
News and Events
Institute for Shock Physics Related News and Events
2022
News:
Events:
- National Laboratory Director Talks Climate Change, Infrastructure and More (WSU Inside – April 7, 2022)
- Creighton Distinguished Lecture: Dr. Kim Budil, Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory “National Security Challenges in the 21st Century: Deterrence, Bio-Resilience, Energy, and Climate,” (April 6, 2022). To view the Lecture Announcement, please click here.
2021
News:
- Alumni Dr. Travis Volz (Ph.D., 2020) was awarded the 2021 Early Career Award from the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed Matter (August 3, 2021)
- Shock-Induced Melting of a Porous Solid (APS Science Highlight – May 10, 2021)
- Photons go to Extremes (SPIE News – May 1, 2021)
- Shock Wave-Induced Changes in the Structure of Noble Metals (APS Science Highlight – April 26, 2021)
- Scientists Create Crystal Stronger than Diamond (Forbes – March 31, 2021)
- ISP/WSU Graduate Recognized as Time100 Next Innovator (WSU Insider – March 12, 2021)
- A New Method for Probing Material Strength (APS Science Highlight – February 17, 2021)
2020
News:
- High-Impact Research: How Meteorite Strikes May Change Quartz on the Earth’s Surface (Argonne National Laboratory Press Release – December 2, 2020)
- Putting a Shine on Metal 3-D Printing (APS Science Highlight – November 17, 2020)
- A Short, Sharp Shock to Gold Structure (APS Science Highlight – November 2, 2020)
- ISP/WSU Alumnus’ Paper Selected for Cover of Nature: Room-Temperature Superconductivity in a Carbonaceous Sulfur Hydride (Nature volume 586, pages 373–377 – October 14, 2020)
- Meteorite Strikes May Create an Unexpected Form of Silica (APS Science Highlight – September 8, 2020)
- Meteorite Strikes May Create Unexpected Form of Silica (Carnegie Science News – August 26, 2020)
- Ultrafast Snapshots of Laser-Metal Dynamics in Additive Manufacturing (APS Science Highlight – May 11, 2020)
- Putting the Squeeze on AM Lattices (APS Science Highlight – February 6, 2020)
2019
News:
- On October 17, 2019, graduate student Travis Volz was presented with the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s George E. Duvall Scholarship. This scholarship, only awarded periodically, recognizes outstanding achievement in graduate research in the area of Shock Compression Science. Dr. Travis Volz graduated with his Ph.D. in Physics in Spring, 2020 and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
- Melting and Recrystallization Established Unambiguously in Shock-Compressed Silicon (APS Science Highlight – May 28, 2019)
Events:
- Department of Physics and Astronomy Distinguished Colloquium Series: Dr. Yogendra M. Gupta, “Sixty Plus Years of Shock Wave Research and Graduate Education at Washington State University,” (October 17, 2019). To view the Colloquium, please click here.
2018
News:
- Recrystallization of Shock-Melted Si Observed in Real-Time (MRS Bulletin – October 29, 2018)
- Findings Show Nanostructures Can Withstand High Levels of Strain While Keeping Photoluminescence (AIP Scilight – August 13, 2018)
Events:
- Dynamic Compression Summer School (DCSS, August 5 – 10, 2018)
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL
2017
News:
- Watching How Rare, Meteoric Diamonds Form (Scientific American – December 25, 2017)
- Under Pressure – Researchers Create Hexagonal Diamonds from Graphite (WSU Daily Evergreen – December 1, 2017)
- Transformation of Graphite into Hexagonal Diamond (APS Science Highlight – November 6, 2017)
- First-ever U.S. experiments at new x-ray facility may lead to better explosive modeling (Los Alamos National Laboratory – November 6, 2017)
- Transformation of Graphite into Hexagonal Diamond Documented by WSU Researchers (WSU Insider – November 3, 2017)
- Changing Your Risk Profile with Vegetable Oil (HydroWorld – June 1, 2017)
Events:
- Inaugural Dynamic Compression Summer School (DCSS, August 6 – 10, 2017)
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL
2016
News:
- Shock & Awe (WSU Magazine – Fall, 2016)
- Laser and Target Area System Developed for the Dynamic Compression Sector (Laboratory for Laser Energetics – October, 2016)
- First-of-its-Kind NNSA Capability to Support Study of Materials at Extreme Conditions for Stockpile Stewardship (National Nuclear Security Administration – August 4, 2016)
- New Capability Supports U.S. Energy, Security Needs (WSU Insider – August 4, 2016)
- “Watching” Crystal Structure Change in Real Time (Advanced Photon Source Science Highlight – July 29, 2016)
- Putting Pressure on 3D-Printed Structures (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – June 27, 2016)
Events:
- Institute for Shock Physics’ Lecture Series: Dr. Eric Brown, Los Alamos National Laboratory, “Shock Compression and Strain Rate Effect in Semi-Crystalline Polymers,” (December 8, 2016)
- Creighton Distinguished Lecture: Dr. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, “International Partnerships for a Knowledge Economy,” (September 7, 2016). To view the Lecture Announcement, please click here.
- ISP Lecture Series: Dr. Jon Belof, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, “Solidification of Water Under Dynamic Compression: Theory and Modelling,” (November 3, 2016)
- ISP Lecture Series: Dr. Ellen Cerreta, Los Alamos National Laboratory, “The Influence of Microstructure on the Dynamic Phase Transformation in Zr and Ti,” (July 29, 2016)
- ISP Lecture Series: Dr. Dana Dattelbaum, Los Alamos National Laboratory, “The Odd Behavior in Ozone UV Photodissociation,” (March 24, 2016)
2015
News:
- An Extra Sense for Fire Investigators (Moscow-Pullman Daily News – October 21, 2015)
- Sandia Physicist Accepts First Joint Appointment with WSU (WSU Insider – September 3, 2015)
- The History of the WSU Spokane Campus (WSU Health Sciences Spokane Extra – May 11, 2015)
- U.S. Nuclear Deterrence Policy, Scientific Needs (WSU Insider – April 9, 2015)
Events:
- Institute for Shock Physics’ Lecture Series: Dr. Marcus Knudson, Sandia National Laboratories, “Direct Observation of an Abrupt Insulator-to-Metal Transition in Dense Liquid Deuterium,” (July 21, 2015). To view the seminar announcement, please click here.
- Creighton Distinguished Lecture: Dr. Donald Cook, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs (Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration), “U.S. Nuclear Deterrence: Policy Perspective and Scientific Needs,” (April 15, 2015). To view the Lecture Announcement, please click here.
2014
News:
- Supercomputing ages ‘like fine wine’ (WSU Daily Evergreen – August 27, 2014)
- Supercomputing and its Scientific Applications (WSU Insider – August 18, 2014)
Events:
- Creighton Distinguished Lecture: Mr. Peter Ungaro, President and CEO, Cray Inc., “Fusion of Supercomputing, Scientific Applications, and Big Data,” (August 26, 2014). To watch the Lecture, please click here.
2013
News:
- WSU Physics Dept. Make Accidental Discovery that Could Help Advance Technology (KLEWtv.com – November 20, 2013)
- Washington State University Student Discovers Crystal’s Light-Sensitivity (The Spokesman-Review – November 17, 2013)
- Light Exposure Increases Crystal’s Electrical Conductivity 400-fold (Nature World News – November 16, 2013)
- Accidental Discovery Dramatically Improves Conductivity (WSU Insider – November 14, 2013)
- Researchers Create Superconductor from Solvent (WSU Insider – July 1, 2013)
- Partnership Boosts State Aerospace Industry (March 18, 2013)
2012
News:
2009
News:
2008
News
2007
News:
- WSU Researchers Do Landmark Shock Wave Experiments at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source (WSU Insider – September 5, 2007)
- Diamond Loses its Stiffness Crown to New Material (NewScientist – February 2, 2007)
2006
News:
- Nine Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientists Honored As American Physical Society Fellows (Los Alamos National Laboratory – December 1, 2006). Featuring WSU Graduate: Dr. Robert Hixson.
2005
News:
- Three WSU Faculty Named 2005 Regents Professors (WSU Insider – March 18, 2005)
- Gupta Selected to Receive 2004-05 Eminent Faculty Award (WSU Insider – February 18, 2005)
- Shock Physics: Power, Pressure, and People (WSU Magazine, Summer 2005)
- Z Fires Objects Faster Than Earth Moves Through Space- Technique helps computer Jupiter/Saturn mass (Sandia National Laboratories – June 7, 2005). Featuring WSU Graduate: Dr. Marcus Knudson.
Creighton Distinguished Lecture – Dr. Kim Budil, Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Scientists Create Crystal Stronger than Diamond. Forbes, 2021. Photo Credit: Bigstock.

ISP/WSU Alumnus’ Paper Selected for Cover of Nature: Room-Temperature Superconductivity in a Carbonaceous Sulfur Hydride. Nature, 2020. Photo Credit: Peter Crowther.

Meteorite Strikes May Create Unexpected Form of Silica. Carnegie Science News, 2020.

Travis Volz receiving the George E. Duvall Scholarship, 2019.

Recrystallization of Shock-Melted Si Observed in Real-Time. MRS Bulletin 2018; Credit: Physical Review Letters 121(13): 135701 (2018).
Watching How Rare, Meteoric Diamonds Form. Scientific American, 2017; Photo Credit: Getty Images.
Changing Your Risk Profile with Vegetable Oil. Hydro Review Issue 5, Volume 6, 2017.
Students at the Inaugural Dynamic Compression Summer School, held at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, in August, 2017.
First-of-its-Kind NNSA Capability to Support Study of Materials at Extreme Conditions for Stockpile Stewardship. ENERGY.GOV, 2016
U.S. Nuclear Deterrence Policy, Scientific Needs. Donald Cook, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration, delivers the second Institute for Shock Physics’ Creighton Distinguished Lecture, 2015.
Supercomputing and its Scientific Applications. Peter Ungaro, President and CEO of Cray, Inc. delivers the first Institute for Shock Physics’ Creighton Distinguished Lecture, 2014.
Partnership Boosts State Aerospace Industry. WSU Insider, 2013.
DCS and APS Sign MOU. Advanced Photon Source (APS) News, 2012.
Shock Physics: Power, Pressure, and People. Washington State University Magazine, 2005.
- Institute for Shock Physics
- Washington State University
- P.O. Box 642816
- Pullman, WA 99164-2816
- shock@wsu.edu
- 509-335-5345