The Physics Department currently has about 30 physics majors and, on average, graduates about 4-8 students per year.  The advanced physics classes generally have between 5-10 students while the general physics classes are restricted to 25 students.  The small class sizes allow students and faculty to develop closer relationships in class that is conducive to better learning.

Members of the McDaniel College Society of Physics Students (SPS) are firing their rockets during our annual ROCKET LAUNCH COMPETITION.

SPS members at departmental pizza-lemonade parties. 

        
Society of Physics Students

In 1994, the American Institute of Physics granted the establishment of a chapter of The Society of Physics Students (SPS) at McDaniel College.  The physics honor society, Sigma Pi Sigma (SPS), was formed the following year.  The physics majors are involved in SPS and many are members of SPS.

Some of the current SPS activities include:

•               Physics is fun day at Hershey Park- An annual Tradition!
•               SPS visit to the research labs at the University of Maryland
•               Designing and printing the COOLEST T-shirts on campus!
•               Physics is Phun Day with the University of Maryland
•               SPS meeting of all chapters in the Maryland area
•               Local high school outreach programs
•               Invited speakers in physics and astronomy
•               End of the semester pizza and bowling party!

      A triumphant group of Physics students at the end-of the year paintball/picnic extravaganza!

 

            

Student Research
All physics majors are encouraged to participate in directed physics projects.  Some of the majors play an active role in the research programs of faculty.  The collaboration of faculty and students results in student presentation of papers at local and national meetings, and in co-authored publications.  Below, are some physics majors who have participated in or are currently involved in faculty research or directed physics projects.

         

A happy group of Physics majors of the class of 2010, after the end of their senior capstone presentation.

---

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR STUDENTS
AND THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS

John Sullivan, Class of 2010
John worked with Dr. Pagonis doing modelling work on quartz time-resolved optically stimulated luminescence (TR-OSL). He is currently pursuing Graduate School at the Physics Department of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

Dan Jones, Class of 2010
Dan worked with Dr. Mian doing experimental and modelling work on the diffraction of circular Gaussian laser beams. He is currently also pursuing Graduate School at the Physics Department of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

---

Rob Jones
worked with Dr. Marx and studied the efficiency of corked and uncorked baseball bats.His experimental setup contained 3 lasers placed before, during and after the collision of the ball with the baseball bat.He also developed the mathematical model to describe the efficicency of the bats.

     

---

Jim Petrillo
worked with Dr. Marx and studied the Physics of the "perfect lacross throw". He developed a mathematical description of the Physics of lacross throwing, and collected and analyzed experimental data on underhand, overhand and sidearm lacross throws.

 

---

Selected Publications of Student/Faculty Research

The following are papers co-authored by physics students and faculty at McDaniel College.  
The students' names are underlined.      

• V. Pagonis, R. Chen, J. Maddrey, B. Sapp. Simulations of time-resolved photoluminescence experiments in a-Al2O3:C. Journal of Luminescence 131 (2011) 1086–1094
• V.Pagonis, A. Baker, M. Larsen, Z. Thompson. Precision and accuracy of two luminescence dating techniques for retrospective dosimetry: SAR-OSL and SAR-ITL. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 269 (2011) 653–663
• V. Pagonis, S. Mian, R. Mellinger, K. Chapman. Thermoluminescence kinetic study of binary lead-silicate glasses. Journal of Luminescence 129 (2009) 570–577  
• V Pagonis, S M Mian, M L Chithambo, E Christensen and C Barnold. Experimental and modelling study of pulsed optically stimulated luminescence in quartz, marble and beta irradiated salt. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 42 (2009)
• V. Pagonis, E. Balsamo, C. Barnold, K. Duling, S. McCole. Simulations of the predose technique for retrospective dosimetry and authenticity testing. Radiation Measurements 43 (2008) 1343–1353
• C. Soares, C. Drupieski, B.Wingert, G. Pritchett, V. Pagonis, M. O’Brien, A. Sliski, P.Bilski and P. Olko, Absorbed dose measurements of a handheld 50 kVp X-ray source in water with Thermoluminesccence dosemeters, Radiation Protection Dosimetry (2006), Vol. 120, No. 1–4, pp. 78–82.
• V. Pagonis and H. Carty, "Simulation of the experimental pre-dose technique for retrospective dosimetry in quartz" Radiation Protection Dosimetry 109, (2004) p. 225-234.
• G. Kitis, V. Pagonis, H. Carty, and E. Tatsis, "Detailed kinetic study of the thermoluminescence glow-curve of synthetic quartz", Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 100, pp.225-228 (2002).
• V. Pagonis, E. Tatsis, G. Kitis, and C. Drupieski, "Search for common characteristics in the glow-curves of quartz of various origins", Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 100 , 373-376 (2002).
• V. Pagonis and C. Shannon, "An improved experimental procedure of separating a composite thermoluminescence glow curve into its components", Radiation Measurements, 32, 805-812 (2000).
• V. Pagonis, R. Drake, M. A. Morgan, T. Peters, C. Riddle, and K. Rollins, "Modeling forces on the human body", Physics Teacher, 37, 469-474 (1999).
• D. Guerra, M. A. Morgan, and D. B. Coyle, "An introduction to laser modeling studies with a nitrogem-pumped dye laser", American Journal of Physics, 67, 803-809 (1999).
• V. Pagonis, D. Guerra, S. Chauduri, B. Hornbecker, and N. Smith, "Effects of air resistance", Physics Teacher, 35, 364-368 (1997).
• V. Pagonis, E. Allman, and A. Wooten, "Thermoluminescence from a distribution of trapping levels in uv irradiated calcite", Radiation Measurements, 26, 265-280 (1996).

Selected Presentations of Student/Faculty Research

• Stefanie M. McCole, Costas Efthimiou, Dan Maronde, Tim McGreevy, and Enrique del Barco, "Implementing Real Time Physics at the University of Central Florida". Presented at the National AAPT Winter Meeting at Chicago, Illinois, 2009.
• C. J. Todd, R. T. May, S. M. Mian, and E. Van Keuran, "Thermooptic properties of polymer thin films using the Z-scan technique". Annual Meeting of the Optical Society of America, Orlando, FL, 2002.
• A. M. Austin, K. P. Hildebrand, S. M. Mian, A. Y. Hamad, and J. P . Wicksted, "Self-lensing effects in Eu-doped silicate glasses under resonant excitation". Annual Meeting of the Optical Society of America, Long Beach, CA, 2001.
• S. M. Mian and M. A. Morgan II, "Characteristics of thermal lensing Z-scans with large nonlinearity". Annual Meeting of the Optical Society of America , Providence. RI, 2000.
• M. A. Morgan, V. Pagonis, S. M. Mian, J. G. Smith, and T. N. Good, "Computational and Experimental Studies of Thermal Lensing Z-scan Experiments". Annual Meeting of The American Physical Society, Minneapolis, MN, 2000.
• V. Pagonis and C. Shannon, "An improved experimental procedure of separating a composite thermoluminescence glow curve into its components". Thermoluminescence Conference, Rome, Italy, 1999.

Click on this link to see what some of the physics alumni did after graduation:         

Life After McDaniel