Physics Colloquium
About the Colloquium
The Physics Department Colloquium is a series of seminars from scientists about their research. It also provides an opportunity for physics graduate students to deliver professional talks. All seminars are open to anyone who is interested.
Times and Locations
The Physics Colloquium is held in Engineering/Physics 122 each Monday at 3:30 p.m.
Colloquium sessions are also offered via Zoom this semester.
We do not have presentations on UI holidays or school breaks.
Join us in EP 122 or via zoom: https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/86867688522 Password: Physics
Spring 2025
Date |
Speaker |
Title or Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 27, 2025 | Armando McDonald Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences, University of Idaho |
The journey of 3D printing wood based composites for construction applications |
| Feb 3, 2025 | Carlos Munoz North Dakota |
Effects of outer surface lipoproteins on the nanomechanical properties of Lyme borrelia |
| Feb 10, 2025 | Matt McLuskey Washington State University |
High Pressure and Semiconductor Physics |
| Feb 17, 2025 | UI Holiday - No Colloquium | |
| Feb 24, 2025 | Dusan Velickovic PNNL |
Mass Spectrometry Imaging |
| Mar 3, 2025 |
Priyanka Bhattacharya |
The Physics of Solid State Lithium Batteries (online) |
| Mar 10, 2025 |
SPRING RECESS - No Colloquium |
N/A |
| Mar 17, 2025 | Irene Georgakoudi Dartmouth College |
Seeing Beyond Labels: Endogenous Contrast in Non-Linear Microscopy for Tissue Function Studies |
| Mar 24, 2025 | Matthew Bernards University of Idaho |
Benefits and Challenges of Charge Balance at Polyampholyte Interfaces |
| Mar 31, 2025 | No Colloquium | |
| Apr 7, 2025 | Adam Jones University of Idaho |
functional genomics and computational biology |
| Apr 14, 2025 | Remington Reid Air Force Research Laboratory |
Plasma interactions with high power microwaves: doing basic science in a DoD lab |
| Apr 21, 2025 | Demetri Christodoulidis USC |
New Frontiers in the Physics of Nonlinear Multimode Systems and Guided Wave Phenomena |
| Apr 28, 2025 | Student Presentations(TBA) |
TBA |
Previous Semesters:
Fall 2024
Speaker |
Title or Topic |
|---|---|
| Zach Etienne Physics Department, University of Idaho |
Black Holes in the Age of Gravitational Wave Astronomy |
| Jesse Huso Washington State University |
Novel Optical and Imaging System |
| Mark Roll Mechanical Engineering Dept, University of Idaho |
The Exceptional Properties of Diamondoid Polymers |
|
Qingze Guan |
Quantum Chemistry |
|
Sarah Castel |
Science Education |
| Jessica Stanley Dept of Earth and Spatial Sciences, University of Idaho |
Landscape Evolution |
| Dev Shrestha Dept of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Idaho |
Bioenergy Materials |
| Fan Yi Dept of Mathematics & Statistical Science, University of Idaho |
"Water Resource Surveillance for the Salton Sea in California By Adaptive Sequential Monitoring of Its Landsat Images" |
| Yefeng Mei Physics Department, Washington State University |
Distributed Quantum Computing with Neutral Atoms and Photons |
| Eric West USAF |
Data-Driven Techniques in Rocket Combustion |
| Vivic Bakshi | TBA |
| Student Presentations(TBA) | TBA |
Spring 2024
Speaker |
Title or Topic |
|---|---|
| UI Holiday - No Colloquium | |
| You Qiang Physics Department, University of Idaho |
Recovery of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from Industry Scrap and Post-Consumer Magnets by Modulated Magnetic Separation Nanotechnology |
| Jonathan Barnes Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Modeling Collaboration & Innovation, University of Idaho |
Computational techniques for predicting variants of concern for viral proteins |
| Maria Charisi Washington State University |
Frontiers of multi-messenger astrophysics with pulsar timing arrays |
|
David Condon |
Searching for anti-microbial targets: a case study in fungi |
| Kris Waynant Department of Chemistry, University of Idaho |
Redox-Active Azothioformamide Ligands: From Coordination to Catalysis |
| Robert Mitchell Western Washington University |
Modeling the effects of projected climate change on peak flows in a western Cascades watershed |
| Chris Marx Dept of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho |
Impact of bacterial epigenetics on evolutionary trajectories |
| Anya Guy Washington State University |
Transforming Undergraduate Physics Labs - a TA Centered Approach |
| Marty Ytreberg Physics Department, University of Idaho |
Using computational molecular biophysics to improve human health |
| Christopher R. Birkinbine NASA |
Science Communication: The Importance of Science Professionals in Public Discourse |
| Todd Duncan Pacific University |
Why Is the Universe Just Right for Life? Exploring the Nature of Explanation in Physics |
| John Hiller Physics Department, University of Idaho |
Schrodinger-Newton gravitational solitons with cylindrical symmetry |
| Student Presentations(TBA) | TBA |
Fall 2023
Speaker |
Title |
|---|---|
| Christine Berven Physics Department, University of Idaho |
The Physics of Sailing
|
| Rup Machleidt Physics Department, University of Idaho |
The Dream of the German Atomic Bomb |
|
John Hiller |
Studying the deuterium nucleus with electron and photon beams |
|
Krzysztof Gofryk |
Strong Electronic Correlations and Topology in Actinide Materials |
| Oliver Stone Film | "Nuclear Now", Part 1 |
| Miles Beaux Ph.D., Scientist at Los Alamos National Lab |
Statistical Mechanics Treatment of Multiconfigurational Ground States in Isolated Neutral Atoms |
| Oliver Stone Film | "Nuclear Now", Part 2 and discussion |
| Dario Machleidt, JD Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Seattle |
Alternate Careers in Physics: Patent Law |
| Don Baer PNNL |
TBA |
|
Azusa TojoSchool of Global Studies, UI |
Passing the Torch of Peace: Remembering Hiroshima |
| Todd Nagel Western University |
Physical Reality Without Spacetime |
| David Entem University of Salamanca, Spain |
Exotics in the quark model |
|
Deniz HernandezDESS, UI |
Neutrinos put to use in Earth Science |
| Student Presentations(TBA) | TBA |
Spring 2023
Speaker |
Title |
|---|---|
| John Hiller (Physics Department, University of Idaho) | Gravity and quantum mechanics: Newton-Schrodinger and Einstein-Klein-Gordon solitons |
| Jia Song (University of Idaho) | A Grammar-guided Smart Fuzzer |
| Jeunghoon Lee Associate Professor, Organic/Materials Chemistry, Boise State University |
Investigation of Exciton Delocalization Properties of DNA-Templated Squaraine and Squaraine:Rotaxane Dye Aggregates. |
| You Qiang (Physics Department, University of Idaho) |
Nano-Watermelon: Synthesis, Nanostructure and Nanomagnetism |
| Peter Engels (Washington State University) | Exploring the quantum world: Experiments with ultracold quantum gases |
| Michael Forbes (Washington State University) | About the 2022 Nobel Prize: "What is Quantum Entanglement?" |
| John McCloy (Washington State University) | Summary of CdTe and Ga2O3 crystal growth |
| Indrajit Charit (University of Idaho) |
Advanced Manufacturing Research at the University of Idaho for Nuclear Applications |
| Dong Ding (Idaho National Laboratory (INL)) | Flexible chemical/fuel/hydrogen production at intermediate temperatures using solid oxide electrochemical cells for decarbonized economy |
| Xiaodong Xu (University of Washington) | Interacting Opto-Moire Quantum Matters |
| Lan Li (Boise State University) | Computational and Machine Learning Studies of DNA-Templated Dye Aggregate Design |
| Brianna Mount (Black Hills State University) | Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics and Low Background Counting at the Sanford Underground Research Facility |
| Student Presentations (TBA) | TBA |
Fall 2022
Speaker |
Title |
|---|---|
| Alistair Smith Interim Chair, Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences, College of Science Professor of Wildland Fire Science, College of Natural Resources |
Using physics to search for general mechanistic responses of trees to fire |
| Shirley Luckhart Dept. of Biological Sciences (COS) and Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology (CALS), Co-Director, Institute of Health in the Human Ecosystem |
6.5 million deaths and the unimaginable impacts that we don’t even know about yet
|
| Jennifer A Sundararajan and Lokendra Khanal (Intel) | From College to Corporate: Exposure & Experience |
| Heidi Wu (Boise State University) |
|
| Amy Reines (Montana State University) |
The Smallest Supermassive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies |
| Dakota Roberson (Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), U of I (Idaho Falls)) |
Cyber-Physical Security for High-Consequence Energy Systems |
| Erika Rader (Department of Earth and Spatial Science, U of I) |
Beyond thermal: VNIR imaging of molten lava |
| Vivienne Baldassare (Physics Department, Washington State University) | The population of massive black holes in dwarf galaxies |
| Matt Duez (Physics Department, Washington State University) | Turbulence Theory |
| John Hiller (Physics Department, University of Idaho) | Gravity and quantum mechanics: Newton-Schrodinger and Einstein-Klein-Gordon solitons |
| Dean Lee (Physics Department, Michigan State University and National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory) |
Science at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams |
| Student Presentations (TBA) | TBA |
Spring 2022
Speaker |
Title |
|---|---|
| Andy Rivkin (Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)) | The DART Mission - A Crash Course |
| Mark Panning (Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)) | Planetary Seismology: Results from Mars crust to core and a return to the Moon |
| Janet Vertesi (Princeton University) | TBD |
| Paul Withers (Boston University) | New views of the ionosphere of Mars from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft |
| Carol Paty (University of Oregon) | Searching for (Habitable) Ocean Worlds |
| Dana Longcope (Montana State University) |
How and Why we Study the Sun from Space |
| Briony Horgan (Purdue University) | First year on Mars with the Perseverance rover and next steps in the search for life beyond Earth |
| Mark Marley (University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory) | TBD |
| Rebecca Bishop (The Aerospace Corporation) | TBD |
| Ross Beyer (NASA Ames Research Center) | NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) |
| Krzysztof Gofryk (Idaho National Laboratory) |
Strong magnetoelastic interactions and piezomagnetism in uranium dioxide |
| Student Presentations (TBA) | TBA |
Fall 2021
Speaker |
Title |
| Zach Etienne (Associate Professor, Department of Physics, University of Idaho) | Advancing Multimessenger Astrophysics with Next-Generation Black Hole and Neutron Star Binary Merger Simulations |
| David Sivak (Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University) | Maximizing power and velocity of an information engine |
| Becky Tallent (Associate Professor Emeritus,School of Journalism and Mass Media, University of Idaho) | Working with the News Media |
| James Bull (Professor,Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho) | Gene Drives |
| Jeremy Tamsen (Director ofOffice of Tech Transfer, University of Idaho) | Intellectual Property Basics |
| Abhi Singh (University of Delaware) | Modeling stochasticity in the timing of intracellular events: A first-passage time approach |
| Brian Collins (Washington State University) | Resonant X-rays as spatiochemical nanoprobes within organic structures and devices |
| Bill Cannon (PNNL) | Thermodynamics and Learning in Biological Cells |
| Margaret S. Cheung (UW-PNNL) | Proteins in a crowd under heat and pressure |
| Barrie Robison (University of Idaho) | Video Games and Data Science at U of I (provisional) |
| Sofia Chabysheva (University of Idaho) | Impact of the quantum vacuum (provisional) |