Southern Miss Physics Professor Named Summer Faculty Fellow at United States Air Force Academy

HATTIESBURG, Miss.  - Dr. Alina Gearba, assistant professor of physics at The University of Southern Mississippi, has been selected as a Summer Faculty Fellow at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program offers hands-on exposure to Air Force research challenges through eight to 12-week research residencies at participating Air Force Research Facilities for full-time science and engineering faculty at U.S. colleges and universities.

Dr. Gearba will be working at the Laser and Optics Research Center, which includes Space Physics and Atmospheric Research. LORC researchers, consisting of faculty and students from departments of physics, electrical engineering, biology, and mathematics, study laser and optical physics problems relevant to the needs of the Air Force. Current research at the LORC includes the study of optical nonlinearities in silica and polymers; the development of fiber optical chemical and biological sensors; laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms; and the development of infrared lasers.

"I consider the Summer Faculty Fellowship a unique program designed to bring together Air Force scientists and research faculty to work on problems that address the Air Force interests and needs," said Dr. Gearba. "I am excited about the opportunity to further my knowledge in laser cooling and trapping and its potential for technology advancement."

Fellowship program objectives include stimulating professional relationships among scientists and engineers at Air Force Research Facilities; elevating awareness in the U.S. academic community of Air Force research interests; and providing participants opportunities to perform meaningful research and providing nationally accredited mentoring at Air Force Research Laboratory Directorates, the United States Air Force Academy or the Air Force Institute of Technology. 

"This year, almost 300 individuals applied, and roughly 95 awards were given out, making the selection process extremely competitive for the Summer 2008 Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program," said Rick Kempinski, ASEE program manager.  ASEE administers the application process for the program on behalf of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Following evaluation of applications performed by a panel of experts, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research awarded fellowships in March 2008. Application requirements include holding a Ph.D. in science or engineering, faculty status at a U.S. college or university, and research interests in line with the interests and needs of the various Air Force Research Facilities; Air Force relevance of the proposed area of research is also considered.

Following participation, SFFP Fellows submit final reports at the end of their their tenure with the program. The final report includes technical and scientific holdings of the fellow's research. In addition, fellows evaluate their experiences providing recommendations for future programs. 

For more information about research in the Southern Miss Department of Physics and Astronomy, visit http://www.usm.edu/physics/research.php. For more information about the United States Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship program, visit http://www.asee.org/sffp/index.cfm. 

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