Free, four-day short course to explore role of physics in nuclear power and weapons, homeland security and more
March 30, 2009
The influence of physics on nuclear power and weapons, scientific policy and homeland security will be explained in a four-day, public short course April 13-16, at University of Richmond's Gottwald Center for the Sciences.
Patrick Regan, physics professor at University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, and Con Beausang and Jerry Gilfoyle, Richmond physics professors, will present four evening lectures from 6-8 p.m., and lead labs April 14 and 16 from 12:30-3-30 p.m. to help the average citizen understand nuclear physics and public policy.
The lectures have been designed so that audiences can understand any installment without having to attended the others.
Regan is a leading international expert on the measurements of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) using gamma-ray spectroscopic techniques.
Beausang studies low-energy nuclear structure physics, gamma-ray spectroscopy, stockpile stewardship and environmental radiation. Gilfoyle researches electro-nuclear physics, computational methods, and nuclear non-proliferation and science policy.
Registration is not required for the lectures, but is mandatory for the labs. Evening lecture topics will cover:
- April 13 - Nuclear Basics. What are atoms made of? What is radioactivity?
- April 14 - Nuclear Alchemy: How are the elements made?
- April 15 - Applications of Nuclear Physics on Earth. Nuclear power, nuclear weapons and nuclear medicine.
- April 16 - Nuclear Extremes. (Some) current research frontiers in nuclear science.
Lab topics will be:
- April 14 - Radiation detection and measurement (registration required by e-mail to cbeausan@richmond.edu).
- April 16 - Continuing experiments (registration required by e-mail to cbeausan@richmond.edu).
The event is sponsored by the Office of International Education and the university's School of Arts & Sciences. For more information, contact Beausang at 804-289-8783 or cbeausan@richmond.edu.