Physics 367
Final Presentation Topics

Selection of a topic: The list of articles below is intended to suggest possible topics and a starting point for finding material on each subject. Most of the articles contain references to other sources of information. The articles in the Scientific American are accompanied by bibliographies that appear just inside the back cover of the monthly issue in which the articles appear. Each student must select an individual topic that is approved by the instructor.

You are not required to select a topic from the accompanying list, but it will give you an idea of the kinds of topics that are acceptable.

Final presentations will be scheduled during the last three weeks of class and during finals week. These will be limited to 15 minutes each, including the discussion afterward. Select only the ideas, facts, and conclusions which you think are most interesting and important. Try to finish talking in 12 minutes at most, and if you conclude with provocative statements or questions that stimulate subsequent discussion, this will add to the interest.

 

Department of Physics
Phy 367: Energy in a Modern Society
Final Presentation Topics

  Topic Author Reference
  Geology and Geophysics    
1 The Earth's Hot Spots Vink SciAm - 4/85
2 The Eruptions of Mount St. Helens Decker SciAm - 3/81
3 Predicting the Next Great Earthquake in California Wesson SciAm - 2/85
4 How Continents Break Up Courtillot & Virk SciAm - 7/83
5 Undersea Volcanoes Hekinian SciAm - 7/84
6 The Rifting of Continent Boratti SciAm - 3/87
7 Collapsing Volcanoes Francis & Self SciAm - 6/87
8 The Supercontinent Cycle Nance et al. SciAm - 7/88
9 Controlling Hurricanes Hoffman SciAm - 10/04
10 El Nino Ramage SciAm - 6/86
  Elementary Particle Physics    
1 Elementary Particles and Forces Quigg SciAm - 4/85
2 The Search for Proton Decay LoSecco et al. SciAm - 6/85
3 Solving the Solar Neutrino Problem McDonald et al. SciAm - 4/03
4 Cherenkov Radiation
5 Detecting Massive Neutrions Kearns et al. SciAm - 8/99
6 The Discovery of the Top Quark Liss & Tipton SciAm - 9/97
7 The Search for Relativity Violations Kostelecky SciAm - 9/04
8 The Search for Strange Matter Crawford & Greiner SciAm - 1/94
9 Fireballs of Free Quarks Collins & Reichert SciAm - 4/00
10 Revenge of the WIMPS Musser SciAm - 3/99
  Ecology and Polution    
1 The Tornado Snow SciAm - 4/84
2 The Law on the Sea Borgese SciAm - 3/83
3 Topsoil Gibbons NatGeo - 9/84
4 Rain Forests White NatGeo - 1/83
5 The Biosphere Cloud SciAm - 9/83
6 Deforestation in the Tropics Repetto SciAm - 4/90
7 Oil Spills MacDonald SciAm - 11/98
8 Greenland Ice Cores: Frozen in Time Alley & Bender SciAm - 2/98
9 The Climatic Effects of Nuclear War Turco et al. SciAm - 8/84
10 Chernobyl: Living with the Monster Edwards NatGeo - 8/94
  Food and Energy    
1 Fusion Furth SciAm - 9/95
2 Progress in Fusion Craxton et al. SciAm - 8/86
3 Caloric Restriction and Aging Weindruch SciAm - 1/96
4 Free Radicals and Aging Brown SciAm - 3/00
  Technology and the Individual    
1 Athletic Clothing Kyle SciAm - 3/86
2 Human-Powered Flight Drela & Langford SciAm - 11/85
3 Ultralight Planes Markowski SciAm - 7/82
4 Smart Sensors to Network the World Culler & Mulder SciAm - 6/04
5 Tan or Burn Fischetti SciAm - 7/01
6 Lie Detector Tests as Evidence Beardsley SciAm - 10/99
7 Laser Eye Surgery Fischetti SciAm - 5/04
8 Image Guided Surgery Grimson et al. SciAm - 6/99
  Technology and National Policy    
1 The Crashworthiness of Automobiles Thomke et al. SciAm - 3/99
2 Lightwave Communications Rosen & Castleman SciAm - 10/97
3 Global Satellite Communications Norcross SciAm - 10/99
4 Animal Testing Mukerjee SciAm - 2/97
5 Can Advanced Technology Save the U.S. Steel Industry? Szekely SciAm - 7/87
6 Advanced Materials and the Economy Clark & Fleming SciAm - 10/86
7 Making Environmental Treaties Work French SciAm - 12/94
8 National Missile Defense Garwin SciAm - 11/04
  Other    
1 Bird Navigation