Department News - UMD Physics

Ellen Williams Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Details: Published: Tuesday, November 26 2019 09:53

Ellen D. Williams, a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Physics and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers, because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

“I am honored to receive this award and delighted that it affirms the important role of scientists in providing clear technical assessments to support policy decisions,” Williams said. Williams E

Williams came to UMD in 1981 for a postdoctoral fellowship and rose to the rank of professor by 1991. At Maryland, she established an internationally recognized research program in experimental surface science, exploring fundamental issues in statistical mechanics and nanotechnology. She also pioneered the use of very powerful electron scanning, tunneling microscopes to study the surface of materials like silicon at the atomic level. In 1996, Williams founded the University of Maryland Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, serving as its director until 2009.

Williams served as the chief scientist for British Petroleum (BP) from 2010 to 2014, before her confirmation by the U.S. Senate as the director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) on Dec. 8, 2014. Launched with bipartisan support in 2009, ARPA-E’s mission is to advance high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early in development for private-sector investment.

Williams returned to UMD in January 2017. Since then, she has been working to bridge policy and technology perspectives for clean energy innovation. Recently, she completed a report to the State of Maryland on “The Present Status and Future Potential of Maryland’s Clean Energy Innovation System.”

“Dr. Williams is continuing the long tradition of accomplished physicists turning their attention and skills to tackling major policy issues of the day—in her case, climate change and energy policy,” said Steven Rolston, professor and chair of the UMD Department of Physics. “We are lucky to have someone with her talents contributing to these issues, which are among most pressing facing humanity."

Williams has a distinguished history of professional service, including chairing the development of the National Academy of Sciences’ 2002 report on “Technical Issues Related to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty” and providing extensive technical advice to the U.S. government, primarily through the Departments of Energy and Defense. As a member of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, Williams co-authored the 2009 final report titled “America’s Strategic Posture,” which provided more than 100 findings and recommendations on critical issues related to the U.S. nuclear strategy.

Williams received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Michigan State University in 1976 and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1981. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Society (London). She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Vacuum Society. Williams has also been recognized by awards from the American Physical Society and the Materials Research Society.

Williams is one of 443 AAAS members to be named as a Fellow this year. New Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on November 29, 2019, and will be presented with an official certificate and a rosette pin on Saturday, February 15, 2020 during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.

Physics Staff Members Honored at Annual Luncheon

Details: Published: Thursday, November 21 2019 09:53

Five members of the Department of Physics were honored at an October luncheon held in the lobby of the Physical Sciences Complex.

The Chair's Award for Outstanding Service was given to Mark Conners. One nominator called him "an incredible asset to faculty and staff at the Physics Department, and in particular to young assistant professors who start out on a faculty job with a range of non-trivial financial and procedural matters they need to deal with right away."

The Sibylle Sampson Award was given to Samantha Suplee. She was nominated for planning and coordinating the North American Conference on Trapped Ions (NACTI). "Pulling this together required quick thinking and creative solutions. Her energy, drive, positive attitude and friendly manner have made this conference a success."

The Staff Excellence Award was given to three employees.

Janet Das Sarma. She was cited for her "tremendous organization and coordination" in arranging the Condensed Matter Theory Center's move from the Toll Building to a new suite in the Atlantic Building. "She spent an enormous amount of time and attention to detail to make this happen. I commend her for this effort!"

Donna Hammer. "Donna Hammer puts her life and soul into this department and it shows. She gives so much of her time and effort into making this place comforting for women in undergrad and beyond and fosters the personal and professional development needed so we can succeed. She is constantly branching out to do new and innovative things."

Kristin Stenson. She was nominated for her contributions to CNAM – including event planning, graphics development and outreach activities – as it was renamed the Quantum Materials Center. She was cited for "exceptional service, commitment and tremendous contribution to the center and its development."

Sankar Das Sarma, Chris Monroe and Ian Spielman Named 2019 Highly Cited Researchers

Details: Published: Tuesday, November 19 2019 09:53

Sankar Das Sarma, Chris Monroe and Ian Spielman join two other faculty members in the University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences included on Clarivate Analytics’ 2019 list of Highly Cited Researchers, a compilation of influential names in science.

Das Sarma is a Richard E. Prange Chair and Distinguished University Professor in Physics, Joint Quantum Institute Fellow, and Condensed Matter Theory Center Director. Das Sarma was included in previous compilations of this list in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2001.

Monroe is the Bice Zorn Professor of Physics, a Distinguished University Professor, a member of the Quantum Technology Center and a fellow of the Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science and the Joint Quantum Institute.

Spielman is an Adjunct Professor of Physics, JQI Fellow and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Fellow. Spielman was also included in the 2018 and 2017 compilations.

Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Endowed Award for Outstanding Service

Details: Published: Thursday, October 24 2019 15:42

Upon Lorraine DeSalvo's 2019 retirement, the Department of Physics commended her 41 years of service by establishing the Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Endowed Award for Outstanding Service. The award will recognize employees in the Department of Physics who provide benefit beyond their regular duties, promote positive professional and personal exchanges among colleagues and work effectively with internal and external partners. The chair of the Department of Physics will administer the fund and select recipients.

Contibutions can be made online or by check. Checks should be made payable to the "University of Maryland College Park Foundation" or "UMCP Foundation." In the notes/for section on the check please write, "Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Endowed Award." Mail to:

CMNS Office of the Dean
2300 Symons Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Joseph Sucher, 1930-2019

Details: Published: Monday, October 21 2019 07:29

Professor Emeritus Joe Sucher, a UMD faculty member for 41 years, died on Oct. 18 at the age of 89. A memorial was planned for Sunday, March 15, 2020, but was postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus concerns. In commemoration of Joe's 90th birthday in September, 2020, his son Anatol produced a memorial program, which can be downloaded here.

Joe joined UMD in 1957, after earning his Ph.D. from Columbia University with a thesis on the quantum electrodynamics of the helium atom. He is best known for work on the relativistic theory of many-electron atoms, the quantum theory of long-range forces, the foundations of relativistic quantum theory, the Gellman-Low-Sucher level-shift formula, the no-pair Hamiltonian for many-electron atoms, the Levy-Sucher identity, the Dirac-Sucher equation and the Feinberg-Sucher formula for the long-range force between neutral atoms. He was a devoted educator and was named a UMD Distinguished Scholar-Teacher in 1989.

Two years ago, he established the Joseph and Dorothy Sucher Graduate Prize in Relativistic Theoretical Physics to remember Dorothy, his wife of 58 years. She was a psychotherapist and a writer for the Greenbelt News Review whose work resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision upholding freedom of the press. Her last writing project took her to Russia and Belarus shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, as she tried to piece together the history of her grandparents before they emigrated to the U.S. After her death, Joe and his son Anatol completed the work, Return to the Shtetl.

A native of Vienna, Joe was forced with his family to flee Hitler’s Nazism. He escaped from Austria in 1938, and after a harrowing trek though Germany, Luxembourg, France, Spain and Portugal, arrived in the United States at age 10. He described the odyssey in a 2014 oral history interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Joe was well-known in the department for his great wit, his unfailing charm and his memorable lyrics; he often graced departmental gatherings with impressive poems, such as one he wrote on the 50^th anniversary of the tradition of Physics Tea.