University of Florida | Department of Physics
Summer 2009 Research Program:
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
 

(This schedule is current as of May 20, 2009. There are still a few activities to be determined, and it is possible that some of the times may change.)

Sun May 24 noon       Earliest check-in time at the Keys Residential Complex. Upon check-in, pick up a Physics REU packet containing a welcome letter, campus map, etc.

WEEK 1
Tue May 26   First day of REU program
    10:00 am Campus tour for non-UF participants. Meet at main desk of the Keys Residential Complex.
    11:45 am Orientation meeting for all REU participants (2205 NPB)
    noon Welcome lunch in Physics for participants, faculty mentors, and departmental representatives (2205 NPB)
Wed May 27 11:30 pm Physics Computer Accounts Go to NPB 2148 for David Hansen to set up Physics department computer accounts. Please bring the Computer Account form from your folder. The Society of Physics Students (SPS) pizza lunch will be next week, but there are still leftovers from yesterday.
Wed May 27 1:00 pm Laboratory safety workshop led by Mark Yanchisin, UF Environmental Health and Safety. All REU participants must attend! (Meet in 2205 NPB.)
Fri May 29 3:00 pm REU Meeting: Prof. Mark Meisel will present an introduction to Biophysics followed by a laboratory tour. (Meet in 2165 NPB.)
Sat May 30   Cook-out at Lake Wauburg North Park. Food and drinks will be provided. Bring your Gator-1 card to allow admission to the park, as well as access to canoes, kayaks, volleyball equipment, etc.

The Physics van will leave from the Keys Complex around 11 a.m. You are welcome to set out later if you have your own transportation. Lunch will be served around 12:30.

Drivers: Head south on 13th Street (Highway 441) for about 8 miles. The entrance to the North Park is in the left-hand side of the road. Note: If you reach the entrance to the South Park, you have gone too far and should turn around.


WEEK 2
Wed June 3 TBA SPS Welcome lunch: The UF Society of Physics Students (SPS) will have a pizza lunch to welcome you to UF. (Meet in 2205 NPB.)
Fri Jun 5 3:00 pm REU Meeting: Getting into Graduate School, presented by Prof. Stephen Hagen, chair of the Physics Department's graduate recruiting and admissions committee. (Meet in 2165 NPB.)

WEEK 3
Fri Jun 12 1:00 pm REU Meeting: Visit to the McKnight Brain Institute. Meet in Physics Lobby at 12:30PM to walk over for tour at 1PM at the MBI. There will be a lecture on the physics of magnetic resonance imaging and an introduction to some of the research being performed at the Brain Institute, presented by Prof. Tom Mareci, and a tour of the Brain Institute's magnet facilities. (Meet in 2165 NPB.)

WEEK 4
Fri Jun 19 3:00 pm REU Meeting: Prof. Andrew Rinzler will provide an introduction to his research into the the electronic and optical properties of carbon nanotubes, followed by a tour of his lab. (Meet in 2165 NPB.)

WEEK 5
Mon Jun 22 3:00 PM Planning for Outreach Activity: John Mocko, who is in charge of lecture demonstrations for the Physics department, will review the possible demonstrations for the outreach activity on Wednesday. Meet in NPB 1002.
Wed Jun 24 9:00 AM Outreach Activity: for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Young Achievers Foundation.

WEEK 6
Tue Jun 30 all day Field Trip to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee. Meet at 8:50 a.m. in the parking lot in front of the Keys Complex (on the Stadium Road side of the complex). Lunch will be provided on our arrival at the Magnet Lab (around 11:30). We should get back to Gainesville by 7 p.m.

WEEK 7
Mon Jul 6 1–3 pm Communications workshop: First 2-hour session on scientific writing skills, led by Dr. Dianne Cothran, Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication (2165 NPB). The PowerPoint slides for the presentation are available here.

Important: Bring to this session a description (three or four well-organized paragraphs) of the purpose, plan, and scope of your REU research project. This description, which may eventually form the introduction to your end-of-project report, should be accessible to your non-expert peers. It should be prepared with a word processor (use whatever system you'll employ for preparing your final report) and printed double-spaced. Use of literature citations is optional.

Fri Jul 10 3:00 pm REU Meeting: Prof. Ivan Furic will speak on the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Following the talk there will be a lab tour of the high bay area where parts of the detector were tested before shipping to CERN. (Meet in 2165 NPB.)

WEEK 8
Mon Jul 13 1–3 pm Communications workshop: Second 2-hour session on scientific writing skills (2165 NPB).
Fri Jul 17 3:00 pm REU Meeting: Prof. Neil Sullivan will provide an introduction to the methods and goals of low-temperature physics. Afterwards, Prof. Sullivan will lead a tour of the Microkelvin Laboratory. (Meet in 2165 NPB.)

WEEK 9
Mon Jul 20 1:30–3:30 pm Communications workshop: First 2-hour session on oral communication skills, led by Dr. Stephanie Webster, Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication (2165 NPB)
Fri Jul 24 3:00 pm REU Meeting: TBA (2165 NPB).
Fri Jul 24 3:00 pm Deadline for submitting the first version of your end-of-project report to Christine Scanlon. Please bring two hard copies to 1210 NPB.

WEEK 10
Mon Jul 27 1:30–3:30 pm Communications workshop: Second 2-hour session on oral communication skills (2165 NPB)

During this session, you will be expected to deliver the introduction to your final presentation. More detailed instructions will be provided during the first session.

Wed Jul 29 1:00 pm Deadline for submitting final version of end-of-project report to Selman Hershfield (2138 NPB).
Student presentations will be scheduled over the next two days.
Fri Jul 31   Last day of REU program
    noon Closing Lunch
    1–3 pm Exit interviews conducted by Kevin Ingersent and Selman Hershfield
Sat Aug 1 noon Latest check-out time at the Keys Residential Complex

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