PAMS Focus - March 2005

PAMS Focus is a periodic e-mail newsletter about activities, achievements and other news from the NC State College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences (PAMS). If you have any suggestions or comments, please share them with us by e-mailing pamsalumni@lists.ncsu.edu.

Duck ancestors walked the earth with dinosaurs

Newly published NC State research into the evolution of birds shows the first definitive fossil proof linking close relatives of living birds to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. For more details on this groundbreaking discovery, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/05_01/015.htm

Mark your calendar!

The College will host a weekend of activities for alumni and friends Sept. 23-24, 2005 - the weekend of the home NC State vs. UNC football game. More details will be announced as plans are developed.

Physicists celebrate World Year of Physics

Physicists throughout the world are celebrating 2005 as the World Year of Physics. Events during the year will highlight the vitality of physics and its importance to society, commemorate the pioneering contributions of Albert Einstein in 1905, and inspire a new generation of scientists. As part of this celebration, the NC State Physics Department will present a seminar series on topics ranging from dark matter to light scattering. For more information about the seminar series, visit http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/events/einstein.htm

College to meet with Charlotte-area students 

Alumni, faculty and staff of the College will soon meet with Charlotte-area prospective students and their parents. This annual spring social, hosted by Nancy Ridenhour (Statistics '76) at the Lowe's Speedway Club, provides students from the western part of the state an opportunity to learn more about the College and its programs. Because of the distance, it's more difficult for these students to visit campus. Through this social, PAMS has increased the percentage of accepted students from this area who enroll at NC State.

Chemists receive prestigious Keck grant

NC State chemists recently received a $1 million gift from the W.M. Keck Foundation to further research on RNA-mediated evolutionary materials chemistry. This new field will influence advances in other fields such as materials science, nanotechnology and biotechnology. For more information, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/05_01/027.htm

Beichner named Fellow of American Physical Society

Dr. Robert Beichner, professor of physics, has been named Fellow of the American Physical Society. The honor is given to only one-half of one percent of the American Physical Society's 42,000 members. Beichner was selected for his efforts in "advancing the field of physics education research and promoting the application of its findings in the nation's classrooms." For more information, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/05_01/001.htm

Mathematics to host major conference

The Mathematics Department will present an international, NSF-funded conference May 17-21, 2005. For a presenter list and more details about, "Lie Algebras, Vertex Operator Algebras and Their Applications," visit http://www4.ncsu.edu/~misra/LieConf2005/ .

Sayers memorial fund

The PAMS Foundation is still accepting donations to a memorial scholarship fund established by family and friends of Dale Edward Sayers. Sayers, professor of physics, 60, died Nov. 25, 2004 following an unexpected illness. For more information, visit http://www.pams.ncsu.edu/news/sayers.php