Physics student Tonya Kieffer said she wants to teach people that physics isn’t a scary subject.
“It’s actually fun,” Kieffer said.
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a nationwide association, but the Wichita State chapter was recently revived after it shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Kieffer, chapter president, registered the student organization again in 2021. Kieffer wants the organization to continue being a resource for both physics majors and the wider community.
“SPS exists to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community,” Kieffer said. “Coursework develops only one range of skills. Other skills needed to flourish professionally include effective communication and personal interactions, leadership experience, establishing a personal network of contact, presenting scholarly work in professional meetings and journals and outreach service to the campus and local communities, and we provide all of that.”
Kieffer said building the society back up to what it used to be wasn’t easy.
“I’ve never done anything like this before, and everything that I learn, I just try to keep building up and up and up to make us more of a recognized chapter,” Kieffer said. “Doing it mostly by myself (is a challenge) because we’re all adult students with lots of things.”
Amidst the challenges, Kieffer has worked to develop the organization within Wichita State and the surrounding community. SPS has held many events such as seminars where physics faculty talk about the research they’re working on. They’ve also reached out to local elementary schools to help enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.
Most recently, SPS brought back an event seen across the nation: a pumpkin drop.
“We haven’t done that in about 10 years or so, so this is the first time it’s happening in a very long time,” Kieffer said.
SPS members took pumpkins donated by the Cohen Honors College to the top of Cessna Stadium and dropped them onto a tarp to demonstrate different physics principles. Two of the pumpkins were frozen in liquid nitrogen the day before. When they hit the ground, the pumpkins shattered like glass.
Spectators could donate a minimum of $5 to write anything they wanted on a pumpkin, then watch it drop to “release frustration.”
“We really wanted to bring that back,” Olive Colfelt, SPS’s social media manager, said. “Just to demonstrate the laws of physics and just to have some Halloween fun. I think it was definitely a success. I’m excited to do it next year too.”
Anybody, from students to community members, was encouraged to attend. Kieffer said that SPS wants to include everyone — not just physics majors.
SPS meetings are held on Thursdays at 5 p.m. in Jabara Hall, room 030. Students can contact the group at [email protected] for more information.
