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2011-12 Undergraduate Index A-Z
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Physics [clear]
| Title | Offering | Standing | Credits | Credits | When | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty | Days | Multiple Standings | Start Quarters | Open Quarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dharshi Bopegedera
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Course | JR–SRJunior - Senior | 4 | 04 | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Students are welcome to study the quantum chemistry component that is offered in the program. In fall quarter we will study simple quantum mechanical systems, apply them to solve simple chemical problems, and investigate how they can be adapted for more complex systems. In winter quarter we will continue the study of complex systems and investigate the use of spectroscopy to validate the quantum mechanical theories. This will be followed by in-depth investigations of the spectrometric methods including a detailed analysis of the high resolution infrared spectrum of a diatomic molecule in spring quarter. | chemistry, physics, physical science, medicine, engineering, environmental science and teaching. | Dharshi Bopegedera | Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | ||
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Dharshi Bopegedera
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Program | JR–SRJunior - Senior | 4, 8 | 04 08 | Day | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Students are welcome to study the thermodynamics component that is offered as part of the program. In winter quarter we will begin our study by exploring the gas laws and the laws of thermodynamics. In spring quarter, we will apply these laws to chemical systems and investigate heats of chemical reactions, equilibria and kinetics. This is being offered for 4 credits in winter quarter and 8 credits in spring quarter. | chemistry, physics, physical science, medicine, engineering, environmental science and teaching. | Dharshi Bopegedera | Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | Winter Spring | |||
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Frances V. Rains and Rebecca Sunderman
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Program | FR–SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | S 12Spring | This program brings together a variety of climate and energy issues occurring on Native American homelands. Students will explore the science and ethics of energy production and consumption, the environmental impacts of energy, and topics in alternative energy. For example, we will investigate the impacts of hydro-power on Native communities and cultures, while learning the science associated with this energy source. Students will also examine contemporary Native American struggles to resist cultural and environmental devastation to their communities, and their efforts to affirm tribal sovereignty and Indigenous knowledge. A solid understanding of these issues requires background in both the science of energy and knowledge of Native American Tribal sovereignty. We will approach our learning through a variety of modes, including hands-on labs, lectures, workshops, field trips, group work, research papers, and weekly seminars on a variety of related topics. | chemistry, physics, Native American studies, environmentally-related fields and science education. | Frances V. Rains Rebecca Sunderman | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Spring | Spring | ||||
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EJ Zita
Signature Required:
Winter
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | How is energy created and harvested, stored and transformed, used or abused? This program is a two-quarter study of ways energy is produced and changed, by nature and humans. This is a good program for students interested in environmental science, physics and sustainability, both mathematical and applied. We start with skill building and background study, and finish with major research projects related to energy, climate and sustainability.We will study issues of energy generation and use in society and in the natural world. One goal is for students to gain a deeper understanding of issues involved in achieving a sustainable energy society. A primary goal is illustrate the power and beauty of physics and mathematics. We will examine climate change and global warming; energy science, technology, and policy; farming, environmental studies, and sustainability; and related topics.We will study alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels, as well as conventional sources of energy such as hydro, nuclear, gas and coal. Fundamentals of energy generation will focus on the underlying physics. In seminar, we further explore social, political and/or economic aspects of energy production and use, such as environmental and food production concerns and policies, effects of the Sun on the Earth, energy needs of developing countries, etc. We will have a strong emphasis on sustainability studies.While calculus is a prerequisite, students who already know calculus can deepen their math skills by applying them to coursework or research projects. Students who do high quality calculus-based work may earn upper-division credit.Student research projects are a major part of this program. Students choose a research question that interests them, then design and carry out their research investigations, usually in small teams. Research projects involve quantitative analysis as well as hands-on investigations. For example, research might include field work, energy analysis of an existing system (natural or constructed), and/or design of a new small-scale energy system, possibly with community applications. Past projects have included solar systems, energy generation from waste products, water purification for boats or farm composters, efficiency of campus buildings, analysis of wind and water systems, and more. Students may apply for grants for practical projects on campus.Students interested in continuing good research projects into spring should discuss options with the faculty. | energy, physics, environment, climate, sustainability, teaching, farming, engineering and natural science. | EJ Zita | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter | |||
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David McAvity
Signature Required:
Winter
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Contract | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 8 | 08 | Day | W 12Winter | David McAvity | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | Winter | ||||||
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EJ Zita and Mark Harrison
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | S 12Spring | What motivates and facilitates creativity, discovery, and invention, in arts and in sciences? To what extent do scientists and artists work within traditional practices or bodies of knowledge, and how do they move beyond and expand standard models or forms to achieve true innovation?What are the roles of community, genius, luck, plain hard work, and being in the right place in the right time in history? Are certain resources prerequisite, or is creativity truly democratic? Can any patterns be discerned in revolutions in science? In art? What qualifies as a revolution or innovation? We will explore questions such as these by reading (and sometimes staging) plays, fiction, philosophy, and nonfiction about arts and sciences. We will learn about the advent and development of the moving image. Students may, individually or in teams, explore and present special cases of particular interest to them, as research projects. Students will write short, thoughtful essays and responses to peers’ essays. We will learn some classical and modern physics (from dynamics to quantum mechanics and/or cosmology) using mostly conceptual methods. | physics, performing and visual arts, teaching, sciences, and philosophy of science. | EJ Zita Mark Harrison | Mon Thu | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | Spring | |||
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Bret Weinstein
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | S 12Spring | Complex systems can fail catastrophically. Resent catastrophic failures (such as the global financial collapse of 2008, the Gulf oil spill of 2010 and the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011) hint at the overall fragility of the systems on which civilization presently depends. Many have wondered if the larger system might be equally vulnerable to a major disruption.This program proceeds from a thought experiment: What if the lights went out and didn’t come back on? What if the gas stations ran dry and no one came to refill them? What if the store shelves went bare and stayed that way?The immediate effect would be unavoidably chaotic, disastrous and tragic. But from the chaos would likely emerge groups of people who had figured out how to provide for themselves.How would those groups be organized? What would they understand? What technologies of the past would they have resurrected, and in what form? What newer technologies would they work to retain? How would they use the rubble of modernity to enhance their lives. What would they eat and drink? How would they stay warm and fed in the winter? Would large-scale social organization arise organically, from the bottom up? How would the answers to these question differ by region?This program will not happen at the front of the room. The faculty will not present answers to these questions. The learning community will confront them together, with analytical rigor proportional to the scenario under consideration. As much as possible, we will attempt to prototype answers in the physical world, and let our successes and failures guide us toward a toolkit for survival.This program is not for passive students, or for those that prefer to stay in the abstract or metaphorical layers. It will require students to be both hard workers and careful thinkers. Students must be bold, collaborative and willing to rise to a serious challenge. | Bret Weinstein | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | Spring | |||||
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David McAvity and Rebecca Sunderman
Signature Required:
Winter Spring
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Careful observation of the natural world reveals an underlying order, which scientists try to understand and explain through model building and experimentation. Physical scientists seek to reveal the fundamental nature of matter, its composition, and its interactions. This program lays the foundation for doing this work. Students will study a full year of general chemistry, calculus and calculus-based physics through lectures, small group workshops, labs, seminars and field trips. The material will be closely integrated thematically. In fall the focus will be on motion and energetics. In winter we'll explore the interactions of science, technology and society. Spring quarter will further delve into topics in modern physics and mathematical modeling. | chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medical fields, physics and teaching. | David McAvity Rebecca Sunderman | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | ||
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Christopher Coughenour
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 8 | 08 | Day | Su 12Summer Full | Christopher Coughenour | Tue Thu Fri | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Summer | Summer | |||||
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Mario Gadea
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 8 | 08 | Evening | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Physics is concerned with the basic principles of the universe. It is the foundation on which engineering, technology, and other sciences are based. The science of physics has developed out of the efforts of men and women to explain our physical environment. These efforts have been so successful that the laws of physics now encompass a remarkable variety of phenomena. One of the exciting features of physics is its capacity for predicting how nature will behave in one situation on the basis of experimental data obtained in another situation. In this program we will begin the process of understanding the underlying order of the physical world by modeling physical systems using both the analytical tools of calculus and the numerical tools provided by digital computers. We will also have significant hands-on laboratory experience to make predictions and explore some of these models. In this thematically-integrated program, students will cover a full year of calculus and algebra-based physics through small-group discussions, interactive lectures, and hands-on laboratory investigations. In physics, we will learn about motion, energy, models, and the process for constructing them. Through our study of calculus, we will learn how to analyze these models mathematically. We will study some of Galileo's significant contributions to classical mechanics, Kepler's astronomical observations, Newton's work on calculus and laws of motion, Euler's applications of calculus to the study of real-life problems in physics (magnetism, optics and acoustics), Maxwell's development of the unified theory of magnetism, Einstein’s relativity, and many others. This program will cover many of the traditional topics of both a first-year calculus sequence and a first-year physics sequence. Covering these topics together allows for the many connections between them to be reinforced while helping make clear the value of each. | mathematics, physics, engineering, energy systems, education | Mario Gadea | Tue Thu | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | |
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EJ Zita
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 8 | 08 | Day | W 12Winter | How is energy created and harvested, stored and transformed, used or abused? What effects do human energy systems have on Earth’s climate? What are consequences for human societies? What can we learn from the past? How can we live more sustainably? Energy Systems & Climate Change (ES&CC) investigates questions such as these, as a learning community seeking deeper knowledge and wisdom together. One of our primary means of inquiry is seminar: small teams pre-seminar on weekly readings in advance, we all seminar together twice a week (in person), and we share essays and peer responses online. 20 good students are invited to join our ES&CC seminar for 8 credits. SciSem students interact with ES&CC students in seminar. We share our understanding, insights, and questions about readings, and our ideas and wonder about the future. SciSem students will write three essays and many peer responses individually and will post pre-seminar assignments with teams. Learning goals include deeper understanding of sustainability and climate change, science and scientific methods, and improved skills in writing, teamwork, and communication. See program details, including text list, at | EJ Zita | Tue Thu | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | Winter | ||||
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Elizabeth Williamson, Andrea Gullickson and Krishna Chowdary
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Program | FR–SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | If you are interested in either art or science and are curious to find out what happens when art and science meet, this introductory program is for you. We will work to become familiar with the methods used by artists and scientists and see if these methods can help us make sense of, and live better in, an increasingly complicated world.We will trace developments in art (primarily theater and music) and science (primarily physics) during two time periods: the Renaissance and the early 20th century. We will explore three major questions:Our study of the Renaissance will focus on major revolutionaries, including Galileo and Shakespeare. Galileo's scientific conclusions about the natural world conflicted with some deeply held church teachings. Similarly, Shakespeare's plays highlighted and challenged social conventions and their impact on the day-to-day lives of his audience. We will examine the roles of science and art in challenging commonly held beliefs and explore how society can be transformed through the new perspectives and insights they offer.Our study of the early 20th century will focus on major revolutions in physics, theater, and music. Relativity and quantum mechanics challenged the idea that natural phenomena could be studied without taking into account the role of the observer in shaping those phenomena. In the arts, the observers were seen to play a central role in the artistic product. Brecht and Schoenberg, among others, challenged the notion that art should hold "a mirror up to nature," arguing that art should prompt us to take action rather than merely acclimating us to the way things are. Our studies of art and science will come together as we work with plays that draw on science for subject matter and are experimental in structure, staging, and purpose. Together we will examine and critique the aesthetics and accuracy of plays that merge science and theatricality, such as Brecht's , Stoppard's and Frayn's . Weekly activities will include workshops designed to develop skills critical to success in college and beyond. Collaborative workshops will emphasize improving your written and oral communication skills as well as your analytical and creative thinking. Hands-on activities will provide you with supportive opportunities to apply math and physics and develop scientific reasoning. Together we will approach the art and science content in a manner that is accessible to students with little background in these areas, while still challenging those with prior experience. As a final collaborative project, program members will produce creative interventions dramatizing a science topic. | literature, science, education and theater arts. | Elizabeth Williamson Andrea Gullickson Krishna Chowdary | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall | Fall Winter | |||
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Clyde Barlow
Signature Required:
Fall Winter Spring
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Research | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | V | V | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Scientific Inquiry. This independent learning opportunity allows advanced students to delve into real-world research with faculty who are currently engaged in specific projects. Students typically begin by working in apprenticeship with faculty or laboratory staff and gradually take on more independent projects within the context of the specific research program as they gain experience. Students can develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, written and oral communication, collaboration, and critical thinking that are valuable for students pursuing a graduate degree or entering the job market. (chemistry) works with biophysical applications of spectroscopy to study physiological processes at the organ level, with direct applications to health problems. Students with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics or computer science can obtain practical experience in applying their backgrounds to biomedical research problems in an interdisciplinary laboratory environment. | Clyde Barlow | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | |||
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EJ Zita
Signature Required:
Fall Winter Spring
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Research | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | V | V | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Scientific Inquiry. This independent learning opportunity allows advanced students to delve into real-world research with faculty who are currently engaged in specific projects. Students typically begin by working in apprenticeship with faculty or laboratory staff and gradually take on more independent projects within the context of the specific research program as they gain experience. Students can develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, written and oral communication, collaboration, and critical thinking that are valuable for students pursuing a graduate degree or entering the job market. (physics) studies the Sun and other magnetized plasmas. Do solar changes affect Earth over decades (e.g. Solar Max) to millennia (e.g. climate changes)? Why does the Sun shine a bit more brightly when it is more magnetically active, even though sunspots are dark? Why does the Sun's magnetic field flip every 11 years? Why is the temperature of the Sun’s outer atmosphere millions of degrees higher than that of its surface? We investigate such solar mysteries by analyzing data from solar observatories, and with theory and computer modeling. Students can study solar physics and plasma physics, use simple optical and radio telescopes to observe the Sun from Olympia, and analyze new solar data from telescopes on satellites. Strong research students may be invited to join our summer research team in Olympia and/or Palo Alto, Calif. | astronomy, physics, climate studies. | EJ Zita | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | ||
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Krishna Chowdary
Signature Required:
Fall
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Research | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | V | V | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Scientific Inquiry. This independent learning opportunity allows advanced students to delve into real-world research with faculty who are currently engaged in specific projects. Students typically begin by working in apprenticeship with faculty or laboratory staff and gradually take on more independent projects within the context of the specific research program as they gain experience. Students can develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, written and oral communication, collaboration, and critical thinking that are valuable for pursuing a graduate degree or entering the job market. Faculty offering undergraduate research opportunities are listed below. Contact them directly if you are interestedKrishna Chowdary (physics, materials science) is interested in the synthesis, fundamental properties, and applications of magnetic nanoparticles and ferrofluids. The current goal is building a magnetic nanoparticles research laboratory, specifically focused on constructing a vibrating sample magnetometer along with general research lab infrastructure. Students with background in physics, engineering, or computer science and with an interest in hands-on work applied to instrumentation will be able to contribute to this project. (physics, materials science) is interested in the synthesis, fundamental properties, and applications of magnetic nanoparticles and ferrofluids. The current goal is building a magnetic nanoparticles research laboratory, specifically focused on constructing a vibrating sample magnetometer along with general research lab infrastructure. Students with background in physics, engineering, or computer science and with an interest in hands-on work applied to instrumentation will be able to contribute to this project. | Krishna Chowdary | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | |||
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Richard Weiss
Signature Required:
Fall Winter Spring
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Research | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | V | V | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | S 12Spring | Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Scientific Inquiry. This independent learning opportunity allows advanced students to delve into real-world research with faculty who are currently engaged in specific projects. Students typically begin by working in apprenticeship with faculty or laboratory staff and gradually take on more independent projects within the context of the specific research program as they gain experience. Students can develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, written and oral communication, collaboration, and critical thinking that are valuable for students pursuing a graduate degree or entering the job market. (computer science and mathematics) has several ongoing projects in computer architecture, vision, robotics, artificial intelligence and security. One of his projects in computer vision is recovering three-dimensional information from multiple images. He is also interested in applying machine learning to visual recognition problems, including facial expressions. One of the computer architecture problems that he has worked on is the simulation of hardware faults and techniques for fault correction. In addition, he is open to working with students who have their own ideas for projects in these and related areas. | Richard Weiss | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter Spring | |||
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Robert Knapp and Clarissa Dirks
Signature Required:
Winter
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 11 Fall | W 12Winter | More than two billion people in the world lack access to clean water and sanitation, but each person in the United States uses an average of 80 gallons of clean water daily. Scientific innovations have led to the development of vaccines, yet in developing countries the lack of good refrigeration makes it difficult to deliver heat-intolerant vaccines to many of the people who need them. Clean water and electricity for refrigeration are only two examples of how our societal infrastructure provides U.S. citizens with services that are not available in many other places.This program will examine the scientific, technical, and political issues behind these problems and explore potential avenues toward a healthier and more sustainable world. To explore these broader themes, we will focus on everyday issues such as drinking water, waste water, infectious disease and household energy. We will investigate the definition of needs, the development of techniques, and the building of effective organizations for spreading information and solutions for topics such as bioremediation, rainwater catchment, vaccine delivery and efficient stoves.In the fall we will examine several case studies relevant both to western Washington and to other regions of the world, such as sustainable treatment of human waste at a personal level and as a problem of community infrastructure, climate impacts of household energy use for cooking, or equitable mechanisms for distributing vaccines or other measures against infectious disease. We will study techniques and behaviors that work at the individual level, and we will investigate ways that social networks, markets, and private and public organizations allow scaling up from demonstrations to widely effective programs. Students will learn concepts from molecular biology, microbiology, ecology, mechanical and civil engineering, and organizational theory, as well exploring key questions of ethics and values. In the winter, students will continue to build their background knowledge and apply their learning to develop well-researched project plans which can be executed, at least as a proof of principle, within the constraints of our program.Students will read books and articles, write short papers that reflect on the case studies and academic topics we investigate, take active part in workshops, laboratory sessions and field trips, and acquire presentation skills. Students can expect both individual and collaborative work, including the possibility of significant interaction with local sustainability workers. The winter project will lead up to a presentation to the entire class at the end of the program. | biology, health, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, community service, development studies, and organizational sociology. | Robert Knapp Clarissa Dirks | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | Fall Winter |
