March 8 Talk to Explored Astrophysics Experiments at Cal Poly

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly Research Scholar in Residence Roger Grismore will provide insight into astrophysics experiments carried out at Cal Poly in a talk at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in Room 111-H in the Kennedy Library on campus.

Cal Poly professors and students have been performing experiments in nuclear astrophysics. By measuring the emitted levels of nuclear radiation from space artifacts – meteorites, lunar samples, and parts from space vehicles – the researchers are exploring the radioactive material found in space and testing current theories of how the universe and its components developed.

Many experiments have been conducted using instruments such as the highly sensitive, multidimensional gamma-ray spectrometer. Two projects have particular significance: One experiment demonstrated that there are measurable amounts of uranium in near-Earth space, and the second measured the density of radioactive aluminum, also in near-Earth space.

Grismore will discuss these findings and the impact on current thinking in nuclear astrophysics.

Grismore earned a Bachelor of Science degree, a master’s and a doctorate in physics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as a bachelor’s in computer science from Coleman College in San Diego. His major areas of research have been in experimental physics, particularly in the fields of nuclear physics, oceanography and astrophysics.

The presentation is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Research and Graduate Programs office. For more information, contact Debbie Hart at 756-1508 or dahart@calpoly.edu.

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