Hello from SLU Physics! We would like to keep in better touch with our alums, and hope this newsletter will keep our alum in contact with us! (Someone has said "I don't remember Volume 1!" Don Peckham sent out the first physics newsletter back in 1989, and we thought it was high time to do it again!)
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Features
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Physics students visit the
Rutherford Museum in Montreal!
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Brian P. Watson, Hayward Associate Professor and Dept. Chair: At. SLU since 1983, Brian is a computational physicist; he works with colleagues at McGill University on light diffusion through clouds. He is also interested in (related) chaos theory, fractals, and debunking pseudoscience. Brian teaches courses in University Physics, and Mathematics Physics, among others.
Karen E. Johnson (1986) - Priest Associate Professor (Ward Priest endowed chair), Historian of Science. Karen was originally brought here as a Dana Fellow. Her doctoral disseration subject was Maria Goeppert Mayer, who shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the shell model for the nucleus. Karen is currently working on a scientific biography of Maria Mayer and her husband Joseph Mayer - Science at the Breakfast Table! She teaches Scientific Revolution, 19th and 20th Century Science, Modern Physics, and Theoretical Physics, among other courses. Karen's current menagerie includes Boswell and Henry, Fagen (free dogs) and kitties Russell and Anton.
Daniel W. Koon - Daniel Koon (http://it.stlawu.edu/~koon/) likes to involve himself in several different areas of teaching and research at SLU. He has taught most of the courses and labs in the major, and even thinks he finally understands E&M, after teaching it about ten times. This semester he is teaching an introductory course in Energy, cross-listed with Environmental Studies.
Aileen A. O'Donoghue -
astronomer/astrophysicist. Her past research focus has been wide-angle tail
radio galaxies. Pedagogically, she has taught introduction to astronomy, an
upper-level astrophysics course, Global Climate, Mission Mars, Classical Mechanics,
Electricity & Magnetism, and introductory courses. Aileen is currently on
sabbatical at the Vatican Observatory Research Group in Tucson, AZ.
Aileen has a strong interest in the relationship between science and religion,
and recently attended a conference relating to this interest. She also writes
an astronomy column for Adirondack Magazine, which is edited by Neal
Burdick.
A number of years ago Aileen began what has become a very successful Science
Colloquium, providing a forum for SLU science faculty (not just physics) to
present and discussion their research in progress. The colloquium meets around
6 to 8 times per semester on Friday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. and refreshments
are ALWAYS available. (Stop in if you're on campus!) A coffee cart has been
purchased with funds from the Dean's office and has now been dubbed, "The
Queer Bungle Memorial Science Colloquium Coffee Cart" after Aileen's dearly
beloved zen canine friend who passed away several years ago. The coffee cart
is much appreciated by the chemistry and biology departments as they hold
their department seminars, as well.
Aileen is the founder of the Physics Department A Capella Holiday Chorus
for Mixed Voices, which has performed (and premiered) a number of "modified"
Christmas carols with lyrics related to the subject of physics ("O Pendulum,
O Pendulum", for example, and "O How Did Einstein Figure" to the tune of "Lo,
How a Rose E'er Blooming"). The physics carols tradition began over a decade
ago when a few students played around with lyrics. Music is alive and well
among physics devotees, since Daniel, Aileen and Brian participate in the
local SLU University Chorus.
Aileen has held a Dudley Observatory research grant to work on optical astronomy.
Jeff R. Miller - Jeff is our Lab Coordinator (we share him with I.T. - computer whiz!). He is teaching mostly labs right now, but he has also taught astronomy and intro physics lectures when Aileen is on sabbatical. He holds a Masters degree in astronomy.
Catherine L. Jahncke
- Catherine Lee Jahncke is an experimental physicist who joined the SLU Physics
department in 1995. She received her Ph.D. in Physics from North Carolina
State Univesity, where she was a research assistant in Hans Hallen's Optics
Lab, and held an MCNC Fellowship. Previously she attended Bryan College and
Auburn University.
Catherine takes time off from her research to attend to her "home menagerie"
which includes two cairn terriers, Cooper and Jake, and an old English sheepdog
named Tucker. This past spring she participated in a guitar building workshop,
and she recently finished an O-style guitar that she plays for the dogs and
anyone else who happens to be around the house. Catherine has recently decided
that sea kayaking is loads of fun, and in the summer when she is not doing
research with students, she can often be found on the water.
Catherine Jahncke talks about her research..."The research that
I do centers around the use of a near-field scanning optical microscope or
NSOM, an instrument that was developed in the mid 1980s. The NSOM is a tool
that allows one to study optical properties of materials with a spatial resolution
that is up to 100 times better than a conventional optical microscope. Optical
information such as photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, polarization, or
absorption can all be studied on a size scale as small as 10 nm, thousands
of times smaller than a hair. The advent of the NSOM, therefore, opens up
a new frontier in basic physics questions. The system that I an currently
investigating is the effect of crystal size on the optical and electrical
properties of barium titanate nano-crystals."
Sunme Kim is a visiting assistant professor for the 2001-2002 academic year.
| Technical Support - Chuck Crawford is the science support technician, and uses a variety of skills including carpentry, metal machining and fabrication, electronics troubleshooting/repair and plumbing to benefit the various science departments. Chuck recently designed and built an air supply system for the Physics lab air tracks and tables using a regenerative blower, (Sometimes referred to as a 'ring compressor') and associated control system. This provides a reliable, adequate and quiet (no more shop vacs!) air delivery system for lab use. A similar system, with filtration, was built and installed to supply air to aquaria in the Biology Department, thereby removing dozens of small, buzzy air pumps from the learning environmenta. The design and construction of this system was published in the April 1998 issue of The Physics Teacher (vol. 36, no. 4). Chuck also has a sideline business of carving decoys and wildlife art, with an emphasis on the North American common loon. You can find his unique products at various times on Ebay and at his website, www.rivercarings.com. |
Clerical Staff- |
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EMERITUS NEWS Dennie Brandt stops in frequently, sometimes helps with projects
and stubborn lab equipment. He is currently working Tom Finch travels a lot with his wife Fran, and stops in now Don Peckham is still around, stops in now and then. Don collaborated
with Karen Johnson on the "In Memoriam: William Robinson passed away May 13, 1995 from complications of a stroke. |
Alfred Romer died in November 1997. His last article had just been accepted for publication in Physics in Perspective (reprints are available in the department). The Physics bulletin board, one of his pet projects, was always full of New Yorker cartoons and interesting articles on technology and other topics, and a magnet for passers-by. Ellen (our department secretary) devotes some time to continuing this tradition, although doe to the amount of time involved (it's surprising how long this can take!) the changes happen about once a month, instead of weekly, as when Al was around to do it! We miss his counsel in department deliberations. |
In 1996 Don Peckham and Karen Johnson worked, with assistance from the University Advancement office, to establish a lectureship in Dr. Romer's name (it was the 50th anniversary of his arriving at SLU!) The lecture is scheduled for the Spring semester, during the recently revived Science Festival whenever possible. Speakers have included:
We have pioneered new courses for majors and non-majors:
Optics - Catherine Jahncke (for upper level students).
Global Climate - team-taught by Aileen O'Donoghue with geology
and environmental studies faculty.
Mission Mars - team-taught by Catherine or Aileen with biology
and geology faculty.
Gender and Science - team-taught by Karen Johnson (Physics) and
Laura Rediehs (Philosophy), and dual-listed.
Energy - Daniel Koon; new this year.
In the works: Currently there are plans to offer a biophysics course, and we are presently searching for a visiting professor of Biophysics for the fall of 2002.
Women and Scientific Literacy grant was obtained from the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Catherine Jahncke and Karen Johnson have been involved, along with other science and non-science faculty, mostly women, with a cross-disciplinary grant for Women and Scientific Literacy that concluded last year. They created a reading group, faculty from science and non-science departments, to explore the biases and problems, and varying philosophies, about this issue.
Cottrell Research Grant - is currently held by Catherine Jahncke.
Large SLU Faculty Grant was received by Daniel Koon for his sabbatical in Costa Rica for the 2000-2001 year.
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Brian P. Watson |
Aileen A. O'Donoghue Astronomy |
Karen E. Johnson |
Chuck Crawford |
| Jeff R. Miller Lab Coordinator |
Catherine L. Jahncke Experimental / Optics |
Daniel W. Koon Experimental Physics |
Ellen Galo Dept. Secretary |
Now it's time to tell us about yourself - what you are doing and how things are going. Please take the
time to send us your information - it will be greatly appreciated! If you'd rather keep in
touch by email, send your info to Ellen at egal@stlawu.edu.
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