2023
SPS Outstanding Chapter Advisor
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Dr. Glenn Spiczak is Chair and Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin River Falls. His main research is experimental high-energy astroparticle physics, exploring the composition of cosmic rays as a member of the large international IceCube collaboration. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer array of sensors located deep in the ice beneath the geographic South Pole that includes a square kilometer array of frozen water tanks on the Antarctic ice sheet above. He teaches a wide variety of courses, such as astronomy, astrophysics, electronics, engineering dynamics, introductory physics, and nuclear/particle physics, depending on needs any given semester. Dr. Spiczak has been a STEM Fellow for Active Learning and a Wisconsin Teaching Scholar investigating projects for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning.
Dr. Spiczak is faculty advisor for the UWRF Outstanding Chapter of SPS with members who are highly engaged in outreach and scholarship along with other campus activities. Their favorite events this past year were the Haunted Lab for Halloween in collaboration with the Chemistry Department Chem Demons, Physics Day at Target Field with the Minnesota Twins before their game with the White Sox, and the inaugural Students in Space Science Series of talks before public Telescope Observing. Two SPS students were chosen as recipients of the Chancellor’s Award, the highest non-academic honor students can receive at the university. Dr. Spiczak also mentors many funded student research projects and the UWRF high-power rocket teams and robotics team.