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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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