REU and RET Summer Program

Once again CASPER and the Baylor Department of Physics hosted the NSF REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) and RET (Research Experience for Teachers) programs. This year we had eleven undergraduate students and three high school teachers participating in the program. Theoretical and experimental research projects were conducted under the direction of Mr. Dick Campbell, Dr. Truell Hyde, Dr. Victor Land, Dr. Lorin Matthews, Dr. Jeff Olafsen, Dr. Linda Olafsen, and Dr. Dwight Russell. Three high school students also participated in summer research through the High School Summer Science Research Program (HSSSRP) sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences and the CASPER High School Scholars program Students, teachers, faculty, and grad students participating in summer research attended the weekly Wednesday Lunch Bunch Seminars and the Friday Updates, enticed by the prospect of free food. At the Wednesday seminars, faculty members presented short talks on various topics usually glossed over in physics classes, including fractals and chaos, the physics of golf, and the most optimum consumption level of a can of Dr. Pepper in

order that it remain stable on the dashboard of a car. The students were also given tips on literature searches,

writing papers, preparing posters and power points, and applying to graduate school. On Fridays, the participants

gave updates on their research experience and shared examples of their culinary capabilities. At the end of the

summer, each of the participants prepared a poster, gave a twelve-minute presentation, and wrote a paper detailing

their research and results. The program culminated with a dinner and awards presentation at The Palladium.

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