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George Mason University

Physics Colloquia

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Fall 2025

Fridays at 3:30pm in Planetary Hall room 124.

 

Aug 29             Natalie Burls, AOES, George Mason University                                     Hydroclimate insights from the warm Pliocene, Miocene, and Eocene
Sept 5Victor Yakovenko, University of MarylandThe Mathematics of Human Population Growth and CO2 Emissions
Sept 12Stacy Kim, Carnegie Theoretical Astrophysics CenterWhat the Faintest Galaxies in the Universe Tell Us About Dark Matter
Sept 19Joel Coley, Howard UniversityA Multi-Wavelength Study of High-Mass Gamma Ray Binaries
Sept 26Luna Zagorac, Perimeter InstituteThe Cosmos and Its Simulacra: Computationally Modelling the Sky Across Disciplines
Oct 3CanceledCanceled
Oct 10Sergey Frolov, University of PittsburghMajorana 1: A New State of Matter, a Breakthrough Quantum Technology, and a Look Behind the Scenes of How the Science Machine Operates
Oct 17Denis Demchenko, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityDual Nature of Acceptors in Wide Bandgap Semiconductors
Oct 24Douglas Rowland, NASA/GSFCCanceled; government shutdown
Oct 31Gregory Quiroz, JHU/APL

Achieving Error Resilience in Quantum Processors

Zoom link

Nov 7Brian Williams, NASA/GSFC 
Nov 14Kimberly Boddy, UT Austin 
Nov 21Joseph Strocio, NIST 
Nov 28THANKSGIVING RECESS 
Dec 5Peter Armitage, JHU 

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Spring 2025

Fridays at 3:30pm in Planetary Hall room 120.

Jan 24             Vivian U, UC Irvine                                                                                                                                                                                   TBA
Jan 31Paola Barbara, Georgetown UniversitySensing with Nanomaterials
Feb 7Yahui Zhang, Johns Hopkins UniversityInteger and Fractional Quantum Hall Effects at Zero Magnetic Field in Moiré Systems
Feb 14John Shebalin, George Mason UniversityA Solution of the "Dynamo Problem"
Feb 21Daniel Fabrycky, NSF & The University of ChicagoExoplanets in Unlikely Places
Feb 28Erdal Yiğit, George Mason UniversityWhole Atmosphere Coupling in Terrestrial and Martian Atmospheres
Mar 7Benedikt Diemer, University of MarylandGalaxy Clusters as Dark Matter Laboratories
Mar 14Spring Break 
Mar 21Luna Zagorac, Perimeter InstituteTo be rescheduled
Mar 28Alexander Kutepov, CUANon-Equilibrium Infra-Red Emissions of Planetary Atmospheres: Modern Analysis Techniques, Resolved and Unresolved Problems
Apr 4Mustafa Amin, Rice UniversityDark Matter Theory
Apr 11Joe Huba, Syntek VAEquatorial Plasma Bubbles: Theory, Modeling, and Observations
Apr 18Goran Karapetrov, Drexel UniversityFemtosecond Spectroscopies
Apr 25Fabrizio Sassi, NASA GoddardGEOS-MLT: A Bold Frontier for Collaborative Helio-Earth Sciences
May 2Burcin Mutlu-Pakdil, Dartmouth UniversityTBA

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Fall 2024

Fridays at 3:30pm in Planetary Hall room 120.

Aug 30Albert Rigosi, National Institute of Standards and TechnologyHow Graphene's Quantum Hall Effect Defines the Ohm
Sept 6Phanish Suryanarayana, Georgia Institute of TechnologyNanomaterials to Warm Dense Matter from First Principles
Sept 13We recommend the Math Colloquium on this dayMany-Body Physics in Superconducting Devices
Sept 20Igor Mazin, George Mason UniversityIrreproducible Results: Potential Pitfalls and Good Practices
Sept 27Peter Kurczynski, NASA GoddardAstrophysics at NASA
Oct 4László Forró, University of Notre DameScientific Literacy Taught by a Physicist
Oct 11Misty Bentz, Georgia State UniversityComparing Direct Black Hole Mass Measurements in Active Galactic Nuclei
Oct 18Adi Foord, University of Maryland Baltimore CountyThe Growth and Evolution of SMBHs via Galaxy Mergers
Oct 25Ting Li, University of TorontoFrom Telescopes to Dark Matter & Black Holes
Nov 1David Carchedi (Math) and Erhai Zhao (Phys & Astro), GMUA Joint Approach to Teaching Quantum Field Theory
Nov 8Michele Pavanello, Rutgers UniversityUsing Machine Learning to Solve the Schrodinger Equation of Electronic Systems
Nov 15Igor Mazin, GMUConventional High Temperature Superconductivity: From A15 to MgB2 to Super Hydrides
Nov 22Natasha Latouf, GMUExploring New Worlds with BARBIE and KEN
Dec 6Keighley Rockcliffe, NASA Goddard ~ To be rescheduled ~

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Spring 2024

Fridays at 3:30pm in Planetary Hall room 120.

Jan 26Jessica Thomas, APSTour the APS Journals — and Learn about a Unconventional Career Path Along the Way
Feb 2Steven Erwin, Naval Research LaboratoryComputational Materials Science at the Naval Research Lab: Overview and Some Recent Projects
Feb 9Peter Hirshfeld, University of FloridaSuperconductivity: There's Plenty of Cream at the Bottom
Feb 23Samuel Carter, University of MarylandSpins in Semiconductors for Quantum Information Science
Mar 15Edward P. Szuszczewicz, GMUThe Role of Physics and Physics Education in Creating a New Generation of Practicing Physicians and Biomedical Researchers
Mar 22Carey Lisse, Johns Hopkins UniversityThree Galactic Travelers Teach Us About Solar System Formation & Evolution
Mar 29Liuyan Zhao, University of MichiganSeeing Quantum Matter with Nonlinear Optics
Apr 5Bellave Shivaram, University of VirginiaIdentifying Quantum Spin Liquids: Where is the smoking gun?
Apr 12Victor Yakovenko, University of MarylandEconomic Inequality from a Statistical Physics Point of View
Apr 19SM Koopayeh, Johns Hopkins UniversityQuantum Materials: Bulk Synthesis, Crystallization, and Development
Apr 26Daniel Weiss, Yale UniversityQuantum Random Access Memory Architectures Using 3D Superconducting Cavities

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Fall 2023

Fridays at 3:30pm.

   
Sept 8Steven Erwin, Naval Research LaboratoryComputational Materials Science at the Naval Research Lab: Overview and Some Recent Projects -- TO BE RESCHEDULED
Sept 15Eric Gaidos, University of HawaiiM Dwarf Rotation Periods and Ages
Sept 22Louis Pecora, University of MarylandStatistics of Attractor Embeddings in Reservoir Computing
Sept 29Eugene Kolomeisky, University of VirginiaNatural Analogies Between Cosmology and Basic Condensed Matter Physics
Oct 13Natalia Drichko, Johns Hopkins UniversityFrustrated Magnetism Meets Electric Bands Topology: Case of Pyrochlore Iridates
Oct 20Kai Liu, Georgetown UniversityMagneto-Ionics and 3D Nanowire Networks
Oct 27Pei Dong, GMUAdvanced Materials for Sustainability
Nov 3Dieter Vollhardt, University of AugsburgLaws and Theories in the Natural Sciences
Nov 10Jessica Thomas, American Physical Society-- TO BE RESCHEDULED
Nov 17Phillip Hess, Naval Research LaboratoryHI and Mighty: How Heliospheric Imagers from Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter are Improving our Understanding of the Heliosphere
Dec 1Hannah Jang-Condrell, NASAFrom Protoplanetary Disks to Programs

 

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Spring 2023

Fridays at 3:30pm. Location to be announced.

   
Feb 3Breanna Binder, California State Polytechnic University, PomonaWhat Helium-II Emission Lines Can (and Can't) Tell Us about the Most Massive X-ray Binaries
Feb 10Karan Jani, Vanderbilt UniversityMulti-Messenger, Multi-Band Astrophysics: From Earth, Space, and the Moon
Feb 17Angelo Ricarte, Harvard UniversityUnveiling Black Hole Accretion with the Event Horizon Telescope -- and Beyond
March 24Michelle Johannes, Naval Research LaboratoryUsing Computational Materials Physics to Understand and Improve Battery Performance
March 31Adam Kowalski, University of Colorado, BoulderSolar Flare Observations and Model Predictions for the Next Solar Magnetic Activity Maximum
April 7Joshua M. Pettit, NASA GoddardModeling the Thermospheric Response to Solar and Geomagnetic Drivers During the February 2022 Starlink Event
April 28Mukremin Kilic, University of OklahomaA Revolution in Stellar Astrophysics, and the Remaining Challenges
May 5Doug Rowland, NASA GoddardNASA’s Geospace Dynamics Constellation: Exploring our Connected Atmosphere

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Fall 2022

Fridays at 3:30 p.m, Exploratory 3301.

   
Sept 16Philip Kim, Harvard UniversityStacking van der Waals Atomic Layers: Quest for New Quantum Materials 
Sept 23
Planetary Hall 126 at 2:30pm		Rainald Löhner, George Mason UniversityRisk Mitigation in the Built Environment via Large Scale Multiphysics Simulations
Oct 7Kaden Hazzard, Rice UniversityProgrammable Quantum Matter with Real and Synthetic Dimensions
Oct 21Ian R. Sellers, University of OklahomaNext Generation Photovoltaics: The Hot Carrier Solar Cell
Oct 28Kenneth Burch, Boston CollegePost-Pandemic Tool for Quantum Materials and vice-versa
Nov 4Nestor Espinoza, Space Telescope Science InstituteExploring New Frontiers in Exoplanetary Science with JWST
Nov 11Anna Wright, Johns Hopkins UniversityPreviewing Roman's Survey of Stellar Halos Using the FOGGIE Simulations
Nov 18Maria Kuznetsova, NASA/GFSCOverview of CCMC Tools and Activities in Support of Research, Education, and Advancing of Space Weather Predictive Capabilities
Dec 1Viacheslav Merkin, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins UniversityRecent Progress in Self-Consistent Modeling of the Geospace System

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Spring 2022

Fridays at 3:30 p.m., online

   
March 4Richard Eastes, UC BoulderThe Thermosphere-Ionosphere System: Contributions by the Global-scale Observations of The Limb and Disk (GOLD) Mission
March 25Harald O. Jeschke, Okayama UniversityThe Frustrated World of Quantum Spin Liquids
April 22Jeremy Levy, University of PittsburghCorrelated Nanoelectronics and the Second Quantum Revolution
April 29Peter H. Jacobose, University of California BerkeleyGraphene Nanoribbons: A New Platform for Quantum Engineering

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Fall 2021

Fridays at 3:30 p.m., online

   
Sept 3Yafis Barlas, University of NevadaCorrelated and Topological Phases in Flat Bands of Two-Dimensional Crystals
Sept 10Avi Loeb, Harvard UniversityThe Galileo Project: In Search of Technological Interstellar Objects
Tuesday Sept 14, Planetary Hall 263, NoonSpecial Event: Max Joshua, Blue Skies Space Ltd.The Twinkle Space Mission: an update on the international collaborative exoplanet survey
Thursday Sept 16, Planetary Hall 263, NoonSpecial Event: Kaitlin Rasmussen, University of MichiganConstraining the Drake Equation: The Past, Present, and Future of the Search for Life
Sept 17Pedram Roushan, Google Inc. Santa BarbaraGoing Beyond Classical Computation with Superconducting Qbits
Sept 24Craig DeForest, Southwest Research InstitutePUNCH it! Unifying Solar Physics and Solar Wind Physics
Oct 1Dilek Yildiz, NISTJoule Meets Van der Waals: Non-Contact Energy Dissipation on a Topological Insulator Surface
Oct 8Tanya Zelevinsky, Columbia UniversityHigh-Precision Physics and Chemistry with Ultracold Molecules
Oct 15Peter Siegfried, George Mason UniversityElectronic and magnetic topological states in the Kagome-net magnet YMn6Sn6
Oct 22Jean-Damien Pillet, Ecole PolytechniqueGuiding Dirac Fermions in Graphene with a Carbon Nanotube
Oct 29Fabian Natterer, University of ZurichCombining Sparse Sampling and Parallel Spectroscopy for Rapid Quasiparticle Interference Imaging
Nov 5Liuyan Zhao, University of MichiganDetecting, Mapping, and Manipulating a Ferro-Rotational Order in Solids
Nov 12You Zhou, University of MarylandEngineering Light-Matter Interactions in Atomically Thin Semiconductors
Nov 19Jie Shan, Cornell UniversityElectrons in 2D Moiré Superlattices

Physics and Astronomy Colloquia, Spring 2021

Fridays at 3:30 p.m.

   
January 29Diana Parno, Carnegie Mellon UniversityThe Unbearable Lightness of Neutrinos
February 5Erik Henriksen, WUSTL2d Crystalline Donors and Acceptors: How a Quantum Spin Liquid Leads to Modulation Doping in Atomically-Thin Heterostructures
February 12Matthew Yankowitz, U. WashingtonTunable Correlated and Topological States in Twisted Graphene Heterostructures
February 19Mohammad Hafezi, U. MarylandTopological Physics: From Photons to Electrons
February 26Sonal Jain, U. ColoradoAn Ultraviolet Perspective of the Dynamic Atmosphere of Mars: Highlights from six Years of Observations from the MAVEN Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph
March 5Christoph Englert, Naval Research LaboratoryAchieving a Measurement Precision of 0.000002% or Better:
Control What You Can, Track What You Can’t
March 12Vikram Deshpande, U. UtahEngineering Topological Materials: The Case of Topological Insulators and Carbon Nanotubes 
March 26Marlou Slot, NISTPatterning Atomic Flatland: Electronic Lattices Crafted Atom by Atom
April 2Joseph Stroscio, NISTCombining STM, AFM, and Magnetotransport Measurements for In-Operando Studies of Quantum Materials
April 9Benjamin Feldman, Stanford U.Mapping Flavor Polarization and Competing Chern Insulators in Twisted Bilayer Graphene
April 16McArthur Jones, Naval Research LaboratoryWhole Atmosphere Coupling Embodied by Trace Species Variability during Atmospheric Dynamical Disturbances

 

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