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| Nontraditional students are now the tradition, thanks to the work of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, committed to life-long learning and universal education. Here are a few of the students who have participated in SCPS programs: Mark Harvey (far right) and U.Va. employee Katherine Thompson Jackson (center), who recently completed their BIS degrees; Louise Dudley (far left), who retired from U.Va. in 2002 and is now taking Latin as a community scholar; and two others currently enrolled in the BIS program. U.Va. has provided continuing education to citizens of Virginia and beyond for 93 years. Today the school — the education portal for adult learners — celebrates its fifth anniversary. For more, see School turns five. |
Researchers harness electrons
By Fariss Samarrai
Within physics textbooks, an atom is drawn as a tiny solar system with the nucleus uniformly orbited by electrons. It’s a good illustration of a neat and predictable Newtonian world. But in the real world, atoms are a cloud of swirling electron motion around the nucleus. Any electron can be anywhere at any time and — here’s the strange thing — at all places simultaneously. This is quantum mechanics in action. But it’s also chaos.
Humans want and need a predictable, reliable world where the lights turn on with the flip of a switch and computers hum without a glitch. That’s why Newton’s physics is so appealing.
Now, science is one step closer to bringing order to that swirling cloud of electrons, and with that, obtaining a new perspective on quantum control of atoms, molecules, nanodevices and, dare it be said, quantum information storage and computing. Three U.Va. physicists have made the textbook ideal of the classic solar-system atom a reality by manipulating an electron with a microwave. Full story
'Neither fish nor fowl,' Freeman tops professors
By Dan Heuchert
Spend some time in R. Edward Freeman’s well-cluttered office, and you likely unearth several clues as to why the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia presented him with a 2005 Outstanding Faculty Award on Feb. 15.
Leaning against a bookshelf is an electric guitar, which Freeman, the Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration, co-director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics and professor of religious ethics, used to play in “Blues Jam,” a 16-piece ensemble made up of faculty, students and spouses that frequently entertains at Darden School events. These days, Freeman plays keyboard instead — for the first time since grade school — because there are too many guitarists in the band, he said. He’s in it for the fun, not the ego boost. Full story |
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