2015 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Work on Neutrinos' Metamorphosis

University of Maryland physicists were part of the team of scientists that built and participated on the experiment Super-Kamiokande, for which Takaaki Kajita shared the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics. The team’s experimental data, described in a 1998 paper “Evidence for Oscillation of Atmospheric Neutrinos”, Y. Fukuda et al. (Super-Kamiokande Collaboration)Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 1562 (1998), demonstrated that neutrinos change identities. This metamorphosis requires that neutrinos have mass. The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe. The Maryland physicists who coauthored this research paper include Research Scientist Erik Blaufuss, Distinguished University Professor Jordan Goodman and Professor Greg Sullivan. They worked along with a team of Maryland post-docs, graduate and undergraduates who all contributed to this major experimental effort. We extend our congratulations to Professors Takaaki Kajita and Arthur McDonald for selection by the Nobel Committee.

Similes and Science

Sylvester James Gates Jr. explains how his life in science has deepened his sense of awe at the mystery of life.

David Buehrle Named Merrill Mentor

Senior Lecturer David Buehrle has been named a Faculty Mentor for Merrill Presidential Scholar Julia Waigner. The Merrill program honors the University of Maryland’s most successful seniors and their designated University faculty and K-12 teachers for their mentorship. Merrill Scholars and their mentors will be honored in a special ceremony on November 13.

Julia wrote that "David Buehrle took Physics II, a subject I feared, and turned it into one of my all-time favorite classes. Prof. Buerhle does an excellent job framing physical concepts in a biological light. He is approachable and always available for my questions, regardless of how relevant they were to coursework. Not only did he teach me physics, he taught me an entirely new and integrative way to think about the sciences."

http://www.ugst.umd.edu/merrill/scholarsmpsp.html#yeh​

Jay Sau Awarded the 2015 Richard A. Ferrell Distinguished Faculty Fellowship

Jay Sau has received the 2015 Richard A. Ferrell Distinguished Faculty Fellowship, which recognizes outstanding personal effort and expertise in physics as well as dedicated service to the UMD Department of Physics. The Fellowship, established in 2001, honors Dr. Richard A. Ferrell, a deeply-respected physicist who joined the University in 1953, served 40 years, and remained active in the department even after his retirement. Dr. Ferrell died in 2005 at his nearby University Park home.

Sau is an Assistant Professor researching topics including Majorana fermions and topological superconductivity, quantum non-abelian phases and topological quantum computation, and spin-orbit coupling and dynamics in cold atomic gases. He is a fellow of the Joint Quantum Institute and a member of the Condensed Matter Theory Center.