2019 Greg DeGeller QD Education Award for Best Student Submission – Silvia Sherman

October 10, 2019

This year's Greg DeGeller award recipient is Silvia Sherman, a student working toward her B.S. in Applied Physics at California State University, San Marcos. Silvia submitted an Education Module focused on studying the heat capacity of magnetite. Magnetite is a fundamentally very interesting material which exhibits an often studied, but not fully understood, phase transition near 125 K.

When asked to elaborate on her experience with the VersaLab Ms. Sherman stated, "My current research in heat capacity of magnetite has been performed using the VersaLab. I have become familiar with the software, and the process to take measurements have become second nature to me. I have found the VersaLab to be very reliable and my number one tool for research."

Ms. Sherman also expanded upon her experience with undergraduate research, "Personally, participating in a research project is necessary to get hands-on experience, apply concepts to real life experiments, and prepare for a future career in industry. I encourage other students to look for opportunities in research within their educational institutions, no matter the year where they are at. Working with a professor, learning how to do research, and getting yourself out there will contribute tremendously to the university experience."

Quantum Design believes in the importance of innovations for educating tomorrow's scientists and engineers, especially in the fields of condensed matter physics, chemistry and materials science. QD's primary goal is to teach students how to preserve and foster their magical curiosity and to learn how to express it creatively. The QD Education website is part of an initiative to develop a teaching curriculum that exploits simple and "uncluttered" leading edge technology to inspire students to learn in new and more meaningful ways. Its purpose is to encourage the development and sharing of measurement curricula using QD's wide range of measurement options along with its PPMS® VersaLab cryogenic platform.

The award will fund travel for Ms. Sherman to attend a domestic conference.

2018 Greg DeGeller QD Education Award for Best Student Submission – Josefa Gregorio

January 2, 2018

Recognizing the value of providing a wide range of educational modules on its education-focused website, Quantum Design (QD) recently awarded its first prize for best student submission of a new educational experiment module. The award went to Josefa Gregorio, a student working toward her B.S. in Applied Physics at California State University, San Marcos.

Titled "Doping-Dependent Spin Reorientation Phenomenon in Holmium-based Orthoferrite," the objective of the module was to investigate the Spin Reorientation (SR) phenomenon in HoFeO3 and then examine the effect of Cr doping on the SR. "We used the Quantum Design VersaLab to take VSM measurements," Gregorio recalled. "At first it was a little daunting to operate the VSM device because I didn't want to break an expensive device. However, it turned out that it was really easy to mount the VSM linear motor, load the sample, and program through MultiVu."

When asked to elaborate about the overall experience, Gregorio stated, "It taught me how to write in a scientific educational format and furthered my understanding of the research. We have used what we learned from creating this module to branch off into new research projects. Most importantly, it enhanced my academic development experience as an emerging young scientist."

Quantum Design believes in the importance of innovations for educating tomorrow's scientists and engineers, especially in the fields of condensed matter physics, chemistry and materials science. QD's primary goal is to teach students how to preserve and foster their magical curiosity and to learn how to express it creatively. The QD Education website is part of an initiative to develop a teaching curriculum that exploits simple and "uncluttered" leading edge technology to inspire students to learn in new and more meaningful ways. Its purpose is to encourage the development and sharing of measurement curricula using QD's wide range of measurement options along with its PPMS® VersaLab cryogenic platform.

The award will fund travel for Ms. Gregorio to attend the American Physics Society (APS) March Meeting occurring March 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Winter Meeting

January 6-9, 2018

Join your colleagues at the 2018 AAPT Winter Meeting in San Diego, California featuring joint programming with the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. Surround yourself with physics educators from around the globe and develop and strengthen professional connections. Hear from internationally known plenary speakers and attend sessions, workshops and special activities designed with you in mind! Don't miss this opportunity to share your expertise and learn from and network with leaders in the field.

The 2018 Winter Meeting was held at the Town and Country, San Diego, California.

Click here for details.

American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Summer Meeting

July 16-20, 2016

Go on an unforgettable and intellectual journey with some of the best and brightest in physics education. Over a thousand people will participate in thought-provoking talks, and learn about new physics technology with days full of brilliant live speakers.

The 2016 Summer Meeting will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center with workshops at California State University, Sacramento.

The main conference hotel is the Sheraton Grand Sacramento

Click here for details.

CUR Biennial Conference 2016 – University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, FL

June 26-28, 2016

The 2016 CUR National Conference provides an opportunity for faculty, administrators, staff, academic and community partners, and policy-makers to share individual and collaborative investigations, either interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary, in local, national and international contexts, and to showcase models of undergraduate research activities at all types of higher education institutions. In addition, the conference features nationally-recognized keynote speakers who provide insight into current national/global trends and related fields of interest.

Click here for details.

Quantum Design is proud to announce that it has joined the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) as an affiliate member.

November 30, 2015

CUR is a national organization, founded in 1978 and representing over 900 colleges and universities, with a mission to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. CUR hosts an undergraduate research poster session on Capitol Hill, produces a Quarterly journal, and provides special Institutes on undergraduate research and faculty development as well as a bi-annual national conference. Quantum Design is excited to participate in this upcoming conference, as well as other dialogues that are held throughout the year, to better understand how our curricula and equipment can contribute to the promotion and support of undergraduate research.

AAPT Summer Meeting – University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

July 25 – 29, 2015

The American Association of Physics Teachers will hold their summer meeting at the University of Maryland, Saturday, July 25 - Wednesday, July 29, 2015, immediately following the 2015 ALPhA BFYII.

For details, click here.

ALPhA BFYII – University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

July 22 – 24, 2015

ALPhA, the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association, will hold the Second Conference on Laboratory Instruction: Beyond the First Year (BFY II) of College at the University of Maryland, Wednesday, July 22 - Friday, July 24, 2015, immediately preceding the 2015 AAPT Summer Meeting.

For details, click here.

AAPT Winter Meeting – Sheraton San Diego Hotel, San Diego, California

January 3 – 6, 2015

Talks presented at the meeting included:

• "Developing an Upper Division Lab for Materials Discovery and Characterization" presented by Rick Averitt (UCSD)
• "Bridging the Gap Between Graduate Programs and Careers in Industry" presented by Stefano Spagna (Quantum Design)

Seminar and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony For UCSD Physics Department

October 18, 2014

Quantum Design will provide funding to support state-of-the-art lab equipment and a new physics-based curriculum in the UCSD Physics Department. In honor of the gift, the department of physics hosted an invite-only symposium and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Quantum Design Teaching and Materials Discovery Lab on Saturday, Oct. 18. Speakers at the symposium included Brian Maple (UCSD), James Eckert (Harvey Mudd College), Edward Price (CSU San Marcos), John Neumeier (Montana State University), and Milton Torikachvili (SDSU).

For details on the symposium, click here.

Speaker Presentations

The Science of Teaching Science: Lessons from Physics Education Research (Ed Price, CSU San Marcos - 10MB PDF)