One of the most significant opportunities afforded to young scientists as an undergraduate student is the experience of hands-on research and creative exploration.
The GREENBURST research team, which has been operating for the past five years,
has just received funding to extend its quest to search for transient radio sources
using the Green Bank Telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia. With support from
a three-year $580,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the team
aims to discover and study fast radio bursts (FRBs) and ultra-long period pulsars.
The Physics and Astronomy Colloquium Series returns for Fall '24 with an incredible lineup of esteemed guests. A pre-colloquium reception is hosted at 2:00pm in White Hall 111. Details about each colloquium, including abstracts and biographies, will be published to the WVU Calendar as information becomes available. A general listing of all colloquia dates is also available there.
Summer 2024 was a whirlwind of activity for the Department of Physics and Astronomy!
Our community of students, staff, and faculty embarked on domestic and international
journeys to expand their knowledge, conduct groundbreaking research, and share
their discoveries. Additionally, we hosted various camps and programs on campus
and at partner sites. Here’s a glimpse at a few highlights from our exciting
summer!
Extreme solar flares and a geomagnetic storm hit Earth on May 10-11, 2024 disrupting Earth’s magnetosphere and resulted in various disruptions including certain GPS functionalities. It also provided us with a stunning arrangement of colorful aurorae across the globe. This geomagnetic storm was the most powerful storm on record since 1989.
GEM, supported by the National Science Foundation, is one of the most prestigious conferences in the field of space physics. Approximately 125 space physics students from around the world participated in the poster competition.
Prof. Jason E. Ybarra, Teaching Assistant Professor in the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the WVU Planetarium and Observatory, recently visited the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Karnataka, India, to present the research being done in the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy and the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) Collaboration on the detection of low-frequency gravitational waves.
Lorimer and McLaughlin, internationally renowned astrophysicists and professors
in physics and astronomy in the Eberly College Department of Physics and Astronomy, are also recipients of the 2023 Shaw Prize,
the ‘Nobel of the East.’
The project, titled “SGR 1935 + 2154 Radio Data Research” was approved for $5,000 in funding which will support Morrigan’s research career, under the guidance of Prof. Sarah Burke-Spolaor, in the fields of magnetars, magnetic reconnection and magnetars as they relate to fast radio bursts.
