Posted on Monday, April 7, 2008
Nine Westminster College physics majors and three physics professors attended the joint meeting of the Ohio Region Section of the American Physics Society, and the Ohio Section and the Western Pennsylvania Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers March 28-29 at Youngstown State University.
The theme of the meeting was "Touring the Electromagnetic Spectrum" and featured many invited talks on the topic as well as contributed papers and posters.
Lisa Gayetsky, a senior from Canfield, Ohio, presented a poster paper, "Rigidity and pH Dependent Morphology of Beta-Lactoglobulin Spherulites," co-authored by Dr. Douglas Armstead, Westminster College assistant professor of physics and Gayetsky's adviser.
"Certain proteins, when heated, will form radial structures called Spherulites," Gayetsky explained. "Spherulites are of practical importance because they form in the human body and cause the amyloidoisis diseases." Gayetsky's work investigates causes of physical changes in the Spherulites.
Dr. G. Samuel Lightner, Westminster College professor and chair of the physics department, led a workshop on "Plasma and Fusion Science for the Classroom." The workshop featured activities that could be incorporated into the teaching of physics at the high school and introductory college level.
Lightner helped develop these activities as a member and vice president of the Contemporary Physics Education Project, a volunteer nonprofit organization of educators and scientists dedicated to producing materials for teaching contemporary physics topics.
Armstead and Dr. Craig Caylor, Westminster College associate professor of physics, also attended.
Contact Lightner at (724) 946-7204 or e-mail lightner@westminster.edu for additional information.
