Published Apr 06, 2023
In April 1996, the American Physical Society announced that the National Science Foundation had designated April 24 as National Physics Day. It was reportedly the second annual National Physics Day, to be celebrated as part of National Science and Technology Week.
Physics departments nationwide and all chapters of the Society of Physics Students were encouraged to participate in local activities such as open houses for local high school physics students and teachers, physics demonstrations at local shopping malls, free public lectures, and other events designed to engage the public's interest.
This year, the University of Virginia Department of Physics announced that it would present: a family-oriented event at the National Physics Day Show.
The 27th Annual Physics Day Demonstration Show will be held at 7 pm on April 20, 2023, to celebrate National Physics Day. The theme of the show this year is ENERGY. Physics professors Marija Vucelja, Xiaochao Zheng, Dima Pesin, Bob Jones, Jency Sundararajan, lecture demonstrator Al Tobias, and UVa physics students will introduce the crowd to the science behind different types of energy.
According to Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's substack, 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in either physics or astronomy. In 1972, Willie Hobbs Moore became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics — nearly 100 years after Edward Bouchet earned a Ph.D. in physics, making him the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in any subject. (Cite Black Women+ In Physics and Astronomy Bibliography)
In 2018, Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green (second from left in the photo) won a Professional Achievement in Industry Award at the Women of Color STEM Conference. Green has three degrees in physics, which she has used to create cancer treatments using lasers, nanoparticles, and nanotechnology.
Green's discovery of a revolutionary technology uses lasers and nanotechnology to kill cancer in mice in 15 days with one treatment, without any observed side effects.
"A satellite in outer space can see if a dime on the ground is facing or face down, yet we can't stop cancer in its tracks," Green said during her acceptance speech at the Women of Color Awards Gala. "I've developed nanoparticle-based technology that eliminates tumors in mice in fifteen days, after one single treatment, with no observed side effects. I was also awarded $1.1 million from the Department of Veteran Affairs for this work. My nonprofit is positioned to launch clinical trial trials in humans within 12 months of reaching our first fundraising goal of $10 million to help us save some of the 8.8 million people dying annually."
The Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation (www.OraLee.org), named in memory of her late aunt, aims to provide treatment that is accessible, affordable, and, most importantly, effective.
