The Saturday Morning Physics program introduces local students and community members to current topics in the physical sciences, presented by scientists active in research. We seek to educate, entertain, and inspire. We offer this program as a community service free to the participants; it is completely funded by Florida State University. Over the years, thousands of students of all ages have enjoyed this program, learning and benefiting from the opportunity to interact directly with working scientists.
The Fall 2022 schedule is now posted!
Fall 2022 Schedule
The presentations will be held in room 101 of the Richards Building (UPL) on the campus of Florida State University (map). The one exception is the Materials for Modern Society presentation, which will be held at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, a.k.a., the MagLab (map). Parking is located near both locations. Note that hard-toe shoes are required for the MagLab lab tours - no sandals!
All presentations will begin at 9:30 am and last approximately between 90 minutes and two hours. Refreshments will be provided.
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| 10/8/2022 |
Astronomy in a Universe Filled with Light and Dark Matter Explore the Universe from sub-atomic particles to black holes to clusters of galaxies. See how tools like the James Webb Space Telescope, microwave-frequency telescopes, and the LIGO gravitational wave detectors test the extremes of natural laws. |
Dr. Kevin Huffenberger Dr. David Collins |
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| 10/15/2022 |
Materials for Modern Society While just over a century ago most technologies used a handful of related materials, modern society relies on thousands of complex materials that are optimized to specific tasks. I will discuss how we got here, with a focus on; the excitement of exploring a dynamic periodic table; the intersections between physics, chemistry and materials science; and the non-intuitive role of quantum mechanics. Please note that hard-toe shoes are required for the tour. |
Dr. Ryan Baumbach Dr. Guangxin Ni |
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10/22/2022 |
Physics of Waves Catch the wave with these spectacular demonstrations of the physics of all types of waves, from the ocean to the radio! |
Dr. Sean Dobbs Dr. Hanwei Gao |
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| 10/29/2022 |
Particle Physics: Understanding the Universe from the Subatomic Scale Learn of the discoveries that informed our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature, and what the future may hold! |
Dr. Ted Kolberg Dr. Kohsaku Tobioka |
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| 11/5/2022 |
Physics on the Web Physics experiments are normally done in the laboratory, which often proves expensive and is accessible to only a few. The situation has dramatically changed with the rise of the World Wide Web, which allows access to an enormous variety of interactive online physics tools for simulating real life situations, as well as laboratory experiments. In this lecture we perform both real physics demonstrations and their WWW counterparts, to teach the participants on how to enjoy as well as learn from the online physics resources. (The demos can be accessed here) |
Dr. Vladimir Dobrosavljevic Dr. Hitesh Changlani |
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| 11/12/2021 |
Forging Elements in Exploding Stars and in the Lab Discover how exploding stars made us all, and how we study nuclear processes here on Earth. Additionally, a tour of the accelerator lab at Florida State University will be given. |
Dr. Kevin Fossez Dr. Mark Spieker |
Want more information?
Professor Sean Dobbs
Saturday Morning Physics Committee Chair
Physics Department
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4350
phone: 850.645.3812
E-mail: sdobbs@fsu.edu