Undergraduates
I know that matter can be converted into energy. Is it not possible, then, that energy can be converted into matter? If so, how?
Each year at the Fall Physics Faculty Meeting, the Department Head traditionally describes the state of the Department of Physics. As you might guess, this was not an easy year to do this. The simple message is that there is good news and there is bad news. To put it more eloquently, I have taken to quote the opening line of Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Tale of Two Cities":
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way."
These words rather well describe how things are going—I cannot remember a year when I don’t know whether to be excited or worried when I come to work and think about what lies ahead for the Department of Physics.
On one hand, we face an unprecedented and severe financial crisis in the country and in State of Illinois that is now beginning to affect drastically the University of Illinois. We have had a series of scandals and improprieties in the State and University government that caused major changes in our leadership and forced us to refocus our missions. We have had and will continue to have very limited hiring of new faculty and staff while some of our most productive faculty members are being approached by outside institutions. We are presently receiving only limited resources from the State for departmental operations, salary programs, and infrastructure projects. Energy costs continue to rise while some of the classic buildings on campus continue to need renovation. It seems like it must be the worst of times.
However, at the same time, we have a new President of the United States who understands and appreciates the value of science and education and who has vowed "to restore science to its rightful place." He has surrounded himself with intelligent advisors who are scientists (mostly physicists) and has boosted funding support for science and science education. He has challenged scientists to address societal problems in energy, health, informatics, and security, while still cherishing the quest for scientific creativity and discovery. Our talented and dedicated faculty has already responded to that challenge and competed successfully for federal funding over the past year—we have never had a larger portfolio of research funding in the Department of Physics than we have today. In many ways, the opportunities, excitement, and commitment to excellence in our teaching and research missions have never been higher. It must be the best of times.
Whether you believe it is the best or worst or somewhere in between, it is certainly an interesting time and I expect it to be an interesting year. With the Physics Library now officially closed, we look to enhance the functionality of our library services online and through the Grainger Engineering Library. Along with that comes an opportunity and vision to transform the vacated library space into a vibrant Physics education and research interaction area for faculty and students and a community/lounge area for staff and faculty. With the Institute for Condensed Matter Theory and the NSF Center for the Physics of Living Cells now functioning brilliantly and bringing visibility and renewed energy to our programs, we are working to nucleate other synergistic programs in the "fundamental physics" areas of high energy physics, nuclear physics, and astrophysics/cosmology. We are engaging in energy research through the new DOE Energy Frontier Research Center on Emergent Superconductivity and building interactions with NCSA as the Blue Waters supercomputer moves toward completion. We look to maintain and expand the strong research infrastructure in the department provided by our information technology staff, machine shop, and helium liquefier.
To advance our educational mission, we plan further evolution and innovations in our introductory lecture courses and upper-level laboratory courses through the effort and creativity of our faculty and staff. We look to explore opportunities to train physics teachers in the State of Illinois through increased collaborations with the College of Education, such as the NSF "EnList" Math-Science Partnership program that began this summer and through involvement in emerging federal STEM education programs. We look to enhance our activities in the recruitment of physics majors, undergraduate research, outreach, and diversity. We have students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels that continue to inspire and amaze us and make us proud to be at the University of Illinois.
One major push this year will be to expand the visibility and public impact of the Department of Physics. We are reaching out to students and teachers in the State of Illinois, encouraging them to partner with our department to advance physics and physics teaching. We are telling our story through our communications, community lecture series, and outreach programs. We have unveiled a new Physics webpage integrated with our rapidly developing MyPhysics intranet to improve our internal functionality and external visibility. And we cherish the relationship and support of our Physics alumni, and with our new advancement officer in place we will expand our efforts to keep in contact with all of the alumni of our Physics family.
The hard reality is that we face a very critical and pivotal time in the evolution of the Department of Physics and the University of Illinois. Our goal is to keep moving forward and emerge from this difficult period stronger and wiser and happier. In some ways, I think it is the best of times and that we truly have everything before us. There is much to do, and I look forward to working with all of you this year to sustain the quality, camaraderie, and unique culture that define our Department of Physics.
Dale J. Van Harlingen, Head and Professor
Department of Physics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign