News

Brigita completed her Ph.D. study on the Landau theory of ferroelectric liquid crystals at the J. Stefan Institute and University in Ljubljana, Slovenia. From 1994 to 2008 she worked at Boston University on several computational physics topics: self-organized criticality, application of statistical physics methods to Alzheimer's disease and aging. Her current research interests are (a) development and application of statistical physics methods to neuroscience of Alzheimer's disease and normal aging; and (b) application of discrete molecular dynamics simulations to study folding and aggregation of proteins associated with disorders, such as Alzheimer's amyloid beta protein and Parkinson's alpha-synuclein, as well as other proteins, such as mucin.

Dr. Luis Cruz Cruz, received his PhD at MIT. His research interests are the study of: (a) the loss of spatial organization of neurons in the aged brain using density maps, (b) the folding of the Alzheimer amyloid beta protein using all-atom molecular dynamics, (c) growth of plaques in Alzheimer's disease using cellular automata models, and (d) fluid flow through porous media using lattice models.

Dr. Jelena Maricic, Assistant Professor of Physics is the recipient of the 2008 Antelo Devereux Award for Young Faculty. Congratulations!

Weijun Weng has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled "Universal Metastability of Sickle Hemoglobin Polymerization" in May 2008. CONGRATULATIONS WEIJUN!

Dr. Roberto Ramos, Assistant Professor of Physics is the recipient of the 2008 Allen Rothwarf Award for Teaching Excellence. Congratulations!

Dr. Frank Ferrone will speak at a Symposium in Honor of William A. Eaton "New Challenges in Protein Science" to be held in Parma, Italy, June 4-6, 2008. Dr. Ferrone will present "Sickle hemoglobin polymerization: Lessons for protein association diseases". Dr. Ferrone has been selected to receive a Drexel "International Travel Award" to support his participation in this conference.

Physics Junior Alyssa Wilson achieved national distinction as a recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Alyssa was among 321 sophomores and juniors who were recognized for success in math and sciences, chosen from among 1,035 nominees for the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Based on Alyssa's nomination as a Senior Scholar, she will receive $7,500 (maximum award) toward her education. This Scholarship Program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. CONGRATULATIONS ALYSSA!!

Erica Caden, Ph.D. candidate in physics has been invited to participate in the "58th Meeting of Nobel Laureates." The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings provide a globally recognized forum for the exchange of knowledge between Nobel Laureates and young researchers. These young researchers belong to the scientific elite of their respective countries, and have passed a multi-stage international selection procedure. Erica passed the final selection from this pool of Best Talents and she is one of the 500 best applicants to receive an invitation (more than 20,000 young researchers apply to attend each Meeting). The meeting will be held in Lindau Germany, on Lake Constance from June 29 through July 4, 2008. CONGRATULATIONS ERICA!!

CoAS Research Day: Congratulations Jeff Blomquist for the award! Please click here for pictures of the event.

The Department of Physics mourns the passing of Dr. Maria Rotter, Research Assistant Professor. She passed away unexpectedly on April 6, 2008. Maria was a valuable member of the Biophysics research team. She will fondly be remembered by her warm smile, wisdom, and caring nature.

Professor Robert Gilmore has published a new book, "Lie groups, Physics, and Geometry: An Introduction for Physicists, Engineers and Chemists", (Cambridge University Press, January 2008).

Dr. Robert Gilmore received the "Outstanding Referee" award from the American Physical Society. This is a highly selective award that recognizes scientists who have been exceptionally helpful in assessing manuscripts for publication in the APS journals. The selection of "Outstanding Referees" was made based on two decades of database records on over 50,000 referees (some no longer in active service) who have been called upon to review manuscripts, of which 33,000 were submitted in 2007. Most of the referees chosen in this inaugural year have given dedicated service for many years. In this first year of the program the lifetime of work contributed by a referee was emphasized. In future years, the focus will be on the more recent work of referees.

For the second year in a row, the Drexel University chapter of the Society of Physics Students has received the Marsh W. White Outreach Award for the proposal submitted by Vede Ramdass and William Stephenson. The Marsh W. White Awards are made to Society of Physics Students Chapters "to support projects designed to promote interest in physics among students and the general public." The Drexel SPS have been involved in several outreach activities to promote physics awareness to high school students and the community.

John Parejko, graduate student in physics, won Honorable Mention for best student poster at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin, Texas for his work on "Soft X-ray Properties of Ordinary SDSS Galaxies" in collaboration with Michael Vogeley, associate professor of physics, and colleagues.

Prof. Jelena Maricic, Assistant Professor of Physics has been awarded a $600,000 CAREER Grant from the National Science Foundation for her project entitled "Enhancing the Precision of the Double Chooz Experiment by Calibration with an Articulated Robotic Arm". NSF offers these highly-competitive grants "in support of the early career development of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization."

Professor Gordon Richards received the prestigious 2007 Sloan Research Fellowship Award. This is an extraordinarily competitive award which recognizes outstanding young scientists. The Sloan Research Fellowships are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified fields of science. Dr. Richard was 1 of only 3 to receive this award in astrophysics; 22 awards were given in Physics.