Physics problem
Editor, The Commercial:
To set up DynaCool instrument, UAPB’s Research, Innovation, and Economic Development Vice Chancellor (RIECVC) has occupied Caine-Gilleland Hall’s Advanced Physics Lab (room 217) and is occupying the Astronomy Lab (room 218) overlooking the Walker Research Center’s or the Larrison Hall’s space. Now no room is available for teaching the Advanced Physics Lab. Dr. Gilleland could not imagine losing her efforts-led established Academic Building’s improved classroom learning facilities.
For classroom unavailability, Chairpersons mention “TBA” to avoid the classroom assignment problems. One faculty teaches Physics behind a partition in Chemistry-Physics suit and another faculty in the Astronomy Lab.
Classrooms losses discourage faculty from recruiting students for Physics or generating proposals for students’ research support. One faculty has a five-year grant that leverages recruitment of students for Physics majors. Although stipulated in the proposal, he feels discouraged to approach high school seniors for recruitment.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
He has three more pending proposals for support for Physics majors. Nowhere to teach the recruited students. NSF, NASA, NOAA, DOD, DOE, etc. offer summer internships for students. Unlike other HBCUs, VCRIEC’s actions obstructs UAPB’s student preparation for the national work force.
The instrument’s limited lifetime and/or funding cutoff for research priority changes will render the rooms unfit for teaching.
RIECVC’s instrument generates 240,000 times stronger than the solar condition-regulated Earth’s magnetic field. “there is no shield or substance that will effectively block magnetic fields.” Our body “with electrical activity in the nerves and in the transport of ions between cells” can experience measurable effects by this magnetic field not to speak of pacemakers, metal pieces inside bodies, cell phones, digital watches, and credit cards.
Contrary to the granting agency’s policy, this stakeholder does not let other faculty use his equipment. I wonder how the administration allows him to perform activities against student recruitment while advocating for enrollment increase.
Miah M. Adel, professor,
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff