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Radiations 

The official publication of Sigma Pi Sigma 

FA L L 

2011 

What’s next for NASA? 

SPS 

90

90 

SPS 

Fall 2011 Volume 17, Issue 2 

CONTENTS 

8 

Sigma Pi Sigma—A vision of nine 

How could a handful of college students possibly affect the professional lives 

of thousands of individuals? — Earl Blodgett 

page 8 

10 Education IS Important 

Education IS important… As little as schools may change … the students 

change dramatically every year. — Jack G. Hehn 

12 The 2012 Quadrennial Physics Congress 

Unlike any other meeting, the Congress brings together undergrads, faculty, 

practicing physicists and alumni from a broad spectrum of career paths. 

page 39 

14 What’s next for NASA? 

NASA after the Shuttle: Begin in a museum (p. 14) — Dwight E. 

Neuenschwander What’s Next for NASA? (p. 26) — Elizabeth Hook 

page 12 

page 14 

39 The last lap —Tevatron’s End 

The Head of the Fermilab Accelerator Division on the end of the Tevatron 

era. — Roger Dixon 

page 26 

ON THE COVER 

The first six primary mirrors of the James 

Webb Space Telescope are prepared for 

testing. See the NASA-related articles on 

pages 14 & 26. NASA Photo. 

Departments 

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Director’s Corner 

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPS Highlights 

7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Society News 

11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Spotlight on Hidden Physicists 

14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elegant Connections In Physics 

30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Puzzle Corner 

32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Initiates List 

38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Transitions 

40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Get Involved

The Director’s Corner 

The Good Ol’ Days? 

by Gary White 

SPS 

90 

Do you wish for the “good ol’ days”? Frankly, I’m not sure I believe in the idea 

of “good ol’ days,” if by that phrase one means that the past is in general better than 

the present. Sure, I’m as susceptible as anyone to nostalgic selective memory. There 

is something I miss about the days of TV dinners with the family watching Mannix, 

4-H exhibits at the fair, and Mrs. McGillicutty with her Halloween candy apples, (to 

name three random examples that inexplicably popped into my head). But many of 

these things still happen in one form or another (for example, would you believe that 

Radiations 

EDITOR 

Dwight E. Neuenschwander, 

Southern Nazarene University 

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS 

Elizabeth Hook 

Kendra Redmond 

Tracy M. Schwab 

ART DIRECTOR 

Tracy M. Schwab 

SIGMA PI SIGMA PRESIDENT 

Diane Jacobs, 

Eastern Michigan University 

SPS PRESIDENT 

Toni Sauncy, 

Angelo State University 

SIGMA PI SIGMA/SPS DIRECTOR 

Gary D. White 

SIGMA PI SIGMA/SPS 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR 

Thomas Olsen 

ABOVE 

2011 SPS interns, 

seen here on a tour 

of the Franklin D. 

Roosevelt Memorial 

in Washington, 

DC, provide many 

reasons for optimism 

about the future—of 

physics and beyond. 

From left to right are 

Courtney Lemon, 

Cabot Zabriskie, 

Moriel Schottlender, 

Binayak Kandel, Anish 

Chakrabarti, and 

Erin Grace. Photo by 

Heather Petroccia. 

these days my family gathers, nibbling salads and scarfing 

Sloppy Joes, to watch Glee?) . . . and anyway, an occasional 

happy memory does not override some of the less rosy things 

from the past. For example, I am old enough to recall, in 

that same hall where the 4-H exhibits were housed, the 

“separate, but equal” restrooms. The signs were painted over, 

but with such a thin layer of whitewash that all could easily 

read who was supposed to go where—care to guess which of 

these “equal” bathrooms got cleaned and repaired first? Mrs. 

McGillicutty, as nice as she was to me and my friends, casually 

tossed out the “N-word” like a big ol’ rotten tomato. (I 

wonder if anyone else besides me remembers stepping around 

it to reach for another candy apple?) And don’t get me started 

about the women’s movement. Suffice it to say that I’m glad 

that my daughter and my son are growing up in this climate, 

as scary as it is, rather than in any endured by their ancestors. 

So I guess I’m more of an optimist, looking forward with 

my rose-colored glasses to new days more often than looking 

back—usually, that is. Today is an exception. I’m looking 

back to 1921, the year that Sigma Pi Sigma was established. 

It was an era when five guys from Davidson College could 

continued on page 5 

Radiations (ISSN 2160-1119) is the official 

publication of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor 

society. Published twice per year by the American 

Institute of Physics, One Physics Ellipse, 

College Park, MD 20740-3841. Printed in the 

USA. Standard postage paid at Mechanicsburg, 

PA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: 

Radiations Magazine, Sigma Pi Sigma, One 

Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3841. 

Sigma Pi Sigma is an organization of the American 

Institute of Physics. It was founded at Davidson 

College, Davidson, North Carolina, December 

11, 1921. Member, Association of College 

Honor Societies. Contact us at: e-mail: sps@aip. 

org; telephone: (301) 209-3007; fax: (301) 209- 

0839. 

Copyright © 2011, American Institute of Physics. 

Title registered in the US Patent Office. All rights 

reserved. 

Fall 2011 Radiations 3

Society News 

The American Institute of Physics is an organization 

of 10 physical science societies, representing more 

than 135,000 scientists, engineers, and educators and 

is one of the world's largest publishers of scientific 

information in physics. AIP pursues innovation in 

electronic publishing of scholarly journals and offers 

full-solution publishing services for its Member Societies. 

AIP publishes 13 journals; two magazines, including 

its flagship publication Physics Today; and the 

AIP Conference Proceedings series. AIP also delivers 

valuable resources and expertise in education and student 

services, science communication, government 

relations, career services for science and engineering 

professionals, statistical research, industrial outreach, 

and the history of physics and other sciences. 

Governing Board 

*Louis Lanzerotti (Chair), David E. Aspnes, *Anthony 

Atchley, Barry Barish, G. Fritz Benedict, J. 

Daniel Bourland, Robert L. Byer, Curtis G. Callen, 

Charles W. Carter, Jr., Timothy A. Cohn, *David M. 

Cook, William J. Cook, Beth Cunningham, *Bruce 

H. Curran, *Michael D. Duncan, *H. Fred Dylla (ex 

officio), David Ernst, Janet Fender, *Judith Flippen- 

Anderson, *Brian J. Fraser, Jaime Fucugauchi, A. Jeffrey 

Giacomin, Mark Hamilton, James Hollenhorst, 

Paul L. Kelley, Angela R. Keyser, James T. Kirby, 

*Kate Kirby, *Rudolf Ludeke, Jill Marshall, *Kevin 

B. Marvel, Christine McEntee, Michael McPhaden, 

Elizabeth A. Rogan, Charles E. Schmid, *Joseph 

Serene, *Benjamin B. Snavely (ex officio), David 

Sokoloff, Gene Sprouse, Hervey (Peter) Stockman, 

Michael Turner 

*Executive Committee 

Management Committee 

H. Fred Dylla, Executive Director and CEO; Richard 

Baccante, Treasurer and CFO; Theresa C. Braun, 

VP, Human Resources; Catherine O’Riordan, VP, 

Physics Resources; John Haynes, Senior VP, Publishing; 

Benjamin B. Snavely, Corporate Secretary 

Member Societies 

American Physical Society 

Optical Society of America 

Acoustical Society of America 

The Society of Rheology 

American Association of Physics Teachers 

American Crystallographic Association 

American Astronomical Society 

American Association of Physicists in Medicine 

AVS—The Science & Technology Society 

American Geophysical Union 

SPS Awards Eighteen 

Leadership Scholarships 

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is 

pleased to announce the recipients of the 

2011 SPS Leadership Scholarships. The 

annual awards are made to undergraduate 

students in at least their junior year of 

study based on scholarship, potential, and 

activity in SPS. To see bios and photos of 

all the recipients, please visit www.spsnational.org/programs/. 

Outstanding Leadership Scholarship 

Claire Chow 

Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 

Sajjan Mehta 

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 

Leadership Scholarships 

Clayton Bargsten 

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 

Karl Decker 

Brigham Young University-Idaho, 

Rexburg, ID 

Justin Dove 

Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 

Prabesh Dulal 

Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA 

Alec Herr 


William Lewis 

University of Arkansas Fayetteville, 

Fayetteville, AR 

Jason Maldonis 


Thomas Markovich 

University of Houston, Houston, TX 

Claire McLellan 

Wake Forest University, 

Winston-Salem, NC 

Evan Nelsen 

Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 

Peter Nguyen 

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 

Keven Satzinger 

Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 

Amanda Steck 

University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 

River Falls, WI 

Herbert Levy Memorial Scholarship 

Nicholas Polley 

Millikin University, Decatur, IL 

Brandon Furey 

Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MI 

Future Teacher Scholarship 

Andrew Poterek 

Oakland University, Rochester, MI 

Outstanding Student Award 

for Undergraduate Research 

This award is given to one or more SPS 

members annually and consists of a $500 

honorarium for the recipient and $500 for 

the recipient’s SPS chapter. The winner 

also receives an all-expense-paid trip to 

the annual International Conference of 

Physics Students (ICPS), which is usually 

held in Europe. 

Other Member Organizations 

Sigma Pi Sigma, Physics Honor Society 

Society of Physics Students 

Corporate Associates 

4 Radiations Fall 2011

The Director’s Corner 

2011 Recipients 

Lauren Richey 

Brigham Young University 

“I am grateful for the opportunity I 

had to travel to Budapest to present my 

research and be part of an international 

community of physics students, and for 

the support from the American Institute 

of Physics (AIP) and Sigma Pi Sigma 

members that made it possible. Overall, 

the ICPS was very enjoyable and well organized, 

creating a good mix of scientific 

discussion and cultural exploration. The 

conference consisted of student lectures, 

parties, a poster session, excursions to see 

the city, and guest speakers from thirtyfive 

different countries.” 

Lena Bradley 

Penn State University 

“This year marked the 25th anniversary 

of the ICPS and the 24th year of 

the International Association of Physics 

Students (IAPS) that now organizes it. 

Since its founding in 1986, the conference 

has been held in many cities across 

Europe, but ICPS returned to its home in 

Budapest in 2011 to celebrate this milestone. 

Overall, ICPS was a very rewarding 

experience.” 

Thomas Markovich 

University of Houston 

“All in all, the ICPS was a great meeting—it 

is responsible for sparking my 

interest in international travel and 

collaboration. I met people from 

many different countries and enjoyed 

my discussions with all of them. 

It was really nice to talk to a variety 

of people about the different educational 

systems around the world. I would definitely 

recommend that SPS continue to 

fund this award. It provides students with 

a unique experience in a foreign nation 

that helps to significantly enrich their 

education.” 

To see photos, abstracts, and full feature 

articles about the recipients’ experiences 

at the 2011 ICPS, please visist www. 

spsnational.org/programs/. 

Program Support 

SPS derives most of its support from 

the AIP. SPS dues are also an important 

contributor. These regular sources of 

revenue make possible the SPS publications 

and programs that are available to 

SPS members. The awards and scholarship 

programs of SPS are made possible, 

in part, through the generous contributions 

of Sigma Pi Sigma members and 

friends. In this way, the physics alumni, 

and especially Sigma Pi Sigma members, 

contribute to the generations of students 

who follow them. 

INSET 

The US delegation to the ICPS 

(left to right): Thomas Markovich, 

Jason Bartell, Lena Bradley, 

Lauren Richey, and Kyle Richey. 

BOTTOM 

The top of Gellert Hill offered 

spectacular views of Budapest. 

Photos courtesy of Lena Bradley. 

The Good ‘Ol Days 

continued from page 3 

decide to start a physics honor society on 

their own, and perhaps because it was 

such a good idea and because nobody 

else was doing it, it stuck! Ninety years 

and more than 75,000 physicists later, 

Sigma Pi Sigma is still going strong. 

By the way, here are a few other 

things that happened that year, somewhat 

randomly selected from www. 

thepeoplehistory.com: 

• Einstein received the Nobel Prize in 

Physics. 

• Adolf Hitler became chairman of the 

Nazi Party in his rise to power and 

prominence in Germany. 

• Ku Klux Klan activities became violent 

throughout the southern United 

States. 

• The Communist Party of China 

was formed with Mao Tse-tung as a 

founding member. 

• The Chicago White Sox baseball 

team was accused of throwing the 

World Series. 

• Coco Chanel introduced “Chanel 

No. 5”. 

• Franklin D. Roosevelt, at 39 years 

old, contracted polio. 

• One of the worst modern famines, 

killing tens of thousands, gripped 

Russia due to the crop failure. 

It’s a curiously evocative list, and in 

some ways it makes my point better than 

I do, because of the imbalance of horrors 

and trivia, of profundity and triteness. 

In this issue of Radiations, we 

do some reflecting back on the honor 

society origins and impact (see Earl 

Blodgett’s article on page 8), and on 

Rutherford (see Erin Grace’s article 

on page 6) and a little of both with 

pieces on NASA (see Dwight Neuenschwander’s 

article and Elizabeth Hook’s 

article). 

So, whenever you do feel the urge 

to slip on those rose-colored glasses and 

look back on some especially poignant 

nostalgic moment, consider doing an 

about face, occasionally—it works for 

me. r 


Society News 

My Summer with Rutherford 

by Erin Grace, 2011 SPS Intern 

You might say I spent this 

summer with Ernest Rutherford, 

and in the process 

I learned everything from 

scientific modeling to how to 

set a mousetrap. How did I 

become so closely acquainted 

with the discoverer of the 

atomic nucleus? Well, I was 

one of this year’s crop of 

Society of Physics Students 

(SPS) summer interns. Together 

with my fellow intern, 

Amanda Palchak, we created 

the 2011 Science Outreach 

Catalyst Kit (SOCK). These 

kits contain materials for outreach 

activities and are free to 

university SPS chapters that 

request them. This year’s 

theme, “A Century of Revolution,” 

celebrates one hundred 

years since Rutherford’s discovery 

of the nucleus based 

on the gold foil experiment. 

Initially, the prospect of 

creating a lesson on Rutherford 

scattering for elementary 

school students was pretty 

daunting. But Gary White, 

our summer mentor, helped 

us tease out the fundamental 

ideas behind the gold foil 

experiment that could be 

taught to elementary through 

high school students. For 

example, Rutherford used an 

analysis of elastic collisions 

to interpret the deflection of 

alpha particles at large angles. 

To teach this central concept 

of collisions, we created an 

activity in which students roll 

a ball down a Hot Wheels 

track so that it collides with a 

stationary ball at the bottom. 

By experimenting with different 

balls, students formulate 

a relationship between the 

6 Radiations Fall 2011 

Erin Grace is in her senior year 

as a physics education major 

and math minor at the University 

of Delaware. Originally 

from Cincinnati, OH, she will 

begin student teaching in the 

spring of 2012. After graduating, 

she plans to be a high 

school physics teacher. As an 

undergraduate, she has done 

a lot of individual and group 

tutoring in math and physics. 

She loves to help students have 

those “Aha!” moments where 

something clicks for them. 

ABOVE 

The Mystery Box demonstration based on Rutherford’s gold foil 

experiment from the 2011 SPS SOCK (Science Outreach Catalyst 

Kit). Photos by Tracy Schwab. 

For more information on the SOCK program, visit: 

www.spsnational.org/programs/socks/. 

For more information on the SPS Internship program, visit: 

www.spsnational.org/programs/internships/. 

relative masses and the directions 

the balls go after the 

collision. Students learn that 

when a heavy object hits a 

light object, both continue in 

the original direction of motion, 

but when a light object 

hits a heavy object, the light 

object bounces back while the 

heavy object travels forward. 

At the end of the lesson, 

students apply their new 

understanding of collisions 

to help solve a gold robbery 

mystery. When we tried the 

lesson with a 3rd grade class, 

I felt ecstatic to see all 30 

hands waving desperately in 

the air to reveal the solution 

to the mystery. 

I also learned about how 

useful models can be in 

teaching physics. For our 

second activity, we created a 

model of the gold foil experiment. 

In this “Mystery Box” 

activity, students roll marbles 

down a ramp into a box. 

The box has a mystery item 

inside that students attempt 

to identify by observing 

the direction in which the 

marbles exit the box. The 

marbles’ directions, like the 

direction of deflected alpha 

particles, are evidence of 

what is inside the box (i.e. 

gold atoms). While the 

model is not perfect, interacting 

with the boxes helped the 

students to understand not 

just the results of the gold foil 

experiment, but the thought 

process behind Rutherford’s 

breakthrough. 

One surprising skill I 

picked up this summer was 

setting a mousetrap. For our 

third lesson, we demonstrated 

a chain reaction, like those 

in nuclear reactors, with 

mousetraps and ping pong 

balls. We laid out a grid of 

mousetraps with ping pong 

balls perched on top, and 

then threw in an extra ping 

pong ball. Then snap… snapsnap… 

SNAPSNAPSNAP- 

SNAP – they all went off in 

a spectacular chain reaction. 

From this we created a video 

to use in the classroom. See 

the SPS National YouTube 

channel: www.youtube.com/ 

user/SPSnational . 

Perhaps the biggest thing 

I learned this summer was the 

power of collaboration. Rutherford 

himself was a master of 

collaboration, as he was a key 

continued on page 37

Society News 

A Cosmic Connection : Honorary Member Jim Gates 

by Thomas Olsen, Sigma Pi Sigma Assistant Director 

Scores of people found their 

way to a back room of RFD 

restaurant in downtown 

Washington, DC, where they 

ordered food and drinks, 

exchanging warm greetings 

with those they knew. 

A projection screen went up 

and sound checks were made. 

The Host, SPS Intern Anish 

Chakrabarti, made sure that 

all was ready. As the excitement 

built among the crowd, 

Professor Jim Gates was introduced 

as the speaker at the 

first-ever SPS Cosmic Café. 

Science cafés are a form 

of science outreach that has 

already spread around the 

world. In the informal setting 

of a restaurant or pub, folks 

with science backgrounds 

that range from none to rich 

assemble to hear a knowledgeable 

speaker engage a 

fascinating scientific topic in 

a simple talk. The introduction 

is brief, opening the 

way for interactions between 

audience members and 

audience members with the 

speaker. The public television 

program NOVA seeks to 

raise science engagement as it 

releases the four-part “Fabric 

of the Cosmos,” based upon 

Brian Greene’s book of the 

same title. They have inspired 

a wave of science cafés centered 

on the cosmic themes of 

these programs. SPS chapters 

across the country are actively 

engaged in hosting these Cosmic 

Cafés on their campuses 

and in their communities. 

Jim Gates was an inspired 

choice to speak at the first 

Cosmic Café. After a preview 

of the “Fabric of the Cosmos” 

series, he took the audience 

on a journey of exploration 

through the various 

size scales of the universe. 

From the scale of people, to 

planets, star systems, galaxies, 

clusters, and beyond, 

and then down to atoms, 

nuclei, subatomic particles, 

and strings, he spoke of the 

objects and forces that constitute 

and animate all things. 

Gates illustrated the symmetries 

of the particles of matter 

and the carriers of forces, 

suggesting how all might be 

unified. Then he opened the 

floor for questions. Questions 

rained down upon him, and 

he answered each in turn 

with clear words and a sly 

grin. Questioners who posed 

the most interesting questions 

were rewarded with prizes— 

NOVA caps, Brian Greene 

books, science DVDs, and 

the ever-popular plush toy: 

the baby universe. While the 

crowd could have continued 

for hours, the restaurant 

could not and the Cosmic 

Café came to a graceful close. 

However, this cosmic 

evening had only begun. Dr. 

Gates and his wife, who had 

come to celebrate the Cosmic 

Café with him, graciously 

stayed for dinner with the 

SPS interns and staff. The 

atmosphere was loud in the 

restaurant’s main room, but 

the fellowship was warm. He 

freely shared from his life in 

science. A surprise awaited 

him, as the SPS/ΣΠΣ National 

Council had considered 

his life of science and service. 

His doctoral thesis was the 

first at MIT to address the 

field of supersymmetry, 

and he has led the fields of 

supersymmetry, string theory, 

and quantum gravity ever 

since. In addition, he has 

tirelessly presented his science 

to people with all imaginable 

levels of scientific preparation. 

He is active in education 

issues from the Maryland 

State Board of Education 

to the President’s Council 

of Advisors on Science and 

Technology (PCAST). He 

continues to champion all 

efforts to increase diversity 

in science. For these reasons, 

and many more, the Council 

unanimously resolved: 

For his groundbreaking work 

in the theory of supersymmetry, 

string theory, and quantum 

gravity, his tremendous efforts 

to include the full diversity of 

persons in the scientific enterprise, 

his devotion to improving 

education at all levels, his 

energy in engaging the public 

with the wonder of science, 

and his persistence in putting 

science to the service of all 

humanity, S. James Gates, Jr. 

is elected an Honorary Member 

of Sigma Pi Sigma, its highest 

recognition. r 

RIGHT 

Jim Gates receives his pin 

and cord from SPS Associate 

Zone Councilor Courtney 

Lemon following his talk at 

the first Cosmic Café. Photo 

by Cabot Zabriskie. 

For further information, see 

Science and Cosmic Cafés at 

www.sciencecafes.org and 

NOVA and “The Fabric of the 

Cosmos” at www.pbs.org/ 

wgbh/nova/physics/fabricof-cosmos.html. 


SPS 

90 

Sigma Pi Sigma—A vision of nine 

by Earl Blodgett, Sigma Pi Sigma Historian 

The undergraduate founders of Sigma Pi Sigma (left to right): R. H. Poole, W. K. McCain, M. C. Dew, R. M. Brice, and 

J. K. Price, of Davidson College, NC. Photos taken from the 1922 Quips and Cranks, Davidson College Annual. 

How could a handful of college 

students possibly affect the 

professional lives of thousands 

of individuals? In today’s connected 

world, it is easy to find examples of how 

a determined few can influence multitudes. 

But 90 years ago there were no 

computers to link a world together, no 

social media to use for issuing a call to 

action. Even so, a group of five undergraduate 

students at Davidson College 

in North Carolina, together with four 

faculty members, initiated an organization 

that has touched over 75,000 

individuals. 

On December 11, 1921, they took 

formal action to form an organization 

to recognize scholarship in physics, 

provide encouragement in their study 

of physics, and provide an association 

for individuals with a shared interest 

in physics. This is the origin of Sigma 

Pi Sigma, the Greek letters chosen to 

represent “Scholarship Physics Society.” 

We can still see the influence of the 

early members of the Davidson chapter, 

even though the organization as a 

whole has undergone several revisions 

and expansions over the past 90 years. 

A tangible expression of the past for 

most members of Sigma Pi Sigma is our 

membership pin, shown in Figure 1. 


Figure 1 

Figure 2 

Figure 3

SPS_half_vertical 4/21/11 2:31 PM Page 1 

The images used on the pin 

were very familiar to physics 

students of the 1920s but are less 

familiar today. The overall outline 

of the pin represents a standard 

voltmeter, a symbol of the accuracy 

necessary for an experimental 

science. It looks nothing like the 

outline of a digital multimeter 

of today. Within the body of the 

voltmeter we see a representation 

of a dynamo driving a glowing 

lightbulb. 

The word dynamo is less 

familiar to today’s students, who 

would be more apt to identify the 

image as an electrical generator. 

By any name, it represents the 

creative energy needed to produce 

the illumination of knowledge. 

The early members of Sigma 

Pi Sigma were more conversant 

with Greek, and they bequeathed 

a few choice samples to us. These 

are most often encountered in an 

induction ceremony. 

The emblem shown in Figure 

2 places a banner bearing the 

word “sofia” or “knowledge” 

across the base of the pin. 

The seal of Sigma Pi Sigma 

shown in Figure 3 features Greek 

letters spelling out “phoosika,” 

which is easily recognized as 

“physics.” The lightning bolts 

on the seal are really just that: a 

dramatic illustration of electricity, 

a facet of nature that has been 

turned to practical use by the 

study of physics. 

I am sure that many readers 

of Radiations recall an induction 

ceremony where some hapless 

soul would fumble through the 

pronunciation of the motto of 

Sigma Pi Sigma (see Figure 4). I 

was given that task for our chapter, 

not because of my negligible 

knowledge of Greek, but rather 

because I would mangle the words 

with great confidence! Since no 

one knew any better, my bluff was 

never called. 

These small links to our early 

past as an honor organization are 

worth preserving and sharing, 

even though our perspective has 

shifted. By continuing to reference 

these symbols of the physics 

honor society, we honor the seminal 

contributions of those early 

members of Sigma Pi Sigma. r 

Experimenting 

with your hiring 

process? 

Finding the best scientific job or hire shouldn’t be 

left to chance. SPS Jobs (the online job site of the 

Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma) 

is your ideal recruitment resource, targeting over 

125,000 undergraduates, graduate students, early 

professionals, and mentors in physics, chemistry, 

computer science, engineering, medicine, mathematics, 

geology, and other science-related fields worldwide. 

Whether you’re looking to hire or be hired, SPS 

provides real results by matching hundreds of relevant 

jobs with this hard-to-reach audience each month. 

http://jobs.spsnational.org 

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) and Sigma Pi Sigma is a 

partner in the AIP Career Network, a collection of online job sites 

for scientists, engineers, and computing professionals. 

Other partners include Physics Today, the 

American Association of Physicists in 

Medicine (AAPM), American Association 

of Physics Teachers (AAPT), American 

Physical Society (APS), AVS Science and 

Technology, and IEEE Computer Society. 

Figure 4 


Education IS Important 

by Jack G. Hehn, AIP Education Fellow and past Director of the Education Division 

Editorial Note: In August of this year, American Institute of Physics Education Director Jack 

Hehn announced his retirement after twelve years of exceptional service to AIP and its 

many stakeholders. The Education Division at AIP has housed SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma since 

1968. His retirement comes after more than forty years of service to students, faculty members, 

physics departments, various educational systems and physics groups in Texas, the 

National Science Foundation, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and AIP—in 

fact, the entire extended physics community and beyond. Among the many notable projects 

in which Jack played an instrumental role are some of the best known names and acronyms 

in physics education: Active Physics, Powerful Ideas in Physical Science, SPInUP, ComPA- 

DRE, PhysTEC, and the SPS Intern program, to name only a few. Beyond that, though, Jack’s 

influence can be seen through the breadth and depth of his many contacts in the physics 

community, in education circles, and the broader world of science and education policy. 

Jack will continue his service to AIP as education fellow, consulting on a variety of ongoing 

projects. We welcome this chance to see the education scene from his perspective. 

Ihave greatly appreciated 

the opportunity to work 

with and serve the science 

and science education communities 

over the last twenty 

years. I have seen significant 

changes in science education 

over the forty-year span of my 

academic and administrative 

career; most of the changes 

are positive but some not so. 

Although I am retiring from 

AIP, I fully intend to continue 

to interact with friends 

and colleagues and offer my 

services and knowledge where 

it might be useful. 

I offer a few observations 

related to progress in American 

education: 

• Science and scientists 

are respected in America, 

and scientists are learning 

that it is vitally important to 

communicate to citizens and 

taxpayers that the quality of 

their lives is improved by science. 

Teachers are spending 

more time relating science 

and engineering concepts 


to the context of students’ 

lives. Science can and should 

inspire young people to make 

a difference. 

• More students in more 

schools and colleges are learning 

physics with a broader 

curriculum and improving 

pedagogy available to them. 

• The focus is shifting from 

what is taught to how students 

can demonstrate what 

they have learned. Significant 

research efforts are being undertaken 

to determine what 

and how students learn, and 

instructors are applying those 

findings in and out of class. 

• There is an important 

and growing emphasis on the 

premise that ALL students 

must be given the opportunity 

to learn science, through 

core ideas in disciplines, 

practices of science, and unifying 

cross-cutting concepts. 

This reform agenda is based 

on implementing national 

pre-K–12 science standards— 

statements about what 

students should know and be 

able to do. This effort often 

emphasizes how students 

can use their own powers of 

observation to learn what science 

is and can do and what 

the limits of science may be. 

• At the postsecondary 

level, thriving physics 

departments are creating a 

strong “sense of belonging” 

and community among their 

undergraduate majors and 

with the faculty, staff, graduate 

students, and alumni of 

the department. SPS chapters 

are important to that sense of 

community. 

Jack G. Hehn. AIP photo. 

• There is increasing attention 

being given to the 

science preparation of future 

teachers at all grade levels. 

While the school environment 

is important, teachers 

have the most influence 

on positive student learning 

gains. Teachers need 

career-long opportunities 

and support to continue their 

professional development. 

• Networks and resource 

collections (like ComPA- 

DRE) are being developed 

to promote community and 

communication among physics 

teachers and students at 

all levels. Technology will 

play an ever-increasing role in 

education. 

• The improving quality 

of students’ work will ensure 

a future for the scientific 

enterprise, and introducing 

more diversity will improve 

that future workforce. 

Education IS important… As little as schools may change … 

the students change dramatically every year. 

Funding support for 

education, and for science, is 

under stress and that stress 

will continue and likely increase. 

Scientists and science 

teachers, in collaboration, 

must continue to take a more

active role in advocating for 

appropriate and supportive 

science education policy at 

the local, state, and federal 

levels. Education, whether 

graduate, undergraduate, 

secondary, or elementary, is 

a much more complex enterprise 

than most pundits and 

policymakers will acknowledge. 

The national pattern of 

postulating dramatic progress 

in education produced 

by simplistic solutions while 

failing to make the promised 

or necessary investments has 

caused more harm than good 

in many cases. 

A great deal of reform 

and progress has come 

through projects supported 

by federal and state agencies, 

and we should continue to 

strongly support those agencies, 

their program officers, 

and those projects. Unfortunately, 

a significant number 

of experimental programs 

often last only long enough 

to demonstrate preliminary 

results and fail to make fundamental 

changes in the system. 

There are many models 

of good science education, 

and they should be widely 

reported. 

I must thank the many 

mentors I have had, but they 

are too numerous to list. I 

believe they know who they 

are. I have confidence that 

AIP and AIP’s Member Societies 

will continue to support 

science education and policy 

in creative and diverse ways. 

Education is a complex 

enterprise that is deeply embedded 

in a culture and, in 

the words of Melba Phillips, 

“Unlike most physics problems, 

problems in education 

do not stay solved.” r 

Spotlight on Hidden Physicists 

Share your story at www.sigmapisigma.org 

1LT Joshua D. Frey 

Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection 

Officer, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment 

Ft. Hood, TX 

I received my Arte 

Baccalaureus with 

a double major in 

physical sciences 

and religion from 

Ripon College 

in Ripon, WI, in 

2005. While there 

I was a member of the Reserve Officer’s 

Training Corps, from which I received 

a commission into the Army Chemical 

Corps as a Second Lieutenant. I was also 

active in our resurrected SPS chapter and 

Physics Fun Force and was inducted into 

ΣΠΣ. Throughout my life I have been interested 

in all aspects of science, and I have 

always felt a sense of wonder and delight 

when speaking or reading about scientific 

discoveries and the ways science influences 

our everyday life. 

My most recent job was as Anti- 

Terrorism/Force Protection Officer for 

the Contingency Operating Site (COS) 

Kalsu in Babil Province, Iraq. In this role I 

served as the primary advisor for the base 

commander regarding defensive planning, 

protection technology implementation and 

acquisition, and access control and internal 

security operations. We utilized and 

integrated a wide array of elevated sensors, 

x-ray scanners, biometric identification 

devices, as well as military working dogs to 

simultaneously keep the population of the 

base safe from unwanted intrusion while 

also allowing for access by local Iraqis who 

provided basic life support services. I also 

worked with military police, counter-intelligence, 

human intelligence, and geospatial 

intelligence specialists to integrate the 

various capabilities available to us. 

While all of that certainly had very 

little to do with physics, it required a great 

degree of critical thinking and experimentation 

to maximize the impact of each 

system at our disposal, while also ensuring 

that they were used efficiently. One 

of the most difficult parts of the job was 

figuring out where limited assets would 

best be used to create a stronger “net” to 

prevent attacks. Managing equipment 

maintenance and downtime, working with 

civilian operators, and feeding the demand 

for information were something that, 

while part of the life of any physicist in the 

United States, were made all the harder by 

the conditions in Iraq and the nature of 

stability operations. While “science” is not 

something I do often, the scientific way of 

thinking has helped me every day. 

Dr. Jacqueline Hartt 

Registered Patent Agent, 

GrayRobinson, P.A. 

Dr. Jacqueline E. 

Hartt, a registered 

patent agent in the 

Orlando office of 

GrayRobinson, 

P.A., was recently 

elected secretary 

of the executive 

board of the National 

Association of Patent Practitioners 

(NAPP) during its 2011 annual conference. 

She will serve a two-year term. 

Hartt focuses her practice on intellectual 

property and patent prosecution. 

Throughout her career she has represented 

local, national, and multinational corporations 

in various technology areas including 

computer software, business methods, 

medical and surgical implements and 

methods, laser technology, and chemical, 

pharmaceutical, and mechanical inventions. 

She also gave a presentation titled 

“Inventorship and Ownership in Patent 

Practice” at the NAPP annual conference. 

Dr. Hartt received both her doctorate 

and undergraduate degrees from Rensselaer 

Polytechnic Institute, where she was 

inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma in 1971. 

Hartt also conducted postdoctoral research 

at Brookhaven National Laboratory, 

University of California, San Francisco, 

and National Institutes of Health. r 


The 2012 Quadrennial Physics Congress 

November 8-10, 2012 

Orlando Florida & the Kennedy Space Center 

Next November, hundreds of 

physics students, alumni, and 

faculty will gather for the 2012 

Quadrennial Physics Congress, hosted 

by Sigma Pi Sigma. This is a unique 

meeting that combines cutting-edge 

science with discussions on the role of 

the physicist in society, and engages 

undergraduate students in a way that 

no other meeting does. In fact, it will 

be the largest gathering of undergraduate 

physics students in the country ever! 

Built around the theme Connecting 

Worlds Through Science & Service, the 

Congress will take place in Orlando, FL, 

home to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. 

It isn’t too early to start planning 

your trip—at the 2008 Congress, there 

were more than 600 attendees, many of 

them undergraduate physics students. 

We’re hoping to surpass that number in 

2012, so please plan early. 

Plenary Speakers 

The Congress will feature plenary talks 

by distinguished scientists such as Dr. 

John Mather, Physics Nobel Laureate; 

Freeman Dyson, acclaimed scientist and 

author; Dr. John Grunsfeld, astronaut 

and former chief scientist of NASA; Dr. 

Jocelyn Bell Burnell, world-class astrophysicist 

known for discovering pulsars, 

and many more. 

NASA Tours 

On the morning of Thursday, November 

8, Congress attendees will be 

transported to Kennedy Space Center 

for tours of their facilities, led by the 

Kennedy Space Center Education Staff. 

Tour participants will travel through the 

industrial area, the causeway (so that the 

launchpads are visible), out to the shuttle 

landing facility, through the Vehicle 

Assembly (VAB) area, and along crawler 

way, among other areas. There will be 

several stops for photo opportunities. 

Workshops 

Workshops will include invited talks by 

scientists and educators actively pursuing 

all kinds of science, and roundtable 

discussions on issues important 

to science and service. Attendees will 

deliberate topics such as technology and 

international collaborations, communicating 

science and public outreach; and 


The Quadrennial Physics Congress is unlike any other meeting, 

bringing undergraduates, faculty, practicing physicists and 

alumni from a broad spectrum of career paths together. 

connecting students and science policy. 

These discussions will set the course for 

Sigma Pi Sigma’s involvement in these 

issues in the years ahead. 

Art & Science 

Building on the popularity and success 

of the first-ever Sigma Pi Sigma Art 

Contest at the 2008 Congress, we’re 

putting out the call for new artwork and 

participation in the 2012 Congress Art 

Contest. 

Congress attendees are encouraged 

to submit their 2- and 3-D creations in 

the following categories for display and/ 

or judging at the Congress: Connecting 

Worlds, General Science, Physics for 

Everyone, and Space: The Final Frontier. 

Winners will be funded to display their 

artwork at a regional or national physics 

meeting, and will be featured in here in 

Radiations magazine. 

Poster Sessions 

All members of Sigma Pi Sigma and the 

Society of Physics Students (SPS) are invited 

to submit a poster for the Friday or 

Saturday poster sessions. Start thinking 

now about what you’d like to present! 

The Friday poster session will cover 

Research from any field of Physics or 

Applied Physics. The Saturday session 

will include posters on General Outreach 

and Community Service, with 

a special emphasis on Future Faces of 

Physics Projects: Outreach with an 

emphasis on reaching underrepresented 

groups. 

Join us in Orlando! 

The Quadrennial Physics Congress 

provides abundant opportunities to 

reconnect with classmates and colleagues, 

make new friends, and network. 

Building on the 2008 theme of scientific 

citizenship, the 2012 Congress addresses 

the necessity, practicality and ideals of 

making connections, whether they are 

between student and professor, scientist 

and society, or Earth and exoplanet. 

Registration opens in May 2012, and 

up-to-date information is being added 

to the Congress website as it becomes 

available. Make plans now to join us in 

Orlando, and visit the website for more 

details: www.spscongress.org. 

Scan with a QR 

code reader on your 

smart phone or tablet 

to visit the 2012 

Congress website. 

LEFT 

Plenary speaker Dr. 

Jocelyn Bell Burnell is 

an astrophysicist who 

contributed to the Nobel 

Prize winning work 

discovering the first radio 

pulsars. Institute of Physics 

photo. 

CENTER 

External Tank 130 rolls 

toward the Vehicle 

Assembly Building, part of 

the NASA tours. The tank 

was used on the STS-125 

Hubble Servicing Mission. 

NASA photo. 

RIGHT 

The majority of the 2012 

Quadrennial Physics 

Congress will take place at 

the Caribe Royale Hotel, in 

Orlando, FL. Caribe Royale 

photo. 


Elegant Connections in Physics 

NASA after the Shuttle: 

Begin in a Museum 

by Dwight E. Neuenschwander 

In 2011 the NASA Space Shuttle program came to its scheduled 

end when Atlantis rolled to a stop on the tarmac at the Kennedy 

Space Center on July 21, concluding its last visit to the International 

Space Station. Now that the surviving shuttles are retiring 

to museums, one may ask of NASA, “What comes next?” NASA 

has been in the “What next?” position before. 

Really now, what is NASA all about? 

To some a “space program” means jobs 

and contracts. To some a space program 

means national defense and “maintaining 

superiority.” To some a space program 

means science and adventure and 

pushing the envelope of what’s possible 

by seeing what human beings can actually 

accomplish. NASA has, of course, 

meant all those things. As the shuttle 

orbiters begin new careers as museum 

artifacts to preserve memories of what 

they did, perhaps we should revisit other 

museum exhibits—and our memories— 

that tell the story of NASA’s legacy. If 

we aspire to go beyond our predecessors, 

we would do well to remember and learn 

from them. By reviewing their motives, 

perhaps our own will be clarified. By 

revisiting their setbacks and triumphs, 

our own inspiration may be revitalized. 


From Columbiad to Redstone 

Long before any artificial satellites were 

placed into Earth orbit, the public’s 

imagination was already primed for 

visions of space travel to other worlds. 

Tales of such adventures as told in the 

mid-19th century include From the Earth 

to the Moon (1865) by Jules Verne, a 

story about a capsule called the Columbiad, 

bearing three crew members that 

launches to the moon by being fired 

from a cannon. In 1898 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky 

in Russia wrote The Investigation 

of Outer Space by Means of Reaction 

Apparatus, which was published in 1903. 

In this nonfiction book Tsiolkovsky 

criticized the feasibility of Verne’s cannon 

launch scenario, calculating that the 

cannon barrel must be impossibly long 

and the shot would subject the crew to 

unsurvivable accelerations. However, 

An artist’s conception of how the 

Space Shuttle Enterprise will look 

in New York’s Intrepid Museum. 

NASA image. 

Tsiolkovsky credited Verne’s novel for 

inspiring him to think seriously about 

space flight. Also in 1898, H.G. Wells 

published The War of the Worlds in 

which the earth suffers invasion by 

technologically advanced but ruthless 

Martians. Receptivity to the novel’s 

thesis was aided by the misinterpretation 

(about 1877) of Martian landscape 

features as “canals,” giving traction to 

the notion that life might exist elsewhere 

in the solar system. Wells followed 

War of the Worlds with First Men in the 

Moon (1901). Quality science fiction, 

by extrapolating slightly beyond known 

limitations, stretches the mind toward 

new possibilities that may lie just over 

the horizon. For adventures in space exploration, 

the 20th century began with 

imagination and anticipation. 

On December 17, 1903, Wilbur 

and Orville Wright carried out the first 

successful airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, 

NC. Aircraft technology moved ahead 

so quickly that in 1915 the National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 

(NACA) was founded to coordinate US 

federally funded aviation research (the 

NACA would become NASA 43 years 

later). By 1914 Robert Goddard had 

taken out patents for liquid-fueled, solidfueled, 

and multistage rockets. His first 

successful liquid-fueled rocket flew on 

March 16, 1926, at Auburn, MA. Working 

mostly alone and despite limited 

funds, Goddard developed gyroscopes, 

fuel pumps, steering vanes, and parachutes. 

His experiments were noticed 

abroad, especially in Germany. 

In 1923 Hermann Oberth published 

in Germany the influential The Rocket 

into Interplanetary Space, a quantitative 

study of solar system navigation 

dynamics using rocket engines and 

gravity.[1] Soon afterward, in Breslau, 

Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), a 

rocket enthusiast’s society, the Verein für 

Raumschiffahrt (VfR, German Society 

for Space Travel) was organized in a 

restaurant on June 5, 1927. The VfR 

premise held that “out of small projects, 

large spacecraft can be developed which 

themselves can be ultimately developed 

by their pilots and sent to the stars.” In 

1930 18-year-old Wernher von Braun, 

who had been profoundly influenced by 


Oberth’s book, joined the VfR. At an 

abandoned munitions dump near Berlin, 

VfR members soon had their rockets 

streaking to altitudes of 2 km. 

In 1933 Adolf Hitler came to power 

and VfR assets were seized. Since rockets 

were not included under the restrictions 

of the Treaty of Versailles that ended 

World War I, German rocketry was 

made into a bureaucracy with von Braun 

appointed its leader. With military sponsorship 

he led the development of the 

V-2 rocket at Peenemünde on the Baltic 

coast. Fueled with alcohol and liquid 

oxygen, the V-2 produced 56,000 lb of 

thrust and could lift a 1-ton payload to 

a height of 100 miles. Nearly 4000 V-2s 

were fired during World War II, but 

they caused little damage in proportion 

to their cost. Near the war’s end 

von Braun abandoned his headquarters 

at Peenemünde, retreated to the Bavarian 

mountains, stashed important 

documents, and dispersed his team. He 

surrendered to the Americans and led 

them to 14 tons of technical papers and 

100 disassembled V-2s. Then he and 125 

colleagues and their families migrated 

to El Paso, TX, as part of the US Army’s 

Operation Paperclip. At Fort Bliss the 

Army provided resources for the group 

to resume designing rockets, and they 

organized anew under von Braun’s leadership 

as the US Army Ordnance Missile 

Command. The V-2s were taken to the 

Army’s White Sands Proving Grounds 

near Alamogordo, NM, and were 

launched there from 1946 to 1952. At 

White Sands the V-2 payload bays were 

made available for research projects. 

A V-2 Upper Atmosphere Rocket and 

Research Panel with representatives from 

the military, universities, and industry 

provided access to a wide spectrum of 

talent. With these resources, advances in 

tracking, timing, telemetry, communications, 

safety, aborting flights, instrumentation, 

and data recovery all moved 

quickly ahead. In April 1948 the panel 

changed its name to the Rocket and Satellite 

Research Panel. In June 1950 von 

Braun’s group relocated to Huntsville, 

AL, to occupy the vacated Redstone 

Arsenal facility and be near the Atlantic 

Missile Range at Cape Canaveral, FL, 

where the next generation of rockets 



would be launched. In Huntsville they 

produced V-2 successors, beginning with 

the namesake Redstone rocket, producing 

78,000 lb of thrust, capable of carrying 

a 3-ton payload on 200-mile ballistic 

flights. When the last V-2 was launched 

in 1952, an American space program 

was taking root. 

Looming in the background of these 

developments were the new hydrogen 

bombs, which had first been tested on 

November 2, 1952. That first one, the 

USA’s “Mike” shot, used liquid hydrogen 

as fuel in a device far too large to be carried 

anywhere. This round of American 

superiority was short-lived, because the 

Soviets detonated their own hydrogen 

bomb on August 12, 1953. On March 

1, 1954, the compact lithium-deuteride 

“dry” design was successfully detonated 

in the Castle Bravo test on the Marshall 

Islands. By 1956 the Mark 17 hydrogen 

bomb was in production, which could 

be carried by the B-36 bomber. But a 

rocket capable of placing a satellite into 

orbit could deliver a nuclear weapon 

from Moscow to Washington, DC, in 

about half an hour, beating the flight 

time of any bomber. By the end of the 

1950s several fleets of large rockets 

were available, including the Redstone, 

Vanguard, Thor, and Atlas vehicles. The 

Redstone was created by von Braun for 

the Army, the Vanguard was a product 

of the Naval Research Laboratory, and 

the Thor and Atlas came from the Air 

Force. 


Investing in Imagination 

Across the land were the taxpayers who, 

in a free society, would have to give at 

least implicit consent to such publicly 

funded efforts. That required vision. 

Popular culture can be a good indicator 

of the state of public imagination 

and vision. With the coming of cinema 

and broadcast technologies, the classic 

science fiction stories were quickly 

adapted to movies, radio, and television, 

famously including the Orson Wells 

radio broadcast on October 30, 1938, of 

an adaption of War of the Worlds. Space 

travel and aliens inspired television 

programs from the beginning of the medium, 

as they still do today. Some characters 

and story lines appeared earlier 

in print, such as the Buck Rogers in the 

25th Century comic strip that began in 

1929, followed by Flash Gordon in 1934. 

Both were adapted to a series of television 

programs: Buck Rogers aired from 

April 1950 to January 1951, and the 

Flash Gordon series ran from October 

1954 to April 1955. Other space fiction 

television programs from the early 1950s 

included Space Patrol and Tom Corbett, 

Space Cadet. It is interesting that while 

these shows were intended for children, 

they also attracted a following among 

adults. Perhaps the innate childhood 

curiosity and fascination with the world, 

so necessary for the spirit of science, was 

reignited in the parents. 

Flash Gordon’s spaceship, the Sky 

Flash, resembled a stylized V-2 rocket. 

By today’s standards the visual effects 

seem cheesy; for example, when the 

Sky Flash took off, little puffs of smoke 

came out the back of what was clearly 

a model suspended with fine wires. But 

kids my age watching at the time did 

not care about such production trivia; 

we were used to playing with toy models 

ourselves, and our imaginations did the 

rest. So we had a good time and cut the 

special effects technicians some slack 

that would not be tolerated today, when 

computer-generated realistic images are 

taken for granted. 

I don’t know what this says about 

human nature, but the story lines of 

these programs were mostly about 

conflicts between Good Guy heroes 

and Bad Guy villains. Although Flash 

Gordon and Tom Corbett used ray guns 

instead of six-shooters, the story lines 

were similar to those of The Lone Ranger 

or Zorro; merely the settings were different. 

However, for young viewers like 

me, the setting was the point. Good or 

bad, the aliens from other worlds were 

interesting because they were from other 

worlds. Such a conception would have 

been inconceivable to our counterparts 

in, say, the 14th century. Ah, this brings 

back a flood of memories . . . 

. . . It’s the mid-1950s. We can join 

the Space Patrol Club and mail-order a 

Space Patrol helmet with 25 cents and 

a cereal box top. . . . So there we are, 

sporting our Space Patrol helmets and 

brandishing our Buck Rogers Death Ray 

pistols, swinging our legs from chrome and 

vinyl kitchen chairs while watching the 

antics of space heroes and villains on little 

black-and-white television screens. But our 

imaginations soar off this planet and set 

out across the universe. . . . 

In the long view, perhaps Jules Verne 

and Flash Gordon had roles just as 

necessary for the exploration of space in 

the real world as were the roles of Robert 

Goddard, Wernher von Braun, and Neil 

Armstrong. 

Allowing for the goals and limitations 

of the medium, the Tom Corbett, 

Space Cadet show may have been the


more scientifically realistic, as its producer 

solicited the services of science 

advisors. Although to travel through 

the asteroid belt was to risk falling prey 

to space pirates who lingered there, the 

producers made Mars into a desert and 

Venus into a tropical jungle. They were 

right about Mars, and because Venus is 

a cloud-wrapped planet about the size of 

Earth and lies just within the sun’s life 

zone, one could still suppose in the early 

1950s that Venus might possibly be a 

global Costa Rica. Of course, the Soviet 

and American probes that flew by or 

landed on Venus in the 1960s showed its 

surface to be hot enough to melt lead. . . . 

. . . We were oh so disappointed—our 

dreams of hacking through a Venus jungle 

understory while watching out for giant 

screeching pterodactyls swooping down over 

our heads had to be set aside, replaced by 

a planet on which the greenhouse effect 

experiment had already been done to the 

extreme! . . . 

Sputnik and Explorer 

It is said that one evening in 1950, during 

a gathering in the home of James 

Van Allen, the conversation noted an 

upcoming maximum in solar activity, 

turned to opportunities offered by 

recent developments in computer and 

rocket technologies, and recalled the 

International Polar Years of 1888 and 

1932. Thus was hatched the idea to 

organize an International Geophysical 

Year (IGY) to run from July 1957 

through December 1958. An international 

consortium of scientific societies 

agreed, and planning began. American 

participation was charged to a US 

National Committee formed in March 

1953, which in turned organized panels 

of technical experts to pursue projects 

in cosmic rays, auroras, geomagnetism, 

glaciology, gravity, ionosphere physics, 

meteorology, oceanography, seismology, 

solar activity, and rocketry. Both the 

US and Soviet governments aimed to 

place satellites in orbit during the IGY. 

The US government was represented by 

NACA participation on the US National 

Committee. Official impetus for a US 

satellite program accelerated in 1954 

with a joint Army-Navy proposal called 

Project Orbiter. The following year the 

Eisenhower administration opted for 

the alternative Navy Project Vanguard 

instead. In 1956 the Upper Atmosphere 

Rocket and Satellite Research Panel 

organized a symposium at the University 

of Michigan titled “The Scientific 

Uses of Earth Satellites,” chaired by Van 

Allen. The US push was on for satellites 

in space. 

Then the world woke up on October 

4, 1957, to the news that the Soviet 

Union had done it first by successfully 

placing the 184-lb Sputnik I into 

Earth orbit. The iconic beep-beep-beep 

emitted by the shiny sphere trailing its 

four antenna wires became an indelible 

memory to everyone who was aware of 

it at the time. The Soviet achievement 

was all the more remarkable given that 

the USSR had been laid waste during 

World War II, which left its major cities 

in ruins and some 25 million citizens 

dead. Despite so recent a calamity on 

so large a scale, Sputnik 1 demonstrated 

that the technological prowess of the 

Soviet Union was not to be underestimated. 

Furthermore, Sputnik 2 quickly 

followed, launched on November 3, a 

month after its predecessor. Significantly, 

Sputnik 2 carried the world’s first passenger 

in orbit, a female terrier named 

Laika. Throughout the remainder of 

1957 the USSR could boast two satellites 

in orbit while the United States had 

none. The first US attempt to launch a 

satellite, on December 6, 1957, ended 

ignominiously when its Vanguard rocket 

settled back onto the launch pad and 

exploded after reaching a height of 4 ft. 

In the environment of the Cold 

War, these events set off alarm bells in 

the establishments of US government, 

industry, and education. One could argue 

that Sputnik was the best thing that 

could have happened not only to the US 

space program, but to technology and 

science education as well. For example, 

on September 2, 1958, the National Defense 

Education Act, which emphasized 

mathematics and science education, was 

signed into law. 

With the awareness that the Soviet 

Union could now exploit rocket technology 

for military use, in February 1958 

LEFT 

V-2 launch, September 29, 1949. 

Naval Research Laboratory photo. 

CENTER 

The National Air and Space 

Museum’s replica of Sputnik 1. 

USAF photo. 

RIGHT 

A full-scale model of Explorer 1, 

held by (left to right) JPL’s Director 

William Pickering, James Van Allen, 

and Wernher von Braun, ca. January 

1958. JPL/NASA photo. 



the Advanced Research Projects Agency 

(ARPA) was formed, with an office in 

the Pentagon, to coordinate US civilian 

and military efforts, make sure that 

US military technology would be more 

sophisticated than the technology of its 

potential enemies, and formulate projects 

intended to expand technology beyond 

immediate military requirements. 

However, it must also be said that, in 

contrast to all the official suspicion, after 

Van Allen attended a cosmic ray meeting 

with Soviet scientists in 1959 he wrote, 

“At this conference, there were many 

differing views and differing methods of 

attack, but the problems were common 

ones to all of us and a unity of basic 

purpose was everywhere evident.” 

There was more at stake swirling 

around Sputnik than scoring the technical 

advantage du jour during the Cold 

War. National prestige was an asset to 

be used as collateral for influence in the 

world marketplace of ideas. Politicians 

and pundits spoke of the two Cold War 

adversaries, who faced each other like 

Robert Oppenheimer’s two scorpions 

in a bottle,[2] as “the West” with its 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 

and the “Soviet Bloc” with its Warsaw 

Pact. These superpower actors played 

to an audience consisting of the rest of 

the world, especially the “unaligned” 

nations, then called the “Third World.” 

Most Third World countries were former 

colonies of the West, and with over 

50 million people having just perished 

in a global war fought over principles 

of self-determination, the wheels of 

colonialism were beginning to fall off. In 

this new paradigm many Third World 

nations were struggling to recover their 

ABOVE 

The X-15 rocket plane. USAF photo. 


RIGHT 

Wernher von Braun with models of the 

various Saturn rockets, Marshall Space 

Flight Center, May 1964, NASA photo. 

identities while trying to build their 

societies and economies. The West and 

the Soviet Bloc were locked in a struggle 

for their allegiance—and access to their 

resources would be nice, too. When the 

leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel 

Castro, aligned himself with the Soviets 

in January 1959, the point was sharply 

emphasized.[3] As a consequence of policies 

guided by a “domino” hypothesis, 

that year also saw the first US casualties 

in the former French colony of Vietnam. 

For the sake of international public relations, 

the USA had to get a satellite into 

orbit, and do it fast. 

Immediately after Sputnik the Army- 

Navy Project Orbiter program was revived 

and given new life as the Explorer 

program. The Army Ballistic Missile 

Agency, together with the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory, assembled in 84 days the 

Explorer 1 satellite and launch vehicle, 

the latter a Redstone modified under 

the supervision of von Braun. Explorer 1 

was successfully launched into orbit on 

January 31, 1958. It weighed 31 pounds 

and was launched by a rocket weighing 

32 tons. 

Foreshadowing the research capabilities 

of satellites and space probes 

to come, the Explorer satellites carried 

instruments for studying cosmic rays. 

They bore the fingerprints of James Van 

Allen, who started studying cosmic rays 

as an undergraduate. During WWII 

he helped develop the proximity fuze 

at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics 

Research Lab [4] and in 1951 became 

chair of the physics department at the 

University of Iowa. Van Allen and his 

students developed rockets that were 

fired from high-altitude balloons, a 

combination called a “rockoon.” Rockoons 

launched from Newfoundland in 

1953 found the first hints of the highaltitude 

belts of charged particles that 

would later bear Van Allen’s name. To 

detect micrometeorites and cosmic rays, 

the slender cylindrical Explorer satellite 

carried counters and electronics built by 

Van Allen’s group. Explorer 1 detected 

a cosmic ray count much lower than 

expected. Van Allen hypothesized that 

the detectors were saturated because the 

satellite passed through a belt of charged 

particles trapped by the earth’s magnetic 

field. These belts, now called the Van 

Allen Belts, were confirmed by Explorer 

3 in March 1958. 

From Aeronautics to Space 

In the 1950s the distinction between 

airplanes and spacecraft was becoming 

blurred. One of NACA’s more dramatic 

successes, completed in cooperation with 

the Army Air Corps, was the development 

of the X-1 rocket plane, the first 

aircraft to “break the sound barrier.” 

After much testing this barrier was broken 

on October 14, 1947, when Chuck 

Yeager and Glamorous Glennis reached 

Mach 1.06. The X-1 led to proposals 

by 1954 for rocket engine and airframe 

designs that became the X-15, on which 

construction began in 1956. 

The X-15 rocket plane bridged the 

transition from airplanes to spacecraft. 

The X-15 program conducted flight tests 

from June 1959 to October 1967. The 

rocket plane was released from a B-52 

at an altitude of 8 miles and its rocket 

would ignite, shooting it to altitudes 

knocking on the door of suborbital 

flight. After rocketing to above essentially 

all the atmosphere, the X-15 glided 

to a landing on the earth. Several of its 

pilots were recognized with astronaut 

wings on their uniforms, a distinction 

earned only by those who reached 

altitudes greater than 100 km. Among 

these were the future Apollo 11 commander 

Neil Armstrong and a future


Space Shuttle pilot Joe Engle. The X-15 

still holds the official speed record 

for a rocket-powered aircraft (Mach 

6.72, set by Joe Knight on October 3, 

1967), and on October 22, 1963, it set 

an altitude record for rocket-powered 

aircraft (107.96 km by Joe Walker) that 

stood until October 4, 2007, when 

SpaceShipOne piloted by Mike Melvill 

reached 111.996 km. 

. . . There was a sixth-grade textbook 

(now lost), a collection of assorted readings 

that included an essay by an X-15 

pilot. . . . Within its pages I see myself 

strapped into the X-15 cockpit, black sky 

above, blue Earth curving away 70 miles 

below, pressed back into the seat by the 

rocket’s blazing acceleration, going faster 

and faster. . . . The author explained why 

I do not hear the rocket’s radiated roar 

as I outrace the sound waves; all I hear 

from the X-15 itself are the sounds from 

the machine’s operation, transmitted to 

me through the airframe. . . . Back on 

the ground, looking into a clear blue sky I 

imagine the X-15 up there out of sight. . . . 

To this day, whenever I find myself in the 

National Air and Space Museum, amid 

the many jaw-dropping storied aircraft 

and spacecraft residing there, I have to 

visit one that seems a personal friend, 

X-15-1, serial number 56-6670. It was the 

first of the three X-15s built, and whenever 

I see it that sixth-grade kid lives again in 

my mind, outracing sound on the edge of 

space, looking for a ride to the moon. . . . 

By the time the X-15 came along, the 

role of “aeronautics” in national policy 

clearly needed to include “space” as 

LEFT 

Ham after his Mercury flight, aboard the 

recovery ship USS Donner and shaking 

hands with the ship’s commander, 

January 31, 1961. NASA photo. 

well. Thus was the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration formed 

on October 1, 1958, as the successor to 

NACA. NASA inherited a deep bench 

with which to field a space program, 

including the fleet of available rockets 

and the oncoming X-15, in addition to 

more exotic proposals regarding nuclear 

propulsion that required long-term 

decisions to be made.[5] The program 

to develop what became the largest 

boosters of all was initiated by ARPA in 

the summer of 1958 under the auspices 

of the Department of Defense. The outcome 

was the Saturn family of rockets, 

which culminated with the mighty Saturn 

V, the largest of von Braun’s designs. 

The Saturn V first stage consumed 

28,000 lb of liquid oxygen and kerosene 

per second and produced 7.5 million lb 

of thrust. Management of the Saturn 

program shifted to NASA in 1959. On 

July 1, 1960, von Braun’s operation in 

Huntsville was officially transferred to 

NASA and became the George C. Marshall 

Space Flight Center. 

As the new agency prepared for 

launches carrying astronauts, a fleet of 

satellites was launched with missions to 

planet Earth. NASA’s first meteorological 

satellite, Trios 1, lifted off its launch 

pad on April 1, 1960. Communication 

satellites went aloft about the same time, 

beginning with Echo 1 the following August 

12. These giant metallic balloons 

(100 ft diameter) were inflated in orbit, 

where radio signals were reflected off 

them. . . . 

In that dawn of humanity’s tentative 

steps into space, I am a second grader 

playing outside after dark and see a bright 

gleaming “star” moving fast from horizon 

to horizon. In response to my shouts of 

“Come look, a satellite!” everyone dashes 

out of the house to gaze at this awesome 

sight. We realize that, in the long history of 

the world, no one has ever seen this wonder 

before, and we are grateful to be present as 

witnesses. . . . Those were stirring times, 

and remain vivid memories. To this day, 

every time I see a satellite sweeping across 

the sky I recall the excitement of the early 

post-Sputnik era. Although now we can 

easily track satellites on a website’s small 

screen,[6] seeing the real thing streak across 

the wide sky with my own eyes still offers a 

deeply satisfying moment. 

America’s first astronaut was an 

affable chimpanzee named Ham, who 

flew in a Mercury capsule launched by 

a Redstone rocket on January 31, 1961. 

Ham had been trained to pull levers in 

response to sounds and flashing lights 

to gauge whether one could maintain 

mental alertness in space flight. Ham 

performed his tasks well, but he had 

quite a ride. The rocket’s angle of ascent 

was one degree too steep, the flight had 

to be aborted, and Ham flew higher (155 

mi), faster (5000 mph), and experienced 

greater acceleration than planned. 

Furthermore, when the capsule overshot 

its intended Atlantic Ocean landing site 

by 130 miles, it began to sink. But a 

rescue crew reached Ham in time, and 

he emerged from the capsule in good 

humor, accepting his bonus of an apple 

and an orange. Although Ham’s flight 

ended happily,[7] NASA saw that it had 

some glitches to fix before sending more 

astronauts aloft, but Ham’s adventure 

clearly demonstrated that human space 

flight was within reach. 

The Challenge to Imagine Big 

On April 12, 1961, the Soviet space 

program scored another touchdown 

when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became 

the first human being to go into “outer 

space.” His Vostok spacecraft made a 

106-minute orbit around the earth. This 

display of Soviet competence stood in 

stark contrast to another event on the 

ground that played out that same week, 

when an invasion of Cuba, carried out 

by CIA-trained Cuban exiles with the 

intention of overthrowing the Castro 

regime, ended in disaster at the Bay of 

Pigs. April 1961 was not a good month 

for the new Kennedy administration. 

However, US fortunes improved 

the next month, when on May 5 Alan 

Shepard became America’s first hu- 



man astronaut in a 15-minute suborbital 

flight aboard his Mercury capsule 

named Freedom 7. Three weeks later, on 

May 25, 1961, in view of recent events 

on the ground and in space, President 

Kennedy addressed a joint session of the 

United States Congress in a speech on 

“Urgent National Needs.” 

Kennedy began by describing the 

Cold War as “a battle for minds and 

souls as well as lives and territory.” In a 

paragraph distributed to the listening 

Congress but not read from the podium, 

Kennedy described how the “adversaries 

of freedom” were attempting to “make 

the most of their scientific successes, 

their economic progress, and their pose 

as a foe of colonialism and friend of popular 

revolution.” The President’s speech 

offered nine proposals, which he said 

“arise from the host of special opportunities 

and dangers which have become 

increasingly clear in recent months.” 

The bulk of Kennedy’s speech 

articulated initiatives for “economic and 

social progress” at home and abroad; 

partnerships for defense with NATO 

and other allies; reinforcements of 

military and intelligence shields; civil 

defense improvements; and disarmament. 

Kennedy’s final proposal was 

unprecedented: 

“Finally, if we are to win the battle 

that is now going on around the world 

between freedom and tyranny, the 

dramatic achievements in space which 

occurred in recent weeks should have 

made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik 

in 1957, the impact of this adventure on 

the minds of men everywhere, who are 

attempting to make a determination of 

which road they should take. Since early 

in my term, our efforts in space have 

been under review. . . . Now it is time 

to take longer strides—time for a great 

new American enterprise—time for this 

nation to take a clearly leading role in 

space achievement, which in many ways 

may hold the key to our future on Earth. 

“Recognizing the head start obtained 

by the Soviets with their large rocket 

engines, . . . we nevertheless are required 

to make new efforts on our own. . . . But 

this is not merely a race. Space is open 

to us now; and our eagerness to share its 

meaning is not governed by the efforts 

of others. . . . I therefore ask the Congress 

. . . to provide the funds which are 

needed to meet the following national 

goals: 

“I believe that this nation should 

commit itself to achieving the goal, 

before this decade is out, of landing a 

man on the moon and returning him 

safely to Earth. No single space project 

of this period will be more impressive 

to mankind, or more important for the 

long-range exploration of space; and 

none will be so difficult or expensive 

to accomplish. . . . But in a very real 

sense, it will not be one man going to 

the moon—if we make this judgment 

affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. 

For all of us must work to put him 

there. . . .” 

With congressional approval soon following, 

NASA instantly had a long-term 

mission that was focused, urgent, and 

important. The 1960s was an exciting 

decade for looking up. . . . 

Television sets were frequently rolled 

into classrooms. The images still persist of 

the smiling astronauts striding confidently 

toward the rocket; the roar of the launch; 

the spectacular photos from orbit showing 

the black capsule with its white-and-gold 

service module floating above the beautiful 

white-and-blue Earth below; the space 

walks; the gold wash on the faceplate of 

the astronaut’s helmet; the fiery re-entries; 

the capsule suspended from red and white 

parachutes splashing down; the Navy frogmen 

jumping from the hovering helicopter 

to the bobbing capsule; the joyous reunions 

on the recovery ship as the astronauts 

emerge still smiling and waving. . . . These 

images became part of our lives, and we 

RIGHT 

Edward White during the first “space walk,” 

Gemini 4. June 3, 1965. NASA photo. 

BELOW 

John Glenn aboard Friendship 7, February 20, 1962. 

NASA photo. 



knew that no generation had ever experienced 

this before. . . . 

Each Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo 

flight moved us a step closer to landing 

someone on the moon. Highlights 

from those years include Alan Shepard’s 

and Virgil “Gus” Grissom’s suborbital 

flights; the first American orbital flight 

by John Glenn on February 20, 1962;[8] 

Ed White taking the first “space walk” 

outside the Gemini 4; the first rendezvous 

of two maneuverable spacecraft, 

Gemini 6 and Gemini 7; the first 

docking of two orbiting spacecraft, by 

Gemini 8 and the gleaming unmanned 

Agena. 

All of this was rehearsal for the 

voyage to the moon during the Apollo 

program that was still to come. The 

journey was fascinating, because each 

step was itself another adventure. But of 

course one also looked forward to the 

destination, to see a fellow human being 

walk on the moon and then come back 

home to tell us all about it. 

For the lunar trip, upon launch the 

vehicles would be stacked and go up 

together. Starting from the bottom up 

there would be the three stages of the 

Saturn V, above them the lunar module 

(LM), then the service module and the 

command module capsule, and on the 

very top an escape tower. Only the command 

module capsule would make the 

round trip, to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere 

carrying the astronauts and moon 

rocks. Not efficient, but effective—and 

just over the horizon. 

Apollo 

During those days of anticipation it 

seemed that NASA could do no wrong. 

Despite minor problems, every flight 

was successful, and one could point to 

NASA as an example of the government 

finally getting something right. When 

talented people are given the resources 

they need to pursue a shared vision, 

amazing developments follow.[9] In 

the excitement of recurring successes it 

was easy to forget how complicated and 

dangerous all of this really was. We were 

abruptly and horrifically reminded when 

the Apollo 1 astronauts, our heroes Gus 

Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, 

perished in a capsule fire during some 

tests on January 27, 1967, a month 

before their targeted launch date. The 

name “Apollo 1” was officially retired, 

and accident reports respectfully referred 

to it as “Apollo 204.” 

Despite the tragedy to the three astronauts 

and their families, and despite 

the ensuing 20-month setback to the lunar 

mission, the necessary changes were 

made and the program moved ahead. 

Grissom’s words came back to inspire 

the remaining astronauts: “We are in 

a risky business, and we hope if anything 

happens to us it will not delay the 

program.”[10] Apollo forged ahead and 

reached a sublime moment in December 

1968. . . . 

. . . It is the Christmas holiday in 

1968, and Apollo 8 is carrying the first 

astronauts to ever leave low-Earth orbit. 

During the 3-day outbound voyage to the 

moon, every few hours television programming 

is interrupted as Walter Cronkite 

breaks in with “Live, from Apollo 8.” We 

see the relaxed faces of astronauts Frank 

Borman, James Lovell, and William 

Anders as they describe what they are doing. 

They close each broadcast by aiming 

their camera back at the earth. Each time 

the earth looks smaller than it did in the 

preceding broadcast. This is stunning. We 

are seeing ourselves from afar. The earth, 

our own little spaceship in a vast blackness, 

may not need us, but oh how we need it. 

We look, and think: This modest ball carries 

all our human history, all our cultures 

and languages, all our arts and sciences 

and philosophies and traditions. All our 

hopes and dreams and history ride on this 

precious oasis in a cold vast universe. . . . 

Now it is Christmas Eve 1968, and the 

LEFT 

First docking in space: Gemini 8 docking with the 

unmanned Agena, March 16, 1966. NASA photo. 

BELOW 

Gemini 7 as seen by Gemini 6, first rendezvous in 

space, December 15, 1965. NASA photo. 



Apollo 8 astronauts hold what may be the 

most unusual press conference of all time. 

As they orbit the moon 70 miles above its 

cratered surface, they read aloud verses 

1–10 from the first chapter of the Book of 

Genesis, King James Version. As we in our 

living rooms hear the astronauts read the 

ancient text in Elizabethan English, our 

television screens show the face of the full 

moon through a telescope, and we know 

the astronauts are in our field of view. . . . 

Into that moment is compressed several 

thousand years of human yearning for 

adventure and meaning. . . . 

The following summer, on June 16, 

1969, began the climax of the decade 

with the launch of Apollo 11. Three 

days later, as Michael Collins orbited the 

moon in the command module Columbia, 

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin 

drove the Eagle LM to the lunar surface. 

They landed with 25 seconds of fuel 

remaining in the LM’s descent stage, 

and we heard “Tranquility Base here, 

the Eagle has landed.” Anyone who saw 

TOP LEFT 

Earth as seen in a live television broadcast 

from Apollo 8, altitude 176,533 miles, 

December 23, 1968. NASA photo. 

BOTTOM LEFT 

Earthrise from lunar orbit, Apollo 8, 

December 24, 1968. NASA photo. 

TOP RIGHT 

Launch of Apollo 11, July 16, 1969. NASA photo. 

MIDDLE RIGHT 

Neil Armstrong descending the lunar module 

ladder, as seen by television viewers on 

Earth, July 20, 1969. NASA photo. 

BOTTOM RIGHT 

Buzz Aldrin on the moon, December 20, 1969. 

Photo by Neil Armstrong. NASA photo. 



it will never forget. . . . 

We watched the clock throughout that 

Sunday, determined to be in front of a 

television set at the time announced for the 

astronauts to emerge from the LM. That 

afternoon, watching in the basement of 

my house with friends, and by extension, 

watching with a fifth of the world’s population, 

we beheld the ghostly black-andwhite 

image of Neil Armstrong descending 

the ladder in the shadow of the LM. He 

paused on the spacecraft’s pod and said 

“I’m going to step off the LM now. . . .” 

As Neil Armstrong took the step that 

no one had ever taken before, his words 

were elegant in their simplicity: “That’s 

one small step for a man, one giant leap 

for mankind.” Eight years had elapsed 

since President Kennedy’s challenge. It 

took over 20 billion 1960s dollars spread 

over that decade, and, as Armstrong 

reminded everyone later, a “third of a 

million people” to “manage it.”[11] But 

the accomplishments in space during 

those years will be remembered long after 

their costs and the Cold War motives 

that accelerated them have been buried 

and forgotten. 

Twenty-four Apollo astronauts 

orbited the moon, and twelve walked 

on its surface. So far they are the only 

human beings to leave low-Earth orbit 

and see with their own eyes the moon up 

close and Earth from afar. The ten astronauts 

who walked on the moon after 

Apollo 11 stayed longer and went farther 

and collected more data than Armstrong 

and Aldrin, but even during the flight 

of Apollo 12, many people from the 

country who sent them did not even 

bother to look up. We had been there, 

done that. Apollo 13 captured much 

interest because it came so close to ending 

in tragedy. The remaining Apollo 

flights were enormously successful. 

The last moon mission was Apollo 17 

in December 1972. By then the Nixon 

administration had decided to cancel 

Apollos 18, 19, and 20 to save money, 

given the diminished public interest. 

I suppose it is a property of human 

nature that the amazing, when repeated, 

becomes ordinary. Gus Grissom, before 

his Mercury flight of July 21, 1961, said 

after Alan Shepard’s flight, “There won’t 

be this much fuss the next time. Once 

you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.”[12] 

The moon landings presented NASA 

with a hard act to follow. One wondered 

what NASA would do next. Using 

leftover Apollo hardware, we soon had 

Skylab (1973–1979), where a Saturn 

IVB stage was modified into an orbiting 

laboratory. Then came Apollo-Soyuz 

(July 1975), an encouraging gesture of 

US/USSR cooperation that offered some 

kind of benediction to the Cold War 

Space Race, while showing what might 

have been, and can be, for international 

cooperation. Meanwhile, of course, 

NASA engineers and managers had been 

looking ahead. 

The cost of expendable boosters and 

modules makes unsustainable the practice 

of depending on them for routine 

access to space. For commuting to work 

in orbit, a reusable vehicle would be essential. 

Toward that end, the next longterm 

program was the Space Shuttle. 

The Space Shuttle 

The shuttle program started in the late 

1960s. Overshadowed by the anticipated 

lunar landings, it received little attention 

until the mid-1970s. As the Apollo 

missions became routinely successful 

and the public’s enthusiasm cooled for 

watching astronauts pick up rocks, by 

the early 1970s the public’s gaze shifted 

to concerns closer to home. With an 

unpopular war dragging on in Vietnam, 

amid the push for civil rights and 

concerns about poverty, pollution, and 

a looming energy crisis, the American 

public began asking what they were 

getting for their money with yet another 

visit to the moon. Even though NASA’s 

budget was a small fraction of the 

federal budget, should the expenditure 

of NASA’s billions be directed to solving 

problems here on Earth? Unlike the 

Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft, 

each shuttle could be reused, 

which looked like a better sale to a skeptical 

public. The construction of the first 

orbiter, the Columbia, began in 1974. 

In September 1976 the public got a first 

look at it. The Columbia and all other 

shuttles had their origins in the X-1, 

X-15, and X-20 rocket planes that were 

developed from the late 1940s through 

the 1960s. 

Before the X-15 made its first flight 

in 1959, the X-20 spaceplane was already 

in the works. Also called the Dyna-Soar 

for “dynamic soaring,” the X-20 was 

the focus of an Air Force program to 

develop a piloted delta-wing spaceplane 

that could travel as high and as fast as 

an intercontinental ballistic missile, 

going into suborbital flight if necessary, 

extending its range by skipping off the 

upper atmosphere. It would return to 

a landing strip in an unpowered glide. 

Due to its high cost and questionable 

usefulness, the X-20 program was 

canceled in December 1963 before a first 

prototype was built. However, in the 

early 1970s NASA gave the X-20 drawings 

new life as the Space Shuttle. Both 

craft were delta-winged vehicles boosted 

into orbit by large rockets, would glide 

back to Earth and land on a runway like 

an airplane, and do it all over again. 

The shuttle program was formally 

initiated on January 5, 1972, with an 

announcement from President Nixon. 

NASA originally envisioned a launch 

schedule that would approach one 

launch per week. Compromises were 

eventually made from a fully reusable 

design to one that featured reusable 

orbiters and solid rocket boosters but an 

expendable liquid fuel tank. Columbia’s 

first flight occurred on April 12, 1981, 

the 20th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s 

first orbital flight. 

The shuttle’s utility in putting 

satellites and probes into orbit, such 

as the Galileo mission to Jupiter and 

the Hubble Space Telescope, are matters 

of record and pride. Shuttles flew 135 

missions. The tragedies on two of them, 

with the losses of the crews aboard Challenger 

and Columbia, sadly reminded 

us yet again of how the high velocities, 

extreme temperatures and pressures, and 

the firepower on which one sits make 

the exploration of space so dangerous an 

adventure. 

The shuttles made possible the 

American contribution to the construction 

of the International Space Station 



ABOVE 

Artist rendering of the X-20 approaching a 

landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Djoram 

public domain image. 

TOP RIGHT 

Space Shuttle launch. NASA photo. 

BOTTOM RIGHT 

Stage 1 of the Apollo 18 Saturn V booster, 

with author and students, Johnson Space 

Center, Houston Texas, November 7, 1992. 

Author photo. 

(ISS), the largest manmade structure 

placed in orbit to date. 

It is early nighttime in central Oklahoma, 

and the ISS and shuttle are to be 

visible together from here at about 8 pm. 

Here they come!—like two Venuses racing 

across the sky, sweeping so swiftly from 

southwest to northeast. From the angle 

subtended between them, and assuming a 

typical orbit altitude, I estimate the shuttle 

to be trailing the ISS by some 600 miles; a 

day’s drive for us, but which they cover in 

seconds. . . . 

With the ISS construction now 

finished, the Space Shuttle program has 

served its purpose. The last shuttle to 

fly was Atlantis, launched July 8, 2011. 

Upon its return on July 21, all the surviving 

shuttles—Atlantis, Discovery, and 

Endeavor, along with the Enterprise that 

was used in early gliding tests—are now 

making their ways to places of honored 

retirement in distinguished museums. 

What’s Next? 

As we asked following Apollo, now we 

may ask, after STS-135, “What’s next?” 

During a 1989 CBS television documentary 

that celebrated the 20th anniversary 

of Apollo 11, in a closing commentary 

Dan Rather recalled how in the 1960s 

the American people took a great risk 

and had a great adventure. Today, he 

said, there is less adventure.[13] Shared 

adventure can pull a society together 

for a time, and manned missions look 

great on television. Missions with hu- 



man crews are sometimes necessary, as 

demonstrated in shuttle flights to service 

the Hubble Space Telescope. But perhaps 

we glean more science per dollar with 

robotic probes. Soon after the flights 

of Sputnik and Explorer and through 

the present moment, such probes have 

fanned out across the solar system. 

Among the pantheon of machines that 

have carried the work of our hands to 

other worlds and returned to us knowledge, 

we recite a distinguished sampling: 

Ranger 7, lunar probe (1964); 

the Soviet Venera 3 Venus lander (1965); 

Mariner 9 Mars orbiter (1971); 

the Soviet Mars 3 lander (1971); 

Mariner 10 flyby of Venus and Mercury 

(1973); 

Pioneer 10, the first probe to negotiate 

the asteroid belt and then fly by Jupiter 

(1973, last contact 2003); 

Pioneer 11 flybys of Jupiter and Saturn 

in 1973 (last contact 1995); 

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, flyby of 

Jupiter (1979) and Saturn (1980), still 

transmitting data back to Earth, now 

near the heliosphere and heading out of 

the solar system; 

Voyager 2, zoomed past Jupiter (1979), 

Saturn (1980), Uranus (1986), and Neptune 

(1989), still transmitting, and also 

heading out of the solar system; 

the European Space Agency’s Giotto that 

flew by Halley’s Comet (1986); 

Galileo, launched 1989, flybys of Venus, 

Earth, asteroids, orbited Jupiter (1995); 

Magellan orbiter that radar-mapped the 

surface of Venus (1989); 

Mars Pathfinder and its rover Sojourner 

(1997); 

the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity 

(active 2004–2010); 

NEAR Shoemaker, that orbited and 

touched down on an asteroid (2001); 

Cassini, launched in 1994, began orbiting 

Saturn in 2004, detaching Huygens 

in 2005 that landed on the Saturn moon 

Titan . . . 

In a 2005 essay, columnist Charles 

Krauthammer wrote that we human 

beings tend to remember our common 

humanity “in sorrow and glory.” 

He recalled Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 as 

To the astronauts and cosmonauts who lost their lives in the line of duty. 

Valentin Bondarenko, low-pressure training, March 23, 1961 

Theodore Freeman, T-38, October 31, 1964 

Charles Bassey and Elliot See, T-38, February 28, 1966 

Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom, and Ed White, Apollo 1, January 27, 1967 

Vladimir Komarov, Soyuz 1, April 24, 1967 

Clifton William, T-38, 5 October 5, 1967 

Robert Lawrence, F-104 Starfighter, December 8, 1967 

Yuri Gagarin, Soyuz 3, March 27, 1968 

Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev, and Vladisev Volkov, 

Soyuz 11, June 30, 1971 

Michael J. Adams, X-15-3, November 15, 1976 

Gergory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, 

Judith Resnick, Dick Scobee, and Michael J. Smith, 

STS-51, Challenger, January 28, 1986 

Sergei Vozovikov, water rescue training, July 11, 1993 

Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, 

Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, and Ilan Ramon, 

STS-107, Columbia, February 1, 2003 

Dogs: Laika, Sputnik 2, November 3, 1957; 

Pchyolka and Mushka, Sputnik 3, December 1, 1960 

examples of the glory, and the 2005 

Pacific tsunami to illustrate the sorrow. 

Krauthammer wrote, “Just two days 

before the tsunami, the Cassini spacecraft 

orbiting Saturn received instructions 

from this frail little species three 

planetary orbits away, and proceeded to 

detach and launch its Huygens probe to 

fly suicidally down to the giant moon 

Titan—measuring, sensing, learning, 

and teaching through its final descent. 

All for one purpose: to satisfy the hunger 

for knowledge of a species three-quarters 

of a billion miles away. Huygens carried 

no passengers, only the product 

of thousands of years of accumulated 

knowledge . . . Even as Earth is tossing 

us about like toys, our own little proxies, 

a satellite and a probe, dare disturb 

Dedication 

Monkeys: Albert, V-2, June 11, 1948; Albert II, V-2, June 14, 1949; Albert 

III, V-2, September 16, 1949; Albert IV, V-2, December 8, 1949; Albert V, 

Aerobee, April 18, 1951; Yorik, Aerobee, September 20, 1951; Gordo, Jupiter 

AM-13, December 13, 1958; Goliath, Atlas, November 10, 1961; Scatback, 

lost at sea, December 20, 1961; Bonny, Biosatellite 3, July 9, 1969; Multik, 

Bion 11, January 8, 1997 

Saturn and Titan. What a piece of work 

is man!”[14] 

With the end of the shuttle program, 

will we be content to stay in low-Earth 

orbit for our time? Endings can be sad, 

but the new beginnings they make possible 

can be good. As before, we find 

that NASA engineers and planners have 

been anticipating this day. The planned 

successor to the shuttle program is Project 

Constellation, using concepts and 

designs adapted from both the Apollo 

and Space Shuttle programs. Constellation 

features the Ares I and Ares V 

launch boosters. Ares I, using solid-fuel 

rockets like those that boosted the shuttles, 

would carry astronaut crews into 

low-Earth orbit aboard the new Orion 

module, the descendant of the Apollo 

continued on page 29 


What's next 

for 

NASA? 

by Elizabeth Hook, SPS Communications Specialist 

“I’m here to tell you that American leadership in space will continue for at 

least the next half-century because we have laid the foundation for success— 

and failure is not an option.”—Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator 

Amid the retirement of the space 

shuttle fleet and fights for funding, 

many ask: What’s next for 

NASA? NASA has been telling anyone 

who will listen that the end of the space 

shuttle is not “the end of NASA, or even 

of NASA sending humans into space.” 

From studying earth sciences to developing 

new rockets, NASA has a plan. 

Earth Science Research 

How is the global earth system changing? 

How will the earth system change in the 

future? 

These are the big questions about the 

planet that NASA aims to answer and 

around which future NASA missions 

are centered. Upcoming NASA missions 

will enable scientists to make more 

accurate estimates of rain and snowfall, 

and better predict extreme weather 

events like hurricanes, floods, landslides, 

and droughts. NASA launched the Near 

Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental 

Satellite System Preparatory Project 

(NPP) in late October 2011 to help 

meet these goals. NPP is collecting data 

that will assist in making more accurate 

weather forecasts, as well as contribute 

data to research in climate change. 

NASA recognizes that the earth is 


currently warming and at a faster rate 

than ever measured before. [1] It plans 

to study the way this system is changing 

so that we can better understand the 

impact humans are having on the earth. 

NASA will assist with research on the 

climate, carbon cycle, ecosystems, water 

cycle, biogeochemistry, and the earth’s 

surface and interior. As the earth’s 

climate changes, it is vital for NASA to 

keep track of the consequences, from 

changes in the ice sheets to topography 

to the atmosphere, and anticipate what 

they mean for the future of the planet. [2] 

James Webb Space Telescope 

One of NASA’s programs that has been 

in the news most recently is the James 

Webb Space Telescope (JWST). After 

many loud protests in response to a 

suggestion that the JWST project be cut 

completely, it appears that the JWST 

will continue to receive funding (both 

the House of Representatives and Senate 

have approved funding at the time 

this article is being written). Despite 

delays and budget difficulties, JWST is 

still passing important milestones in its 

development. Touted as the successor to 

the Hubble Telescope, JWST promises 

big science with four stated goals: 

TOP 

Panorama of the Mars rover 

Spirit’s view from ‘Troy’. 

NASA Photo. 

LEFT 

Artist’s conception of the 

Space Launch System (SLS). 

NASA Photo. 

RIGHT 

The first six primary mirrors 

of the James Webb Space 

Telescope are prepared for 

testing. NASA Photo.

1. Search for galaxies and objects 

formed shortly after the big bang, 

2. Determine how galaxies evolved, 

3. Observe formations of early stars 

and planetary systems, and 

4. Measure characteristics of planetary 

systems and their potential for life. 

The Hubble has provided extensive 

information on both expected and 

unexpected fronts, and NASA is hoping 

JWST will continue to inspire current 

and future scientists, as the Hubble has. 

While the Hubble searches for visible 

light, the James Webb Space Telescope 

will have a near-infrared camera and 

spectrograph, as well as a mid-infrared 

instrument and a fine-guidance sensortunable 

filter. The telescope will also 

have a unique orbit; the JWST will need 

to orbit at the second Lagrangian point. 

(For more information on the orbit and 

Lagrangian points, visit www.jwst.nasa. 

gov/orbit.html.) Currently, JWST is 

looking at a 2018 launch date, assuming 

everything continues according to plan. 

The Space Launch System 

The James Webb Telescope is not 

the only NASA program in the news 

recently. On September 14, 2011, NASA 

announced how it plans on getting 

Americans into space: the Space Launch 

System (SLS). SLS is designed primarily 

to take humans into deep space but 

would also be backup transportation for 

the International Space Station (ISS). 

According to NASA, it will have an initial 

lift of 70 metric tons, carry an Orion 

capsule, and have a liquid hydrogen and 

oxygen propulsion system. In addition, 

it will incorporate space shuttle main 

engines and a J-2X engine. The intent of 

the SLS is to carry humans beyond low 

Earth orbit, and NASA hopes that SLS 

will make the moon, near-Earth asteroids, 

Mars, and eventually Mars’ moons 


accessible to humans. NASA’s target for 

its first mission is the end of 2017. 

Continuing Education and 

Technology Programs 

NASA continues to send astronauts to 

the ISS (via the Soyuz) to run experiments 

while stepping up its efforts to 

get the younger generation interested. 

NASA recently announced a contest 

where students can submit two-minute 

videos of experiments they want to see, 

with a public vote scheduled for January 

3, 2012. 

NASA is also continuing work on 

developing technology with applications 

in orbit and on the earth. One of their 

most recent announcements is the effort 

to study ways to make “tractor beams” a 

reality. More specifically, NASA is looking 

at ways to trap particles in laser light 

and transport them to a container (they 

use the analogy of a vacuum moving dirt 

from your carpet to a bag). The ideal 

implementation would be to equip rovers 

with tractor beams that would allow 

them to gather samples easily. 

Tractor beams aren’t the only 

technology NASA is developing that 

sounds oddly close to science fiction: 

unmanned missions are becoming more 

popular with NASA as well. NASA had 

incredible success with its two Mars 

rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, both 

working far longer than NASA ever 

expected. Spirit became trapped in 2010, 

six years after its landing, and NASA is 

no longer attempting communication 

with the robot. Opportunity worked so 

well that NASA was able to push the 

rover 13 miles from its original “final” 

destination, and it continues to collect 

invaluable information in the Endeavour 

crater. NASA has plenty to be proud 

of—these robots exceeded anything 

NASA could ever have hoped to get out 

of them—and NASA followed up on 

this success by launching a new rover, 

Curiosity, November 25, 2011. They’re 

certainly hoping to get as much from 

Curiosity as they did from its predecessors. 

The Mars rovers have a surprising 

popularity with the public (they have 

over 140,000 followers on Twitter alone), 

and NASA is continuing to send robots 

into space more frequently than people. 

The Cassini-Huygens Mission, the 

fourth space probe to visit Saturn but 

the first to orbit it, has returned information 

to NASA not just about Saturn, 

but also about Jupiter and other solar 

system phenomena. Cassini and its probe 

are constantly sending back information 

on Saturn’s moons, from Enceladus to 

Titan, and helping scientists learn more 

about Saturn’s natural satellites. All of 

NASA’s planned missions with concrete 

dates (as concrete as NASA dates can be, 

at least) are slated for robots, along with 

ambiguous “future” manned missions. 

For now it seems that when NASA 

thinks deep space, it thinks robots. They 

certainly have advantages: robots are 

cheaper, and there are fewer health concern 

for robots in long-term space exposure. 

Robots can certainly go to harsher 

environments than humans, and there is 

something to be said for the fact robots 

don’t care how long they’re in space. But 

current robots still lack the ingenuity 

and instinct humans have, as well as the 

level of inspiration humans can achieve 

(we name our schools after humans, not 

Curiosity - The Next 

Mars Rover 

This artist concept 

features NASA’s Mars 

Science Laboratory 

Curiosity rover, a 

mobile robot for 

investigating Mars’ past 

or present ability to 

sustain microbial life. 

NASA Photo. 

Want more information? NASA 

answers ‘big’ and detailed 

questions about their projects 

(including extensive mission details) 

at http://science.nasa/gov. 

robots). It’s clear that NASA is going to 

be participating in the vigorous robots vs 

human debate for years to come. 

What else does the future hold? 

NASA is eager to engage the public in 

conversations. The best way for people 

to get involved, according to Trent 

Perrotto at NASA Headquarters, is “by 

going through nasa.gov/connect through 

Twitter and Facebook. There are a lot of 

ways to join the conversation about technology, 

science, exploration, and where 

NASA’s going next.” 

NASA is right when it says that the 

end of the space shuttle isn’t the end of 

NASA, but NASA’s place as the dominant 

American force in space travel is 

shifting. As more private companies vie 

to travel to low Earth orbit (and dock 

with the ISS), even NASA’s leftovers are 

being picked over. Boeing is planning to 

use an old NASA shuttle hangar to build 

its own spacecraft. NASA’s willingness 

to rent out its space is unprecedented, 

and may be the beginning of NASA as 

an umbrella organization that would 

oversee private companies’ space endeavors. 

It will certainly be worth watching 

how NASA grows and how it navigates 

the murky waters of funding, exploration, 

privatization, and public opinion 

that lie ahead. r 

Bibliography 

The James Webb Space Telescope. 

Landsat Data Continuity Mission: Extending the 

Legacy of Global Land Observation. 

NASA: ICESat & ICESat-2: Cryospheric Sciences 

Branch. 

NASA Science: Exploring Near…and Far. 

NPOESS Preparatory Project: NPP. 

Precipitation Measurement Missions: An International 

Partnership to Understand Precipitation and 

Its Impact on Humankind. 

[1][2] “How Is the Global Earth System Changing?” 

NASA Science. 


NASA after the shuttle... 


capsules. The heavier Ares V, a liquidfueled 

rocket similar to Saturn boosters, 

would boost such hardware as the Altair 

lander, a descendant of the LM, and the 

Earth Departure Stage (EDS) for sending 

the Orion and Altair to the moon or 

beyond. Once placed into Earth orbit, 

the Orion, EDS, and Altair would dock 

and be reconfigured for missions abroad. 

NASA planners envision missions to the 

moon, Mars, and the asteroids. 

Meanwhile, adventurers with private 

funding sources are taking the initiative, 

as we saw in the impressive flights of 

SpaceShipOne. In the long view, a diversity 

of approaches will be good for space 

exploration. SpaceShipOne now occupies 

its rightful place in the Milestones of 

Flight gallery of the National Air and 

Space Museum, sharing this honored 

space with Charles Lindberg’s Spirit 

of St. Louis, the Bell X-1 Glamorous 

Glynnis, John Glenn’s Mercury capsule 

Friendship 7, Gemini IV, the X-15-1 

rocket plane, early Goddard rockets, the 

centerpiece Apollo 11 capsule Columbia, 

and other priceless artifacts from an 

astonishing history.[15] 

Not surprisingly, the Constellation 

program has become a political football, 

amid concerns about economic recession 

gone on too long and federal budget 

deficits grown too large, worries similar 

to those that existed in the waning days 

of Apollo. What next?—that appears to 

still be an open question. When he challenged 

the nation in 1961 to venture into 

space, President Kennedy said, 

“It is a most important decision that we 

must make as a nation. But . . . no one 

can predict with certainty what the ultimate 

meaning will be of mastery of space. 

. . . We go into space because whatever 

mankind must undertake, free men must 

fully share.” 

A necessary ingredient for choosing 

wisely seems to be an ample supply 

of imagination that resides not only in 

the brains of NASA planners, but more 

fundamentally in the minds and hearts 

of schoolchildren, their parents, and 

indeed all citizens. For imagination to 

be fruitful it must have the freedom 

to roam across the universe. The space 

program was about far more than Neil 

Armstrong stepping onto the moon. It 

was also about a second grader searching 

the night sky with wonder, and shouting 

“Come look!” 

“All one can really leave one’s children is 

what’s inside their heads. 

Education, in other words, and not earthly 

possessions, is the ultimate legacy, 

the only thing that cannot be taken away.” 

—Wernher von Braun r 

Acknowledgments 

Thanks to Thomas Olsen for making 

suggestions on a preliminary draft of the 

manuscript. 

Bibliography 

E.J. DeWaard and N. DeWaard, History of NASA 

(Exter Books, New York, 1984). 

R. Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb (Simon 

and Schuster, New York, NY, 1986). 

Elizabeth Montalanio, “NASA Plans Future Missions 

as Shuttle Era Ends,” Information Week, July 

21, 2011, URL:[http://www.informationweek.com/ 

news/government/leadership/231002338]. 

H.H. Hickman, Jr., Rocket Boys: A Memoir (Delacorte 

Press, New York, 1998). 

[http://www.nasa.gov/] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From-the_Earth_to_ 

the_Moon] 

[http://en.wikepedia.org/wiki/The_First_Men_in_ 

the_Moon] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Worlds] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Rogers] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gordon_ 

(1954_TV_Series)] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Patrol_(1950_ 

TV_series)] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Corbett,_ 

Space_Cadet] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Oberth] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rocket_ 

Society] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-1] 

[http://www.nationalacademies.org/history/igy/ ] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//James_Van_Allen] 

[http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/expinfo.html] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_2] 

[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Ready-Reference/JFK-Speeches/Special-Message-to 

-the-Congress-on-Urgent-National-Needs-May-25-1961.aspx] 

[http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/research/ 

x15/] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-15] 

http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/dynasoar. 

html] 

[http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/gemini.htm] 

[http://en/Wikipedia/org/wiki/Apollo_program] 

[ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/ 

main/index.html] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Program] 

[http://www.nasa.gov/missions/science/f-satellites. 

html] 

[http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/ 

bush_vision.html] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_policy_of_ 

the_Barack_Obama_administration] 

[http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation_program] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika] 

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/ 

january/31/newsid_4693000/4693174.stm] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enos_(chimpanzee)] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflightrelated_accidents_and_incidents] 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys_in_space] 

Notes 

[1] H. Oberth, The Rocket into Interplanetary Space 

(R. Oldenbourg, Munich and Berlin, 1923). 

[2] R. Rhodes, Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the 

Nuclear Arms Race (Vintage Books, New York, 

2008), p. 308. 

[3] Cuba had been a territory of Spain (1492-1898) 

and occupied by the US (1899-1902). 

[4] For more on the proximity fuze, see V.S. Alpher, 

“Ralph Asher Alpher—Before the Big Bang,” 

Radiations 14(1), Spring 2008, pp. 5–10. 

[5] G. Dyson, Project Orion (Henry Hold and Co., 

New York, 2002); F. Dyson, Disturbing the Universe 

(Basic Books, New York, 1979), Ch. 10. 

[6] For satellite tracking in real time, see www. 

n2yo.com/. 

[7] Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the 

pioneering dogs and monkeys who were put aboard 

rockets from the days of the White Sands V-2s. 

[8] The chimpanzee Enos, aboard a Mercury 

capsule, previously orbited the earth twice on 

November 29, 1961. 

[9] Such a principle we might consider applying 

to public education, empowering the teachers 

themselves and respecting their creativity, instead 

of imposing on them heavy-handed top-down approaches. 

Just a thought. 

[10] E. John and N. DeWaard, p. 55. 

[11] Neil Armstrong interview of 1979 recorded for 

the 10th anniversary of Apollo 11 and replayed on 

The Moon Above, the Earth Below, a CBS documentary 

for the Apollo 11 20th anniversary, 1989. 

[12] E. John and N. DeWaard, p. 23. 

[13] CBS documentary of Ref. 11. Rather said 

there was “less adventure and less risk.” This program 

was, of course, aired before the Challenger and 

Columbia shuttle disasters. Rather was describing 

how the shuttles were never out of low-Earth orbit, 

in contrast to the Apollo moon voyages. 

[14] C. Krauthammer, “Shock and Awe,” Time, 

Jan. 24, 2005, p. 74. 

[15] The 1903 Wright Flyer used to hang over the 

Columbia, until it was moved to a special Wright 

exhibit in 2003 for its centennial. Although the 

Wrights deserve an exhibit room of their own, in 

my opinion the juxtaposition of the Wright Flyer 

and the Columbia made a significant statement. 


The Puzzle Corner 

Welcome back to the ΣΠΣ Puzzle Corner. This edition’s crossword 

puzzle, prepared by AIP Education Communications 

Specialist Elizabeth Hook, connects the Eisenhower puzzle of 

the last issue with the future: the Quadrennial Physics Conference, 

hosted by ΣΠΣ. In 1958, inspired by Sputnik, the first 

human-made device to orbit the Earth, President Eisenhower 

advocated a major US investment in space exploration, and 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

was established. In November 2012, hundreds of physics 

undergraduates and ΣΠΣ alumni will gather in Orlando, FL, 

and tour NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, from which NASA 

launched Alan Shepard into space, John Glenn into orbit, Neil 

Armstrong to the moon, and Sally Ride on a shuttle science 

mission. We trust the crossword will challenge you. Two physics 

puzzles appear for your consideration as well. 

We continue to welcome any interesting puzzles you may 

have to share with your fellow ΣΠΣ alumni. 

Prizes! 

Submit solutions for your chance to win a bookstore gift 

card and see your name appear in Radiations. Prizes will be 

awarded separately for the crossword and each physics puzzle. 

Transmit your answers by surface mail to ΣΠΣ Puzzle Corner, 

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, or by e-mail to 

tolsen@aip.org. 

Deadline 

15 February 2012 

Answers 

Answers will appear at www.sigmapisigma.org/radiations/puzzlecorner/ 

on 

16 February 2012. 

Scan with a QR 

code reader on 

your smart phone 

or tablet to see the 

answers online. 

Physics Puzzles 

I. Our first puzzle by Gary White pays homage to the 

exciting 2011 World Series. 

a. What is the radius of the largest rocky spheroid from 

which a human could throw a baseball so that it escapes 

from the spheroid’s gravitational pull? 

b. If, instead, the ball is thrown into a circular orbit 

around this same spheroid, how long will the pitcher have 

to wait before catching it after it orbits once? Compare 

this to the space shuttle orbital time. 

V 

II. Our second puzzle by Thomas Olsen celebrates the 

joys of shopping. It also calls for some visual thinking. 

Most of us know that when two mirrors meet at 90°, you 

may observe three reflections of yourself: one to the right, 

one to the left, and one as you look directly into the vertex 

of the right angle. The image beyond the vertex is special. 

Unlike the other two, it does not appear to be right-left 

reversed—we see ourselves as others see us. 

At what other angles between two mirrors would you see 

such an image as you look directly into the vertex? 

“Special” Image 

Normal Image 

Normal Image 

Mirror 

Object 

Mirror 


1 2 

3 

4 

5 6 

7 

8 

9 

10 11 

12 13 14 

15 

16 17 18 

19 20 

21 22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

Across 

5. The drink most associated with the space program 

7. The first human to walk on the surface of the moon 

8. First American woman in space 

12. The closest star to our solar system 

16. First artificial satellite to orbit the Earth 

18. Largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built 

19. NASA sent a spacecraft to study Jupiter, launched in 

1989, and named it after this astronomer, famous for discovering 

Jupiter’s four largest moons 

21. The first Space Shuttle orbiter, named after the famous 

television starship 

23. The only person to hit a golf ball on the moon 

24. This spacecraft was launched on February 7, 1999 to collect 

comet dust 

25. These have been sent to Mars to collect samples and 

information. Popular ones: Spirit and Opportunity (pl) 

26. This type of planet orbits a star and is large enough to be 

spherical but has not cleared its neighboring planetesimals 

and is not a satellite (Pluto is now one) 

Down 

1. The successor to the Hubble Telescope, named after the 

second Administer of NASA (Abbreviation) 

2. Comes from the Greek word ozein, meaning ‘smell’ 

3. The envelope of gas surrounding the earth or a planet 

4. Largest volcano in the solar system 

6. The manned space program that came before the Apollo 

program 

7. The name of the first monkey the United States launched 

into space 

9. In December 1962 the first successful planetary flyby was 

of this planet 

10. This ‘belt’ of our solar system beyond Neptune’s orbit was 

named after this astronomer that suggested it 

11. The space telescope carried into orbit around 1990, still in 

operation, named after this astronomer 

13. The lowest density solid material produced, frequently 

used by NASA 

14. Made the first US spacewalk on 3 June 1965 

15. First American to circle the Earth 

17. First American Astronaut to ride aboard a Russian Soyuz 

rocket 

18. The only US President to be present at a Shuttle Launch 

19. First person in space 

20. The only person to hit a golf ball on the moon 

22. The most massive 26 across planet in the Solar System 

24. Prefix for [the official name of] all the Space Shuttle 

Missions 


Congratulations 

to the newest members of Sigma Pi Sigma 

Abilene Christian 

University 

Hurley, Nathan C., ‘11 

McConnell, Stacie B., ‘11 

Pamplin, Daniel, ‘11 

Reed, Lois M., ‘11 

Adelphi University 

Adams, Shantell M., ‘11 

Damian, Mijael A., ‘11 

de la Haba, Eric L., ‘11 

Dolley, Samantha R., ‘11 

Esposito, Jarrett V., ‘11 

Huber, John J., ‘11 

Kolodzinski, Anthony, ‘11 

Lim, Michael, ‘11 

Merchant, Nabil, ‘11 

Rao, Joseph M., ‘11 

Unwyzu, Ililochi P., ‘11 

Angelo State University 

Gully, Ethan D., ‘11 

Hendryx, Emily P., ‘11 

Requena, Sebastian A., ‘11 

Appalachian State 

University 

Archer, John R., ‘11 

Beuttell, William B., ‘11 

Bougher, Cortney A., ‘11 

Brehm, Joshua P., ‘11 

Fuller, Valerie A., ‘11 

Holway, Kevin S., ‘11 

Krenicky, Joseph N., ‘11 

Leagon, Megan R., ‘11 

Luca, Franklin R., ‘11 

Monroe, David N., ‘11 

Peller, Joseph A., ‘11 

Robertson, Luke D., ‘11 

Seeds, Margaret F., ‘11 

Tingle, Curtis J., ‘11 

Van Buren, Thomas C., ‘11 

Young, Robert T., ‘10 

Arkansas-Fayetteville, 

University 

Bell, Robert, ‘11 

Bobel, Andrew C., ‘11 

Courtney, Joseph M., ‘11 

Hirono, Yusuke, ‘11 

Lewis, William E., ‘11 

Mahmoud, Aisha, ‘11 

Martin, Andrew, ‘11 

Mash, Clinton A., ‘11 

Morris, James B., ‘11 

Rembert, Thomas R., ‘11 

Salem, Omar M., ‘11 

Salois, Amee J., ‘11 

Sloan, James V., ‘11 

Willems, Nathan, ‘11 

Wright, Nathaniel C., ‘11 

At Large 

Bahr, David A., ‘10 

Belloni, Mario, ‘10 

Broadbridge, Christine, ‘10 

Levin, Jon Curtis, ‘10 

Michalak, Rudiger T., ‘10 

Narayanan, Ajay M., ‘07 

Singleton, Douglas A., ‘10 

Augsburg College 

Steinmetz, Erik S., ‘11 

Stottrup, Ben L., ‘11 

Witte, Andrew J., ‘11 

Woehrle, Christopher, ‘11 

Augustana College of 

Sioux Falls 

Alexander, Thomas R., ‘11 

Alton, Andrew K., ‘11 

Anderson, Trent E., ‘11 

Cole, Jay W., ‘11 

Dickinson, Taylor M., ‘11 

Edgington, Marcus J., ‘11 

Elmer, Jacob T., ‘11 

Gregerson, Neal K., ‘11 

Jochim, Bethany C., ‘11 

Lange, Halvard B., ‘11 

Rogers, Hannah E., ‘11 

Swanson, David L., ‘11 

Wells, Eric, ‘11 

Zetterlund, Erika H., ‘11 

Austin Peay State 

University 

Baker, Robert B., ‘11 

Boggs, Robert C., ‘11 

Foust, William L., ‘11 

Piasecki, Arkadiusz L., ‘11 

Simon, Leah E., ‘10 

Yost, Mason T., ‘11 

Ball State University 

Bailey, Bruce A., ‘11 

Burks, Andrew P., ‘11 

Christman, Jeremy A., ‘11 

Guerrero, James R., ‘11 

Jay, William I., ‘11 

Lueck, Erin E., ‘11 

Tong, Thomas, ‘11 

Wagner, Christopher, ‘11 

Wilkinson, Lynda L., ‘11 

Baylor University 

Ali, Amir M., ‘11 

Buckingham, Lindsay, ‘10 

Deline, Kristen, ‘11 

Doyle, Brandon, ‘11 

Gostomski, Erwin, ‘11 

Hoormann, Janie, ‘11 

Orr, Kimberly, ‘11 

Reeves, Ian, ‘10 

Yost, Andrew J., ‘11 

Bemidji State University 

Schmitz, Albert T., ‘11 

Benedictine College 

Ashburn, Allison, ‘11 

Broberg, James A., ‘11 

Fox-Linton, Eric T., ‘11 

Green, Michael J., ‘11 

Hegarty, Peter J., ‘11 

Kramer, David J., ‘11 

McDonough, Maria T., ‘11 

Rodgers, Erica M., ‘11 

Bethel University 

Arend, Daniel J., ‘10 

Billiar, Laura E., ‘10 

Clark, Brian C., ‘10 

Doehrmann, 

Cassandra L., ‘10 

Gustafson, Timothy, ‘10 

Lee, Kayse T., ‘10 

Otto, Lauren M., ‘10 

Schommer, Jennifer E., ‘10 

Zienhut, Joshua D., ‘10 

Bloomsburg University 

Gildea, Timothy R., ‘11 

Robinson, Meagan M., ‘11 

Snyder, Emilee B., ‘11 

Tomashefski, Michael, ‘11 

Bradley University 

Guttag, Matthew A., ‘11 

Kurzen, Daniel M., ‘11 

Podkowa, Anthony S., ‘11 

Walerow, Paul A., ‘11 

Bucknell University 

Farrell, Daniel, ‘11 

Fish, Amelia, ‘11 

Frate, Meghan, ‘11 

Green, Amanda, ‘11 

Hurrell, Steven, ‘11 

Kalter, Howard, ‘11 

Kanegis, William, ‘11 

Butler University 

Liu, Zheyu J., ‘11 

California State 

University-Chico 

Archibald, Adam J., ‘11 


University-Northridge 

Berkowitz, David, ‘11 

Gayles, Jacob D., ‘11 

Hodgson, John, ‘11 

Hutchison, Karen A., ‘11 

Mohayai, Tanaz A., ‘11 

Nakatsukasa, Ken, ‘11 

Raines, Kevin S., ‘11 

Starr, Robert K., ‘11 


University-San Marcos 

Czarnocki, Cyprian J., ‘11 

Long-Anastasia, Trevor, ‘11 

Salvo, Christopher R., ‘11 

California-Irvine, 

University 

DiCato, Daniel J., ‘11 

Duffin, Thorin J., ‘11 

Fuhrman, Wesley T., ‘11 

Johnson, Travis S., ‘11 

Khostovan, Ali A., ‘11 

Kolak, Amber L., ‘11 

Nguyen, My L., ‘11 

Ranger, Chasen A., ‘11 

Reinhart, Brian R., ‘11 

Zarghami, 

Mohammad H., ‘11 

Carthage College 

Gross, Erin N., ‘11 

Nicklaus, Jennifer R., ‘11 

Catholic University 

America 

Lakeman, Tara E., ‘11 

Mcevoy, Timothy R., ‘11 

Napoli, Vanessa J., ‘11 

Romano, Ferdinando, ‘11 

Sarker, Abhijit, ‘11 

Central Connecticut 

State University 

Coba, Filis, ‘10 

Worton, Michael R., ‘10 

Central Florida, 

University of 

Campo, Christopher J., ‘11 

Landsman, Zoe A., ‘11 

Mikusinski, Piotr, ‘11 

Morley, Dustin R., ‘11 

Reinhart, Debra R., ‘11 

Velissaris, Christos, ‘11 

Central Washington 

University 

Affholter, Randle B., ‘11 

Corbin, Ryan, ‘11 

Kilburn, Troy, ‘11 

Lawler, Andrew J., ‘11 

Minton, Rolf W., ‘11 

Olivier, Kerry E., ‘11 

Robinson, Cody L., ‘11 

Shuster, Zach, ‘11 

Wenger, David A., ‘11 

Charleston, College of 

Jenks, Cassidy C., ‘11 

Raizt, Robert A., ‘11 

Rodriguez, Marco A., ‘11 

Smith, Conor J., ‘11 

Stevens, Laura E., ‘11 

Wise, Cathleen A., ‘11 

Chicago State University 

Elwood, Brian, ‘11 

Cincinnati, University 

Ablordeppey, Kwassi, ‘10 

Beamer, Diane K., ‘10 

Craig, Colin S., ‘11 

Fabby, Carol A., ‘10 

Flateau, Davin C., ‘10 

Gleason, Darryl A., ‘10 

Huelsman, Derek, ‘10 

Kolloff, Todd C., ‘10 

Linser, Samuel M., ‘11 

Martus, Cameron M., ‘10 

Reynolds, Bryan J., ‘11 

Shipman, Jessica, ‘10 

Todd, Jacob R., ‘11 

Werren, Chelsea C., ‘11 

Citadel, The 

Farr, Andrew J., ‘11 


Initiates List 2010-2011 

Lockridge, James R., ‘11 

McCoy, Frank R., ‘11 

Parfitt, Vaughn D., ‘11 

Rowland, Michael J., ‘10 

Wilkes, Ronald W., ‘11 

Wyse, Frederick C., ‘11 

Coe College 

Bermoaltz, John A., ‘10 

Burch, Matt, ‘10 

Dongol, Ruhil, ‘10 

Franke, Maranda, ‘10 

Gerhart, Jeremy, ‘11 

Goetzinger, Charlie, ‘11 

Herr, Alec, ‘11 

Huff, Michael, ‘10 

McConnell, Mike R., ‘11 

North, Joseph, ‘10 

O’Donovan-Zavada, 

Anthony, ‘10 

Ramm, Alex, ‘10 

Tholen, Kevin A., ‘11 

Tweeton, Landon, ‘10 

Colby College 

Anson, Colin W., ‘11 

Axelrod, Samuel P., ‘11 

Chang, Elizabeth K., ‘11 

Cunkelman, Benjamin, ‘11 

Dahnke, Jennifer E., ‘10 

Galica, Scott E., ‘11 

Hickey, Dustin A., ‘11 

Lavine, Alexis L., ‘11 

Levine, Sarah T., ‘10 

Moriarty, John C., ‘10 

Nunna, Roja, ‘11 

Ogasawara, Ryoko, ‘11 

Thiha, Htet L., ‘10 

Wang, Qingyi, ‘11 

Colgate University 

Bifano, Michael, ‘09 

Borden, Jared, ‘09 

Brummer, Gordon, ‘09 

Eng, David, ‘09 

Fries, Karl, ‘10 

Gilbert, Cameron, ‘09 

Heylman, Kevin, ‘10 

Joshi, Basistha, ‘09 

Kurkul, Kevin, ‘10 

Lam, Michael, ‘10 

May, Christina, ‘10 

Mouteva, Gergana, ‘09 

Packard, Douglas, ‘09 

Patrick, Phillip, ‘10 

Pennisi, Matthew, ‘09 

Petersen, Michael, ‘09 

Sciarrino, Sarah, ‘09 

Shah, Ashish, ‘09 

Swaney, Margaret, ‘10 

Watts, Claire, ‘09 

Weiner, Andrew, ‘10 

Yeskoo, Timothy, ‘10 

Colorado State University 

Bargsten, Clayton J., ‘11 

Cope, Robert P., ‘11 

Kippenhen, Heith R., ‘11 

Lyons, Jeffrey L., ‘11 

Mitchell, Samantha C., ‘11 

Connecticut, University 

Abramczyk, Michael, ‘09 

Adams, Jordan R., ‘09 

Donahue, William P., ‘11 

Dove, Ryan M., ‘09 

Fitts, Alex B., ‘11 

Flanagan, Michael B., ‘10 

Guy, Mallory L., ‘10 

Horkel, Derek P., ‘10 

Iannitelli, Bejamin R., ‘11 

Ivey, Kyle S., ‘11 

Jain, Menka, ‘09 

Judd, Nicolas B., ‘11 

MacDonald, Marissa, ‘10 

Mai, Manuel, ‘09 

Majtenyi, Nicholas A., ‘11 

Pelletier, Christopher, ‘09 

Power, Joseph M., ‘09 

Rakin, Atif M., ‘10 

Romeo, Kevin G., ‘09 

Russano, Daniel, ‘11 

Talbot, Charles L., ‘09 

Thieken, David A., ‘09 

Creighton University 

Batalkin, Gleb G., ‘11 

Bruckman, Jonathan, ‘11 

Devol, Ross T., ‘11 

Echeverri, Alejandro J., ‘11 

Redger, Clyde A., ‘11 

Ridder, Mark P., ‘11 

Schmidt, Emily, ‘11 

Torpin, Trevor J., ‘11 

Wanninayake, Aruna, ‘11 

Cumberlands, 

University of the 

Centers, Nathan K., ‘11 

DeRocchis, Anthony, ‘11 

Pendergrass, Moriah, ‘11 

Dallas, University 

Bechter, Andrew J., ‘10 

Bechter, Eric B., ‘10 

Catalano, Mary T., ‘10 

Chen, Christen R., ‘10 

DuFrain, Blaise A., ‘10 

Kaminski, Zofia, ‘10 

Kersting, Luke J., ‘10 

Meziere, Kyle J., ‘10 

Miller, Andrew S., ‘10 

Rovny, Jared D., ‘10 

Stauduhar, Paul J., ‘10 

Sweeney, Arthur, ‘10 

Weisse, Natalie A., ‘10 

Dayton, University 

Fahringer, Rebecca H., ‘11 

Gorman, Timothy T., ‘11 

Haynes, Nicholas D., ‘11 

Kerns, Michael D., ‘11 

Tomczyk, Michelle R., ‘11 

De Paul University 

Burleigh, Abe C., ‘11 

Butler, Katherine C., ‘11 

Hardnacke, Bryan M., ‘11 

McManus, Thomas A., ‘11 

Whittemore, Richard, ‘11 

Wright, Edmund E., ‘11 

Denison University 

Crocker, Clayton T., ‘11 

Tehver, Riina, ‘11 

Denver, University 

Bradley, Aaron J., ‘09 

Pequette, Naomi E., ‘11 

Peters, Charee L., ‘11 

Rustad, Mark D., ‘11 

Sultan, Rubina, ‘11 

Thakur, Neeharika, ‘11 

Wall, Randall E., ‘11 

Depauw University 

Kassa, Mateos, ‘11 

Lemasters, Steven V., ‘11 

Li, Heng, ‘11 

Spear, Tyler J., ‘11 

Wagner-Kaiser, 

Rachel A., ‘11 

Zhang, Weiyong, ‘11 

Dickinson College 

Cheatham, Morgan M., ‘10 

Fein, Abra S., ‘10 

Flury, Stuart B., ‘10 

Murray, Mattheu J., ‘10 

Ryan, Michael T., ‘10 

Drew University 

Loether, Aaron B., ‘10 

Sudol, Heather M., ‘10 

Duke University 

Bern, Michael D., ‘11 

Beroz, Farzan, ‘11 

Beutel, Alexander M., ‘11 

Cortese, Alejandro J., ‘11 

DrisCollege, Kevin J., ‘11 

Ferrante, Andrew C., ‘11 

Jones, Ashley D., ‘11 

Mitropoulos, Tanya E., ‘11 

Park, Eugene Y., ‘11 

Seetharam, Karthik I., ‘11 

Duquesne University 

Cheberenchick, Ryan, ‘11 

Davies, K Thomas R., ‘11 

DeBiasio, Dominic A., ‘11 

Dunmyre, Lacy J., ‘11 

Frittelli, Simonetta, ‘11 

Hannan, Alex J., ‘11 

Herchko, Steven M., ‘11 

Hilger, Derrick J., ‘11 

Liebowitz, Jared S., ‘11 

Ozimek, Darryl J., ‘11 

Sinagra, Eric J., ‘11 

Treece, Bradley W., ‘11 

Wade, Collegein R., ‘11 

Yoha, Kaitlyn, ‘11 

East Central University 

Barnett, Jason L., ‘10 

Barnett, Stephanie D., ‘10 

Bellamy, Portel P., ‘10 

Kiptoo, Daniel, ‘10 

Payne, Matthew T., ‘10 

Eastern Illinois University 

Banks, Kevin G., ‘11 

Farmer, John L., ‘11 

Hawkins, Joshua A., ‘11 

McAvoy, Margaret T., ‘11 

Meadows, Alexander, ‘11 

Novotny, Julia A., ‘11 

Tanquary, Hannah E., ‘11 

Eastern Kentucky 

University 

Fant, Kara E., ‘11 

Huston, Justin W., ‘11 

Kilgore, Ethan E., ‘11 

Lopez, Andrew M., ‘11 

Warren, Joshua E., ‘11 

Eastern Michigan 

University 

Bov-Fakreddine, 

Robieh A., ‘11 

Franklin, Nathaniel W., ‘11 

Grubb, Thomas L., ‘11 

Morgan, Christopher J., ‘11 

Pawlowski, David J., ‘11 

Schultz, Steven A., ‘11 

Elizabethtown College 

Bartyczak, Deborah E., ‘11 

Caudill, Nathan T., ‘11 

Gable, Kyle M., ‘11 

Glass, Collegein M., ‘11 

Lewis, Scott M., ‘11 

McCarthy, Eleanor M., ‘11 

Risser, Bradley T., ‘11 

Seaman, Nicholas R., ‘11 

Vogel, Emily E., ‘11 

Weller, Shane A., ‘11 

Wilt, Kyle D., ‘11 

Elon University 

Kamela, Martin, ‘11 

Embry-Riddle 

Aeronautical University 

Beales, Justin H., ‘10 

Boyd, Matthew, ‘11 

Broadhead, Derek J., ‘11 

Brouillette, Shane A., ‘11 

Chu, Christina S., ‘07 

Costillo, Robert, ‘11 

Lozoya, Erik D., ‘11 

Merkley, Chelsea E., ‘10 

O’Bryan, Patrick J., ‘10 

Saffer, Alexander G., ‘10 

Stoddard, Graham J., ‘11 

Toro, Ximena, ‘10 

Emory University 

Delaney, Evan T., ‘10 

Ladik, Alexandra V., ‘10 

Real, Daniel J., ‘10 

Robinson, Charles A., ‘10 

Weiss, David A., ‘10 

Evansville, University 

Upton, Kathleen T., ‘10 

Florida Institute of 

Technology 

Geisert, Erich F., ‘11 

Gordon, Suzanne R., ‘11 

Hoadley, Keri, ‘11 

Houston, Heather A., ‘11 

Kummerer, Theresa, ‘11 

Locke, Judson B., ‘11 

Mertins, Nathan W., ‘11 

Morrill, Philip V., ‘11 

Patel, Maulik, ‘11 

Pitts, Rebecca L., ‘11 

Reynolds, Heather X., ‘11 

Rich, Elizabeth A., ‘11 

Seekins, Aline E., ‘11 

Zhao, Jingkun, ‘11 

Zuo, Pingbing, ‘11 

Fort Hays State University 

Lemon, Jess T., ‘11 

Maughan, Justin B., ‘11 

Myers, Courtney, ‘11 

Pearce, Charles J., ‘11 

Pittman, Ayrton L., ‘11 

Fort Lewis College 

Brandt, Luke J., ‘11 

Chapman, Micah B., ‘11 

Engbring, Jered A., ‘11 

Hardrick, Christopher, ‘11 

Ott, Logan A., ‘11 

Ragsdale, Trevor B., ‘11 

Worrall, Jane C., ‘11 

Frostburg State University 

Hallee, Brian T., ‘11 

Rexroad, Adam, ‘11 

Tyson, William, ‘11 

Wall, Richard, ‘11 

Furman University 

Bitetti, Susan M., ‘11 

Bloom, Joel L., ‘11 

Correnti, Matthew D., ‘11 

Smith, Lois L., ‘11 

Stadther, Derek L., ‘11 

Georgia Southern College 

Banani, Tresor H., ‘09 

Ceran Lowder, Sara A., ‘09 

Davidson, Joshua, ‘09 

Heward, Jeffrey W., ‘10 

Krygier, Michael C., ‘11 

Lape, Melinda S., ‘11 

Liddell, John M., ‘11 



Georgia Southern College 

Nguyen, Vinh T., ‘09 

Parker, Kendez C., ‘11 

Ramos, Krystal M., ‘11 

Smith, Joshua A., ‘11 

Young, Laura R., ‘11 

Georgia State University 

Gagne, Justin P., ‘11 

Haddad, Matthew J., ‘11 

Segura, Edgar Alex, ‘11 

Touhami, Yamina, ‘11 

Grand Valley 


Barber, Kristin M., ‘11 

Fuhst, Mallory R., ‘11 

Kedrowski, Joseph R., ‘11 

Majumdar, Kingshuk, ‘11 

Rakovich, Milun, ‘11 

Scott, Robert J., ‘11 

Tipp, Nathan E., ‘11 

Van Oeveren, Eric D., ‘11 

Voetberg, Jacob H., ‘11 

Grove City College 

Foster, Peter W., ‘11 

Giesmann, Matt, ‘11 

Ingraham, Patricia N., ‘11 

Lewis, David C., ‘11 

Mayer, Adam J., ‘11 

Royster, Michael S., ‘11 

Guilford College 

Knisely, Nathan C L., ‘11 

Gustavus Adolphus 

College 

Bjork, Bryce J., ‘11 

DeFranco, Samuel C., ‘11 

Ebner, Quentin A., ‘11 

Helps, Justin R., ‘11 

Hochstatter, Amanda, ‘11 

Huemiller, Erik D., ‘11 

Kleinschmidt, Annie J., ‘11 

McDougall, Daniel C., ‘11 

Mellema, Daniel C., ‘11 

Henderson State 

University 

Freeman, Cameron T., ‘11 

Johnson, Nathan D., ‘11 

Kayitare, Emmanual, ‘11 

Milum, Brian, ‘11 

Morrison, Devonta E., ‘11 

Murphy, Brian E., ‘11 

Warner, Trae E., ‘11 

Hillsdale College 

Aciego, Sarah, ‘11 

Anyenya, Gladys A., ‘11 

Rager, Jamin M., ‘11 

Sutherland, Edward L., ‘11 

Hofstra University 

Burg, Joseph A., ‘11 

Ferdinand, Stephen A., ‘11 

Harris, Iris R., ‘11 

Khan, Waqqas H., ‘11 

Mercer, Kevin J., ‘11 

Miller, Steven, ‘11 

Spinelli, Nicole M., ‘11 

Holy Cross, College of the 

Balyozian, David M., ‘11 

Collegeins, Patrick J., ‘11 

Defeo, Michael, ‘11 

Nazarian, Robert H., ‘11 

Novicki, Andrew W., ‘11 

Houston Baptist 

University 

Ali, Noman N., ‘11 

Bana, Anum S., ‘11 

Bechtel, Robert J., ‘11 

Bhatt, Asha D., ‘11 

Claycomb, James R., ‘11 

Cook, Rebecca K., ‘11 

Dickerson, Johana E., ‘11 

Do, Kim Ngan T., ‘11 

Do, Linh, ‘11 

Flores, Christopher M., ‘11 

Flores, Tyler, ‘11 

Fonseca, Sharon C., ‘11 

Fouad, Marie T., ‘11 

Gardner, Brittney S., ‘11 

Hassan, Nida A., ‘11 

Holmes, Joseph B., ‘11 

Kumar, Ricki H., ‘11 

Lao, Patrick J., ‘11 

Leal, Franklin I., ‘11 

Lu, Vinn Q., ‘11 

Marachlian, Adriana, ‘11 

Medi, Sai P., ‘11 

Meyers, Vincent E., ‘11 

Momin, Kamil, ‘11 

Patel, Sarin M., ‘11 

Patel, Shivani B., ‘11 

Sakhuja, Shruti, ‘11 

Shahid, Urooj C., ‘11 

Shenawi, Ibraham S., ‘10 

Slepicka, Bryan B., ‘11 

Torres, Kenneth M., ‘11 

Truong, Van D., ‘11 

Houston, University 

Biamonte, Mason T., ‘11 

Chakrabortymitra, 

Rooplekha, ‘11 

Fitchette, Michael P., ‘11 

Forrest, Rebecca L., ‘11 

Markovich, Thomas L., ‘11 

Mitchell, Ian A., ‘11 

Puchstein, Aljoscha T., ‘11 

Stoffle, Nicholas N., ‘11 

Williams, Cameron, ‘11 

Illinois Benedictine 

College 

Link, Krystian, ‘11 

Marin, Timothy W., ‘11 

Seymour, Alexander J., ‘11 

Indiana State University 

Loman, Kelly K., ‘11 

Moser, Daniel H., ‘11 

Indiana University 

South Bend 

Bauernfeind, Ryan W., ‘08 

Cassella, Kayleigh A., ‘10 

Cukrowicz, Sarah K., ‘10 

Eby, Joshua A., ‘08 

Gearhart, Andrew J., ‘10 

Harnish, Cale C., ‘11 

Kentner, Sandra L., ‘08 

Kuehnemund, 

Emily Grace, ‘10 

Mark, Phillip I., ‘10 

Moan, Timothy R., ‘11 

Myers, Scott, ‘10 

Olando, Joshua R., ‘10 

Silvian, Lance, ‘10 

Simmons, Christopher, ‘10 

Smith, Nathan R., ‘10 

Stalvey, Daniel R., ‘08 

Torstrick, Zachary, ‘11 

Van Den Driessche, 

Steve, ‘08 

Vandenberg, Dennis, ‘10 

Warrell, Gregory R., ‘08 

Ithaca College 

Hale, Jacob A., ‘11 

Neeley, Jill R., ‘11 

James Madison University 

Barker, Lydia, ‘08 

Bookjans, Patrick G., ‘09 

Boutwell, Ryan C., ‘07 

Bruno, Jorge, ‘07 

Burant, Alex B., ‘10 

Byars, Brittany, ‘10 

Cimino-Hurt, Alex T., ‘06 

Hardcastle, Joseph, ‘10 

Harris, Jeremy, ‘09 

Herman, Ralph D., ‘09 

Hoppmann, Eric, ‘07 

Kelly, Daniel, ‘08 

Kelly, John, ‘08 

Klein, Eli, ‘10 

Knoche, Richard A., ‘10 

Kroon, John, ‘10 

Lewis, Laurence A., ‘07 

Ludka, Bonnie, ‘06 

Lynch, Suzanne E., ‘09 

Maust, Gregory S., ‘09 

McCauley, Patrick I., ‘09 

McDonough, Ryan J., ‘09 

McGinley, Stephen V., ‘09 

McGrath, Michael, ‘06 

Mesler, Robert, ‘08 

Mondeschein, Stephen, ‘07 

Nash, Kevin C., ‘09 

O’Brien, Sean, ‘08 

Pote, Tim, ‘07 

Randel, Emmett T., ‘09 

Redpath, Thomas, ‘10 

Rosenthal, Ethan, ‘08 

Swavola, Julia, ‘08 

Szalay, Jamey R., ‘09 

Tsui, Lok Kun, ‘08 

Wyrick, Jon, ‘07 

John Carroll University 

Delanis, Daniel B., ‘11 

Kaminsky, John P., ‘11 

Johns Hopkins University 

Abramovic, Robert J., ‘10 

Danday, Jeffrey R., ‘11 

Ferrer, Douglas W., ‘11 

Fielding, Drummond, ‘11 

Ginocchio, Luke A., ‘11 

Henley, Conner A., ‘11 

Johnson, Adam L., ‘11 

Ponedel, Benjamim C., ‘11 

Walsh, Jason V., ‘11 

Wei, Tiffany, ‘11 

Kansas State University 

Bauer, Michael J., ‘11 

Calhoun, David C., ‘11 

Daniel, Ariele R., ‘11 

Gao, Ya, ‘11 

Haugland, Samuel M., ‘11 

Knox, Ian W., ‘11 

Rome, Nicholas S., ‘11 

Schmidt, Aaron J., ‘11 

Summers, Adam M., ‘11 

Kettering University 

Antonacci, Michael D., ‘11 

Borders, Seth, ‘11 

Brune, Tobias M., ‘11 

Burtch, Joseph, ‘10 

Cooley, Kayla A., ‘11 

Crabill, Jacob A., ‘10 

Hazard, Derek E., ‘10 

Hoff, Kathryn L., ‘11 

Langston, Beulah E., ‘11 

Rytlewski, Jaime M., ‘10 

Lawrence Tech University 

Bakkila, Scott A., ‘11 

Dojcsak, Levente, ‘11 

Frank, Chuck J., ‘11 

Gardner, Nathan W., ‘11 

McCarthy, Bradley P., ‘11 

Miller, Jason R., ‘11 

Lawrence University 

Miller, Joia M., ‘11 

Qiu, Fangzhou, ‘11 

Strehlow, Samuel H., ‘11 

Van Hoozen, Brian L., ‘11 

Zhang, Zhe, ‘11 

Lewis & Clark College 

Allison, William D., ‘11 

Green, Alaina M., ‘11 

Holbrook, Madisen A., ‘11 

Schlesinger, Paul E., ‘11 

Steinhardt, William, ‘11 

Stenmark, Theodore A., ‘11 

Linfield College 

Cao, Yuhong, ‘11 

Cook, Ryan A., ‘11 

Lambert, Kyel K., ‘11 

O’Brien, Katie M., ‘11 

Louisiana State University 

Cross, Robert M., ‘11 

Davis, Noah A., ‘11 

Dupuis, Christopher, ‘11 

Irra, Theodore A., ‘11 

Valenti, Kisa A., ‘11 

Louisiana University at 

Lafayette 

Bergeron, Clint A., ‘11 

Phelan, Dane M., ‘11 

Touchet, Brandon T., ‘11 

Louisville, University 

Braun, Adam, ‘11 

Carver, Austin L., ‘10 

Lauroesch, James T., ‘11 

Mackenzie, Shannon, ‘11 

Nichols, Matthew T., ‘11 

Schaeffer, Derek W., ‘11 

Wilkins, Joseph L., ‘11 

Loyola University 

Maryland 

Harnett, Meghan E., ‘11 

La Plante, Paul C., ‘11 

Olmsted, Amanda, ‘11 

Luther College 

Berg, Joseph P., ‘11 

Matthews, Opeoluwa, ‘11 

Wulf, Dallas W., ‘11 

Lycoming College 

Brown, Robert J., ‘10 

Smith, Suzanne E., ‘10 

Smithgall, Eric J., ‘10 

Surmick, David M., ‘11 

Manchester College 

Bruce, John S., ‘11 

Worch, Joshua C., ‘11 

Marquette University 

Kaprelian, Erin E., ‘11 

McAuliffe, Rebecca D., ‘11 

Olson, Daniel V., ‘11 

Pflugrad, Timothy D., ‘11 

Welch, Patrick D., ‘11 



Maryland-Baltimore 

County, University 

Brewer, Ethan M., ‘11 

Sweigart, David A., ‘11 

Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology 

Boyce, Christopher M., ‘11 

Chen, Erik L., ‘11 

Chen, Linda, ‘11 

Chiu, Yu-ju, ‘11 

Coss, George K., ‘11 

Deits, Robin L., ‘11 

Fei, Lin, ‘11 

Iannucci, Peter A., ‘11 

Mahajan, Raghu, ‘11 

Mailoa, Jonathan P., ‘11 

Marion, Eric M., ‘11 

Milkowski, Katelyn E., ‘11 

Mooring, Todd A., ‘11 

Perko, Ashley N., ‘11 

Ramirez, David M., ‘11 

Setrin, Michael T., ‘11 

Sharpe, Jacob S., ‘11 

Shen, Fangfei, ‘11 

Tenen, Claudia C., ‘11 

Tynan, Philip D., ‘11 

Vega-Brown, William, ‘11 

McMurry University 

Land, Jared, ‘10 

Land, Jeremiah D., ‘10 

Murray, Tylar W., ‘10 

Mesa State College 

Brown, Casey, ‘11 

Miami University 

Baldwin, Charles H., ‘11 

Cheng, Jun, ‘11 

Guenther, Justin M., ‘11 

Hesselbrock, Andrew J., ‘11 

McDonald, Corey, ‘11 

Michigan Tech University 

Anton, Nigel L., ‘11 

Connolly, Ryan P., ‘11 

Dobbs, Jeremy S., ‘11 

Fan, Xinxin, ‘11 

Gorkowski, Kyle J., ‘11 

Holmes, Justin C., ‘11 

Leonard, Edward M., ‘11 

Malec, Benedict J., ‘11 

Nelson, Arin D., ‘11 

Nerem, Matthew P., ‘11 

Solfest, Peter M., ‘11 

Wilm, Joseph D., ‘11 

Michigan-Ann Arbor, 

University 

Adair, Andrew M., ‘11 

Buchsbaum, Seth F., ‘11 

Gray, Trevor A., ‘11 

Katolik, Michael E., ‘11 

Lai, Laurie M., ‘11 

Miller, Kate E., ‘11 

Nguyen, Alex T., ‘11 

Norman, Michael J., ‘11 

Pomerantz, Zachary, ‘11 

Stewart, Michael A., ‘11 

Michigan-Flint, University 

Foren, Dennis M., ‘11 

O’Brien, Joshua J., ‘11 

Pearson, Christopher, ‘11 

Middle Tennessee 


Barnes, Taylor A., ‘09 

Brady, Nate F., ‘08 

Bridges, Daniel S., ‘10 

Cathey, Brandon L., ‘11 

Ehemann, Robert C., ‘10 

Hoffman, Lance R., ‘11 

Morris, Bart A., ‘11 

Norris, Hannah J., ‘10 

Parker, Joshua M., ‘10 

Pegram, Alexander T., ‘10 

Ring, William K., ‘09 

Smith, Nathanael J., ‘09 

Solus, Daniel, ‘09 

Wize, Evan D., ‘11 

Minnesota State 

University-Moorhead 

Bhattacharya, Shouvik, ‘11 

Cabanela, Juan E., ‘10 

Fieber-Beyer, Sherry K., ‘11 

Freed, Alexander J., ‘11 

Hegge, Elizabeth A., ‘11 

Kasper, Devin A., ‘11 

Mississippi, University 

Armstrong, William, ‘10 

Skelton, Charlotte, ‘10 

Thurber, Andrew, ‘10 

Udemgba, Chioma, ‘10 

Vickers, Lauren E., ‘10 

Missouri-Columbia, 

University 

Chandrasekhar, Meera, ‘11 

Duncan, Robert, ‘10 

King, Gavin M., ‘10 

Kosztin, Dorina, ‘10 

McCune, Matthew A., ‘10 

Miller, Lucas D., ‘10 

Owens, Christopher, ‘10 

Paudel, Keshab R., ‘10 

Pfeifer, Peter, ‘10 

Schaeperkoetter, 

Joseph, ‘10 

Sleightholm, Richard, ‘10 

Wexler, Carlos, ‘10 

Moravian College 

Cress, Daniel B., ‘11 

Watson, Andrew W., ‘11 

Weiser, Philip M., ‘11 

Zawisza, Irene V., ‘11 

Morehouse College 

Adanu, Emmanuel, ‘11 

Hassan, Bakari, ‘11 

Jenkins, Nelson, ‘11 

Leon, Ryan F., ‘11 

Stubblefield, Ronald, ‘11 

Walker, Brandon, ‘11 

Williams, Dwight M., ‘11 

Young, Jonathann M., ‘11 

Morgan State University 

Hamwright, Tahisa, ‘11 

Mount Holyoke College 

Goncalves, Alyssa M., ‘11 

Hu, Xiaolin, ‘11 

Koech, Jackline C., ‘11 

Licht, Abbey S., ‘11 

Mckenna, Alyssa J., ‘11 

Plunk, Amelia A., ‘11 

Theingi, San, ‘11 

Wang, Hexuan, ‘11 

Muhlenberg College 

Hammer, Nicole L., ‘11 

Ryan, Lauren, ‘11 

Murray State University 

Burgess, Joshua R., ‘11 

Cobb, Bradley N., ‘11 

Frye, Kyle, ‘11 

Godwin, Shaena M., ‘11 

Parham, Sidra, ‘11 

Nebraska Wesleyan 

University 

Booton, Laura B., ‘11 

New Hampshire, 


Bartlett, Kurtis D., ‘11 

French, Joshua R., ‘11 

Kalutkiewicz, Kyle, ‘11 

Rousseau, Marissa, ‘11 

Shuster, Jason R., ‘11 

Vaughn, Daisy A., ‘11 

Young, Matthew A., ‘11 

New Mexico State 

University 

Amburgey, Joshua W., ‘10 

Armstrong, Rebecca, ‘09 

Boberg, Owen, ‘09 

Guerra, Jorge L., ‘09 

Ricketts, Matthew R., ‘09 

Salguero, Laura M., ‘10 

Toussaint, Vladimir, ‘10 

Vacik, Samantha M., ‘10 

Wyatt, Luke H., ‘10 

Xu, Zixiong, ‘10 

Young, Jessica A., ‘09 

North Carolina State 

University 

Chiou, Yeou S., ‘11 

Foco, Kate l., ‘11 

Hendricks, Khalida S., ‘11 

Kenny, Samuel, ‘11 

Marley, Daniel E., ‘11 

Moreau, David W., ‘11 

Schillaci, Mark A., ‘11 

Solini, Anna K., ‘11 

Walsh, Brian R., ‘11 

Watson, Anne M., ‘11 

North Carolina-Asheville, 


Mann, Jody W., ‘11 

Sigman, Jeremy, ‘11 

North Carolina-Charlotte, 


Brettin, Aaron M., ‘11 

Burks, David L., ‘11 

Couch, Brian D., ‘11 

Dong, Yue, ‘11 

Joshi, Rajendra, ‘11 

Li, Ying, ‘11 

Pung, Aaron, ‘11 

Ruble, Macey C., ‘11 

Sitaputra, Wattaka, ‘11 

Tompkins, Joseph, ‘11 

Williams, Lauren M., ‘11 

Zheng, Benrui, ‘11 

North Carolina- 

Wilmington, University of 

Bache, Steven T., ‘11 

du Toit, Matthys N., ‘11 

Tubergen, Joseph L., ‘11 

Woody, Runyon C., ‘11 

North Florida, University 

Blackburn, John H., ‘11 

Lolinco, Vladimir S., ‘11 

Shirshikova, Zhanna, ‘11 

Northern Arizona 

University 

Bovyn, Matthew J., ‘11 

Ceballos, Alejandro, ‘11 

Johns, Paula N., ‘11 

Kelly, Justin C., ‘11 

Landis, Margaret E., ‘11 

McLelland, Kyle P., ‘11 

Monk, Erin E., ‘11 

Stone, Jeremy J., ‘11 

Tollefsen, David J., ‘11 

Williams, Riley J., ‘11 

Northwest Nazarene 

University 

Bailey, McKenzie C., ‘11 

Gresalfi, Christopher, ‘09 

Northwestern University 

Bourgeois, Marc R., ‘11 

Caratelli, David, ‘11 

Case, Daniel E., ‘11 

Cheacharoen, 

Rongrong, ‘11 

Drew, Mitchell E., ‘11 

Geringer, Paul J., ‘11 

Herrmann, Sascha A., ‘11 

Nubbe, Matthew A., ‘11 

Stevens, Daniel J., ‘11 

Williams, Scott R., ‘11 

Occidental College 

Goldberg, Noam, ‘11 

Ing, Nicole L., ‘11 

Magnusson, Brent, ‘11 

Sherman, Miles A., ‘11 

Tovares, Noah, ‘11 

Ohio State University 

Byvark, Tom, ‘11 

Gerberich, Matt W., ‘11 

Greco, Johnny P., ‘11 

Kosar, Nicholas J., ‘11 

Marzec, Eric D., ‘11 

Shkayev, Aleksandr V., ‘11 

Slusher, Brian E., ‘11 

Sung, Sam, ‘11 

Walker, Patrick, ‘11 

Ohio Wesleyan University 

Brechtel, Charles E., ‘11 

Islam, Nurul T., ‘11 

Moller-Jacobs, Rose L., ‘11 

Poh, Zijie, ‘11 

Pennsylvania State 

University 

Baldoni, Daniel J., ‘11 

Chang, Yi-Ping, ‘11 

Chinchilli, Alexander, ‘11 

Dilks, Christopher J., ‘11 

Grigas, Chris J., ‘11 

Kremmel, Emily M., ‘11 

Schlenker, Michael J., ‘11 

Skocik, Michael J., ‘11 

Vergnetti, Britland P., ‘11 

Vidmar, David M., ‘11 

Wasserman, Ryan M., ‘11 

Yong, Suk Yee, ‘11 

Pennsylvania State 

University, Erie 

Plansinis, Brent W., ‘11 

Pittsburgh, University 

Bumstead, Jonathan, ‘11 

Espenlaub, Andrew, ‘11 

Hare, Jeremy, ‘11 

McCreary, Amber, ‘11 

Musgrave, Patrick, ‘11 

Presbyterian College 

Burch, Caroline L., ‘11 

Chambers, Jonathan, ‘11 

Makin, Lewis, ‘11 

Providence College 

Paudel, Ashwin, ‘11 

Taylor, Patrick A., ‘11 



Puget Sound, University 

Laukkanen, Eric M., ‘11 

McGee, Christopher J., ‘11 

Wall, Casey J., ‘11 

Radford University 

Biernacki, Christopher, ‘11 

Conniff, Brendan, ‘11 

Crittenden, Victor S., ‘10 

Gichana, Elizabeth K., ‘11 

Palmer, David C., ‘11 

Shortt, Matthew W., ‘11 

Trayer, Matthew N., ‘11 

Wirdzek, Daniel Z., ‘10 

Randolph-Macon College 

Borum, Lisa B., ‘11 

Lambers, Ashley N., ‘11 

Schaeffer, Bethany A., ‘11 

Sutton, Brian D., ‘11 

Williamson, Hayley N., ‘11 

Rensselaer Polytechnic 

Institute 

Dunn, Patrick J., ‘11 

Emenheiser, Jeffrey M., ‘11 

Freid, Michael C., ‘11 

Galehouse, David E., ‘11 

Goldstein, Daniel G., ‘11 

Meunier, Vincent, ‘11 

Pinkert, Michael A., ‘11 

Tahhan, Maher B., ‘11 

Yam, William, ‘11 

Zhang, Xiao, ‘11 

Rhodes College 

Davis, Eleanor M., ‘11 

Rice University 

Zakrajsek, Michael T., ‘11 

Ripon College 

Honaker, James E., ‘11 

Honaker, Lawrence W., ‘11 

Madsen, Matthew A., ‘11 

Vande Kolk, Bryant J., ‘11 

Rochester, University 

Bandes, Steven L., ‘11 

Barenfeld, Scott A., ‘11 

Khuiton, Dev Ashish, ‘11 

Kintner, Paul M., ‘11 

Pratt, Susan E., ‘11 

Remming, Ian S., ‘11 

Sarica, Ulascan, ‘11 

Schiesser, Eric M., ‘11 

Tutmaher, Jacob A., ‘11 

Zhou, Chengzhe, ‘11 

Rose-Hulman Institute of 

Technology 

Carver, Spencer R., ‘11 

Fennig, Eryn A., ‘11 

Folberth, James M., ‘11 

Harris, Andrew, ‘11 

Kodalen, Brian G., ‘11 

Reeves, Erin M., ‘11 

Veikamp, Max A., ‘11 

Saginaw Valley State 

University 

Benjamin, Chandler, ‘11 

Saint Mary’s College 

Maryland 

Kamin, Alexander, ‘11 

Marbourg, Jessica M., ‘11 

Pasko, Nicholas R., ‘11 

Perrin, Jeremy D., ‘11 

Prasher, Rebecca K., ‘11 

Taylor, Abigail A., ‘11 

Tennyson, Kevin A., ‘11 

Saint Peter’s College 

Ocasio, Jonathan C., ‘11 

Suliman, Ahmed E., ‘11 

Zhu, Weidong, ‘11 

Santa Clara University 

Bemis, Scott J., ‘11 

Vlahos, Michael J., ‘11 

Wells-Rutherford, 

Sean O., ‘11 

Wesenberg, Devin J., ‘11 

Shippensburg University 

Barnhart, Michelle E., ‘10 

Cassell, Dustin L., ‘10 

Cresswell, Alan, ‘10 

Hess, Kathryn S., ‘10 

Hickman, James E., ‘10 

Hough, Logan A., ‘10 

Thompson, Jeffery M., ‘10 

Trevitz, Daniel S., ‘10 

Vanderbrake, Robert, ‘10 

Siena College 

Apicello, Laura M., ‘11 

Billings, Kyle B., ‘11 

Bourgeois, Renee E., ‘11 

Bunker, Katelyn E., ‘11 

Kelleher, Collegeeen A., ‘11 

Many, Daniel J., ‘11 

Masseo, Patrick G., ‘11 

Mccann, Amy, ‘11 

Melsert, Kevin A., ‘11 

Metague, Lindsay E., ‘11 

Pater, James W., ‘11 

Savery, Thaddeus J., ‘11 

Skidmore College 

Charpentier, Elizabeth, ‘11 

Imam, Yahia M., ‘11 

Loi, Ka-io, ‘10 

Nguyen, Giang P., ‘11 

Wylie, Elizabeth K., ‘11 

South Florida, University 

Khadka, Dhan B., ‘11 

Southeast Missouri State 

University 

Ahmad, Zarah, ‘11 

Busch, Taylor B., ‘11 

Greten, Lucas B., ‘11 

Lumpkin, Jason C., ‘11 

Nathan, Burford M., ‘11 

Sundgren, Christina J., ‘11 

Southern Mississippi, 


Biswas, Parthapratim, ‘11 

Brady, Melanie, ‘11 

Eckman, Mark E., ‘11 

Hoff, Olivia B., ‘11 

Jaiswal, Niraj P., ‘11 

Maseda, Floyd A., ‘11 

Mcwaters, Xandria, ‘11 

Palchak, Amanda, ‘11 

Vera, Michael D., ‘11 

Young, Charles T., ‘11 

Southern Oregon University 

Abbott, Anthony J., ‘11 

Barnett, Annie, ‘11 

Coffel, Wesley M., ‘11 

Fowler, Tyler, ‘11 

Gervasi, Christian, ‘11 

Heveran, Chelsea M., ‘11 

Reddell, Steven R., ‘11 

Thompson, 

Christopher L., ‘11 

Southwestern Oklahoma 


Brooks, Jonathan P., ‘11 

Webb, Micah P., ‘11 

St Bonaventure University 

Bosse, Courtney E., ‘11 

Donius, Jacob R., ‘11 

Gearhart, Steve M., ‘11 

Hasper, John W., ‘11 

Mulholland, Troy D., ‘11 

St. John’s University-NY 

Garcia, Victor L., ‘11 

Mamer, Spencer B., ‘11 

Medici, Megan, ‘11 

Weisenberger, Casey, ‘11 

Whipple, Lauren M., ‘11 

Zazzera, Christine R., ‘11 

St. Lawrence University 

Cutler, Dylan A M., ‘11 

Dobrowski, Luke D L., ‘11 

Hayden, Torrey R., ‘11 

LeBlanc, Benjamin P., ‘11 

Thomas, Brian C., ‘11 

St. Olaf College 

Bouxsein, Christopher, ‘11 

Buuck, Micah, ‘11 

Mellem, Bjorn A., ‘11 

Mitchell, Noah P., ‘11 

Schmidt, Elliot C., ‘11 

Simmons, Benjamin P., ‘11 

Snyder, Lauren N., ‘11 

Stiegler, Cole S., ‘11 

Wight, John A., ‘11 

Stephen F Austin 


Adams, Stephen B., ‘10 

Bushnell, Cody B., ‘10 

Casas, Jessica M., ‘11 

Kocurek, Andrew C., ‘11 

Libman, Amber L., ‘10 

Lynch, Katie R., ‘10 

Parsons, Douglas G., ‘11 

Timmons, Collegein J., ‘11 

Xu, Zhen, ‘11 

Stetson University 

Hall, Eric J., ‘11 

Stevens Institute of 

Technology 

Crouch, Stephen C., ‘09 

Stony Brook University 

Bird, Justin P., ‘11 

Brennan, Sean, ‘11 

Cuffari, David L., ‘11 

Daley, Jonathan C., ‘11 

Darienzo, Richard E., ‘11 

Geng, Yixin, ‘11 

Ma, Chung T., ‘11 

Shteyman, Alan G., ‘11 

Theroux, Michele A., ‘11 

Thomas, Spencer L., ‘11 

Vail, Owen A., ‘11 

Xie, Xuli, ‘11 

SUNY at Binghamton 

Collegeazos, Steven, ‘11 

Davydov, Mikhail V., ‘11 

Frachioni, Anthony, ‘11 

Kim, Taeken, ‘11 

Leshen, Justin D., ‘11 

Ng, James, ‘11 

Scheuermann, James, ‘11 

Smith, Jake A., ‘11 

Tanabe, Iori, ‘11 

Thompson, William D., ‘11 

Weiler, Erik M., ‘11 

Whelsky, Amber N., ‘11 

SUNY at Brockport 

Gaul, Andrew D., ‘11 

Held, Ryan J., ‘11 

Kuhl, Alexandria S., ‘11 

SUNY at Fredonia 

Chambers, Cody J., ‘11 

Dibble, Jeffrey l., ‘11 

SUNY at Geneseo 

Canfield, Michael J., ‘11 

Czakowski, Michael D., ‘11 

Deshaies, Jacob R., ‘11 

Drazan, John F., ‘11 

Farrell, Matthew E., ‘11 

Hansen, Ethan G., ‘11 

Howard, Rachel A., ‘11 

Kaminska, Anthony R., ‘11 

Litman, Robert B., ‘11 

Losh, Evan D., ‘11 

Mayville, Robert A., ‘11 

Meissner, Rebecca J., ‘11 

Murphy, Samuel M., ‘11 

Pilar, Kartik P., ‘11 

Punzi, Kristina M., ‘11 

Shao, Wanting, ‘11 

Shibata, Kye R., ‘11 

Silano, Jack A., ‘11 

Wilson, Sean T., ‘10 

Wise, Alexander W., ‘11 

SUNY at Oneonta 

Benway, James J., ‘10 

Suriano, Scott S., ‘10 

Tom, Paul A., ‘10 

SUNY at Potsdam 

Brewer, Nicole E., ‘11 

Fudger, Sean J., ‘10 

Holloway, Kyle A., ‘10 

Kelsey, Matthew J., ‘11 

LaBarge, Ryan C., ‘10 

LaPlante, Sean M., ‘10 

McGreevy, Darren J., ‘11 

Paine, Nicholas J., ‘10 

Ristau, Michael L., ‘11 

Tennessee Tech 

University 

Graves, Stephen A., ‘11 

Travis, Tyler J., ‘11 

Texas Lutheran University 

Hilbert, Shawn A., ‘10 

Jastram, Andrew K., ‘10 

Laubach, Stacey L., ‘10 

Lee, Curtis A., ‘10 

Lorenz, Dirk M., ‘10 

Muehlbrad, Talitha C., ‘10 

Ray, Kimberly, ‘10 

Texas-Arlington, 


Brewer, Dustin W., ‘10 

Hall, Ryan G., ‘10 

Red Eagle, Crystal N., ‘10 

Weberg, Micah J., ‘10 

Texas-Dallas, 


Schaefer, Richard, ‘11 

Texas-San Antonio, 


Brooks, Andrew V., ‘11 

Carrigan, Robert M., ‘11 

Moore, Marilyn R., ‘11 

Moreno, Gabriel L., ‘11 

Norwood, Dylan A., ‘11 

Palos-Chavez, Jorge, ‘11 

Pedraza, Francisco J., ‘11 

Ramsey, Kenneth A., ‘11 

Ray, Nathan J., ‘11 

Rico, Haley A., ‘11 

Slattery, Robert J., ‘11 

Vega, Laura D., ‘11 



The College of New Jersey 

Billings, Michael C., ‘11 

Cooper, Christopher, ‘11 

Gilroy, Kyle D., ‘11 

Gotthardt, Noelle E., ‘11 

Iqbal, Zohaib, ‘11 

Lin, Yi-Hsuan, ‘11 

Merali, Aliya J., ‘11 

Prisco, Gregory R., ‘11 

Sobczak, Robert J., ‘11 

Torpey, Megan, ‘11 

Warner, Ashley E., ‘11 

The University of the 

South 

Davenport, John, ‘11 

Goodwin, Zack, ‘11 

Hayes, Jesse, ‘11 

Kharel, Prashanta, ‘11 

Nshimiyiman, 

Marcellin, ‘11 

Schmidt, Frances, ‘11 

Toledo, University of 

El-Amin, Ammaarah, ‘11 

Hill, Nichole L., ‘11 

Hoepfl, Kathryn E., ‘11 

Passero, Anthony N., ‘11 

Pewett, Tiffany D., ‘11 

Reaver, Nathan G., ‘11 

Saner, Brandon G., ‘11 

Sen, Naresh, ‘11 

Towson University 

Abrams, Matthew B., ‘11 

Bonsall, Brittany E., ‘11 

Dongmo Momo, 

Gilles, ‘10 

Srivastava, Parul, ‘11 

Tanyi, Ekembu K., ‘11 

Trinity College 

Bower, John P., ‘11 

Khanal, Sarthak, ‘11 

Kutcher, Adam J., ‘11 

Petkovsek, Steven J., ‘11 

Sewanan, Lorenzo R., ‘11 

Shin, Young Ho, ‘11 

Trinity University 

Drake, Abigail M., ‘11 

Jones, Gareth C., ‘11 

Rudd, Ethan M., ‘11 

Wang, Daoqi, ‘11 

White, Ian G., ‘11 

Truman State University 

Ashcraft, Robert A., ‘11 

Baraboo, Justin J., ‘11 

Graves, Kevin J., ‘11 

Klein, Nathaniel P., ‘11 

Tsapelas, Elias J., ‘11 

Union University 

Bird, Benjamin I., ‘11 

Mcconnell, Caroline, ‘11 

Olson, Elizabeth N., ‘11 

Stewart, Lee W., ‘11 

Taylor, Cory, ‘11 

Wallen, Christian M., ‘11 

United States 

Naval Academy 

Beach, Joseph N., ‘10 

Kelly, James K., ‘10 

Le, Truong, ‘10 

McGury, Matthew M., ‘10 

Mock, Sean M., ‘11 

Utah State University 

Barker, Dave W., ‘11 

Butterfield, Zachary T., ‘11 

Jensen, Joseph B., ‘11 

Johnson, Linsey, ‘11 

Kushlan, Mike W., ‘11 

Meehan, Jennifer, ‘11 

Stodart, Wayman M., ‘11 

Ward, Rachel J., ‘11 

Valdosta State University 

Daniels, Jake, ‘11 

Gill, Joseph, ‘11 

Jenkins, Thomas, ‘11 

Rarig, Terrell J., ‘11 

Schmidt, Matthew C., ‘11 

Warner, Kristi, ‘11 

Virginia Military Institute 

Beran, Robert L., ‘11 

Potter, William N., ‘11 

Scott, Clayton D., ‘11 

Wulfken, Philip J., ‘11 

Virginia Tech 

Baker, Charles J., ‘10 

Dobramysl, Ulrich, ‘10 

Durney, Clinton H., ‘10 

Frey, John H., ‘10 

Gui, Li, ‘10 

Heitz, Robert S., ‘10 

Hor, Yuen Keung, ‘10 

Lassiter, Andrew W., ‘10 

Liu, Wenjia, ‘10 

Lorenz, Colin J., ‘10 

Love, William M., ‘10 

Martin, Christopher A., ‘10 

Mowlaei, Shahir, ‘10 

Ogle, Curtis T., ‘10 

Ren, Shaola, ‘10 

Shpil, James C., ‘10 

Virginia, University 

Baker, John P., ‘11 

Brown, Brielin, ‘11 

Brown, Jonathan H., ‘11 

Ichter, Brian, ‘11 

Johnson, Amy E., ‘11 

Kamgar-Parsi, Kian, ‘11 

Nicholson, David A., ‘11 

Richers, Sherwood A., ‘11 

Ross, Aaron M., ‘11 

Trung, Huy-Sinh, ‘11 

Wake Forest University 

Baker, Stephen R., ‘11 

Binz, Kristen L., ‘11 

Brigeman, Alyssa N., ‘11 

Carlson, Eric D., ‘11 

Conrad, Randall S., ‘11 

Cusano, Sean A., ‘11 

David, Daniel J., ‘11 

Dorand, Jennifer E., ‘11 

Grim, Joel Q., ‘11 

Li, Qi, ‘11 

Lyle, Chris R., ‘11 

Nguyendac, Don L., ‘11 

Sanders, Dillon H., ‘11 

Shugoll, Bradley D., ‘11 

Sigley, Justin L., ‘11 

Taylor, Alexander D., ‘11 

Washington and 

Jefferson College 

Fyffe, Brandon, ‘11 

Kopchick, Benjamin, ‘11 

Merten, Victoria, ‘11 

Turturice, Lance V., ‘11 

Washington University 

Saint Louis 

Essick, Reed C., ‘11 

Moloney, Joshua E., ‘11 

Perkins, Robert J., ‘11 

Sleppy, Joel D., ‘11 

Wiser, Timothy D., ‘11 

Washington, University 

Boyko, Bryan M., ‘01 

Josberger, Erik E., ‘11 

Kim, Harry C., ‘11 

Maccoy, Brynn K., ‘11 

McBride, Scot E., ‘11 

Mulligan, James D., ‘11 

Schwyn, Benjamin L., ‘11 

Spott, Alexander W., ‘11 

Thomas, Benjamin L., ‘11 

Totorica, Samuel R., ‘11 

West Chester University 

Caler, Michelle A., ‘11 

Clark, Andrew T., ‘11 

Colagreco, Matthew J., ‘11 

Fenimore, David A., ‘11 

Fusello, Michele L., ‘11 

Hoover, Leah R., ‘11 

Johnstone, Brittany M., ‘11 

Margolis, Ryan A., ‘11 

Martin, Sean D., ‘11 

McCauley, Michael P., ‘11 

Plumridge, Benjamin, ‘11 

Pomeroy, Paul J., ‘11 

Western Illinois 

University 

Asafuah, Thomas K., ‘11 

Chapagain, Kamal, ‘11 

DC, Mahendra, ‘11 

Giri, Prakash, ‘11 

Jimadu, Ademola A., ‘11 

Onifade, Lateef S., ‘11 

Western Kentucky 

University 

Curry, Kyle A., ‘11 

Sadler, Suzanna M., ‘11 

Simpson, Michael D., ‘11 

Wilson, John M., ‘11 

Westminster College 

Giles, Daniel K., ‘11 

Whittier College 

Airola, Travis T., ‘10 

Bablewski, Ian C., ‘10 

Driskell, Travis U., ‘10 

Huang, Jason, ‘10 

Maloney, Christopher, ‘11 

Volz, Tyler B., ‘11 

Widener University 

Patricelli, Marc D., ‘10 

William Jewell College 

Dahal, Ashutosh, ‘11 

Dahal, Bikesh, ‘11 

Mattson, Craig, ‘11 

Merrigan, Carl B., ‘11 

Regmi, Aayush, ‘11 

Whisler, Brett, ‘11 

Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 


Lieske, Amaris, ‘11 

Roadt, Janis M., ‘11 

Skarda, Ryan, ‘11 

Tillman, Ahtan, ‘11 

Vogt, Kyle, ‘11 

Wisconsin-La Crosse, 


Arend, Andrew S., ‘11 

Bilke, Loralee M., ‘11 

Brooks, Micah W., ‘11 

Harrington, Sean, ‘11 

Khalili, Ali S., ‘11 

Klemm, Angeline B., ‘11 

Nehls, John M., ‘11 

Oleson, Benjamin J., ‘11 

Tennyson, Elizabeth, ‘11 

Wheeler, Melissa M., ‘11 

Wisconsin-Platteville, 


Hagstrom, Zane R., ‘11 

Holden, Elizabeth A., ‘11 

Latimer, Patrick J., ‘11 

Parr, Ethan A., ‘10 

Rottier, Mitchell R., ‘11 

Schneider, Julia L., ‘11 

Schoenberg, Holly C., ‘11 

West, Trevor K., ‘10 

Wisconsin-River Falls, 


Altenhofen, David J., ‘11 

Evans, Charlotte I., ‘11 

Gregerson, Glen O., ‘11 

Heinisch, David P., ‘11 

Neby, Scott D., ‘11 

O’Hare, Katelyn A., ‘11 

Radke, Alesha M., ‘11 

Rogers, Laura, ‘11 

Schwellenbach, Joleen, ‘11 

Steck, Amanda M., ‘11 

Vignali, Kathleen C., ‘11 

Wright State University 

Caplinger, James E., ‘11 

Dahlman, Amanda G., ‘11 

Eck, Brendan L., ‘11 

r 

My summer with 

Rutherford 


mentor for many budding 

physicists. In fact, the 

gold foil experiment was 

carried out by Rutherford’s 

graduate student Hans 

Geiger and undergraduate 

student Ernest Marsden. 

As we developed the 

SOCK activities, Amanda 

and I quickly meshed into 

a cohesive team. We also 

got a lot of help from others 

around the office who 

tried out our activities, 

offered advice, and helped 

us obtain supplies. The 

SOCK is a result of all 

these contributions. This 

summer was just one piece 

of the SOCK collaboration 

process. Each SPS chapter 

that receives SOCK kits 

organizes outreach events 

and puts their own spin 

on the activities. I hope 

the new SOCK inspires 

SPS members and students 

of all ages to learn from 

Rutherford as I have. r 


Transitions 

William Duggan 

was born, served as a 

senior civil engineer, 

and passed away in 

Goshen, NY. He 

was recognized as 

a member of Sigma 

Pi Sigma when he 

attended Florida 

State University. Mr. 

Duggan served to 

protect his country 

during World War 

II and the Korean 

Conflict, in the 

Coast Guard and 

Air Force, respectively. 

He was a 

regular and generous 

donor to support 

physics students 

through Sigma Pi 

Sigma and SPS. In 

his obituary (http:// 

bit.ly/rXmbfS), of 

all his accomplishments, 

membership 

in Sigma Pi Sigma 

was listed first. 

Jack Marburger 

was recognized as an 

honorary member 

of Sigma Pi Sigma 

at the 2004 Sigma 

Pi Sigma Congress. 

One of the plenary 

speakers, his address 

was titled Science 

Ethics (http://bit.ly/ 

sxAtgr). Dr. Marburger 

was an early 

leader in theoretical 

nonlinear optics. A 

rising academic star, 

he soon moved on to 

leadership positions 

in academe and 

science policy: president 

of Stony Brook 

University, director 

of Brookhaven 

National Laboratory, 

and director of the 

White House Office 

of Science and Technology 

Policy. Even 

as president of the 

university, he would 

occasionally address 

questions that were 

of pressing concern 

to his scientific 

colleagues. Armed 

with a profound 

understanding of the 

diversity of opinions 

and styles of reasoning, 

he brought a 

strong rationalistic 

outlook and good 

cheer to a host of 

challenges. His lasting 

legacy includes 

the tremendous 

advance of Stony 

Brook University 

and the establishment 

of the academic 

discipline of the 

Science of Science 

Policy. Though a 

very fine theorist, he 

reveled in building 

things, including the 

banjo his son played 

at his memorial. 

Joseph Reagan was 

an American success 

story. He grew up 

in the Somerville 

neighborhood 

outside of Boston, 

MA, married his 

high-school sweetheart, 

and attended 

Boston College and 

Stanford University. 

He was just in time 

to join the space 

race in 1959 as an 

employee of the 

Lockheed Corporation, 

sending more 

than twenty scientific 

satellites into 

orbit for NASA, and 

rising to corporate 

vice president and 

general manager 

of research and development. 

He was 

greatly honored to 

be recognized as a 

member of Sigma 

Pi Sigma while at 

Boston College. 

Joe sought to share 

that experience with 

physics students 

everywhere. He was 

a leader of development 

efforts for 

Sigma Pi Sigma, as 

well as The Tech 

Museum in San 

Jose, CA. A great 

friend of Sigma Pi 

Sigma, he passed 

away suddenly, at 

work in his beloved 

woodshop. 

Gertrude Fleming 

Rempfer was a titan 

in electron optics 

and microscopy. 

Gert, as she was 

known, was an advocate 

for civil rights 

throughout her 

career, which had 

many stops, including 

Fisk College. 

During World War 

II she served in the 

Manhattan Project. 

In 1959 she settled 

down at Portland 

State University in 

Oregon. Gert had a 

well-respected career 

in both teaching 

and research. She 

had great success 

interacting with 

local industry. Gertrude 

Fleming was 

received as member 

no. 57 of the University 

of Washington 

Sigma Pi Sigma 

chapter in 1933. On 

12 December 2008 

she was deservedly 

recognized as an 

honorary member 


(http://bit.ly/vRcioI) 

for her leadership, 

service, and scholarship. 

Together 

with students and 

colleagues, she was 

actively working on 

the photoemission 

electron microscope, 

which she had 

developed, until she 

passed away at age 

99. 

Isaac Clark was a 

senior at Lewis & 

Clark College. He 

had been recognized 

as a member 


and Phi Beta Kappa. 

Isaac was an enthusiastic 

musician 

and a physics/math 

double major. He 

had actively engaged 

in undergraduate research 

at both Lewis 

& Clark and Lehigh 

University. Isaac 

had a loving heart 

and a vibrant smile. 

He passed away of 

injuries suffered 

in a skateboarding 

accident. Isaac’s life 

reminds us how 

brief a time we have, 

for the fellowship, 

scholarship, and 

service to which we 

are all committed, as 

members of Sigma 

Pi Sigma. r 


The last lap—Tevatron’s end 

By Roger Dixon, Purdue University Sigma Pi Sigma member, inducted 1971 

Head of the Fermilab Accelerator Division 

The end of the Tevatron era is fast 

approaching. This is a poignant 

time for me. I became involved 

with this historic machine before it 

existed. I was involved with testing magnets 

in beams and with the beam extraction 

system used early on to deliver 

beams to the fixed-target experiments. 

Even though my role was small, I could 

not help but feel that I was becoming a 

part of history. I often found it necessary 

to take a few moments to calm down 

after I got to work. Maybe it was just the 

coffee in the Main Control Room. 

Once the Energy Doubler (the 

machine that was later renamed the 

Tevatron) was commissioned I became 

involved at the other end of the beams, 

particularly with two fixed-target 

experiments and in building the DZero 

detector. 

More recently I renewed a direct 

involvement with the Tevatron when 

I returned to become the head of the 

Accelerator Division (AD). These last 

eight years have been one of the best 

times in my life. From my role in AD 

headquarters, I was well positioned to 

experience the satisfaction of working 

with a truly great team. Even though 

their accomplishments during these 

past few years are astonishing, that they 

persevered through so many obstacles 

does not come as a surprise to me. My 

major responsibility during this time 

was to allow the division to continue its 

exemplary performance by keeping the 

tracks clear. 

Building and operating the Tevatron 

was a big challenge for the laboratory. I 

remember that while we were working 

on it there was a good deal of skepticism 

in the trenches. Nevertheless it came 

together because the people involved 

were talented, enthusiastic and believed 

in their leadership. They developed a 

spirit that drove them onward despite 

many difficulties. This spirit has lasted 

Roger Dixon 

through the many years of the Tevatron’s 

existence, manifesting itself in our 

successful operations and in the execution 

of our other big projects. It is still 

very much alive today, and it must be 

maintained if we are to have a successful 

future. After all, people, more than 

dollars, are what make the challenging 

projects spring to life. 

The Accelerator Division will miss 

the Tevatron. We will take a moment of 

silence on Sept. 30, 2011, and then we 

will move enthusiastically toward the 

future with all its challenges. r 

“The last lap–Tevatron’s end” first appeared 

in the August 24, 2011 issue of Fermilab 

Today. Reprinted with permission. 

LEFT 

The 4-mile in circumference 

Tevatron accelerator 

used superconducting 

magnets chilled to minus 

450 degrees Fahrenheit, 

as cold as outer space, 

to move particles at 

nearly the speed of light. 

The Tevatron typically 

produced about 10 million 

proton-antiproton 

collisions per second. 

Each collision produced 

hundreds of particles. 

About 200 collisions per 

second were recorded at 

each of two detectors for 

further analysis. 

Images courtesy of 

Fermilab. 


Get Involved: Cosmic Cafés 

I 

n November 2011 the science 

television series NOVA premiered 

a four-part miniseries “The Fabric 

of the Cosmos” on PBS, based on 

the best-selling book of the same 

name by Brian Greene. The series 

takes a look at many big questions 

in the fields of space, time, quantum 

mechanics, and the multiverse. 

In order to engage more people in 

discussions about these topics and 

science in general, the Society of 

Physics Students (SPS) partnered 

with NOVA to promote Science 

Cafés themed around these big 

questions, called Cosmic Cafés. 

Science Cafés are live—and 

lively—events that take place in 

casual settings such as coffeehouses 

or bars, are open to everyone, and 

feature an engaging conversation 

with a scientist about a compelling 

and current scientific topic. Cosmic 

Cafés are just science cafés themed 

around space and the universe, or 

other concepts featured in “The 

Fabric of the Cosmos” miniseries. 

There is no organization that 

runs Science Cafés—a café can be 

hosted by anyone, anywhere, on any 

topic. However, NOVA supports 

ScienceCafes.org as a place for organizers 

to promote their cafés and 

find resources, and for interested 

people to find a nearby café. 

To find a café, start a café, or just 

learn more about them, visit: 

www.ScienceCafes.org. 

TOP 

SPS intern Anish 

Chakrabarti introduced 

Dr. James Gates, who 

participated in the first 

ever Cosmic Café. Photo 

by Courtney Lemon. 

LEFT 

Brian Greene, author of 

The Fabric of the Cosmos, 

is also host of the 4-part 

series. Photo courtesy 

of WGBH Educational 

Foundation. 

w w w.ScienceCa fes.org

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