9/3/1999

I am pleased to announce that the Provost has approved the appointment of Professor Richard Patty as interim head and Dr. Robert Morrison as executive officer. The appointments are for two year terms with the understanding that, if a regular term department head is appointed by an earlier date, the interim head would step aside.

Congratulations to Keith and Deanna Warren on the birth of their daughter, Melissa Lynn, on September 1!

NSF Instrumentation Opportunities: The National Science Foundation has announced opportunities in instrumentation, which includes the one-per-institution Major Research Instrumentation program, and also other research equipment funding opportunities in chemical transport systems.

Links to the MRI website and to the other equipment programs are available in the full NSF 99151 announcement; however, the full MRI solicitation will not be available until early October. According to the limited submissions list provided to you earlier this summer, the deadline for internal review of MRI pre-proposals is December 17, and the program deadline is Feb. 12. However, the program deadline has changed to January 18, which moves the internal review deadline to November 12.

(For more information on MRI, see: www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/mri/cid.htm)

Cole Mountain Fall Break Physics Department Camping Trip! Hike the Appalachian Trail in Virginia and enjoy the apple trees on the way to the top of Cole Mountain. Great views, and an easy base camp experience before the frosts set in. Drive up Friday evening October 8, hike short loop trails and eat all day Saturday. Return Sunday afternoon October 11. Sign up with Chris Gould.

Physics Today front cover: Congratulations to Jerry Bernholc, Todd Nemanich, and Qingzhong Zhao for their cover illustration in the September Physics Today, and to Jerry Bernholc for his feature article "Computational Materials Science: The era of Applied Quantum Mechanics".

Astronomy on-line syllabus receives recognition. Robert Egler's on-line syllabus for PY 124 (Solar System Astronomy) at NC State has been named "one of the best educational resources on the web" in the category of "Science:Astronomy:Courses" by the StudyWeb web site rating group.

Jackie Krim: To Wasserburg, Germany to present an invited talk at the Acoustic Wave Sensor Workshop; and to Pascoli, Italy, to present an invited talk at the European Research Conference on Complex Fluid Interfaces.

• Advisory Committee: Blondin (00), Aspnes(01), Krim(02) ex officio: Reynolds (UPC), Paesler (GPC)

Charge: Advise the Department Head on all matters pertaining to the operation of the Department

Specific initiatives: coordinate Department's response to the report of the visiting committee, assist in preparation of compact planning documents

• Colloquium Committee: Krim(S99-F99), Brown (S00-F00), GPSA rep

Charge: organize the weekly Fall/Spring Physics colloquium series; ensure talks are representative of all fields of physics and related sciences and are of general interest to physics undergraduates, physics graduates and physics faculty, ensure publicity via the Web and in campus newsletters.

Specific initiatives: schedule a mix of Departmental and prominent outside speakers, schedule a speaker for the John B Derieux lecture in the Spring.

• L.H. Thomas Lecture Committee : Risley, Cotanch, Paesler

Charge: Identify speakers for the annual L.H. Thomas Lecture.

Specific initiative: Identify new funding mechanisms to support the lecture.

• Comprehensive Review Committee - Chung (02), Stiles (01), Lado (00)

Charge: Review tenure faculty in accordance with the performance criteria contained in the Department and University procedures. Specific initiative: meet with department Head early in the Fall semester to obtain the names of the faculty scheduled for review, carry out the review and provide a written assessment to the Department prior to the end of the Spring semester. Update review schedule to take into account new hires, new promotions and new retirements.

• Computing Committee: Ellison, Borkowski, Swanson, Roland, Lyerly

Charge: consider the research, teaching and support computing needs of the Physics department; coordinate with the College ad-hoc computing committee, and the College computer support group

Specific initiatives: Assess Physics Department computer support structure and advise on any changes needed to make it more effective.

• Course and Curriculum Committee: Ji, Swanson, Roland, Nemanich, Johnson, Mowat,(GPSA rep), ex officio: Reynolds, Paesler

Charge: advise the Department on all undergraduate and graduate curriculum matters, carry out course reviews and curriculum reviews in a timely fashion; initiate new course action forms; review course scheduling to minimize conflicts and to ensure balanced fall and spring offerings in specialty areas.

Specific initiative: form an ad-hoc sub committee to Review effectiveness of the PhD Qualifier Exam (Paesler (chair) and other faculty): Charge - review the objectives of the PhD qualifier exam, assess the effectiveness of the present exam in achieving these objectives, suggest changes if appropriate.

• Graduate Recruiting Committee: Paesler, Ade, Roland, Beichner, GPSA reps.

Charge: review graduate recruiting and suggest changes as appropriate; assist faculty and graduate students in meeting with prospective students during spring visitations.

Specific initiatives: as needed

• Open House committee: Parker, Jones (SPS President)

Charge: plan and implement the physics department Fall open house activities, coordinate with the college and University open house.

Specific initiatives: as needed

• Physics Liaison Committees

211, 212: Klenin, Santos-Filho

205, 208: Parker, Rieg, Lado, Beichner

131, 133: Paesler, Warren, Hubisz

Charge: meet yearly with campus constituencies to ensure that the service courses are appropriate to the needs of the students; initiate new text book adoptions; discuss grading policies yearly to ensure fairness

Specific initiatives:

211/212: assess effectiveness of WebAssign for 211-212 students; assess potential for web delivery of 211-212

205/208: assess impact of planned offering of Scale up sections, assess relative quality of huge (200+ person) sections as compared to large (100+ person) sections, assess effectiveness of web sections.

131,133: assess the success of multiple options in conceptual physics

• Safety Committee: Cook, Dietz, Aspnes, Egler

Charge: develop procedures and carry out appropriate inspections; advise on safe operation of the research laboratory facilities of the Physics department.

Specific initiatives: carry out inspections of the research laboratories; assess effectiveness of gas monitoring training for groups in RBII.

• Teaching Assignment Committee: Johnson, Schetzina, Ellison, Ade, Haase

Charge: survey the teaching interests of the faculty and make recommendations to the Department Head on all teaching assignments

Specific initiatives: consider effectiveness of the self-assessment procedure for determining teaching loads; survey faculty in fulfilling teaching obligations outside of the standard lecture format (web-only courses, laboratories, doubling up in one semester, etc.)

• Undergraduate Scholarship and Recruiting Committee: Reynolds, Blondin, Sayers, Swanson, SPS President

Charge: assist College Director of Enrollment, review departmental undergraduate recruiting policies, and suggest changes as appropriate; assist undergraduate advisers in meeting with parents of prospective students during fall and spring visitations.

Specific initiatives: Develop procedures for disbursing undergraduate scholarship funds; solicit participants for the Undergraduate Research colloquium and select a recipient for the Rod McCormick award; develop mechanisms for increasing participation of physics undergraduates in internship and co-op programs.

• Graduate Program Coordinator: Paesler

• Undergraduate Program Coordinator: Reynolds

• Undergraduate advisors: Ji, Klenin, Lado, Swanson, Chung, Johnson

• Honors Program Advisor: Blondin

• Faculty Advisor to SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma: Blondin

• Course Coordinator for 205/208: Parker

• Library Liaison: Cotanch

• WWW page coordinator: Egler, Blondin

• WebAssign contact person: Risley

• Laboratory Coordinators:

131: Foster

Honors and Majors: Mowat

205, 208, 211, 212: Egler, Foster

225: Egler

452: Hallen

• Ad hoc Computational Materials/biomaterials Search Committee; Bernholc (chair), Krim, Blondin, Gubbins, Nemanich -

Charge: supervise search (with emphasis on under represented groups) for a junior level faculty member in computational materials/biomaterials research.

• Ad hoc Experimental Electronic Materials Search Committee: Aspnes (chair), Schetzina, Paesler, Reynolds, Lucovsky -

Charge: supervise search for a senior experimental physicist in electronic materials. The candidate will be a person who can work closely with existing groups and immediately capitalize on the Department's infrastructure investment in Cox Hall.

• Ad hoc Committee on Web delivery of Courses - Klenin (chair), Santos-Filho, Parker, Beichner.

Charge: Survey the effectiveness and popularity of the web courses in Physics. Assess whether standardization of delivery (common servers, common use of WebAssign etc.) would be a benefit or a hindrance to expanding our web offerings.

• Ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee - Sayers (chair), Aspnes, Beichner, Ellison, Fornes, Krim, Mitchell.

Charge: In consultation with all Physics Department stakeholders, develop a ten-year strategic plan for the Physics Department consisting of three parts: a) A vision statement, and goals for the coming decade. b) Assessment indices comparing the Department with aspirational peer institutions c) An implementation strategy for achieving our ten year goals