Events

Speaker Colloquium

The Department Colloquium typically hosts general-interest physics lectures by invited outside speakers every month. Depending on the topic and speaker, talks in this series may also be of interest to the wider DePaul University community. Feel free to share your suggestions for future guest speakers to Dr. Eric Landahl at elandahl@depaul.edu

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​Graduate Thesis Presentations 

22nd Annual Undergraduate STEM Research Showcase

Total Solar Eclipse 2024 

The "Total Solar Eclipse 2024" project involved engaging 50 DePaul students in hands-on STEM research activities, culminating in a high-altitude balloon launch during the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. This initiative, supported by a NASA grant, combines efforts from various disciplines within DePaul’s colleges and the Idea Realization Lab 2 (IRL2) makerspace.

Our primary goal was to immerse a diverse group of students in authentic scientific research, improving their knowledge in solar, planetary, and atmospheric science, as well as in stratospheric ballooning. We also wanted a way for students to experience a total solar eclipse (often a once-in-a-lifetime event) not just as "eclipse tourists", but also as working scientists.

The IRL was pivotal in achieving our goals. Students utilized the IRL's  resources to design and fabricate the balloon's payloads. This included workshops on high-altitude ballooning and hands-on construction of payloads using both plug-and-play systems like GoPro cameras and Vernier sensors as well as custom electronics. The IRL provided not only the tools but also a collaborative environment that was essential for the interdisciplinary nature of our project.

This project highlighted the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and practical problem-solving in real-world settings.  The takeaway for participants is the impactful nature of applied science education and the potential for students to lead in technological innovation.  An unexpected beneifit was the large crowd attracted at the launch site, just before totality, and having an opportunity to explain to the public our research and methods.  Although we were unable to recover all of our data from the launch, we do have substantial data sets on wind speed and atmospheric light scattering that some of the students on the project will be analyzing this summer.

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