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NSF Particle Astrophysics Grant Awarded

Assistant Professor of Physics, John Cummings, Ph.D. will study fundamental questions related to neutrinos, elusive elementary particles that often travel close to the speed of light and are difficult to detect.

At the Daya Bay Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment in China, Siena students, under the guidance of Prof. Cummings, will contribute to the water pool muon veto shield for the Daya Bay detectors. Specific contributions include development of waterproof bases for photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), potting of MACRO PMTs for use underwater, testing of PMTs and Tyvek under pressure, and simulation studies of the muon veto. The broader impact of the program includes activities involving undergraduates in the research and exposes them to exciting particle physics developments at Brookhaven National laboratory and in China.

Prof. Rose Finn Receives NSF CAREER Award

Siena College Assistant Professor of Physics, Rose Finn, Ph.D. is out of this world—and so is her research.

Finn is working with undergraduate Siena College students to find out what causes galaxies to evolve from, actively star-forming galaxies to red, passive galaxies. Finn and her students are studying the gas and stellar properties of galaxies in 10 low-redshift groups and clusters.

Her research and collaboration have earned Finn the Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation. It is the most prestigious award given to new faculty members.

The educational objective of this $471,460 CAREER award is to increase the number of Siena College graduates who pursue careers in physics, astronomy and related fields. The CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career development of those teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.

Contact: Ken Jubie
Contact Email: communications@siena.edu