Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend June 17, 2006 Southern Oregon University graduate Jason Matthews shows off a prototype water filtration system he is developing to be used for re-purifying water in zero gravity situations. Matthews, who attended South Medford High School, will continue his work this summer at NASA. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Next stop ... the Stars By john darling for the Mail Tribune When Jason Matthews was a boy, his father would pass the time on long car trips by posing story problems: "If we're going 60 miles an hour and it's 100 miles to Bend, when will we get there?" Matthews loved it and began studying old physics textbooks used by his father, Robert Matthews, owner of Rogue Ski Shop. By sixth grade, he says, "before I knew Newton's laws, I knew all about nuclear fission and wanted to go into the physics of space, stars and solar systems." Matthews, 20, will graduate today with a bachelor's degree from Southern Oregon University after three years. He now heads to graduate studies at the University of Oregon, hoping to further knowledge that will enable re-purification of water in space and enhance chip memory storage. During his SOU years, Matthews, a South Medford High School graduate, hit plenty of books, but also won his physics credentials in real-world research. He went to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to test out materials that best allowed water to be filtered without leaving any pesky bubbles behind, a project with direct application in space: Space travelers can only take so much water (it's heavy) and they have to use it over and over. The experiments, done with three other SOU students and three from Oregon Institute of Technology, were done in weightlessness, a condition created by freefall in a parabolic arc inside a C-9 cargo plane. Even as he prepares to graduate, Matthews experiments with a handmade plastic maze, using hydrophilic and hydrophobic (water attracting and water repelling) materials, to see which most efficiently filter water. He goes again to Johnson Space Center this summer to finish the experiments. Another big experiment, done under the direction of SOU physics professor Panos Photinos, researches crystalline ferroelectric materials, seeking those with highest "spontaneous polarization" — an effect that allows them to hold voltage for an extended time, so as to provide enhanced memory storage in computers. In his doctorate program in Eugene, Matthews is "excited" about pursuing materials science in the area of thermal dynamics and nanotechnology, experimenting to push back the frontiers on renewable energy with thermal engines that produce energy without burning anything. Will they — and other devices — replace fast-vanishing fossil fuels? "You can't predict technology that isn't here yet," he said. "There'll probably be an engineering breakthrough. We need to figure out how to get more energy out." Matthews noted photovoltaic cells are only 14 percent efficient, while the internal combustion engine doesn't reach 30 percent efficiency. Watching Matthews examine a ferroelectric material called dipotassium dichromate arsenate under a microscope, Photinos said there was a big demand in high-tech industry for physicists with a background in materials science — and many applications for it in space travel. "Jason would be a great asset for any company. He's a trained problem solver," said Photinos. Graduates of SOU's physics program, he added, have good theoretical preparation, and are trained in practical research. Matthews comes from three generations of engineers and people trained in physics, says his father. His grandfathers both were engineers and his parents both graduated from SOU — with Robert Matthews also graduating in physics. "As a 5-year old, Jason and I would be out in the boat and he could point out many constellations," said Robert Matthews. "I encouraged him to go to SOU. I wish more parents would support it. You can go anywhere from there." John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy