Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Joint Spring 2016 Meeting of the Texas Sections of APS, AAPT, and Zone 13 of the SPS
Volume 61, Number 3
Thursday–Saturday, March 31–April 2 2016; Beaumont, Texas
Session B3: SPS Session - Undergraduate Research |
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Chair: Tim Head, Abilene Christian University Room: 214 |
Friday, April 1, 2016 10:30AM - 10:54AM |
B3.00001: How can the Society of Physics Students national organization help you, your chapter, and your department? A primer on maximizing the impact of your affiliation. Invited Speaker: Timothy Head This talk will discuss ways the Society of Physics Students (SPS) can help you to grow professionally by utilizing tools available through programs from the national organization. An overview of current programs and deadlines will be given with discussion of ideas and opportunity for networking. The talk will also discuss ways SPS national can help chapters and departments prosper. SPS chapter officers and advisors are especially encouraged to attend. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 10:54AM - 11:06AM |
B3.00002: Future Faces of Physics at Texas Lutheran University: The SYS-S.T.E.M. Program Maegan Idrogo, Vanessa Espinoza, Edward Scott, Toni Sauncy The Texas Lutheran University chapter of the Society of Physics Students (TLU SPS) has recently increased outreach efforts by partnering with a local after school program, Seguin Youth Services. The program, ``SYS-S.T.E.M.'' is funded by the Future Faces of Physics award program, administered by the SPS national office. TLU SPS was the recipient of a SPS Future Faces of Physics award to carry out a series of mentoring sessions in which TLU undergraduate physics students work with small groups of elementary school students to conduct hands-on physics labs. We will report on the Future Faces of Physics program on how our efforts are unfolding. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 11:06AM - 11:18AM |
B3.00003: Spectroscopic Analysis of Doped Metal Nanoclusters Vanessa Espinoza, Douglas Kauffman A variety of metal-doped gold nanoclusters that were studied using photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy, so that optical properties could be examined. The nanoclusters were also compared at liquid nitrogen temperature and room temperature. All nanoclusters had emission peaks that were also significantly different than one another at liquid nitrogen temperature. The shifts of the emission spectras when looking at composition and temperature change have lead to the proposed idea that the florescence of gold nanoparticles \textasciitilde 2nm in size are composition and temperature dependent. A difference in the emission and excitation energy leads to the indication that an additional source of energy transfer as the electron relaxes back to ground has to occur in order for the electron to reach ground state. We hypothesize that vibrational transitions make up for the change in energy that is occurring and these pathways may a result of the vibrations of the ligand shells on the nanoparticles. Different dopants and temperatures affect the amount of constriction that is being placed on these ligands and this is a possible explanation for the change in florescence that was observed. Overall, this experimentation allows for better understanding as to how the manipulation of these nanoparticles can be done in order to modify and tailor particles, so it may be implemented in a variety of desired applications. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 11:18AM - 11:30AM |
B3.00004: Tracking RAC1 Drug Activity on DNA Chips Monica Lou, Eddie Merino, Anish Vadukoot, Jason Slinker Cancer treatments that induce cancer-selective DNA damage represent a promising strategy for therapy. The drug RAC1 is activated by elevated levels of hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells and functions by forming phenol adducts on DNA bases. It is hypothesized that this interferes with hydrogen bonding and reduces the stability of DNA, a potential link to anticancer activity. Utilizing electrochemical chips to determine changes in duplex stability, this correlation is observed. Chip signals are highly sensitive to structural perturbation of DNA and enable study of real-time activity of DNA damaging drugs that disrupt DNA double helix stability, such as RAC1. Duplex stability changes in response to drug treatment were tracked by room temperature current-voltage characteristics on DNA chips, particularly with square wave voltammetry peak heights. The kinetics of DNA-drug adduct formation were determined; the activity involves the formation of two bonds with each base. The timescale for the second bond is consistent with a structural rearrangement that presumably disrupts DNA base pairing. These features were discerned by following changes in voltammetry peak height versus time. This work supports the notion of DNA destabilization by RAC1 and clarifies the timescales of activity. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 11:30AM - 11:42AM |
B3.00005: Retention Forces of Water Droplets on Polymers Jonathan Taylor, R. de la Madrid, F. Garza, T. Michel, B. Vizena, H. Luong The forces that make up the retention force between water droplets and a surface are complex, relying on size, contact angles, and substrate properties. Our experiment examines this retention force by studying drops subject to a centrifugal force on top (sessile) and on bottom (pendant) of a polymer plate. Intuitively, it would seem that a pendant drop would have a lower net retention force due to gravity, but our experiment shows this is often not the case for small drops and that the sessile drop will usually have the lower retention force. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 11:42AM - 11:54AM |
B3.00006: Numerical Simulations of Dwarf Galaxies in Differing Environments William Dinwiddie, Jacqueline Dunn Through the use of N-body simulations, the effects of gravitational interactions on the evolution of dwarf irregular galaxies are explored. Numerous studies have been performed on N-body simulations of dwarf galaxies, with most focused on modeling the tidal interactions of satellite and host galaxies. This project also focuses on the interaction of two dwarf galaxies. Here, two general scenarios are considered: the interaction of two dwarf galaxies, and a single dwarf galaxy nearby a large spiral galaxy, much similar to our own Milky Way. Initial conditions for each galaxy model were produced using GalactICS, with N-body simulations being run through GADGET 2. Within each general case, various combinations of initial galaxy position and velocity are considered. Each dwarf-dwarf galaxy scenario is repeated with a dwarf galaxy and a large spiral galaxy. The most drastic changes are seen under low velocity interactions. Additionally, each scenario is run within the presence of a larger galaxy cluster. The cluster is modeled by the addition of a representative potential within the GADGET 2 code. The results of the simulations imply that global environment (group/cluster membership) has more impact on dwarf galaxy evolution compared to local environment (nearby neighbor). [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 11:54AM - 12:06PM |
B3.00007: Ion-surface Interactions at Cu(100) and Cu(111) Surfaces Jamie Stafford, Bogdana Bahrim We study the electron dynamics at Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces by using wave-packet propagation techniques. In recent years, the interest to study these surfaces has largely arisen due to the availability of more experimental data and the development of more realistic potentials to model their complex band structure. By solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the active electron during ion$^{\mathrm{\thinspace }}$collisions with Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces, we investigate ion and surface energy levels, state populations, and ion fractions. We have found that the ion fractions are affected by the location of the band gap and the presence of adsorbates. Ion-surface interactions are important both for fundamental research and technological applications, such as, plasma wall interactions, aeronautical engineering, and scanning electron microscopy. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 12:06PM - 12:18PM |
B3.00008: Finding the shape of glowing objects from the polarization of light emitted. Keeley Townley-Smith, Azam Nurul, Suzanne Wheeler, Cristian Bahrim It is hard to find the geometric shape of a glowing object because of the impossibility to make physical contact. Instead, we intend to use the light emitted by the object. In developing a reliable optical method, we use the filament of a light bulb encapsulated in a cavity which has a wide opening that allows us direct observation of the filament. We cover the wide opening with smaller openings of circular, triangular, and star shapes. A circular opening allows us to assess the general shape and orientation of the filament, which is located on a top view along the optical axis of the polarizer -- light detector system. Two polarizers aligned on the optical bench are used to measure the variation of the light emitted by the various openings and comparison with Malus' law is done. A triangular shaped opening located higher or lower in front of the filament allows us to assess its eccentricity. We clearly observe that the brightness of the glowing object and the luminosity of the surrounding light are two important factors in extracting the object's shape. Thus, dimmer the glowing object, closer to a uniform light source the cavity appears in measurements for any shaped opening. The eccentricity of a glowing object is extracted from the departure of the light signal from the Malus' law of constant amplitude. In particular the points of inflection (maxima and minima) are modified greatly when a strongly elliptical or a cornered shaped object are used. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, April 1, 2016 12:18PM - 12:30PM |
B3.00009: Gamma Spectroscopy of FMC Garnet Samples Chris Marble, Daniel Marble Garnet sands are routinely used as cuttings agents in water jets for machining hardened steels. These sands are then collected and discarded in local landfills. During disposal of cutting sands by FMC, radiation alarms were set off at a local landfill. We have performed gamma ray spectroscopy on samples of this garnet sand as well as virgin (unused) garnet samples also supplied by FMC using a 40{\%} efficient high purity germanium detector. The radioactivity in both samples is composed primarily of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes from the thorium and uranium decay chains. The presence of the actinium decay chain isotopes could not be confirmed. Gamma spectroscopy showed no new peaks between the spectra of the two samples though the used garnet sample showed an increase in its specific activity. This suggests that the increase in radioactivity of the garnet samples during the manufacturing process is not due to the inclusion of new radioactive isotopes from the steel being cut, but due to the loss of lighter nonradioactive material (probably silicates) that were carried away by the water of radioisotopes. [Preview Abstract] |
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