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General
The Department hosted an international
astronomy conference entitled
`Galaxy Wars: Stellar
Populations and Star Formation in Interacting
Galaxies', that ran from July 19 - 22, 2009
at the
Millenium Centre in Johnson
City. This meeting had 102 attendees from
16 countries.
Dr. Beverly Smith was the
lead organizer, and
Drs. Richard Ignace,
Gary Henson,
Don Luttermoser, and
Mark Giroux were members of
the Local Organizing Committee. For
more information, see the
Conference web
page.
Faculty/Staff
Dr. Richard Ignace
attended the
Magnetism in Massive Stars
meeting at the Observatoire de Paris, France
May 11 - 15, 2009
Drs.
Beverly Smith and
Mark Giroux attended the
Tidal Dwarf Galaxies
meeting in Bad Honnef, Germany, May 23 - 29,
2009. Dr. Smith gave a talk on
`GALEX-Identified Tidal Dwarf Galaxies and
Other Peculiar Tidal Structures in the
Spirals, Bridges, and Tails Interacting
Galaxy Sample'. Dr.
Giroux (left) presented a poster
entitled `An Atlas of GALEX UV Images of
Interacting Galaxies'.
Dr. Don Luttermoser
attended the `Stellar Pulsations' meeting
held in Santa Fe New Mexico June 1 - 5, 2009.
In May 2009, Dr. K. Tabetha Hole (left)
started a position as Post-Doctoral
Researcher at ETSU. She will be
working with Dr. Richard Ignace on supernovae
and stellar winds.
Students
ETSU Physics major
Coral Franklin (left) is working with Dr.
Beverly Smith this summer on computer
models of interacting galaxies.
This research is supported by a NASA LTSA
grant and NASA Spitzer and Chandra grants,
as well as an ETSU Research Development
Grant.
ETSU Physics major Trisha Massenzo (left)
is working with Dr. Beverly Smith this
summer with Spitzer data on interacting
galaxies. This research is
sponsored by a NASA LTSA grant and NASA
Spitzer and Chandra grants.
ETSU Physics major Jessica Webb (left) is
working with Dr. Beverly Smith this summer
on COBE DIRBE infrared light curves of
variable stars. She is being
supported by a NASA LTSA grant.
ETSU Physics major Michael Goodman is
working with Dr. Richard Ignace this summer
modeling free-free radio emission from
axisymmetric massive star
winds. He is being supported on
a National Science Foundation grant to
ETSU.
ETSU Physics major Sabrina Hurlock is doing
a `Research Experience for Undergraduates'
project this summer at the University of
Hawaii, on coronal mass ejections.
ETSU Physics major John Burdette is doing a
summer internship at the NASA Langley
Research Center in
Virginia. His project
involves methane emissions from Mars.
Clemson undergraduate Jessica Herrington
(left) will be working this summer with Dr.
Richard Ignace on a project involving
modeling forbidden emission lines from
aspherical ejecta shells of
supernovae. She is being
supported by the SARA REU grant.
University of Iowa undergraduate Mark
Gorski (left) is working this summer with
Dr. Richard Ignace on Chandra data of the
weak wind in the early B star alpha
Cru. He is funded by the SARA
REU grant.
Whitman College Undergraduate Shannon Hall
(left) is working this summer with Dr. Gary
Henson on polarimetry using the C-14
telescope at the
Harry D. Powell
Observatory. She is being
supported by the SARA REU
grant.
ETSU Physics major Alfred Hopkins is
working with Dr. Richard Ignace this summer
on OB X-ray sources in the vicinity of WR
142.
ETSU Physics minor Heather Fries has a
summer internship this summer at the
Bays Mountain Planetarium
in Kingsport Tennessee. She is
also working with Drs. Ignace and Henson at
ETSU on Be stars.
Alumni
ETSU Physics graduate
Chris Carver (2009) is doing a summer
internship this summer at the St. Jude's
Children's Hospital in
Memphis. He will be attending
medical school at ETSU in the Fall.
ETSU Physics graduate Scott Price (2009)
is working as a research assistant in the
ETSU Dept of Physics and Astronomy this
summer with Dr. Richard
Ignace. He is modeling X-ray
emission lines from clump bow shocks in
massive star winds.
ETSU Physics graduate Sharon Gray (2009)
is working this summer as a research
assistant in the ETSU Dept of Physics and
Astronomy with Dr. Gary Henson studying
variable stars.
In Fall 2009, ETSU Physics graduate Tommy
Byrd (2008) will be starting graduate
school in Physics at the College of
William and Mary.
Rachel Baker (Physics class of 2005) had
a baby daughter, Reagan Michaela, on
August 17, 2009
Amanda Moffett (class of
2005) attended the
Galaxy Wars: Stellar
Populations and Star Formation in Interacting
Galaxies conference held at the Millenium
Centre in Johnson City July 19-22,
2009. Amanda is now a graduate
student in Astronomy at the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
News from the Past.....
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