Creighton Physics Professor Receives Award for Work With Undergraduate Research
Creighton University Physics Department chair Janet Seger, Ph.D., is the 2011 recipient of the American Physics Society Award for Faculty Working with Undergraduate Researchers. The award is given annually to a physicist whose research in an undergraduate setting has gained wide recognition and made a significant contribution to the professional development of undergraduate physics students.
Professor Seger's research focus is the study of ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions. These collisions, where the impact parameters are large enough that long-range electromagnetic interactions dominate, allow the study of photon-induced interactions in a nuclear environment. The research is supported by the Department of Education and the Nebraskaís Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Seger has actively involved undergraduates, including several non-physics majors, in the study of ultra-peripheral collisions at STAR, a group studying the formation and characteristics of quark-gluon plasma at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, NY. Her students also routinely present their work at national conferences.
The award consists of a $5,000 stipend for the recipient and a separate $5,000 unrestricted grant for research to the recipientís institution. The award was established in 1984 by a grant from the Research Corporation, a private foundation for the advancement of science and technology.