WE LOVE A STRONG WOMAN IN PHYSICS!!

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Happening in the World: For just the third time in 117 years, and the first time in 54 years, the Nobel Prize in Physics has gone to a woman! Dr. Donna Stirckland, an associate professor of physics at the University of Waterloo (Canada), shares the prize with Dr. Gérard Mourou (France) and Dr. Arthur Ashkin. They were awarded the prize because of their work on high-intensity laser pulses. Their work has led to advancement in laser technology that is currently applied to Lasik eye surgery and hopefully can be implemented to accelerate subatomic particles. When Dr. Strickland got the call, she said she thought it was a prank and hung up.

Happening in the US: A Chicago jury has convicted Chicago Police Officer, Jason van Dyke of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery (one for each shot) in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. The family of the victim said they were relieved that the jury found him guilty, however other Chicago community members were angered by the downgrade from a first-degree murder charge. Many though are hopeful that the guilty verdict will lead to a reform in the Chicago Police Department’s, which has been plagued by systemic racism for decades.

Happening in NYC: A “minor” derailment of one of the NJ Transit trains left commuters stranded in Penn Station with no way to get to New Jersey. Trains were delayed or canceled from Thursday night to Friday morning, leaving many frustrated at NJ Transit. FDNY states that there was one nonlife-threatening injury in relation to the derailment, which was cleared after 2 hours of the derailment.
Happening on Campus: The term fake news has become increasingly used in the past two years since the campaign and election of Donald Trump. Alejandra Matus, a Weiss International Fellow and award-winning journalist will be discussing fake news and the collapse of journalistic authority in the context of her native Chile. Journalism, Power, and Fake News: A Perspective from Latin America is being held Monday, October 8, at 6:30 pm.

Documentary of the Week:  Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom follows the 2013 Euromaidan Protests in Kiev, Ukraine against the oligarchical regime. This documentary’s beautiful cinematography combined with the fierce spirit of the Ukranian protestors makes this documentary a must watch and will rock you to the core.

physics goddess via Wikimedia Commons