SPS Zone 7 Meeting 2025

Meeting Date: April 11-12, 2025

Location: Dayton, OH

Host: Society of Physics Students

Reported By: Robert Lysinger, Wright State University

Introduction

On April 11^th and 12^th 2025, Wright State University hosted the Spring 2025 Meeting of the Society of Physics Students Zone 7 (Website Here) in parallel with the Spring 2025 American Physical Society meeting of the Eastern Great Lakes Section (APS-EGLS). The meeting was locally hosted by the Wright State University Chapter #8424 in coordination with the Associate Zone Councilor Jacob Callebs and Zone Councilor Ronald Kumon. All events were held on the campus of Wright State. Activities involved speaker presentations, the SPS Zone 7 meeting/kickoff event, banquet, oral and poster presentations, an SPS game night, and finally an SPS pizza lunch. At least 30 undergraduate students and alumni and 20 faculty members attended the meeting from a total of 14 chapters from across the zone.

Meeting Agenda

This meeting mainly took place in the Student Union Apollo, Endeavor, and Atlantis rooms on Friday, April 11th as well as the Oelman Hall building on Saturday, April 12th. The agenda of the events for the EGLS meeting are listed below, with SPS events in bold and other events italicized and underlined:

Friday, April 11, 2025
Noon-1:30 pm: Check-in and Registration [Front Entrance, Student Union]
1:35-2:35 pm: EGLS Invited Speaker [Apollo Room]
Kathy Koenig, Ph.D. Professor of Physics, University of Cincinnati"Enhancing Student Learning and Sense of Belonging through Interactive Web-Based Tutorials”
2:45-3:00 pm: Poster Setup [Apollo Room and Endeavor Room]
3:00-5:00 pm: Contributed Poster Session and Light Refreshments [Apollo Room and Endeavor Room]
5:05-6:05 pm: EGLS Invited Speaker [Apollo Room]
Nicholas J. Morley, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, High Power Photonics, Air Force Research Lab"High Energy Laser Beam Control - Aero-Optics and Opto-Mechanics at its Best”
6:10-7:10 pm: SPS Zone 7 Meeting Kick-off Event [Atlantis Room] (also live streamed)
This event is an opportunity for students to introduce themselves, meet fellow students across the zone, and find out more about the programs and activities of the Society of Physics Students. This event is chaired by Associate Zone Councilor Jacob Callebs (Wayne State University) and Zone Councilor Ronald Kumon (Kettering University). Everyone, including faculty and other professionals, is welcome to attend. A link to the livestream will be sent out to chapter officers and advisors prior to the meeting.
7:15-9:15 pm: Banquet [Apollo Room]
The banquet will include remarks by student Spoogmay Khan from Ohio University about American Physical Society’s Student Ambassadors program.
9:15-10:30 pm: SPS Game Night [Student Union Atrium] (snacks will be provided)

Saturday, April 12, 2025
8:00-8:30 am: Coffee and refreshments [Room 109, Oelman Hall]
8:30-9:30 am: Welcome and EGLS APS Invited Speaker [Room 109, Oelman Hall]
Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, Ph.D. Professor of Physics, The Ohio State University"Molecular Materials for Quantum Information Science and Engineering”
9:40-11:05 am: Contributed Oral Presentations [Oelman Hall]
11:15 am-12:15 pm: EGLS APS Invited Speaker [Room 109, Oelman Hall]
Matthew Grasinger, Ph.D. Research Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory"Careers and Research at the Intersection of Statistical Physics and Aerospace Composites”
12:15-12:45 pm: Closing Remarks and Awards Presentations [Room 109, Oelman Hall]
Zifeng Yang, Ph.D. , Associate Professor & EGLS APS Chair, Wright State University
1:00-3:00 pm: SPS Pizza Lunch [Student Union]
This event is free for students and chapter advisors.

Attendance

Over 30 undergraduate students/alumni and at least 20 faculty members attended the meeting. Chapters that were represented were from Wright State University, University of Toledo, University of Dayton, Grove City, Oakland University, Marietta College, Michigan State University, Youngstown State University, Lawrence Technological University, Ohio University, University of Akron, Ohio Northern University, Kettering University, and Wayne State University.

Meeting Activities

Invited Speaker Sessions

Zone 7 Meeting attendees had the chance to sit in on sessions with 4 invited speakers:

• Dr. Kathy Koenig from the University of Cincinnati had an interesting speech on how Web-Based learning can enhance engagement and sense of belonging with students.
• Dr. Nicholas J. Morley from the Air Force Research Lab gave an engaging talk on how the issues presented in designing laser defense weaponry for aircraft are approached.
• Dr. Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin from The Ohio State University spoke on creation of materials for Quantum information and engineering.
• Dr. Matthew Grasinger from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) gave a presentation on career opportunities with AFRL and his field of research, which consisted of design, manufacture, and analysis of the crystallinity of Aerospace Composite materials.

Contributed Poster Session

Students attending the APS-EGLS Spring 2025 meeting also had the chance to present their research in a poster session, held before the banquet at 3pm on Friday. There were a total of 23 posters, with the Undergraduate poster award going to Ellis Thomas, University of Toledo - “Enhanced Fluorescence Imaging with Ultra-Bright Pervoskite Labels”, and Graduate award for Spoogmay Khan, Ohio University – “Neutron-Induced Reversible Nanostructuring of GeSe₂”.

Banquet

Attendees of the meeting were offered a banquet held in the Student Union Apollo room, with service awards provided to outstanding APS representatives during the dinner. The awardees were Perry Yaney, and Sultana Nahar.

Zone Meeting Kickoff

The Zone 7 Kickoff Meeting was held at 6:10pm on Friday, April 11^th. Zone Councilor Professor Ronald Kumon from Kettering University and Associate Zone Councilor Jacob Callebs from Wayne State University coordinated and led the meeting, while live-streaming onlinefor folks who could not attend. Items from an SPS meeting kit were laid out for meeting attendees, which included brochures about SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma, past issues of the SPS Observer, Radiations, info about scholarship/job opportunities, and the Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA). After everyone attending introduced themselves, Ronald Kumon and Jacob Callebs explained what the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma are, their leadership, and how the organizations are governed. Other valuable information for SPS members was provided such as scholarship opportunities, awards, contact info, and career opportunities. Other resources for chapters were also given such as the Zone 7 website, Discord server, and YouTube channels. Upcoming events for SPS were described like Council Elections, Chapter Reports, Awards and Grants, Scholarships, Internship Programs, The Physics and Astronomy Congress, and the next Zone Meeting. For Sigma Pi Sigma, membership criteria and benefits were also described. Slides for the presentation were emailed to SPS members in case they would like the info on them, and the recording from the kickoff meeting was posted to the SPS Zone 7 YouTube channel . At least 22 students and faculty were present at the kickoff meeting, representing a minimum of 9 chapters.

SPS Game Night

The first day of the Zone 7 Meeting concluded with a game night for students attending, held on April 11^th at 9:15pm in the Student Union Atrium. Activities included card games, pool, table tennis, basketball, cornhole, and chess along with snacks/drinks provided. At least 15 students from 6 different chapters attended the game night.

Contributed Oral Presentations

On Saturday morning, April 12^th beginning at 9:40am in Oelman hall, several sessions of talks were held in parallel. Areas presented on were (Q00) Physics Education Research, (Q01) Theoretical, Computational, and Applied Physics, (Q02) Condensed Matter and Material Science, and (Q03) BioMedical, Astrophysics, Nuclear and Particle Physics. For each talk, audience members were allowed to vote and provide feedback. This information was then used by judges to choose the winners for the student presentation awards. Those who won the award were: Robert Lysinger, Wright State University – “A Study of Power Saturation in Spectroscopic Gas Analysis within the Terahertz Spectral Range”, and Carissa Myers, Michigan State University – “Using Mixed Methods to Investigate a Physics Undergraduate Student’s Self-Efficacy”

SPS Pizza Lunch

After the awards ceremony ended Saturday afternoon, Zone 7 sponsored a pizza lunch with approximately 25 people in attendance. Some folks from other chapters at the meeting could not attend, as they had to head home. The lunch was a good opportunity for attendees to wind down while eating and enjoying conversation.

Recommendations for Future Zone Meeting Planning

Planning the zone meeting went well, as we had enough time in advance to discuss and schedule reservations with the university. However, the biggest problem we had was registration and estimates for the number of people to expect for the game night and pizza lunch. Many individuals either skipped the check-in process or registered late, and so accurately gauging attendance for both events was difficult. It may be possible to include in the registration form for future meetings the option to indicate whether an individual was going to attend SPS events, and possibly a registration deadline or a way to access the list for organizers to make attendance estimates more accurate. For those who skipped check-in, it may be that some individuals arrived later, which cannot be helped. Overall, organizing this zone meeting went smoothly, and the support from everyone involved made this possible.

Conclusion

The Spring 2025 SPS Zone 7 Meeting at Wright State University proved to be a great opportunity for members and alumni alike. The chance to meet students and faculty from other universities provided a fantastic way to make new friends, connections, learn more about the field, and foster interest in Physics as well as build a stronger community. We look forward to meeting again around the time of the next EGLS APS meeting at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in October.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge financial support from the Society of Physics Students national office and the American Physical Society Eastern Great Lakes Section for providing funds to allow for this meeting to take place and make registration free for students while providing a reduced banquet price. We would also like to thank Ronald Kumon and Jacob Callebs for helping organize the conference as well as the SPS meeting. We are also grateful to our SPS Chapter #8424 members Robert Lysinger, Heidi Stammen, Frankie Barton, and Zach Naumovski, as well as Wright State co-chairs for the APS EGLS and MI-AAPT meeting Amit Sharma and Ivan Medvedev, for organizing the event from the university’s end.

Narrative

The American Physical Society Eastern Great Lakes Section Spring 2025 Meeting theme was “Multiscale Innovations in Applied and Fundamental Physics: Elevating Flight and Beyond”, hosted at Wright State University. The theme fits incredibly well as the area holds historical significance to the innovation of flight, with the Wright Brothers having built prototypes for the first airplane in Dayton, Ohio. Holding the SPS Zone 7 meeting in conjunction with the EGLS conference provided students with the opportunity to learn from the work of professional Physicists while presenting their own. Students had been provided chances for travel funding, awards, and other resources in order to attend. This allowed them to learn from their contemporaries and the American Physical Society, while also being able to attend presentations from invited speakers. Based on our estimates, at least 30 undergraduate students from 14 different chapters attended the meeting.

The meeting began with welcome remarks from Wright State University’s (WSU) Dr. Amit Sharma, who handled the organizing of this meeting on the university’s end. Then, after an introduction from WSU’s Physics Department Head Dr. Ivan Medvedev, the first invited speaker began an informative talk. Dr. Kathy Koenig from the University of Cincinnati had done research on how to engage students with her general education Physics classes and found that a specific style of web-based education can enhance a general population of students’ understanding of the subject taught. Later on in the APS EGLS meeting, the third speaker Dr. Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin from Ohio State gave a speech about his research on the of materials for Quantum information and engineering. Two Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) representatives also presented on the lab’s mission, career opportunities, and their research. For the second speaker, Dr. Nicholas J. Morley’s research at AFRL involved the development of focused laser defense weapons for aircraft, and the challenges it involves. Dr. Matthew Grasinger, also from the AFRL, gave the last talk of the meeting on composite materials used in aerospace technology and analysis of their crystal structures. For students, these talks were a great chance to see high-level research, as well as learn about prospective internship and employment opportunities.

The SPS Zone 7 Meeting began with the Kickoff Event at 7pm on Friday, April 11^th. It was hosted by Associate Zone Councilor Jacob Callebs and Zone Councilor Ronald Kumon, who after introductions from all the attendees, went over what the Society of Physics Students is about. In addition, they also described the opportunities that membership to SPS provides as well as information about APS and Sigma Pi Sigma. The magazines, brochures, and goodies from a Zone Meeting Kit were also laid out for attendees right outside the Atlantis room. At least 19 students representing 9 universities attended the zone meeting, with a zoom call open for those who could not make it in-person.

Right before the Kickoff Meeting, a banquet was held for hungry meeting-goers in the Apollo room. During the dinner, along with a live Jazz band, an award ceremony was held for members of the American Physical Society who demonstrated exceptional service to the organization. The awards were: Perry Yaney, given the Howard Maxwell Award for Distinguished Service, and Sultana Nahar was given the Fowler award.

Later on in the night, the Wright State SPS chapter members organized a game night in the student union atrium. A good opportunity for students to have fun after a long day, they were provided with activities such as Billiards, Basketball, Cornhole, Chess, and more. Snacks and drinks were also laid out for attendees.

On Friday, a contributed poster session was held at 3pm in the Endeavor room with 23 students presenting their research. Every individual there had interesting and engaging research, however the two awards went to undergraduate Ellis Thomas, University of Toledo - “Enhanced Fluorescence Imaging with Ultra-Bright Pervoskite Labels”, and graduate Spoogmay Khan, Ohio University – “Neutron-Induced Reversible Nanostructuring of GeSe₂”.

Saturday morning at 9:40am, students and experienced researchers had the chance to give oral presentations on their work in parallel. Rooms in Oelman Hall each had a specific subject, with areas presented on being: Physics Education Research, Theoretical, Computational, and Applied Physics, Condensed Matter and Material Science, as well as BioMedical, Astrophysics, Nuclear and Particle Physics. A total of 25 talks were given, with the awardees being: Best graduate talk, Carissa Myers from Michigan State University on “Using Mixed Methods to Investigate a Physics Undergraduate Student’s Self-Efficacy”, and best undergraduate talk, Robert Lysinger from Wright State University on “A Study of Power Saturation in Spectroscopic Gas Analysis in the Terahertz Spectral Range”.

After the awards ceremony and closing remarks, an SPS Pizza Lunch was held at 1pm on Saturday. With the EGLS meeting over, food from a local pizza place along with provided drinks/chips gave folks a chance to socialize one more time before everyone went home.

Overall, the SPS Zone 7 Meeting held in conjunction with the Spring 2025 APS EGLS conference was an excellent opportunity for students meet others from different universities, talk to experienced professionals in the field, learn about research going on in the area, and present their own work. The game night and pizza lunch were also a good way for students to get to know one another after being introduced at the Kickoff. The Wright State SPS Chapter #8424 would like to thank Dr. Amit Sharma, Zone Councilor Ronald Kumon, and Associate Zone Councilor Jacob Callebs for helping plan the Zone 7 Meeting. We would also like to thank the students who attended, as well as APS EGLS for making it possible to hold this event.