The voices that you hear on KZSM 104.1 FM or visit KZSM.org represent our KZSM family, but not every member. Some of our volunteers work mostly or entirely behind the scenes to maintain the organization and create our programming, and their work is vital to creating True Community Radio.
Producers, for instance, set sound levels, time station breaks, play prerecorded announcements, and make sure broadcasts run smoothly. Kirk Fraley produces “Appreciating Classical Music,” “Bookmarked,” and “Wonderful World.” Steve Jones produces “Philosophy and Popular Music” and “Veterans Hour,” which he also co-hosts. Both have extensive experience with sound production, which they readily share with KZSM. “I enjoy producing for KZSM because I can use my talents and creativity in a very low stress environment” Kirk explains. I feel essential and appreciated.” And Steve concurs: “Volunteering at KZSM gives me the opportunity to keep doing what I love at a much less stressful level while still producing valuable content for the community.” As we develop new programs, we need more producers. If you have audio experience or just interest and a desire to learn, you could become a volunteer producer.
Running a radio station requires several computers and a range of programs and internet services. Our IT network does everything from storing and organizing recorded programs to actually streaming our programs onto the internet. At the moment, one experienced retired volunteer provides all the IT technical support for the station. “IT guy” “prefers to contribute to the station's success 'behind the scenes' vs out-in-front as a show host. It's fun because I get to keep my technical support skills active,” he says. He also prefers to remain anonymous, but if you volunteer for IT work, you’ll meet him and share his expertise.
KZSM is directed by its governing board, the San Marcos Texas Community Radio Association, and administered by committees overseeing areas such as finance, events, fundraising, public relations, and programming. If you have skills or interests in any of those areas, you could join one of these committees and help KZSM carry out our mission to engage, enlighten, and entertain. For example, volunteer Chris Gardner serves on our Board and chairs the Programming Committee. “I enjoy finding and developing the programming that makes us a reflection of and a service to the San Marcos Community,” he explains.
If any of these options appeal to you, email [email protected].
quantum properties.
“It has to do with … how any random material behaves when it becomes very, very small or very, very cold,” Theodoropoulou said. “Quantum properties are properties that we use every day.” She added that we often don’t realize we are using quantum properties because it is happening on such a small scale — beyond our perceptual abilities.
Theodoropoulou noted that the results of her research will be applicable to technology and making it more efficient, faster and providing it with different functions. She said the research is of interest to the U.S. Department of Defense because quantum technologies is one of their main areas of focus. She said it can be useful in defense as it is applicable to devices used for communication and calculations.
Theodoropoulou said transition metal oxides are materials that contain some metals that, in addition to having charge, also have spin. According to the Science Learning Hub website, an electrical charge is created when electrons are transferred to or removed from an object. Because electrons have a negative charge, when they are added to an object, it becomes negatively charged. When electrons are removed from an object, it becomes positively charged. Scientific American describes spin as the total angular momentum, or intrinsic angular momentum, of a body, which gives a particle a tiny magnetic field called a magnetic moment.
“You can think of it as a magnet,” Theodoropoulou said. “It’s basically having two magnets interacting with each other … the magnetic behavior is actually spin.”
She said transition metal oxides are multifunctional because they have spin and charge and can interact with each other to create magnetic properties and electricity.
She added that the interaction of these materials can create different quantum properties such as ferroelectricity, multiferroicity and unconventional superconductivity.
She described ferroelectricity as a permanent source of electricity.
“You can think of ferroelectricity as something that always has a positive and negative charge far away from each other,” Theodoropoulou said. “It creates an electric field.”
She explained that multiferroicity as the primary goal of the research in which the properties would be both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic — containing both a permanent electric and a permanent magnetic field.
She went on to illustrate that superconductivity as a process of materials conducting electricity without having any resistance. She added that you can think of resistance in terms of a wire circuit; the circuit moves electricity from one point to another via an energetic cost, which creates heat.
“It’s not easy for electrons to go from one place to another,” Theodoropoulou said. “They feel this resistance, so they heat up.” She added that with superconductivity there is no resistance, so it is the free flow of charged particles going from one side of a wire to the other.
She said we use silicon in technology all of the time, which is beneficial because the charge can be manipulated, but it has drawbacks also; silicon has no multiferroicity, no ferroelectricity and no ferromagnetism as well as no net spin associated with the charges when used alone.
“But if we take silicon and we try to put — on top of it — in a very controlled manner, a layer of these transition metal oxides,” Theodoropoulou said. “What we effectively do is we couple or we add to silicon these nice properties.”
Theodoropoulou stressed that with this research, undergraduate and graduate Texas State University students will be getting trained on these cutting edge technologies: the growth of materials, how to process them and the physics behind it.
For those wishing to get a better understanding of the concept of spin, go to scientificamerican. com/ article/what-exactly- isthe- spin/.
