J. Erik Hendrickson Professor and Chair |
Background
- Grew up in northern west-central Wisconsin (Dresser, St. Croix Falls, River Falls, Hudson)
- Graduated from River Falls Senior High School in 1984
- Graduated from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls in 1988, major/minor = physics/mathematics
- Received a Masters Degree from Michigan State University in 1990 from the Physics and Astronomy Department
- Received a Ph.D. in 1994 from the Experimental Condensed Matter Physics group
- Participated in collaborative research at MSU with the Chemistry Department and the Center for Fundamental Materials Research.
- Participated in education outreach at MSU with Science Theatre.
- Began teaching at UWEC in 1994.
- Awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in 2000.
- Promoted to Professor in 2007.
Teaching
- Physics 100 : Physical Science. A conceptual, 4-credit physics course with a well-integrated laboratory, designed as a general education course (with a lab) for non-science majors and elementary education majors.
- Physics 211 : College Physics. An algebra-based, 5-credit physics course with a laboratory, designed as a general education course (with a lab) for pre-professional students (pre-medical, pre-dentistry, pre-optometry, pre-chiropractic, etc.) and non-science majors.
- Physics 375 : Electromagnetic Fields. An upper-level electricity and magnetism course designed for physics majors . Check out the other classes offered by the Physics and Astronomy Department.
Interests
- Participate in the PRISM, STEPS and PESTO Projects. These are collaborative efforts between the Physics and Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry and Geology Departments, in conjunction with the Curriculum and Instruction Department, to enhance the UWEC experience for middle school and secondary education science majors and to provide local teachers with summer workshop opportunities to enhance their professional development.
- Science Theatre . A group of professors and students from several departments who design and perform science demonstrations for the general public and K-12 classes. The demonstrations are modular and can be performed as stage presentations (for large audiences) or as hands-on presentations (for audiences broken into small groups). Present demos include: fun with a bed of nails, liquid nitrogen, a falling chimney and cow magnets.
Previous Research Work
- My main interest is in the in-situ optical and electrical characterization of high vacuum vapor deposited thin films of alkali-metal-doped pseudo-buckyball compounds. One of the major questions in this field of solid state physics and physical chemistry is: How do the open channels in these compounds affect the conductivity (or the superconductivity)? Another question is: Do the optical absorbance spectra of these compounds give a reliable indication of the relative conductivity of the samples? This research is attempting to answer such fundamental questions regarding these interesting compounds.