I view my many different roles in life as different aspects of the same general theme. Follow the links to the left to learn more about my personal thoughts and activities, my roles as an educator, and my research work in Atomic Physics. I have also included a set of links to blogs and pages that I find interesting and read on a regular basis. Finally, I have links back to the Physics Department and to Wabash College.

I am teaching a new course this fall, Physics 105, based loosly on the popular TV show Mythbusters. I explain my reasons for teaching this course in the following video:

More information about the course and links to student videos can be found in my teaching section.

I decided to come to Wabash College for a number of reasons:

• In talking to the Dean of the College during my job interview, I got the sense that Wabash College is about training men to be leaders in our society. I come from a long line of active Scouters and consider their mission to be very important. We need good men and good leaders. I believe this is one of the key roles in the College, reflected in the Mission to teach men to "lead effectively".
• I am interested in the differences between co-ed education and single-sex education. My wife is a Mt. Holyoke alumna and I find the differences between the two educational models to be interesting. I have found, though, that the difference in Physics are not all that great, given the gender gap in our field. I hope that I can help shape the attitudes of our physics students such that they will be able to productively work with women both in and out of physics.
• The Physics Department is housed in a nice building with good facilities. Believe it or not, this is an important thing to me. Although the information content of physics is independent of the building, I think it is much nicer to be in a good building.
• I love the interdisciplinary interactions between faculty. This is reflected in the meetings of the faculty during the school year, before the semester starts in workshops, and in everyday interactions. I love interacting with my colleagues from all different academic disciplines.
• I like the interaction between students and faculty. I am a fairly laid-back person when it comes to working with students and I like an informal atmosphere both in my classes and in my labs. I like the fact that I can converse naturally with students on a variety of topics both in and out of physics.
• I am fascinated by the Gentleman's Rule. I have my own thoughts and feelings as to what this rule means. Click here for a printable version of The Unauthorized, Unofficial Gentleman's Rule Book