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Faculty and Staff
Dr. Jason Allard, Associate Professor |
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PhD in Geography (Climatology) from The Pennylvania State University. Teaches weather & climate; global climate change, and Hazardous Environment. |
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My research interests include:
climate change and variability, quantifying climate change, human impacts on the climate, socio-economic impacts of climate change, and land surface-atmosphere interactions. |
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Dr. Cecilia Barnbaum, Professor |
PhD in Astronomy from UCLA. Teaches physics and astronom courses. |
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My research interests include: dying low-mass stars, molecules in space, chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Things I used to do when I had time: spin wool, make quilts, write children's books. I love teaching, hate anchovies and fire ants. |
Perry Baskin, Instructor |
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MS in Physics from VSU. Teaches introductory physics. |
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My research interests are varied and include the nature of nuclear forces as well as developing new, more effective methods of teaching physics and science in general. My other interests include chasing a little white ball around a golf course, making beautiful (to me) sounds with a bass guitar, and spending time with my wife, Karen. |
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Dr Edward Chatelain, Department Head, Associate Professor |
PhD in Geology from University of Iowa (1984). Teaches Introductory Geology courses, History of Life, Physiography of North America. |
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My research Interests include: upper Paleozoic Ammonoids, Dinosaur gastroliths, recent glacier retreat in the Rocky Mountains, Photogeology, and geology education. |
Dr Can Denizman, Associate Professor |
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Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Florida. Teaches geosciences, hydrology, aqueous geochemistry and GIS. |
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My research interests include karst geomorphology, hydrogeology, and application of GIS to earth and environmental sciences. Loves caves, mountains, oceans, cosmology, and music, especially jazz, fusion, and progressive rock. |
Dr Dereth J. Drake, Assistant Professor |
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Ph.D. in Physics from Old Dominion University. Teaches lower and upper level physics. |
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My research interests include: planetary entry modeling for Jupiter and Titan; Experimental studies of small scale turbulent interactions in the solar wind; Laboratory studies of plasma stability during plasma processing of substrates. |
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Dr Mary Fares, Professor |
PhD in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. Teaches engineering courses and physics courses. |
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My research interests include electromagnetic field theory and applications, lasers, plasmas, and electro-optical systems. When not teaching, I like to camp, bake, and mostly spend time with my kids. |
Dr. Weimin Feng, Asisstant Professor |
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PhD in Geology from Southern Methodist University. Teaches landforms, geohazards, geochemistry, geostatistics, and mineraology. |
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My research interests are paleoclimate, as these records are foundation for our understanding of the climate system, and ultimate touchstone for regional and global climate models. There have been many paleoclimate records derived from geochemical compositions of marine strata, in contrast, terrestrial paleoclimate records are lacking in both quality and quantity. My research aims to acquire new terrestrial paleoclimate records, develop new paleoclimate proxies, and calibrate existing ones. I use isotope tools » to study materials formed in the low-temperature, near surface environments such as paleosols and speleothems. |
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Dr Frank Flaherty, Professor |
PhD in Physics from Fordham University. Teaches all levels of physics. |
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My research interests include: optics, molecular spectroscopy, lasers. I am a member of a research group at Florida State University studying surfaces using Helium atom scattering. My hobbies are playing electric guitar and making bad puns. |
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Dr Mark Groszos, Associate Professor |
PhD in Geology from Florida State University. Teaches geoscience courses. |
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My research interests include the tectonic development of the southern Appalachian mountains, structural geology and related fields, industrial mineral deposits, economic geology, and the geology of Nevada and surrounding states. I like to travel, but I spend most of my free time working around the house. My favorite places are: The Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia and North Carolina; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and rural Nevada. |
Dr Barry Hojjatie, Professor, Coordinator of RETP |
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PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University of Florida, Licensed Professional Engineering (P.E.) from the State of Florida. Coordinator of the VSU Engineering Studies program highlighting the Regents' Engineering Transfer Program (RETP) connection to Georgia Tech. |
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My research interests include: Computational and experimental mechanics, dimensional instability analysis of materials, pulp and paper physics/manufacturing, characterization of engineering materials specifically biomaterials used in dental restorations, thermodynamic analysis of power generating systems, and determination of effectiveness of advance technology in teaching and learning. |
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Dr Martha A. Leake, Professor |
PhD in Planetary Sciences from University of Arizona. Teaches astronomy, some geology and physics, physical science, and interdisciplinary courses. |
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My research interests include the studies of the surfaces, interiors and evolution of solid bodies in the solar system, from Mercury to Triton (and maybe Pluto), and spectroscopy of asteroids and other solar system bodies. And yes, I'm in the "Pluto-as-Planet" camp, although it is the largest of the Kuiper Belt objects. Plus, I'm learning to make tacos from scratch (masa harina, actually). |
Dr. Jia Lu, Assistant Professor |
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Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning with minors in Geography, GIS, Quantitative Analysis and Urban Economics from the Ohio State University.
Teaches Regional Planning and Environmental Management, Urban Community Planning, World Regional Geography, Introduction to Land Forms, GIS Applications in Planning. |
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My research interests include population and employment analyses, urban modeling, GIS applications in planning and transportation, land use analyses, geography of China, city planning and urban development, as well as its environmental impact in China, etc. , etc. |
Dr Michael G. Noll, Associate Professor |
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PhD in Geography from the University of Kansas. Teaches World Regional Geography, Cultural Geography, European Geography and Geography of the Middle East. |
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My research interests include: culture theory; Bubba Geography of the South; geography of Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East; the narrated landscapes of Prince Maximilian of Wied (1782-1867), and German emigration to the United States during the 19th century. |
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Dr Kenneth Rumstay, Professor |
PhD in Astronomy from Ohio State University. Teaches physics and astronomy. |
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My research interests include star formation, the interstellar medium, and active galaxies. Currently serving as VSU Observatory Director, and serve in the Physics and Astronomy Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research. |
Dr. Hasson Tavossi, Instructor |
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PhD in Physics from University of Paris. Teaches Physics and Engineering Courses. |
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My current research interests include: Materials Characterization by Ultrasound, Ultrasonic Wave Dispersion and Nonlinear Effects in Granular Materials, Ultrasonic Sensors and Non-Destructive Evaluation. My past research interests include: control of Particulate Air Pollutants, and Thermo-luminescence in Ionic Crystals. I like teaching, traveling and keeping up with the latest news on science. |
Dr. Donald Thieme, Assistant Professor |
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PhD in Archaelogical Geology. Teaches geomorphology, soils, physical geology, and geohazards. |
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My primary research interests are
the use of soils and paleosols for landform mapping and Quaternary stratigraphy, shallow geophysics, paleomagnetism, and the stratigraphy of archaeological sites. |
Dr Paul Vincent, Associate Professor |
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PhD in Geography from Texas A&M University. Teaches technique courses in geography, such as computer cartography and geographic information systems (GIS) as well as introductory classes of human geography. |
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My current research interests include spatial cognition, methods utilized by individuals to learn GIS, and GIS applications. In my free time, I like being with my family and working on my house. |
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Dr. Arnold E. Somers, Jr., Professor Emeritus |
PhD in structural engineering (civil engineering) from Virginia Tech. |
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He was Coordinator of the VSU pre-engineering program highlighting the RETP connection to Georgia Tech. He taught introduction to engineering, graphics, solid mechanics sequence, physical science, and occasionally introductory physics. He maintains an educational research interest in developing nonlinear problems and models for undergraduate mechanics courses. |
Dr Dennis Marks, Professor Emeritus, our former Department Head and intrepid leader. And now he can do his research on quantum gravity full time at last! |
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