Theoretical Nuclear Physics with Professor Madappa Prakash Prof. Prakash is a member of the department's Nuclear Theory Group. He has a wide variety of research interests generally related to the properties of dense nuclear matter in neutron stars and similar astronomical objects, and in heavy-ion collisions. However he has also had students who worked on other topics of mutual interest, such as issues in quantum mechanics. Prof. Prakash has regularly worked with undergraduates (and also high school students) on various problems related to these topics. Currently he is working with Jason Pawlowski, who was an REU Fellow this past summer and who recently travelled to the Conference Experience for Undergraduates event in Tucson, Arizona to present a poster on his research. Regarding possible new projects, Prof. Prakash says: "I've usually chosen projects that are closely related to my ongoing research in nuclear/particle/astrophysics. They generally involve some theoretical development and computation. Students who have joined me so far have taken undergraduate Thermal Physics (PHY 306) and Quantum Mechanics (PHY 308) and are better than average at Math." "I prefer that an undergraduate spends at least two summers and possibly one semester working with me. That way he/she learns the ropes while still a junior, continues working on the project during the senior year, and finishes the project in a possibly publishable form. Examples in which this has succeeded include Jason Cooke (Phys. Rev. D 52, 661 (1995), Avery Broderick (Astrophys. Jl. 537 (2000), and now Jason Pawlowski (in preparation). A large number of one-summer undergrads have learned something in this process, but have had nothing to show for it except possibly getting in to a good school." "Most undergrads have received REU/RAIRE/URECA etc. awards to work with me. When possible, I have managed to raise supplements thanks to Gerry Brown and Jim Lattimer. Currently, I do not have any funds to support an undergraduate all on my own." "I have two high school students working for their Intel projects lined up for the coming summer. However, I can be coerced to take a junior (undergraduate) for the coming summer, but only if the student secures support from one of the above mentioned sources. Erle Graf (who leads Stony Brook's Physics REU program) has generally been of great help in this regard." November 2003