Meeting
SPS Zone Meeting
Event sponsor
Society of Physics Students
Event location
Millikin University, Decatur, IL
Event description
The Millikin University Chapter of SPS will be hosting an SPS Zone 8 Meeting that contains students presentations, poster presentations, viewing of the night sky through numerous large telescopes and a talk by Dr. Robert Arn (astrophotographer). We encourage everyone to attend and look forward to meeting everyone! If there are any questions or concerns, please post to the Facebook event page below or contact us via email. We are more than willing to help with any issues that may arise (funding, travel, lodging, etc.)
The Millikin University Chapter of SPS will host.
We will hold the main events in the Leighty-Tabor Science Center.
Friday night reception will be in the Requarth Observatory.
Friday March 3, 2017.
Opening public talk will be held in the Lower Level of the Richards Treat University Center (L-RTUC) at 7:00pm.
Following Dr. Arn’s talk (see abstract below) there will be a public reception held in the Requarth Observatory, housed on the Millikin University campus. At the reception there will be an opportunity to view the night sky through numerous large telescopes and ask questions of Dr. Arn.
Saturday March 4, 2017
The conference events will be held in the Leighty-Tabor Science Center (LTSC) on the campus of Millikin University.
Parking available directly North of LTSC.
8:30-12:00 Student Presentations: The format will be 20 min. talk followed by 5 min Q &A.
12:00 - 1:00 Keynote Lunch (cost included in registration)
1:00 -2:00 Student Poster Presentations
Cost $10, register through SPS national website when available
Paper and poster presenters, please send abstract directly to:
Dr. Daniel Miller
Zone 8 Councilor
damiller [at] millikin.edu
We are accepting abstract now!
One of the goals of SPS is to develop professional skills including presenting research at conferences. For this reason we will attempt to make room for all presentations.
Friday’s Opening Talk:
Dr. Robert Arn
Title:
Re-excite American interest in Physics and Astronomy
Abstract:
The August 21st, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse has the potential to re-excite American interest in Physics and Astronomy by providing individuals with a personal account of this astronomical event. The path of totality will stretch across North American from Oregon to South Carolina, giving millions the opportunity to witness phenomena such as gravitational lensing, Baily's beads, and earthshine. Careful planning and practice will help to observe, image, educate others, and share this rare event.
As a former Millikin University Chapter President of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), I discovered a passion for astronomy. It was this passion that guided me through a PhD in math, to a career in the defense industry, and a personal life of meaning and value. During this talk, I will share my love of astronomy and astrophotography, describe how you can experience and share the upcoming solar eclipse, and describe how I went from my involvement in SPS to where I am now.
Biography:
Robert Arn has spent more than 10 years in the field of astrophotography. He synthesizes his love for astronomy and photography into the beautiful world of nightscape astrophotography, the art of juxtaposing the Earth with the night sky. Never was a person happier spending long nights on a secluded mountainside beneath a blanket of stars in subfreezing temperatures with a camera in hand.
Robert shares his love of this unique form of photography by his involvement in public outreach. He has hosted astrophotography workshops through AstroArn Photography and the Loveland Photographic Society and has taught astronomy courses through Colorado State University as well as at a number of outreach events and star parties. He has given numerous astrophotography talks along the Colorado Front Range and central Illinois. Robert's work has been showcased and published in a number of settings, including NASA’s APOD, URSA’s EPOD, Les Cowley’s OPOD. He has also given talks about the mathematics of image and video processing.
Robert enjoys the challenge of constantly learning new and more advanced photo processing techniques to add to his growing toolbox for astrophotography, drawing from both the skills he has developed in astronomy and those in photography. In addition to astrophotography, Robert received his PhD in Mathematics at Colorado State University in 2016. He currently works as a Systems Engineer at Northrop Grumman in Denver/Aurora, CO. His research is in image processing, video processing, optimization, machine learning, large data analysis, geometric data analysis, and large data analysis. When he is not working, he can be found on the side of a mountain or underneath the stars, trying to capture part of this majestic universe.