7/16/1999

Congratulations to Kimberly Bell, recently selected to receive the American Vacuum Society Graduate Research Award for 1999.

Congratulations to John Hubisz, who recently received an award for his Science and Religion course from the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. As part of the award, NC State Physics Department will receive $5000 to support the course. He will present a workshop on the course at the University of Toronto this month.

University Committees: Thanks to George Parker, serving on the University Committee on Retired Faculty (term ends 2000), and to Chueng Ji, serving on the University Committee on Undergraduate Education (term ends 2003).

Hewlett Initiative: Over the past two years, faculty and staff working with the Hewlett Initiative, the Committee on Undergraduate Advising and the Virtual Advising Center have developed recommendations and activities to improve the undergraduate educational experience of our students. Among the recommendations from the Hewitt Initiative is that the University provide students with high quality, relevant and readily available on-line information about undergraduate education. A web site has been developed to serve this need at www.ncsu.edu/learn.

Thanks to Robert Beichner, John Hubisz, and Chueng Ji for serving as Hewlett fellows.

New requirements for class syllabi: The Provost has published new procedures for class syllabi. The procedures are available on line.

Please take a moment to review the procedures when developing your syllabus for the Fall semester.

National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates: The NSF program offering undergraduate students research opportunities in the summer has been continued annually since 1996 across all directorates. The deadline for applying on behalf of our undergraduate students for the summer of 2000 is Sept. 15, 1999. For the complete details, see: www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/reu/proganno.htm

NSF accepts unlimited submissions per institution for this program.

Volunteers Needed! New Student Orientation invites you to participate in Wolf Stop, a hand-on effort aimed at helping make the transition to campus just a bit easier for incoming students. Wolf Stop booths will be set up around campus to provide direction and useful information.

To volunteer or for additional information, please contact New Student Orientation by August 1st at 515-1234.

Congratulations to Chris Hinkle ('99 BS Physics), player on the NC State National Champion ultimate disk team. From the News and Observer 6/1/99:

"None of NC State's varsity athletics teams won a national title in the 1998-1999 school year. But doesn't mean the school is devoid of champions.

Its men's ultimate disc club team, called the Jinx, won the national championship in Boulder, Colo., over the weekend, beating the three-time defending champion Cal [State] Santa Barbara Black Tide 16-14 in the finals. Chris Hinkle hit Kevin Kusy for the winning points in overtime. UCSB defeated NCSU in the semi-finals a year ago.

'We worked all season to get here,' said Hinkle, who graduated from NCSU this month and is making plans for graduate school. 'Finally, that hard work has paid off, and we got the revenge we wanted'."

Teaching Assignments for Spring. Any post-docs or soon-to-be PhDs interested in teaching a course this Spring, contact Chris Gould. We will likely be short of instructors in some introductory courses.

Chris Gould, to Sendai, Japan to work with the Kamland neutrino detector collaboration, July 20 to July 27.