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FTPP launches new webinar series for younger and underrepresented plasma researchers

Dr. Eleanor Williamson – Tomorrow’s PSE Leaders

Quantifying color: using a spectrometer to diagnose gas density within a plasma” is the first webinar in a new bimonthly series called Tomorrow’s PSE Leaders that’s sponsored by Alabama’s Future Technologies & enabling Plasma Processes (FTPP) project.

Dr. Eleanor Williamson, who received her physics doctorate from Auburn University in December, discusses development of the diagnostic that became her successfully defended thesis and touches on some of her results. The diagnostic uses a spectrometer, a piece of equipment which counts photons at specific wavelengths, to estimate the density of gas within a plasma. She was advised at Auburn by Dr. David Maurer, a plasma physicist, and Dr. Stuart Loch, an atomic physicist.

Dr. Williamson also has a bachelor of arts degree in physics from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. She’s from Amherst, Mass.

“To me, the most exciting aspect of doing experimental work is when the diagnostic works and results fit into place. This process takes time and mistakes, but the feeling of seeing everything come together is indescribable,” says Dr. Williamson.

“While my diagnostic is widely useful, one of the important uses is within fusion reactors,” she says. “I think it’s amazing how many components are crucial for something as complicated as a fusion reactor. I don’t know as much about fusion reactors as many others, even some graduate students, but my sliver of knowledge is still quite valuable.”

peer-presented

The Tomorrow’s PSE Leaders webinar series was developed for younger and underrepresented plasma science and engineering scientists, with discussions presented by their peers, says Dr. Gary Zank of The University of Alabama in Huntsville, a part of the University of Alabama System. Dr. Zank is the principal investigator for the five-year, $20 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant that funds FTPP, which is a statewide coalition of nine universities and a research corporation.

“The Tomorrow’s PSE Leaders series will focus on issues faced by students and researchers entering the field,” Dr. Zank says.

“Our goal is to showcase that science is inclusive and inspiring for everyone,” says Laura Provenzani, FTPP education, outreach and diversity coordinator.

FTPP aims to transition plasma research into agricultural, manufacturing, space science, space weather prediction and other applications, establishing Alabama as a Southeastern regional hub for plasma science expertise and creating thousands of high-paying technical careers in the state and region.

Besides UAH, which is a part of the University of Alabama System, members are the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University, Tuskegee University, the University of South Alabama, Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Oakwood University and CFD Research Corp.

research benefits

FTPP grant money to fund interesting scientific research and the FTPP conferences have both been valuable for her, says Dr. Williamson.

“Perhaps the most exciting thing that FTPP has enabled me to do is collaborate with a former PhD student in the Aerospace Engineering Department at The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa on an experiment that I never would’ve encountered otherwise,” she says. “I was able to travel to his experiment with my equipment and help him run experiments in a way that was enormously beneficial for both of us.”

FTPP conferences leave her less overwhelmed than bigger conferences.

“I’m able to meet people I never would have met otherwise,” Dr. Williamson says. “FTPP conferences provide an opportunity to engage with a smaller group of researchers, and in a more focused and productive way than I am able to at a bigger event.”