Associate Professor David Schaffner, chair of the Physics Department, has been named a Kavli Fellow by The National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
As a new fellow, Schaffner recently participated in NAS’ 33rd annual symposium on March 2-4, 2023, which brought together outstanding young scientists to discuss exciting advances and opportunities in a broad range of disciplines. A committee of NAS members selects participants for the symposia from among young researchers who have already made recognized contributions to science.
At ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø, Schaffner runs The ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø Plasma Laboratory.
The BMPL is an intersection of the study of plasma physics, turbulence, and fusion energy. The ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø Experiment (BMX) is the flagship experiment of the lab, featuring a plasma-gun generated turbulent plasma launched into a flux-conserving cylindrical chamber. With long current discharge pulses, the experiment can simulate constant injection of turbulent plasma much like a traditional wind-tunnel but with magnetized plasmas as the fluid under study.
The BMPL is highly active in the Project and is a founding member of the Small College Plasma Consortium.
Research in the BMPL is supported by an as well as funding from the NSF-DOE Partnership program in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering and NSF CSSI. Past funding has also been received from DOE ARPA-E.