May 11, 2000

NAU physics students will spend summer abroad

By Julie Otto, Public Affairs

Two Northern Arizona University students will get the chance of a lifetime this summer to pursue their fields of study overseas.

Tom Butler, a junior merged physics/mathematics major, was selected for the CERN Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in Geneva, Switzerland.

"I was really excited. I was going to apply to eight or nine of the summer programs, and this was the first one I applied to and was accepted," Butler said.

CERN is the foremost European Organization for Nuclear Research, and an international center of the study of particle physics.

"I'll be exposed to the research environment, receive recommendations and make some connections," Butler said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Butler is currently a NAU/NASA Space Grant intern working on experimental studies of X-ray processing of astrophysically important ices. He hopes to determine the origin of these ices that form in space.

"Tom is an exceptional student and has a promising future in physics if he chooses to," David Cornelison, associate professor of physics at NAU, said.

"It's great to go through a school like NAU and still be considered competitive," Butler said, "The physics department is heavily interactive with the students."

Butler hails from Escondido, Calif. (San Pasqual High School) and will graduate from NAU this spring.

Joseph Hall, senior merged physics/astronomy major, is the second recipient of a summer program abroad. He is from Albuquerque and a graduate of Lacueval High School.

Hall was selected by the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg to attend its summer program at the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria in Valparaiso, Chile.

The ISU seeks individuals who demonstrate excellence, motivation and open-mindedness. Students also must be proficient in a foreign language.

"I was very excited. The ISU summer session program is very difficult to get into. You have to fill out about eight different forms and have at least five people evaluate your professional history, language proficiency, academic performance and motivation," Hall said. "It is quite expensive ($13,000 for two months) and I am currently seeking any funding I can get!"

The program is in its 13th year and is designed to forge professional relationships between students and faculty with international leaders in space research. This summer's program of study focuses on space tourism at low cost and strategies for applying satellite data to the management of the South American Pacific Coast.

At NAU, Hall has been conducting research with Caitlin Griffith, assistant professor in the physics department.

"Joe has been working with me for three years on a research project that investigates Saturn's largest moon Titan. Titan appears to resemble the Earth in that it has clouds, seas and rain. Yet, unlike the Earth the liquid is methane not water," Griffith said.

Hall recently was awarded a Hooper Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

"He embraces his work, always aware of the deadlines and the numerous tasks that his research involves. Joseph works hard and cultivates his talents," Griffith said.

"My future goals include getting my doctorate in astrophysics, cosmology or terrestrial meteorology (Earth weather). Many graduate schools and all employers in the space industry consider ISU alumni to be some of the most competent individuals in the field," Hall said.