Physics Conference Oct. 7-9 Attracts High-Profile Speakers
by Judy Long
Texas physicists and scholars will gather on the Baylor University campus Oct. 7-9 to discuss diverse topics - from black holes to the musical score, nanotechnology to history of the universe - during the fall meeting of the Texas Section of the American Physical Society. The TSAPS conference will be held in the new Baylor Sciences Building along with joint meetings of the Texas section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Society of Physics Students Zone 13, and the Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics.
Dr. Truell Hyde, Baylor's vice provost for research and professor of physics, said the conference is a superb opportunity for Baylor students to find out what's happening at the forefront of the field without having to leave campus.
"Since almost the entire physics department is involved (as well as faculty from chemistry), it also allows Baylor to showcase its own faculty and students in the venue of the new sciences building," said Hyde, who also serves as director of the Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER).
The conference will feature prominent physics scholars, including Dr. Rick Trebino, a professor at Georgia Tech who has developed techniques for generating and measuring ultrashort laser pulses; Dr. Lei Dong, radiation physicist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; and Dr. Don Page, a prominent physicist at University of Alberta who studied under the renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
Other well-known speakers include George Skidmore, recently named "Inventor of the Year" by the State Bar of Texas for his contributions to society and the impact of the inventions on Texas economy; Jim Gallas, physicist and owner of Photoprotective Technologies; John Fitch, director of NASA programs at L-3 Communications Integrated Systems; and Dr. B.F.L. Ward, chair of Baylor's physics department and Distinguished Professor.
Physics cartoonist Sidney Harris will speak at the Friday evening banquet. Harris's cartoons have appeared in Popular Mechanics, Scientific American and numerous other high-profile science publications.
The conference is hosted by the department of physics, the Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER) and the office of the vice provost for research.
For more information, contact the office of the vice provost for research or call (254) 710-3763.