ESP Biography



BENJAMIN SHANK, Stanford grad student in low temperature physics




Major: Physics

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Benjamin Shank

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Ben is in his fifth year in the physics Ph.D. program. He is currently involved in cryogenic testing of detectors that will search for the dark matter that makes up most of the mass of the Universe.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

H930: Making Ice Cream in Splash! Fall 2010 (Nov. 13 - 14, 2010)
We will explore some basic science behind the making of ice cream and try some simple recipes. Due to time constraints liquid nitrogen will be used instead of the traditional churn technique. However one goal of this class is for you to make better ice cream at home, so home-accessible methods will be discussed.


S454: Making Ice Cream in Splash! Fall 2009 (Oct. 10 - 11, 2009)
We will briefly discuss some of the science behind making ice cream with an eye toward making it better (and safely). Largely directed by the students, we will be experimenting with various ice cream recipes and flavors. To test the quality of our batches, we will practice the related skill of eating ice cream. Due to time constraints liquid nitrogen will be favored over the traditional crank method.


S220: Making Ice Cream in Splash! Spring 2009 (Apr. 04 - 05, 2009)
We will briefly discuss different kinds of ice cream and the apparatus needed to make them. Most of the hour will be spent gaining hands-on experience with a simple recipe as well as the related activity of eating ice cream. Due to time constraints, liquid nitrogen will be favored over the more traditional salt churn.