The Randolph College Society of Physics Students (SPS) plans to host a Zone Meeting on April 17-18, 2009. While planning is in the early stages, featured speakers are being invited, and local presentations will be made at the observatory and at the seismograph. The SPS chose this date to coincide with the College’s Research Symposium, so that each event can enhance the other. Students from colleges in DC, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia will be invited to give research presentations at this meeting.

The SPS has had a busy fall. The Science Photo Contest resulted in 17 submissions; all submissions including the three winners can be seen at the SPS website. 23 students attended the Amusement Park Physics trip to King’s Dominion, after Dr. Sheldon gave his annual Amusement Park Physics lecture. A large group of students have started to think about this year’s building project: a t-shirt gun for use at sporting events. SPS president Winncy Cheung, in conjunction with the Davenport Leadership program, has been working with a group of middle and high school students from the Jubilee Family Development Center on a robotics competition. Winncy and this group of students, with the occasional help from other SPS members, have been meeting Saturdays all semester to build a LEGO robot, and have programmed it to do a number of tasks. The competition is held nationally, with their regional competition coming up on November 15 in Lynchburg.

The SPS is already hard at work planning the spring, adding to the Annual Science Day a new Science Festival for older kids and adults. Four of the physics majors will be presenting their research at the American Physical Society's National Meeting in Pittsburg in March. The year’s activities will be highlighted at, and will culminate with the Zone Meeting in April.

Information on the SPS Zone Meeting and all the other activities can be found at http://physics.randolphcollege.edu/sps.