2007 Student Rresearch

Alex Krickx -Alex's project involves the analysis of mercury in seafood. He will be using our 1.1 million volt tandem Pelletron particle accelerator to detect and measure the concentration of mercury found in commonly available seafood, like swordfish. Alex will determine the presence of and concentration of mercury using RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy) and PIXE (Proton Induced X-ray Emission) studies.

Matt Roginski -Matt is currently working in the Mechanical Engineering Department under Dr. Andrew Rapoff studying the Bone Density Distribution in the Symphyseal Region of the Anthropoid Mandible Using Quantitative Micro Computed Tomography. Matt's senior thesis involves the use of x rays to generate images of the jawbone of an anthropoid and is a combination of Mechanical Engineering and Physics.

Luther Vucic -Luther's project is on Sonoluminescence, or the production of light using sound waves. The first part of his project deals with the development of an experimental technique and apparatus to see a sonoluminescing bubble. In the next phase Luther will be trying to model the collapsing bubble and investigate the intensity of the light that is produced.