From the 2016 Physics Alumni Newsletter
The number of students in our Department remains high. This fall we have 24 juniors, and 27 seniors for a total of 51 majors. There are also 34 graduate students. Our tradition of undergraduate research continues. Last year more than 42 undergraduate students engaged in research with our faculty. If you look around Olin, you will see posters and publications in our halls bearing the names of both our undergraduate and graduate students. You can also read about some of the students and their research projects at http://www.wfu.edu/physics/profiles/profiles.html .
This past academic year was a successful one for me in multiple ways. Extensive effort went into drafting a plan for an Engineering Department as part of the new Wake Downtown initiative. As co-chair of the committee to propose and plan the new Department, there was substantial committee work in drafting the basic plan, and in overseeing the new facilities that will house the new department in Building 60 at Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem. In April I was asked to Chair the Search Committee for the new Engineering Department Chair, and I am now chairing the committee to search for the chair, and for two additional engineering faculty members to hire for the launch of the new Department of Engineering next fall (2017). In research, Chad McKell a Master’s student, graduated in December 2015, and he is now enrolled in an Acoustics graduate program in Scotland beginning this fall. Currently Dr. Guthold and I jointly work with Hyunsu Lee on the physics of cancer. A visiting Research Scholar from Germany, Lukas Fieber, has also joined the project for the period of August, 2016 to February 2017. Last academic year (2015-2016) several undergraduates, including Daniel Nelli, Tracey Pu, and Josiah Low worked on the same physics of cancer project. In addition, I am working on another cancer project to understand diffusion of double-stranded DNA breaks with the help of undergraduates Preston Levy and Kevin Wang, along with Prof. George Holzwarth. Finally, I also worked with undergraduate Sam Anich on optogenetics last academic year (and this summer) to understand how to modify mammalian addictive behavior using optogenetic approaches in rat brains.
As we did last year, we have a section below where some of our faculty members briefly describe, as I have just done, highlights of the past year about themselves, either professionally or personally or both. This section is presented in alphabetical order.
I want to give special thanks to all of you who designated the Physics Endowment Fund as part of your alumni giving. Many of you hopefully received an email this spring from the Wake Forest Development Office as part of The Source, the title of the current Capital Campaign designed to broaden support for the College’s departments. Many of you have generously responded, and we greatly appreciate your kind support. Your gifts have significantly benefited the faculty and students in the department by enabling us to purchase equipment and supplies for student research, which enhances faculty-student engagement, and for travel of our students to present their work at professional conferences. This enables students to not only network with their peers, but also to develop some of the ‘soft’ skills needed to be successful professionals throughout their careers. In addition, your funding has allowed us to provide lunches at the career advising events for our undergraduate and graduate students; and the funds also support the students who are members of our local chapter of the Society of Physics Students in their activities and events throughout the academic year. The members of the Physics Department and the university community sincerely appreciate the support of our alumni.
Please come and join the fun if you can. We are looking forward to seeing you. If you can’t make it to Homecoming, please drop me a note or give me a call and tell me what you’re up to. If this letter was forwarded to you, please let us know your current address.
Go Deacs!
Keith Bonin
Professor of Physics & Chair