A West Virginia University physics professor has received two international honors in recent weeks.

Mark Koepke has been appointed 2005-2006 fellow of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science and deputy editor of the distinguished European scholarly journal, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion.

As fellow of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, Koepke will depart for Japan April 15. He will spend four weeks at Tohoku University in Sendai, two weeks at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, and several days each at Kyoto University in Kyoto and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Association in Tokyo. Collaborators from Tohoku and Kyushu universities have made several research visits to collaborate with Koepke at WVU over the past two years.

As deputy editor of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, one of the most prestigious scholarly journals in his academic field, he will oversee the journals reviewing process, contribute to the strategic development of the journal, and chair the semiannual meetings of the journals editorial board if the editor-in-chief is unable to attend.

Koepkes international recognition does not stop with these two honors. He was also recently appointed to the International Advisory Committee of the International Congress on Plasma Physics, one of the largest conferences in his academic field.

Koepke, who joined WVU s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in 1987, specializes in plasma physics. In physics, a plasma consists of negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions that respond collectively to electric and magnetic fields. The most common example is the glowing gas inside a neon bulb.

In research and development laboratories, plasmas are used to etch semiconductors for the production of high-density integrated circuits, fabricate advanced materials and fuel experimental thermonuclear fusion reactors. Another well-known commercial application is in the plasma television displays that have become so popular.