Lawrence University Physics Department

06/10/2020

The Lawrence University Physics Department Faculty join thousands of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academics world-wide in today’s , , and . We will not perform any regular scholarly and service activities on this day; instead the members of the department will reflect, research, and take action on the systemic oppression and racism in STEM disciplines, especially physics and engineering. We recognize that this is just the beginning of a process to address historic anti-Black bias in the sciences, and so we commit ourselves to further, continuing action in our department and the university.

Over the last several years, the Physics Department has worked in partnership with the other STEM departments at Lawrence towards inclusive excellence, particularly in our introductory classes. We have worked hard to uncover hidden curricula, unconscious biases, and structural impediments that act as barriers to many students who wish—and deserve—to succeed in STEM. During this day of reflection and action, we commit to listening, learning, and creating a strategic plan to address institutional racism in our discipline, while acknowledging we are part of that system.

While we encourage all our students to act on matters of conscience, we also recognize that the timing of this event falls rather unfortunately for those of us at the end of a term system, and on the last day of finals—and, further—the day before final grades are due for graduating students. We therefore encourage our students to finish any finals work as scheduled, and to set aside some time on Thursday as an alternative day of reflection and action.

We are living through extremely turbulent, difficult times. The injustices we seek to recognize and overcome have always been there, and it is our hope that the work we do here, and that our students will continue to do at Lawrence and beyond, will make this country and the world a better, more humane place. We are thankful for and value our students and all the contributions they bring to Lawrence.
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Megan K. Pickett
Associate Professor of Physics and Chair
Department of Physics
Lawrence University

Strike for Black Lives

04/06/2020

Chair's Welcome for Spring Term

04/01/2020

Coming soon.

02/16/2020

Doodles with a Purpose! Lawrence University English Department--Something of a passing resemblance to the lines in Tristram...

Fans of particle physics often encounter a series of doodles called Feynman diagrams. These mystifying scribbles were invented by Richard Feynman and they en...

02/08/2020

We are losing a precious natural resource, several hundred launches at a time.

Like SpaceX, the company aims to build a constellation of internet satellites, but its orbiters could interfere with telescopes on Earth.

01/30/2020

An insightful article from Greg Laughlin. In the mid- to late 1990's, Greg and I were part of the small but energetic Center for Star Formation Studies consortium comprised of UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, and NASA Ames. -MP

Big-data statistics have revealed, among other things, that our own solar system is kind of an oddball.

01/29/2020

To honor the brave astronauts lost their lives in the Challenger disaster, The Rentals, an American rock band fronted by Matt Sharp (best known for his work as a bassist in Weezer), released a song…

01/27/2020

It's no secret that many of us in physics and astronomy were inspired, at some point, by some version of Star Trek (one of us wears it literally on her sleeve). Last week, an important side character from one of the few good 2nd season episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Measure of a Man) is mentioned in the new Picard series--Bruce Maddox. In the world of STTNG, Commander Maddox attempted to use Data to create more androids, and so much is made of sentience and "disposable people."

As it turns out, the actor who portrayed (will reprise?) Commander Maddox teaches at Caltech, which I find lovely: A star trek actor teaching theater arts at one of the most rigorous and prestigious schools for science and engineering.

These are the voyages, indeed.

BRIAN BROPHY is a twenty-five year veteran actor in the film/TV/theater industry, and is in his tenth year as Director of Caltech Theater. He has directed over fifty plays around the world and is a thirty-year veteran actor in the film/TV/theater industry. His roles in A Day Without a Mexican, Cra...

01/24/2020

Yet another--and well written--story about Betelgeuse. I've gone out every clear night to look at my old friend Orion in the sky, with its dimmed shoulder struggling to compete in the night sky it once dominated--like an aging athlete with a rotator cuff injury, soldiering on. Once the bright center of an asterism* of the brightest winter stars called the Winter Spiral, the "Shoulder of the Giant" is no longer even in the top 20 brightest stars in the night sky.

Extra bonus: Stella Kafka, one of the astronomers interview in the article, went to graduate school at Indiana University with me! -MP

... or, well, maybe not for 100,000 years

01/24/2020

A self-proclaimed “space nerd,” Emma Lehnhardt, Gateway’s Program Planning and Control manager, leads a team responsible for the business operations of the Gateway.

Lehnhardt supports NASA’s need for more graduates from the STEM fields but also believes the agency needs more policy experts, accountants, lawyers, artists and English majors! https://go.nasa.gov/2NNDt9z

01/24/2020

01/16/2020

The Bjorklunden seminars have been announced, and Professor Pickett will be teaching an astronomy course during the last week of July. Follow the link for more information.

Of course the description includes references to Wordsworth. That's the Lawrence Difference in a nutshell.

On a clear night, far from the light and the rush of the city, you can see thousands of stars. They tell our stories, guide our way, and quietly mark time. From a twinkle of light, the stars reveal something much more: the history of our celestial home, the Universe. From the formation of our planet...