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  News and Notes from the September 18, 2007 SPS meeting


The special election for chapter vice-president was held this morning,
Shawntel and Jen counted the votes right before the meeting.  Our new vice
president is Bridget Onan.


Tomorrow is International Talk Like a Pirate day.  Dressing like a pirate is
optional but encouraged, especially for the Physics Picnic!


Reminder about Study Space:  lots of poster around the department to show
when Rooms 110 and 114 are available as study space, in addition to the ever
popular Seminar Room (113).


PICNIC TOMORROW!  Please sign up today in case we need to buy even more
food.  If you have a 'lawn game' like bocce ball or ladder golf or croquet,
bring it along.  Chuck Bardel and James Briggs volunteered to buy some food
and supplies.  Matt B. will transport food and supplies to the picnic.  Jen
and Chris offered to help Marguerite Blodgett with cooking.  (We could have
three grills at once - Blodgett, Spiczak and Hardtke!)  Clean-up crew:  Dr.
B, Cadie, Bridget....


There MAY be a public observing session tomorrow after the picnic, as it
looks like the best weather of the week!


3M Science Saturday:  Dr. B., Matt and Bridget scouted it out and it should
be good.  It is Saturday October 6, we would leave UWRF about 9:30 am and
get back by 4 pm.  IMPORTANT: we need to know WHO is going BY OCTOBER 2 so
we can send in the list of names and citizenship, so that they can prepare
security badges for us.  We present a 'big show' at 11:00, for at least 45
minutes.  (We need to buy a new face shield for the bed of nails!  The 3M
folks are also worried about bits of concrete flying about, so we could put
the concrete block in a clear plastic bag before smashing it.)
After the big show, we will have a table for more one-on-one interactions.
There won't be time for lunch, so we will bring food with us.  Matt
Lewandowski will have a radioactivity table and would enjoy training some of
us to help him out.  We will try to schedule a time when several people
could meet with him, probably that first week in October.  Maybe during the
regular SPS meeting time?


Membership Drive - join or renew your national SPS membership in
September-October and be eligible for 'fabulous' prizes!  Dr. B. showed the
1975 desktop scientific calculator and a really cool old spectrum chart,
roughly 1940 vintage.


Book Sale - THANK YOU to the people who spent hours last week sorting and
sifting the books.  It was decided to hold a BIG book sale THIS THURSDAY, 8
am to 5 pm, in Room 110.  Volunteers for the morning: Zach B., Jen L.;
mid-day to afternoon Matt B and Matt C., 4est K in the afternoon.


Pre-engineering Society - check the chalkboard in CSH 113 for a survey on
possible meeting times.  None are perfect, just trying to find the best one.


We spent the rest of the meeting getting zapped by the handheld Tesla coil
(a Oudin coil, if one is really picky about the name).  Very high voltage,
very low current.  Can turn an ordinary light bulb into a crackling plasma
globe.  This should be a fun one for the 'hands-on' table at the 3M gig.

Minutes taken by Jen

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