IC Physics Department

A place to relax, enjoy some coffee and cookies, and explore ideas about our physical universe... for science and non-science types!

Seeing Beneath the Soil

On Tuesday, November 9th, 2004 at 7:30 pm in the Emerson Suites Ithaca College's own Professor Michael Rogers will speak about Ground-based Remote Sensing. Technological advances in the past two decades have allowed ground-based remote sensing tools to be effectively used at archaeology and environmental study sites. Come hear how IC physics professor Michael Rogers uses ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, and other methods to look into the ground without excavating. Interactive demonstrations will illuminate how these methods work, and Dr. Rogers will share upcoming work that might entice you to join the survey team!

Click on the picture above to see an interactive Quicktime move of the slides used during the Cafe. When the Quicktime opens you need to click on each frame to see the next slide.

Magnetic data from Gila Encantada, NM
Plot of the magnitude of the Earth's Local magnetic field at the Gila Encantada Pithouse Village Site, NM.

Dr. Rogers's research examines methods of increasing the accuracy and efficiency of ground-based remote sensing (GBRS). He is interested in all types of GBRS methods, but his current research focus is on magnetometry, ground-penetrating radar, and resistivity. His research is often applied to archaeology projects and to helping solve environmental problems.
Bodhi has recently become interested in using a spectophotometer and the method of colorimetry to determine the distribution of iron in soils in an effort to understand what specific aspects of soils creates variations in the Earth's local magnetic field recorded by magnetometer surveys, and using the method of maximum entropy to

Photo of Student Kevin Faehndrich conducting a magnetic survey at Gila Encantada, NM

IC Physics Student Kevin Faehndrich conducts a magnetic survey at the Gila Encantada Pithouse Village Site, NM.

The Physics Café is a campus-wide lecture series sponsored by the Physics Department of Ithaca College. The idea is to grab and hold the attention of science and non-science majors by offering talks on exciting and accessible current topics in physics, such as the time-warping properties of black holes, or the exploration of planet mars. The talks are presented in a café environment, where coffee is served and students and physicists can informally discuss new ideas.

There are no pre-requisites! No requirements! Everyone is welcome! Starbucks coffee (caffeinated and decaf.) will be served, along with cookies and biscuits. An informal talk-back session with the speaker will immediately follow each presentation. The Physics Café takes place at the beginning of each semester, before the workload gets heavy, and while students and faculty are not preoccupied with prelims. The lecture is free and open to the public.

For more information on our speaker, please see Michael Rogers at Ithaca College Physics Department

For more information about Dr. Rogers's research please see the website: http://ic024008.ithaca.edu/~user/yGBRS-Chronological.html

Contact: Professor Beth Ellen Clark Joseph
Center for Natural Sciences, Room 267
607 274 3968


Read about former Physics Café Talks here:
	Spring 2004: The Elephant Seismic Project
	Fall 2003: Black Holes: Small, Medium, and Huge
	Spring 2003: Mars Mission

Read the Press Releases about the Physics Cafe here:
	September 18, 2003 September 08, 2003 August 25, 2003 February 03, 2003 January 01, 2003

Pages written by Michael Rogers and updated on at the Ithaca College Physics Department in Ithaca, NY..