by Taylor Morris
Executive Staff
Sewanee’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students has just been named a recipient of this year’s Marsh W. White Awards. This national award is a monetary grant given “to (collegiate) SPS chapters to support projects designed to promote interest in physics among students and the general public.” Under the supervision of Dr. Randolph Peterson, SPS submitted a full proposal and budget to be reviewed by a selection committee. The club was selected for a grant to be used for the purchase of an infrared camera for use in a community outreach project. By thermally imaging local houses, potentially houses still under construction by initiatives such as Housing Sewanee, the club plans to reveal weaknesses in the homes’ insulation and suggest methods to optimize the heat flow. In this way, appreciation for physics and the natural sciences can be spread around the greater Sewanee community.
“This award is really a great way for us to showcase science to the local area,” says SPS Secretary-Treasurer Caroline Roberts (C’14). “Physics is one of those fields that doesn’t get as much representation at Sewanee as it should, so it’s really wonderful that we’ve been selected for this award to help get our ideas out there.” Other physics students involved in the award process include Paul Campbell (C’14), Keshonn Carter (C’16), Will Jenkins (C’16), Daniel Rosales (C’17), and Taylor Morris (C’16). “I’m very excited for the project we’ll be able to undertake thanks to this grant,” says Rosales, “it’ll be interesting to apply the concepts we’ve been learning outside of the classroom.”