8/16/2002

First day of Class:Monday, August 19

Last Day to add without instructor's permission: August 26

Labor Day Holiday, No Class:September 2

Last day to drop, 400 level and below:September 30

Fall Break, No Class:October 14 and 15

Thanksgiving Vacation, No Class November 27 (after 1:15), 28, 29

Last day of Class:Friday, December 6

Last day of Final Exams:December 17

Be sure to lock all offices and labs whenever they are unoccupied, even for just a few minutes. Classrooms housing projectors, and computer labs that are not staffed, should be locked any time they are not in use.

Some $300,000 worth has been stolen for NC State labs and offices this year. Recently 5 computers were stolen from a Physics lab in Withers and 4 projectors have been reported stolen this week within CALS. More than 90% of these reported thefts appear to have occurred during normal business hours; apparently the theft from Physics at night is the exception.

A further measure suggested by Public Safety and currently under discussion would be requiring faculty and staff to display their campus ID card at all times, or at least whenever moving equipment. This would be a cultural change for us but may allow easier identification of individuals authorized to be making such moves and possibly preclude challenges from an alerted police force.

The latest Crime Alert on campus is available from the Campus Police website: www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/public_safety/campus_safety/CrimeAlert.html

Congratulations to Gail McLaughlin, recipient of a US Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator Award, from the Division of Nuclear Physics. The award will support her research in theoretical nuclear and particle astrophysics.

For the fiscal year just ended, new federal awards to NC State Physics reached $8.7 million, the highest total in the history of the department, and an increase of $3.7 million over last year.

John Hubisz has recently been a guest several times on the Jerry Agar Show (WPTF radio) talking about attacks on a nuclear reactor, transportation of nuclear wastes (Yucca Mountain), and nuclear wastes in general.

John has also been invited to the John Locke Society for a talk on disposal of nuclear wastes on August 26th at noon (Shaftesbury Lectures.)
The report on Middle School textbook errors continues to generate media interest. John Hubisz was recently interviewed by NBC17 TV concerning the report.

The report is available online at www.science-house.org/middleschool

Bob Beichner, Ruth Chabay, Peg Gjertsen, Jeanne Morse, John Risley, and Bruce Sherwood; to Boise, ID, to attend the American Association of Physics Teachers meeting at Boise State University.

"Basic research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing."

A) Linus Pauling
B) Thomas Edison
C) Richard Feynmann
D) Werner von Braun
E) Robert Goddard

Submit your answer to Robert Egler( robert_egler@ncsu.edu ) by August 23. (One entry per person please.) Free coffee at Encounters for the first correct answer drawn.

Answer to last month's question: (In The Big Sleep, who killed the chauffeur, and why?)
There were only two correct entries, so we've declared them co-winners: David Haase and Rebecca Savage. The answer was a bit complicated. In the movie, Joe Brody killed the chauffeur (Owen Taylor) because he wanted the film that Taylor took from Geiger's camera after Taylor killed Geiger. But in the book, no one ever knows who killed the chauffeur.

What have YOU been up to? Going to a meeting? Published a paper? Received an award?

Students, faculty, or staff, we want to know! Please send your information to Robert Egler ( robert_egler@ncsu.edu ), and we'll make sure it gets in the Newsletter.

Faculty Meeting Schedule for Fall Semester. Faculty meetings are scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month.

• September 4
• October 2
• November 6
• December 4

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