Category: Physics
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Heidi Newberg, RPI – The Size of the Galaxy
This universe of ours is pretty big, and it might be bigger than we think. Heidi Newberg, astronomer and physicist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is studying the size of the galaxy. Dr. Heidi Newberg has worked in many areas of astronomy over the course of her career. She did her Ph.D. with the Berkeley Automated…
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Jay Pasachoff, Williams College – Today’s Total Solar Eclipse
There is a total solar eclipse today and Jay Pasachoff and his team are in direct position to observe this majestic cosmic phenomenon. Dr. Jay Pasachoff is Director of Hopkins Observatory, Chair of the Astronomy Department, and Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams. He earned his Ph.D. at Harvard and was one of the…
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Paul Matthew Sutter, Ohio State – Dark Energy
Paul Matthew Sutter is becoming a regular fixture on the WAMC airwaves having previously offered a fascinating piece on cosmological nothingness and talking with Bob Barrett on The Best of Our Knowledge last week. Today on The Academic Minute, Dr. Sutter, astronomer and physicist at Ohio State University, profiles dark energy. Dr. Paul Matthew Sutter…
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Jeremy England, MIT – Life’s Physical Origins
Can physics be the branch of science that finally figures out the origin of life on Earth? Jeremy England, a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is using physics and working to unravel the beginning of life. Jeremy England was born in Boston and grew up mostly in New Hampshire. After graduating…
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Ahmed Farag Ali – Big Bang Singularity
Is it possible that the universe had no beginning? New research from a team of physicists is questioning some Big Bang theories. Ahmed Farag Ali, a professor with many academic affiliations, discusses his findings. Ahmed Farag Ali, got his PhD in 2012 from University of Lethbridge, Canada and got in 2007 the ICTP Diploma from…
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Brad Hansen, UCLA – Finding Exo-Planets via The Transit Method
The search for life outside of our own solar system continues. Brad Hansen, physicist and astronomer at UCLA, explores a new method for locating habitable planets in deep space. Brad Hansen is a professor of physics and astronomy at The University of California Los Angeles. His principal research interest is the search for habitable extra-solar…
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Elizabeth Behrman, Wichita State University – Quantum Artificial Intelligence
We’re still trying to figure what consciousness is exactly. Elizabeth Berhman, a professor of physics and math, is working to create an artificial neural network. Elizabeth Behrman earned her PhD in physics in 1985 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is interested in almost everything. In addition to physics she also has degrees…
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Ron Mallett, UCONN – Theories of Time Travel
Are we getting closer to achieving time travel? According to Ron Mallett, the answer is theoretically yes. As we near the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, Dr. Mallet, a research professor of physics at UCONN, offers this inspiring account of studying time travel. Professor Ronald L. Mallett received his B.S., M.S.…
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Paul Matthew Sutter, Ohio State – Cosmological Nothingness
The concept of nothingness is very different in outer space. Paul Matthew Sutter, a theoretical physicist at The Ohio State, discusses nothing through the lens of cosmology. Dr. Paul Matthew Sutter is the INFN Fellow in Theoretical Physics at the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste and Visiting Scholar at Ohio State University. Paul received his Ph.D.…
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James Hanna, Virginia Tech – The Physics of Whirling Dervishes
Scientific inspiration sometimes comes from strange places. James Hanna, professor of mechanics at Virginia Tech, is studying the physics of whirling dervishes. James Hanna is a mechanician interested in the dynamics of very flexible structures, such as ropes, chains, flags, leaves, and paper. Dr. Hanna is an assistant professor in the department of Engineering Science…