Department of Physical Science
Physical Science Accomplishments
STUDENTS
- Jake Griffiths (2000) completed his M.S. in structural
Geology at Portland State University (2002) and began working on his Ph.D.
at Purdue University, Fall 2002.
- Mackay Steffensen (1999) received a full scholarship and a stipend to complete his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering at Texas A & M. He was recently on the cover of “Journal of Chemical Education,” and is taking a position at Oxford University this year.
- Jennifer Hirschi (1999) is pursuing her Ph.D.
in biochemical engineering. Jennifer received a full scholarship and stipend
to attend Texas A & M.
- Elaine Braithwaite Vickers (2001) Elaine is currently
teaching as an adjunct at SUU. She received her doctorate from the University of Utah where she did graduate research in chemistry. She
presented at the International Conference on Molecular Magnetism in Valencia,
Spain. People attend from all over the world. The research Elaine presented on
is molecular magnets of the formulas M[TCNE]x and M[TCNQ]x, where M = Mn,
Fe, Co, Ni, Gd. She was involved in the synthesis (and helped develop the
synthetic routes to some of them), characterization, and magnetic measurements.
She was also in charge of the magnetometers, which are departmental
instruments.
- Daniel Eves (2001) is attending Penn State and
working on his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry.
- Amy Christensen (2002) is working on her Masters
in Sedimentology & Stratigraphy at New Mexico State University.
- Jacob Wempen (2000) received his engineering
associates at SUU. After graduating from Utah State in 2002 with a Mechanical
Engineering degree, he took a job with Siemens-Westinghouse as a Field Service
Engineer, one of the foremost engineering companies in the world. Jacob reports
“this position is travel intensive (probably international). I will
be required to go where the problem is; the advantage is I will not be stuck
behind the same desk every day doing the same thing.... This job should last
as long as people still enjoy turning on the lights and no great breakthroughs
in power generation occur....”
- Alisa Green (2001) spent the summer in Alaska
doing fieldwork as part of her Masters Degree, which she is completing at
the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.
- Amy Ott (1996) completed her Masters degree at
Washington State University in 2000. She is currently employed as an environmental
consultant in Central Nevada.
- Megan Pretorius (1999) is completing her Masters
degree at Portland State University and working for an environmental firm
in Seattle, Washington.
- Brady Cox (2002) was awarded the SUU Scholarship
Day Award. He is currently attending the University of Utah Medical School.
- Angela Proctor (2002) and Briana Cook (current
Math major at SUU) had an article published in the DOE Office of Science,
Journal of Undergraduate Research, Vol. 2, 2002.
FACULTY
Dr. J. Ty Redd recently co-authored a chapter on Organic Macrocycles in the Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology: Academic Press, 3rd Edition, Vol. 11. Others affiliated with this work include Nobel laureates and dignitaries such as Stephen Hawking, Benoit Mandelbrot, Klaus Klitzing, Elias J. Corey, George Olah, and others.
In 2001, “The Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry” invited Dr. Redd to participate in a special edition of the journal honoring Dr. Jerald Bradshaw.
Currently, Dr. Redd sits on a committee that reviews applications for an international award in chemistry and serves has a peer reviewer for four internationally recognized chemistry journals.
Dr. Paul Larson presented a paper
at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers in Los Angeles,
California, March 19-23, 2002, entitled, "Application of Research Techniques
to the Classroom, or Getting More Out of Research Than Just Research."
In it he discussed methods of converting techniques employed in a research project
to a classroom assignment and results achieved by the students.
Dr. Terry Alger received a Peer-Led
Team Learning grant ($10,000 with University matching funds) for year 2002-2003
to enhance undergraduate “General Chemistry” learning. He applied
for and was awarded this grant after attending a national meeting last spring
on the topic.
Dr.
Robert Eves presented the following paper last year at national GSA meeting
held in Boston in October 2001: Eves, R.L., Davis, L.E., Takahashi, K.I., and
Dyman, T.S., 2001, U.S. Geological Survey CD-Rom based petroleum assessments
for undergraduate geology laboratories: GSA Abstracts with Programs Vol. 33,
No. 6, October, 2001. This is the culmination of a cooperative pedagogy project
between the Division of Geosciences at SUU, the Department of Biology at College
of St. Benedict-St John’s University, and the United States Geological
Survey.
Laura Cotts
- June 2002 presented five full days of science workshops to 120 elementary
age children at the Intermountain Suzuki Institute. Subjects were: Wave Motion,
Reflection, Refraction, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Visual perception.
- August 2001 presented a public astronomy program at Duck Creek Campground
for the Dixie National Forest Interpretive Program.
- October 2001 presented “Hunting Rainbows” at the Western Regional
Conference of the National Science Teachers Association.
- November 2001 she co-hosted a Meteor Party at the Ashcroft Observatory for
150 people watching the Perseid meteor shower.
- In March 2002 she presented “At Home in the Night Sky” to the Utah
State-wide 4-H Leadership Conference
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