Applied Physics photographs
The gallery contains a collection of photographs showcasing activities within the Discipline of Applied Physics. Click on an image for a larger view.
PhD Student Dan Veen wowing the crowds at Albany SHS during the November 2008 Curtin Science Roadshow tour to the south west. Inset: Adrian Murdock and Sydel Michielsen in action at the same venue.
Honours student Mick Todd with the new Zadko 1.0-metre Telescope at Gingin. Mick is searching for Near Earth Objects - asteroids that could come close enough to collide with Earth. Asteroids are the debris left over from the formation of the Solar System. So far he has found a number of new asteroids but these are distant enough that they don't pose a threat. Mick continues to search in the hope of finding something more exciting, preferably before it hits us! The Curtin media release is at http://campusnews.curtin.edu.au/media_centre/archives.cfm?release=8243
Operatives Owen Giersch, David Emrich, Merv Lynch, David Herne from the Astronomy Group, on "being asked what they thought about the new digs" up at Boolardy Station!
Photos from the recent successful opening of the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) held last friday at the Bank West Lecture Theatre. L to R. The Honorable Dr Liz Constable, Prof Igor Bray (Director of ITP), Prof Stelbovics (PVC of Science and Engineering), the Vice Chancellor and Dr Lynne Beasley (WA Chief Scientist). Inset: Dr Alisher Kadryov (ITP discoverer of the recent break through in ion-atom interaction theory), Prof Lynne Beasley and Prof Igor Bray.
PhD Student Dan Veen firing rockets - Images taken by Glen Lawson with the Departments new InfraRed Digital Camera. 3rd and 4th Picture show exhaust gases from the rocket taking off.
Local departmental operatives show their sporting prowess at recent interdepartmental games
Visiting Professor Tom Bensky from California Polytechnic State University helping Remote Sensing Satellite Research Group (RSSRG) honours student Rodrigo Garcia and PhD students Wojciech Klonowski and Daniel Marrable to collect water samples from the Swan River. Water samples were taken for optical analysis of water column properties including: spectral absorption due to phytoplankton; organic detritus and backscatter from sediment using the department's new dual beam spectrophotometer. RSSRG is working to improve current remote sensing environmental monitoring algorithms and are hoping to apply these to monitoring the growth of blue green algae in the Swan and Canning rivers. Photos courtesy of Curtin PhD student Daniel Marrable
Radio Astronomer, Judd Bowman from Caltech, deploying a component of the EDGES (an SKA precursor Radio Telescope) on the Boolardy station somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Geraldton and Meekatharra. The experiment is intended to detect radio signals associated with the Epoch of Reionization (first stars becoming visible in the universe) or their lack thereof, which will help to refine estimates of the epoch. The good news is that the experiment is now approaching the point where Judd believes that useful insights might be gained. Interestingly, the system is achieving far better sensitivities than was achieved by the same experiment when run on Mileura Station in 2006. It might even achieve sensitivities that are nearly four times better than the 75 mK achieved previously. Photo by Curtin PhD student David Herne.
National Summer School in Applications with High Spectral Resolution Infrared Environmental Satellite Data. School given by Professor Paul Menzel, second from the right from the Univ of Wisconsin.
Anna Mulders is preparing a soft x-ray resonant diffraction experiment at the SLS (Swiss Light Source - Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland) and mounting a permanent magnet of 1 Tesla and electric field contacts at a sample of hexaferrite. The big lid is the top of the UHV (Ultra-High Vacuum) chamber at the RESOXS (Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering) end station. In the experiment Anna observes a change in the magnetic wavevector as function of the electric field. The change is tiny but novel.
This 9 m diameter radio astronomy antenna is being assembled by radio astronomy PhD student, Bruce Stansby. The location is behind the student residences on the south west corner of Bentley Campus. The dish will eventually be one of 9 identical connected dishes that will search for transient events. BTW, the tower that appears to stick up from the middle of the dish is a mobile phone tower and is not part of the antenna!
Some people ask what students do during a PhD - well the driver of this mover/loader is Bruce Stansby in action as part of a Radio Astronomy PhD. Bruce is building a prototype 9 m diameter radio dish down near the Manning Road entrance to Curtin University and needed to move some rather heavy bits of steel than make up the base of the antenna. In case you are wondering - is he licenced to drive such a beast - yes he is!!
Nanotechnology students Andrew Princep and (Inset: L to R) Tiffany Fouche, Shani Sperinck, Sydel Michielsen at the Applied Physics information booth at Curtin Open Day 2008.
Mark Grey, PhD student with RSSRG is filtering for spectral absorption and total suspended solids off Montgomery Reef as part of a large Kimberley oceanic survey. The absorption spectra of the inherent optical propertiess will be used in ground 'truthing' for MERRIS satellite images. Correlating spectral absorption with water constituents can be used to quantify the bio-mass of phytoplankton, turbidity and even map the bathymetry of the ocean floor.
Dr Yarra Korczynskyj impresses and amazes onlookers with his liquid nitrogen demonstrations.
Mystery student revealed!! The Cable guys, David Basden (UWA), Jamie Stevens (UTAS) and Curtin PhD Student Bruce Stansby (who just loves having his photo taken) laying the 235 kg of fibre optic cable from the site office to the centre of the MWA Radio Telescope.
Mystery student at Murchison Radio-Astronomy Observatory using high tech optic fibre installation equipment for connecting up the latest Radio Telescope antenna array!
Group photo of Curtin people at the Harley Wood Winter School - Held at Notre Dame Fremantle - July 2008. In conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting, the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) sponsors the Harley Wood School for postgraduate students each year. The School is named in memory of Dr Harley Wood, first President of the ASA. The School usually involves 2 days of invited lectures and discussion centering around one theme. The atmosphere is informal and emphasises contact between students from all over Australia.
Some of the physics/nano graduates at the summer 2008 Grad Ceremony. Front row: Crosby Chang (nano), Will Rickard (AP), Tom Grieg (AP) Back row: Adrian Murdock (nano), Andrew Princep (nano), Shane Mule (AP) and Tim Colegate (AP)
Sessional staff member and Planetary Science Lecturer Lance Taylor showing us his style at space camp in the US.
PhD student Lynette Howearth ascending from her recent sampling expedition to sample fossilized marsupial bones from Margaret River Caves. Lynette's thesis is on helping to track megafauna extinction some three kilodecades ago using lead and strontium isotopes in their teeth.
Participants at an International SKADS (European Union funded, SKA Design Study) workshop that was held at Curtin on April 10. If you look closely you will see some Curtin Physics HDR staff and students amongst the faces.
Centre for Marine Science and Technology Technical Office, Mal Perry, on one of the CMST ship under-keel clearance trials in Torres Strait (Feb 2008). The photo is taken from atop the bridge of a product tanker, and shows one of the RTK GPS receivers, and the escort vessel off to the right. No seasickness by the look of things!
Trial data collection at SKA precursor site, Boolardy station. The Trailer houses 3 high end PCs. Photo by Dave Herne. How long is that extension cord Dave?
Applied Physics Technical Officer, Mr Daniel Marrable employs the Remote Sensing DALEC on the Swan River. DALEC stands for Dynamic Above water Radiance (Lu) and Irradiance (Ed) Collector and features 3 diode array spectrometers which continually measure water radiance, sky radiance, and sky/sun irradiance near-simultaneously from approxiamtely 390nm-850nm (UV/VIS/NIR) with a spectral resolution of approximately 2nm. DALEC spectrum has 256 elements. Combining the 3 measurements give us a good estimation of the spectral Remote Sensing Reflectance, a measurement which is made from satellites. The DALEC can be used for radiometric satellite "truthing", but being deployed on the water, it also allows researchers to know the reflectance of a particular patch of water they take water samples in. This is important sampling for understanding the physical relationship between the reflected colour of the water to the absorption and scattering properties of the water and the concentration of its constituents. This is still a growing field, which is made even more challenging by the variable nature of biology. The end goal of all of this work is to be able to reliably extract water constituent information from remote sensing techniques. In Dan's particular case, he is trying to quantify the amount of harmful algal species present in the Swan / Canning estuarine systems.
SKA Pathfinder staff on site Boolardy station - Contrary to the usual dust and dryness, look at how green the grass is and by all accounts there has been a lot of getting bogged! Roger Cappallo (Haystack Observatory MIT), David Herne (Curtin Physics PhD Student), Colin Lonsdale (also Haystack Observatory MIT), Mervyn Lynch (Curtin Physics)