Sources: Erik 1xbet online games login , estalcup@1xbet online games login edu;
and Bruce Law, 785-532-1618, bmlaw@1xbet online games login edu
Photo available. Contact media@1xbet online games login edu or 785-532-6415.
Video available. Access at http://www.1xbet online games login edu/media/webzine/research/index.html
News release prepared by: Kristin Hodges, 785-532-6415, khodges2@1xbet online games login edu
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
SIDEBAR: 1xbet online games login HONORABLE MENTION RECIPIENT IN GOLDWATER COMPETITION IS RESEARCHING THE PHYSICS OF SPECIAL LIQUIDS
MANHATTAN -- A Kansas State University student is researching the physics of a special liquid that could prove to be multifunctional and sustainable.
Erik 1xbet online games login , senior in physics, Wellington, has been working since his freshman year with Bruce Law, professor of physics at K-State. 1xbet online games login recently received honorable mention in the 2009 Goldwater scholarship competition, a national competition based on academic merit for math, science and engineering undergraduate students.
1xbet online games login 's most recent research on ionic liquids, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, began last year at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Goettingen, Germany, and has continued at K-State.
&1xbet online games login ;As far as I am aware, Erik's work will be one of the first studies on the spreading properties of ionic liquids,&1xbet online games login ; Law said.
Ionic liquids are composed of ions and can conduct electricity, Law 1xbet online games login . They can be tailored to have desirable physical and chemical properties; however, little is known about the liquid's surface properties.
1xbet online games login said ionic liquids evaporate very little, which makes them an environmentally friendly approach that has the potential to replace industrial solvents used today.
&1xbet online games login ;They potentially have thousands of applications in many different fields,&1xbet online games login ; Stalcup said.
1xbet online games login said his research includes looking at a small droplet of liquid on a smooth surface and watching how it spreads out over a period of time.
&1xbet online games login ;By looking at that, we can tell if there is anything physically interesting going on,&1xbet online games login ; he said. &1xbet online games login ;There are theoretical models for how droplets should behave, and if it doesn't compare there must be something happening.&1xbet online games login ;
Law said 1xbet online games login is studying how ionic liquids lose energy to the environment through frictional forces, which occurs at their surfaces. An ionic liquid droplet, when deposited upon a surface, initially possesses a lot of energy and spreads over the surface; however, frictional forces eventually slow the droplet down as the energy is converted to heat.
&1xbet online games login ;Erik has found that certain ionic liquids exhibit similar frictional properties to ordinary liquids, however, other ionic liquids exhibit unusual autophobic behavior – i.e. they don' t like sitting on a thin surface layer of their own liquid,&1xbet online games login ; Law said.
1xbet online games login said his interest in physics began in high school when reading books about the subject, especially areas like relativity and quantum mechanics that he had never heard about. Through studying physics, 1xbet online games login also has enjoyed learning about computer programming.
&1xbet online games login ;I think it's interesting and fun to be able to contribute to the knowledge of science,&1xbet online games login ; he said. &1xbet online games login ;I like doing experimental, laboratory work.&1xbet online games login ;
1xbet online games login is pursuing a minor in music and has been a member of the K-State Marching Band, Pep Band, Latin Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Band. He plays the drums and the piano, and he said for him, music and physics complement each other.
&1xbet online games login ;They both take hard work,&1xbet online games login ; he said. &1xbet online games login ;They use different kinds of thinking and skills. I think the combination can benefit me with respect to working in groups, like when playing in a musical ensemble and working in a research group.&1xbet online games login ;
1xbet online games login plans to earn a doctorate in physics and then conduct research at a national laboratory.
He is a member of the Smith Scholarship House, where he has served as scholarship chair and a Mediation Board member.
A 2006 graduate of Wellington High School, he is the son of John and Ood 1xbet online games login , Wellington.
