Description:

"Probing the Transition Between the Diffuse and Molecular Interstellar Medium"
Cody Dirks

The interstellar medium (ISM) is known to be a complex, turbulent environment, and the process by which the ISM transitions from a diffuse gas to a dense, star-forming environment remains unclear. By combining multi-wavelength observations from both the Planck satellite and the Hubble Space Telescope, we can probe the physical conditions of gas undergoing this transition. In this talk, I will describe my work in measuring the gas thermal pressure in these regions, as well as measuring carbon monoxide (CO) abundances to determine CO's usefulness as a probe of molecular hydrogen.

"Halide Perovskite Semiconductor Materials for Gamma Radiation Detection"
Kyle McCall

Gamma radiation detectors which function at room temperature are in increasing demand for scientific applications ranging from astronomy to CERN, as well as medical and governmental use. Semiconductor radiation detectors with wide band gaps are promising materials to meet this need due to their low leakage currents and spectroscopic energy resolution. In particular, the class of halide perovskites which has found recent success as photovoltaic materials shows potential for hard radiation detection. In this talk, I'll describe my work synthesizing these materials and measuring their charge transport properties through laser and alpha particle response.