some general comments at the intersection of art and physics.
Collaborator Receives 2010 William Crookes Prize
Dr. Zoltan Donko, a collaborator of Boston College Physics Professor Gabor J. Kalman, was awarded the 2010 William Crookes Prize for plasma physics.
Jack Wimberley from the class of 2011 is the recipient of the inaugural George J. Goldsmith Award.
Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J. Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
Ultrasensitive Biosensor Can Detect Proteins, Aid in Illness Diagnosis, BC Scientists Report
A cluster of carbon nanotubes coated with a thin layer of protein-recognizing polymer form a biosensor capable of using electrochemical signals to detect minute amounts of proteins, which could provide a crucial new diagnostic tool for the detection of a range of illnesses, a team of Boston College researchers report in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
BC News | Nature Nanotechnology | APS | DCMP
Boston College Scientists Use Nanoscale Architecture to Make Efficient Solar Cell
A nano-scale solar cell inspired by the coaxial cable offers greater efficiency than any previously designed nanotech thin film solar cell by resolving the "thick & thin" challenge inherent to capturing light and extracting current for solar power, Boston College researchers report in the current online edition of the journal Physica Status Solidi.
The Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program will not run Summer 2011 but check back for Summer 2012. REU Program Website »
Facilities Tour
The Department of Physics offers its students and faculty a variety of research facilities, including a nanofabrication clean room, metamaterial laser, and scanning tunneling microscope. Facilities Tour »
SEMINARS AND COLLOQUIA
The department hosts many seminars and colloquia throughout the school year.
Research Spotlight
Vidya Madhavan's Lab
Associate professor Vidya Madhavan’s lab focuses on experimental studies of correlated electron systems and magnetic systems with low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, spectroscopy, and spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy.
alumni update
Dr. Joseph B. Reagan, BS’56, MS’59, passed away unexpectedly on August 14, 2011. Dr. Reagan was a loyal and proud Eagle alumnus. He returned to BC often to visit and meet with colleagues in the field. In 2010, Dr. Reagan was the Magde Colloquium speaker. He was one of only two BC Physics alumni, and the only graduate of the undergraduate program, to become a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and went on to become the Chairman of the Aerospace Engineering Division of the NAE.
MULTIMEDIA
Close-Up: The Log
Article From Boston College Magazine
Eleven days in the life of Boston College's Integrated Sciences Clean Room and Nanofabrication Facility.
Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?
Video From Front Row
Nobel Laureate Sheldon Glashow of Boston University discusses the role of serendipity in the nature of pure science.