Faculty

Research Projects

• Overview of Space Weathering on Asteroids 101955 Bennu and 162173 Ryugu, with OSIRIS-REx team, Hayabusa 2 team, and student Antara Sen (IC Physics 2023)
• Distribution of Carbonates and Organics on Asteroid 101955 Bennu, with student lead Salvatore Ferrone (IC Physics 2018), OSIRIS-REx team, and Hannah Kaplan (NASA Goddard).
• Meteor Flux at Planet Earth from Asteroid Bennu Particle Ejection Events, with student lead Robert Melikyan (IC Physics 2020), Carl Hergenrother (U. Arizona), Steve Chesley (JPL), Mike Nolan (U.Arizona), and Quanzhi Ye (U. Maryland).
• Spectral Effects of Texture in Mudpie Simulations of Bennu, with student lead Antara Sen (IC Physics 2023), Ed Cloutis (U. Winnipeg), Dani DellaGiustina (U. Arizona), Amanda Hendrix (PSI), and the OSIRIS-REx team.
• Spectral Indices of Hydrated Minerals, with Stavrini Tsangari, (IC Physics and Cornell Applied and Engineering Physics 2022).
• Projection Effects in Spectral Mapping for OSIRIS-REx, with student lead Salvatore Ferrone (IC Physics 2018).
• Spectral Indices for Spectral Mapping, with french master's student Alice Praet (Univ. Paris 2018).
• Photometry and Geometric Albedo of Dark Meteorite Materials, with Linda Crandall (IC Physics 2014).
• Image Processing for Photometric Modeling, with student Megan Kelleher (IC Physics 2013) and the OSIRIS-REx team.
• Performance Assessment of the PRWC Ground Source Heat Pump System, with student Alex Viola (IC Physics 2013).
• TAG-able regions on Itokawa and Eros, with Nate Fieger (IC Physics 2012).
• Solar Hot Water for Ithaca College: A Demonstration Project for Emerson Hall Dormitory, with Sarah Burleson (Physics 2011)
• Independent Analysis of the Ithaca College Wind Speed Data, with student Casey Byrne (IC Physics, 2011)
• Ground Source Heat Pumps: A Case Study of 5 Local Installations, with Caitlin Ahearn (Physics 2010)
• Wind Power for Ithaca College, with Allison Krasnow (Biology 2007), Steve Figgatt (Environmental Studies 2008)
• Solar Photovoltaics for Ithaca College, with Romaine Isaacs (Physics 2010)
• Radar and Infrared Survey of X/M/E-type Asteroids with Michael Shepard (Bloomsburg University), Maureen Ockert-Bell (Ithaca College), and Romaine Isaacs (Physics 2010)
• Spectral Modeling of Asteroid Composition Including Space Weathering Effects with Nate Ricci (IC Computer Science)
• Asteroid Albedos with Sanya Levi (Ithaca College)
• Deconvolving Terrestrial Alteration Mineral Spectral Signatures from Meteorite Reflectance Measurements with Sweta Shah (Ithaca College), Taki Hiroi (Brown), and Mike Zolensky (NASA Johnson Space Center)
• Surface composition and photometric properties of asteroid 433 Eros with Britt Scharringhausen (Ithaca College) and Jay Schuren (Ithaca College, Cornell).
• The Cornell MID-Infrared Asteroid Spectroscopic (MIDAS) Survey with Lucy Lim (Cornell), Jim Bell (Cornell), and Tim McConnochie (Cornell).
• Radar and Spectroscopic Studies of Asteroid 2100 Ra-Shalom with Michael Shepard (Bloomsburg Univ.), Andrew Rivkin (MIT), and Jim Bell (Cornell).
• A teacher workshop series to develop instructional materials for spacecraft mission design with Maureen Bell (Sciencenter) and Jamie De Gregory (Ithaca College).
• Infrared spectroscopy of X,E,M, and P-type asteroids with Bobby Bus (U.H.), Andrew Rivkin (MIT), Josh Sanders (Ithaca College), and Sweta Shah (Ithaca College)
• Spectroscopy of MUSES-C spacecraft mission target asteroid 1998 SF36 with the MUSES-C mission team.
• History of Astronomy - oral history of the early days in astronomy research (with Jamie De Gregory (Ithaca College)).

Courses

• Principles of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism (PHYS-118)
• Principles of Physics III: Waves, Optics, and Thermodynamics (PHYS-217)
• Power: Energy Options for a Global Society (PHYS-141)
• Power and Energy (PHYS-243)
• Physics Professional Seminars (PHYS-114, PHYS-214, PHYS-314)
• Earth Science (PHYS-171)
• Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies and the Universe (PHYS-175)
• Introductory Physics (PHYS-101 lab, PHYS-102 lab, PHYS-120 lab)
• Independent Research (PHYS-299, -399, -499)
• Math Methods for Physicists (PHYS-301)
• Intermediate Mechanics (PHYS-311)

Service

• Chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy
• Member of the Presidents Climate Commitment Committee
• Organizer of the College-wide seminar series "Physics Cafe"
• Member of the Committee on Campus Energy Efficiency
• Former Member of the Center for Natural Sciences Sustainability Group
• Former Member of the Committee for the Freshman Reading Initiative
• Former Member of the Ithaca College Faculty Council
• Former Member of the Environmental Studies Steering Committee

Professional Activities

• Member, Scientific Organizing Committee, Asteroids IV, University of Arizona Press, 2014-2015

• Associate Editor, "Meteoritics and Planetary Science" 1999-2012

• Co-CHAIR, American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences Conference, Cornell 2008
• Former Member, NASA "Planetary System Science Management Operations Working Group"
• Editor, "Earth & Sky" Syndicated Radio Show
• CHAIR, Scientific Organizing Committee, 7th International Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM) Conference Cornell University, 1999.
• Member, Scientific Organizing Committee, Asteroids 2001: From Piazzi to the Third Millenium . Palermo Italy, June 11-16, 2001.
• Member, NASA and NSF Program Review Panels, HST, PG&G, PA, PIDDP, Mars Exploration: 1995-present.
• Expert Reader, Millbrook Press, 2001-2006.
• Former Member, NASA Planetary Astronomy Program Management Operations Working Group 1995-2000.

Interests

• Music: Violin, Choir (soprano), Piano
• Outdoors: hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing, photography
• Nature: birding, wildflowers, trees, wildlife
• Quilting
• Reading: American history, civil war, biography, energy, science
• Travel: mountains

Link to the Physics Department:
https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/school-humanities-and-sciences/physics…;