15 November 2013

Fun Time at University of Vermont

My first trip to Vermont was made possible by an invitation from Adrian Del Maestro to give the physics department colloquium on Wednesday, 13 November 2013.  I got to know Adrian early in the current semester when he contacted me about a physics of sports course he is now teaching at the University of Vermont.  I was flattered to learn that Adrian uses my book in his course.  During my brief visit to the University of Vermont, Adrian introduced me to some of the neat things he is doing in his sports physics course.  I also learned about his fascinating condensed matter theory research into systems with strong interactions.

The physics department videotaped my colloquium talk.  I spoke about the Tour de France research I've been doing over the past two summers with Lynchburg College physics major Brian Ramsey.  I also spoke about work on soccer-ball aerodynamics I've performed with Matt Carré at the University of Sheffield.  A YouTube video of my talk appears below.
I need to visit Burlington again!  The snow on the Green Mountains to the east made me want to put on some skis.  The view to the west with Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains in New York state was impressive.  There is also a great selection of beer from local microbreweries.