North Orissa University, in India, has awarded Rabindra Mohapatra the Degree Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) for his outstanding contributions in the field of Science. The degree will be presented on May 12, 2009 at their annual convocation.

Two of the winners of the Dean's Outstanding Staff Awards are colleagues in the Department of Physics.

Clay Daetwyler of Lecture Demonstration was selected in the non-exempt category.
Donna Hammer of MRSEC was selected on the exempt side.

The awards carry a cash value of $1,000 and will be presented at the 21^st Annual Spring Academic Festival on Friday, April 24, 2009, at 3:00 p.m., in the Rotunda of the Mathematics Building. Refreshments will be served.

Congratulations to Clay and Donna for this well-earned recognition! And thanks to all the hardworking, dedicated employees who make our Department a wonderful place!

Patrick O’Shea, Physics Affiliate Professor, has been selected as a 2009-2010 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher.  This program honors members of the College Park faculty who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly achievement along with equally outstanding accomplishments as teachers.  O’Shea is also serving as Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

James Hubert Blake High School students James Gonzales and James Parker recently became “published” authors in theoretical physics as coauthors of 4D, N = 1 Supersymmetry Genomics (I), which is a mathematically derived supersymetric relationship between specific particles.

Mr.Gonzales and Mr. Parker participated in the Student Summer Theoretical Physics Research Session (SSTPRS) at the University of Maryland with Dr. James Gates Jr. - John S. Toll Professor & Director of Center for String & Particle Theory.

Twelve students from Maryland and the University of Iowa cooperated in the research on string theory for two months during the summer. During the first month the students learned advanced math concepts from Dr. Gates and then applied these concepts to their research during the second month.

Both Blake students worked diligently and made a valuable contribution to the research and where the only high school students to coauthor the article. Mr. Parker said “it was a great learning experience to work with Dr. Gates”.

Their paper can be viewed at http://arxiv.org/abs/0902.3830.  ArXiv is the premiere website in the world where each day the world’s community of theoretical physicists publicize their work.

Please bookmark the campus Recovery Act Information page:

www.umresearch.umd.edu/recovery

and the departmental page:

http://umdphysics.umd.edu/index.php/services/2009-stimulus-information.html