Two BYU undergraduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy were recognized at national and international conferences this summer for their superb physics research.
David Krueger, who recently graduated from BYU and is now continuing to pursue his Master’s at BYU, won second place in the “Best Student Paper in Musical Acoustics” category at the 157th national meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. His paper, entitled “Acoustic and Vibrometry Analysis of Beating in a Large Balinese Gamelan Gong,” resulted from Krueger’s collaborative research with Dr. Kent Gee in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw of the School of Music, who also directs the school’s gamelan ensemble. The paper, which Krueger developed as part of his physics capstone project, will soon be submitted to the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America for publication.
Matthew Shaw, another recent graduate who has subsequently begun his Master’s coursework at BYU, won one of five student paper prizes at Inter-Noise 2009, a conference sponsored by the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering held in August in Ottawa, Canada. Entitled “Acoustical Analysis of an Indoor Test Facility for a 30-mm Gatling Gun,” the paper presented Shaw’s undergraduate senior thesis in physics and is the product of research sponsored by HHI Corporation, a Utah construction and engineering firm tasked with designing a new test facility at Hill Air Force Base. Shaw is currently preparing a manuscript for submission to the Noise Control Engineering Journal on which he will be the first author.
Both students’ accomplishments underscore the unparalleled commitment to undergraduate research of both BYU and the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Students like Krueger and Shaw receive unique mentoring opportunities at BYU, allowing them to participate first-hand in high-level research work that prepares them for their future academic and professional endeavors.