Granular matter such as sand is a key subarea in soft matter physics and civil engineering. They are dominated by frictions and exhibit rich behaviors which are difficult to predict in theory. Developing a general theory of the motion of granular materials has been ranked as one of the 125 major questions in science by the prestigeous journal "Science". Here we offer various novel experiments suitable for UG students majored in science or engineering, such as:
the motion of various shaped particles on vibration stage or other driving devices;
the shape and critical angle of 'sand piles' of various shaped particles;
the network formation and properties;
the particle behaviors in quicksand,
the properties of cotton candy.
For some of the projects, our postdoctoral researcher has finished the simulations and need undergraduate student for the experimental part. The UG student can choose to do the corresponding experiment and collaborate with the postdoc who is a gold medalist in the International Physics Olympaid and a Ph.D. from Harvard university.