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.
A theoretical astrophysicist at West Virginia University will play a key role in the development of a first-of-its-kind planned space probe to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space and time.
The resources provided by the NASA Planetary Science Early Career Award will allow Fowler and team to undertake research-related activities that are not always possible within the scope of more “traditional” research grants.
