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  News and Notes from the December 11, 2007 SPS meeting


Outstanding Chapter Award.  We have been recognized as an outstanding SPS
chapter for the 06-07 school year.  We have yet another award to hang on
the wall, but we need a better adhesive so they stay on the wall.  Marilyn
is investigating other frames and adhesive options.  We decided to do
alternating red and black frames.  Out of our entire zone only two
chapters got this award.  Go us!


Senior Seminar.  There is another senior seminar presentation THIS
THURSDAY at 1:00pm in CSH113.  Come listen to Dan Musekamp talking about
"The Chaotic Motion of a Waterwheel."


Public Observing.  It almost happened last night.  Dr. Korenic got thru
her talk and the skies clouded over.  Maybe next semester we will get a
good winter observing.


REU.  There are more REU opportunities in the folder.  Today we added
UCLA, U of Michigan, and NNIN (National Nanotechnology Infrastructure
Network).


Partay!  Tuesday, December 18 (finals week) from around 11 to 1:30.  It
will be a semi-random potluck.  There is a sign-up sheet in the seminar
room if you want to commit to bringing in a food object (no alcohol). 
Physics faculty are more than welcome!


Cards for vets.  We will be sending out 21 cards for recovering vets.


T-shirts.  Our t-shirts should be ready for pickup on Monday, so we
should get them out to you a bit after that!


Pre-engineering didn't meet.


Demo.  Kater's Pendulum.  First devised in 1815, for well over a century
this was THE standard way to measure local values of little g with
excellent precision (4-5 sig figs).  Ours is homemade, and has been
sitting in the stockroom for a few decades.  We could get up to one part
in 10,000 precision, but we would need to work on optimizing it a bit.


Shortest meeting yet...15 minutes!

Minutes taken by Jen


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