October 30, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Matt Nichols and Robbie Phelps, undergraduate student researchers at Western Kentucky University’s Applied Physics Institute, traveled to Newport News, Va., Oct. 10-13 for the Annual Meeting of the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society.
Nichols and Phelps presented posters displaying their work and research results they have accomplished at the API. Nichols’s presentation described decision-making algorithms for neutron-based threat detection systems; his faculty advisors are Dr. Alexander Barzilov and Dr. Ivan Novikov. Phelps spoke about the gamma-ray spectroscopy using LabVIEW; his faculty advisor is Dr. Doug Harper.
Each day the WKU students attended a series of presentations about current research given by nuclear scientists and engineers from around the world. They had an opportunity to network, share information and discuss their current research with other students and nuclear professionals.
Nichols and Phelps were awarded grants from the National Science Foundation Conference Experience for Undergraduates Program (NSF CEU). More than 300 students in the United States applied for this competitive grant while only one-third of applicants received it.
“This conference gave me an excellent opportunity to see the research that my colleagues are doing, and the research of professionals around the world who are trying to advance our energy standards and the overall knowledge of mankind,” said Nichols, a Bowling Green junior.
“It was a great way to network with people in the physics community. I learned a lot about graduate school opportunities and their current research efforts,” said Phelps, a Morgantown sophomore.
Representatives from governmental agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security and other national laboratories were present. Students, professors and graduate school recruiters from Rutgers University, Yale University, University of Kentucky and other schools attended the conference.
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For information, contact Anessia Loveless at (270) 781-3859.
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