James Monahan, physics major, under the direction of Dr. Charles Lane, received Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid in the amount of $400 for his research proposal “Cherenkov Signal Simulator for Water Detectors”.

Marc Doyle, physics major, was featured in the Fall 2010 issue of the SPS national publication "The SPS Observer". Marc did an internship at the University of Delaware's Magnetics Materials Lab. He is a STEM Scholar and a member of Dr. Roberto Ramos’ Low Temperature Group.

Adam Rickert, associate teaching professor of mathematics at CoAS, received the “2010 Outstanding Online Instructor Award” on November 9, 2010. He was honored by the Drexel Community and The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) at the annual event that recognizes those individuals who have made significant contribution to the field of distance learning. The mission of the USDLA is to support the development and application of distance learning, education and training by uniting learners around the world. The event was held on Drexel’s campus in Behrakis Grand Hall.

The Physics section of UNIV 101 did an outstanding job helping to feed the homeless at Saint John’s Hospice of Philadelphia. The students prepared seven large casseroles and approximately 14 dozen cookies.

Matthew Quick came to Drexel University as part of the Freshman Reading Program to discuss The Silver Linings Playbook. Quick gave a talk about his journey as a writer and encouraged the students to follow their dreams.

Poet Syl Cheney-Coker visited the English and Philosophy Department and gave a talk entitled "The Poetry of a West African Heritage and Beyond: Society, Humanity and the Muse of Exile."

"Business Improvement Districts and the Evolution of Urban Governance," to be a part of the Drexel Law Review.

Congratulations Kishore!

Sean Ballentine was awarded fourth place in this year's National Collegiate Mathematics Championship.

The Department of History & Politics at Drexel University seeks a candidate for the position of Department Head.

Daniel Cross successfully defended his PhD thesis "Representation Theory of Dynamical Systems". Dan's advisor was Dr. Robert Gilmore. Dan found a position at Bryn Mawr College. Congratulations Dan!

COAS faculty members have received a grant from the National Science Foundation for their project, "Two-Year Colleges and the Invention of Nano-Labor: Between Promise and Possibility."

5:30-7:00 workshop—Intercultural Center, 1st floor 4:45-5:30 bbq—backside of the Intercultural Center RSVP required. RSVP deadline: July 1st. Space is limited.

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Professor Amy Slaton was featured on The Takeaway on NPR.

The 2010 seniors presented their projects to the department.

John Parejko successfully defended his PhD thesis "Hosts and Environments of Low-luminosity Active Galaxies in the Local Universe: The Care and Feeding of Weak AGN. " John's advisor was Dr. Michael Vogeley. John found a position as a postdoctoral associate at Yale University.

Dr. David Ambrose was awarded the Antelo Devereux Award for his research in "Simulation and Mathematical Analysis of Water Waves". He was honored for his achievements at the Faculty Recognition Dinner on June 2, 2010.

Dr. R. Andrew Hicks is an outstanding researcher in the field of applied mathematics and optical design. He has made numerous contributions via individual optical components that he has designed, and has created new mathematical models and algorithms for generating these components. A major focus of Dr. Hicks’ research is the development of generating mirrors and lenses that depict the world in a given prescribed way. Dr. Hicks's record includes strong publications in the top journals, external funding from government agencies (NSF, DARPA) and industry, and he is the inventor on potentially very valuable patents.

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There should be a short blurb in this, the ShorterContent field.

Zenghui Liu, graduate student, was the recipient of the 2009-10 Teaching Excellence Award, Graduate Studies Office, Drexel University. Congratulations Zenghui!

The Writing Awards Ceremony took place on Friday, May 21, 2010.

Speaker: Bo Dong, Drexel University

Date: May 19, 2010
Time: 3:30 - 5:00 PM
Place: Disque Hall, Room 109

Abstract: Many problems in the physical sciences and engineering can be modeled by differential equations. For complicated mathematical models, exact solutions are often impossible to obtain using analysis tools. Instead, individuals will often use numerical methods (algorithms and computers) to obtain approximate solutions while maintaining reasonable error bounds. In this talk, Dr. Dong will discuss numerical methods for solving mathematical models, in particular, finite element methods for solving differential equations.

Steven Carabello, graduate student, was awarded a Sigma Xi grant-in-aid for his research proposal "High-resolution studies of superconducting energy gap structure in differential conductance measurements of MgB2-based Josephson Junctions" under the direction of Dr. Roberto Ramos. The Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research program has a highly competitive application process and only approximately 20% of applicants receive any level of funding.

Steven Carabello, Daniel Cross, Austen Groener, Timothy Jones, Tze Yee Lim, Asher Leff, Sajjan Mehta, Crystal Moorman, Marisa Roman, Kevin Trainer, Stanley Jordan Viss, Douglas Wentzel, Amanda White, and Dr. Joseph Trout, teaching faculty, were inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics Honor Society. A formal Induction Ceremony and dinner banquet was held on campus on April 17 2010 under the direction of Dr. Roberto Ramos, assistant professor. Amanda White, was selected the Most Outstanding Physics Student.

Micholas Smith, graduate student, won first place for his poster “Effects of Ions on The Folding Dynamics of Amyloid Beta Peptide Fragment (21-30)” in the Computation and Modeling (non-bio) category, Drexel Research Day, Micholas' advisor is Dr. Luis Cruz, associate professor. Great job Micholas!

Throughout the months of February and March, the Africana Studies program, in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Earle Mack School of Law, presented a five-part lecture series in honor of Black History Month. The series explored the rise of African American power in the U.S. from the Black Panther Party to the current “age of Obama.”

Dr. Kali Gross, Associate Professor and Director of Africana Studies, Department of History & Politics, was quoted in the Philadelphia Tribune about the Black Power Series held at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Kali Gross, Associate Professor and Director of Africana Studies, Department of History & Politics, presented on a panel for “Race, Gender and Morality in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries” at the 34th Annual Conference of the National Council for Black Studies”, New Orleans, LA, March 18-21, 2010.

Physics Junior Amanda White has achieved national distinction as a recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Amanda was among 278 students chosen from 1,111 nominees who were recognized for success in math, sciences, and engineering. Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications. Amanda's career goals include conducting research in the areas of extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, and developing new observational techniques for astronomers.

Pubudu Galwaduge, undergraduate student in physics, CoAS, won “Best Physics Poster Award” at the 2010 March Meeting of the American Physical Society in Portland, OR, for his poster "Laser Induced Structural Modification in Single-layer and Bilayer Graphene". The work was done under the direction of Dr. Roberto Ramos.

Travis Hoppe, graduate student, was one of the finalists in the Student Research Achievement Award for his poster “Wang-Landau Density of States Calculation in Crowded Protein Environments” presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Biophysics Society San Francisco, CA, February 20-24, 2010.

Dr. Robert Zaller, Professor of History, appears as an expert commentator (and action participant) in The Art of the Steal, a documentary on the Barnes Foundation which, after its premiere at the Toronto and New York film festivals, goes into general national release beginning February 26. The film will be shown locally at the Ritz Five and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

Dr. Jonathan Seitz, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of History & Politics, presented "Franciscans at the Boundaries of the Natural and the Permissible in Early Modern Venice" at the annual meeting of the History of Science Society in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Amy E. Slaton, Associate Professor in the Department of History & Politics, published “Race, Rigor, and Selectivity in U.S. Engineering: The History of an Occupational Color Line” with Harvard University Press, 2010.

Author, playwright, and performance artist Kate Bornstein, a male-female transsexual, shared with eager Drexel students her personal and professional perspective on understanding the current binary model of gender identification. Bornstein’s existence contradicts the binary notion of gender as we know it because she identifies herself as neither a man nor a woman.

For the fourth straight year, the Drexel Chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) received the National Marsh White Outreach Award from the American Institute of Physics. The proposal was written by undergraduate students Wendy Harris, Amanda White, Nick Kruczek and Jerome Mlack. Dr. Roberto Ramos, assistant professor, is the chapter advisor.

This lecture is dedicated to the memory of Israel M. Gelfand (1913-2009), a great mathematician who had a crucial influence on many areas of 20th century mathematics. His active mathematical life spanned nearly 80 years. I was happy to know him for more than 50 years and to collaborate with him on several projects.