Department of Physics

University of WI-Whitewater

Meeting Minutes for Faculty Meeting on April 22^th meeting

I. Attending: R. Benjamin, J. Constantinescu; G. Chulick; S. DasGupta

(teleconference); P. Rybski; S. Sahyun; Jeffrey Polak (SPS

representative)

II. Sahyun/Benjamin move approval of Meeting Minutes of April 8^st meeting. Passed

on voice vote.

III. Announcements

A. Chairπs Announcements

1. Colloquia for the remainder of the year, all at 4:00 pm in Upham Hall 139E

a. April 22nd: James Brown, University of New Mexico ≠

≥Microbes to Monsters, Milliseconds to Millenia, Molecules

to Ecosystems≤ (UW-Madison video colloquium)

b. April 29^th: Robert Benjamin, University of WI-Whitewater ≠

≥First GLIMPSE results on the Stellar Structure of the

Galaxy≤

c. May 6^th: Steven Sahyun, University of WI-Whitewater ≠

≥A. Einstein: a biography≤, being a video presentation and

moderated discussion, plus an unveiling of our Fall 2005

Einstein series of lectures

2. Budget amounts ≠ Year-end budget amounts were discussed in preparation

for end-of-year purchases.

3. Spring 2006 schedule ≠ The schedule for submission of courses for Spring

2006 has been received. Special Studies proposals (for, say, Solid

State Physics and Digital Logic and State Controller Design) must be

in the assistant deanπs hands before September 1^st so that they may

be in the provostπs office on or before September 7^th. Class

schedules must be completed and entered by the departmentπs

administrative assistant before September 14^th. The department

chair will present a tentative schedule of classes during our first

faculty meeting before the beginning of Fall 2005 classes.

4. Writing in the Discipline ≠ The chair has been directed to request that the

collegeπs Writing in the Discipline subcommittee meet with the

faculty either on April 29^th or May 6^th.

5. Physics major Steven McKeon has received a UW-Whitewater

Undergraduate Research Grant for Spring 2005 semester. This

$500 award must be spent before the end of the 2004-2005 fiscal

year.

6. Majors and Minors ≠ Administrative Assistant Lynn Miller has compiled the

latest listing of physics majors and minors from material prepared by

Don Wozniak in the Registrarπs Office and has distributed them to

all faculty and staff. The chair encourages that all faculty and staff

retain these lists for convenient future reference.

7. Mettler-Toledo has sent us an Announcement of Opportunity to apply for an

in-kind grant of computer software, hardware and laboratory

equipment equal to a purchase price of $150,000 to assist in the

upgrade of Thermal Analysis engineering courses. Since our

program does not include such engineering courses, this AO will be

filed under ≥Engineering Course Development Opportunities≤ in the

departmental office.

8. Post-advising form signatures for receipt of portfolio material ≠ Our post-

advising authorization and advising evaluation form must currently

be initialed by a majorπs advisor when the major delivers a sample of

her coursework for incorporation into a longitudinal advising

portfolio. To permit majors to deliver this material at arbitrary times

when their advisors are not present, the postadvising form will

specifically allow ANY faculty advisor in the department to

acknowledge receipt of the sample work, thereby speeding the

majorπs course registration.

9. The chair has received several sample programs and course textbooks in

engineering and in mathematical tools for physics and engineering

that faculty and staff are encouraged to review.

B. Committee Reports

1. L&S Curriculum ≠ (Sahyun) April 21^st meeting had no action relevant to

Physics.

2. Graduate Council -- (Benjamin) No action relevant to Physics

3. Library ≠ (Benjamin) No report

4. SPS ≠ (Polak) Yerkes trip may be on May 1^st or May 8^th. Physics of

Futurama Physics social will be on Wednesday, April 27^th, at 5:30

pm; pizza will be provided. Geography has accepted Physicsπ

request to share their student space with SPS. We will provide SPS

with the usual computer, printer and telephone.

5. Upham renovation ≠ (Rybski) Relocation of the Liquid Nitrogen (LN₂)

tank will be to some portion of the Chemistry Storage Area, yet to

be determined. A discussion of the Machine/Wood Shop area

ensued.

6. Webpage ≠ (Benjamin) No report

7. L&S/A&C/College of Ed Liaison Committee ≠ (Sahyun) BSE Physics

majors currently do not take a sufficient number of courses in the

other sciences to take the WI-mandated Praxis Test successfully.

The Departments of Biology and Chemistry agree with us that

changes must be made in our respect BSE programs. These

departments need to cooperate to determine what our respective BSE

students will need to take. On the Professional Development

Licensing Course, one-credit summer courses are being considered.

C. Announcements from the Floor

1. J. Constantinescu announced the opportunity to schedule a joint

Biology/Physics colloquium on ≥Physics in Medical Applications≤,

to be delivered in Fall 2005 by a practicing physician in Milwaukee

and a Whitewater alumnus.

IV. Old Business

A. Curriculum

1. PHYSCS 161 and 163 must be retained as separate laboratory courses in

order to accommodate marine biology majors who are only required

to take PHYSCS 160.

B. Budget matters

1. As part of Upham Hall Renovation Phase 2B, the LN₂ tank will be moved

to the Chemistry Storage area in the North end of the renovated

Upham Hall. Thus the tank will be stored one floor below and

several hundred feet away from the location to which it will have to

be moved for refilling. In order for the tank to be moved safely and

for it to be weighed safely (the actual tank weight must be measured

to determine when the tank must be refilled), a hydraulically

operated tank-lifting and transporting fixture and an electronic scale

onto which the tank will be set during use must be purchased. Since

the tank is a multidisciplinary facility, the chair is empowered to

work with Associate Dean Mary Pinkerton to purchase the handling

fixture and scale with college rather than departmental funds. The

Liquid Nitrogen Handling Fixture for our LN₂ tank will cost about

$2,000. The Tank Scale is $500.

V. New Business

A. Budget matters

Constantinescu/Sahyun moved approval of the following purchases:

1. Power Macintosh operating system upgrade to OS 10.4 -- $1,000 will be

allocated for the purchase of twenty licenses and three media copies

of OS 10.4 for the Power Macintosh G3 and G4 computers in the

department

2. Coronado Personal Solar Telescope -- $1,500 will be allocated for the

purchase of a Coronado Personal Solar Telescope for astronomy

student instruction.

Passed on a voice vote.

Constantinescu/Sahyun move approval to adjourn the meeting at 3:42 pm. Approved on a voice vote.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul M. Rybski, Secretary of the Day

Xc: Chancellor Jack Miller

Provost Richard Telfer

Dean Howard Ross

Dean Lee Jones

Archivist Karen Weston