Summer 2021 Physics Scholars Program

Four DRS Students, Cell Phones and Physics

By Willie Williams & Sylvester Peck, Sr.

September 9, 2021

This summer, four students from FAMU DRS, Chaela Green, Amani Hankins, Vaniah Cunningham and Christopher Osborne, along Mr. Willie Williams, FAMU DRS Physics Instructor, worked with Senior Scientist, Dave Rakestraw, and Dr. Ronald Williams, a 1964 FAMU High graduate and a professor of Physics at Florida A&M University, on a revolutionary new approach in exploring, learning, and teaching physics. The program participants included an Adjunct Professor, graduate students, college physics students from across the country.

During the program, participants were able to apply advances in applied physics, such as microelectronics and digital communications and learn how these innovations have dramatically changed our daily lives: instant communication, sharing of images/video, navigation, access to vast amounts of information, and entertainment. They also learned how these remarkable technologies can be used in teaching and learning physics. Ronald Williams, Ph.D., stated that together we had an opportunity to make a dramatic impact in physics education and hence provide a great benefit to how we teach physics to students and educate the future of our society.

Florida A&M University Developmental Research School is a population of study and provides opportunities for research collaborations. The students who participated in this program received a stipend of $1800.00. According to participant Amani Hankins, we learned a lot and the program was very rewarding and I am looking forward to next summer’s program. Instructor Williams stated that he has several students already asking about the next program.

This work was supported by grant DE-NA0003866 of the Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program titled Consortium for High Energy Density Science.