Department of Physics

Welcome to the web site for the Physics Department at Texas State University-San Marcos

Become a Physics Learning Assistant!

The physics department is seeking students who are interested in being Learning Assistants for Physics 1430 (Mechanics) for fall, 2012.

Learning Assistants will work with faculty who are teaching Physics 1430 by facilitating student learning in the classroom.  LAs will also attend preparation sessions each week, and will be required to enroll in a physics course, Physics 4320 (Special Topics:  Physics Pedagogy), taught by Dr. Eleanor Close.  LAs commit between 5 and 10 hours a week to preparation and work in the classroom, with the option of more hours for grading and staffing homework help-sessions.  LAs are paid at a rate of $10.00 per hour, and upon completion of all of their obligations will also receive a $300 stipend.  Learning Assistants are different from Laboratory Instructors, because LAs assist faculty in the classroom.  Students from any major are welcome to apply to be Learning Assistants.  Applicants who are interested in the philosophy behind the Learning Assistant model can visit the page at

Colorado Learning Assistant Program

 Students who are interested in becoming Learning Assistants should complete the online application at

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LA_Application_Fall_2012

The deadline for application to the program is Wednesday, April 25 at 5:00 PM. Decisions regarding employment will be made by May 9.

If you have questions about the Learning Assistant program or the application process, please contact Dr. Eleanor Close (eclose@txstate.edu), Dr. David Donnelly (donnelly@txstate.edu), or Dr. Hunter Close (hgclose@txstate.edu).

Texas State Makes Strong Showing at Spring Meeting of Texas Sections of AAPT and APS!

The joing spring meeting of the Texas Sections of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Physical Society, and Zone 13 of the Society of Physics Students was held March 22-24 at Angelo State University is San Angelo, and Texas State made a very impressive showing of its work.  Several students and faculty from Texas State presented research results and other work.  A list of the titles presented by Texas State participants is given below

Engaging physics majors as partners in teaching: Learning Assistants in introductory physics
Eleanor Close, David Donnelly, Hunter Close

 Cognitive Advantages of Blending with Material Anchors in Energy Instruction
Hunter Close, Eleanor Close, Rachel Scherr, Sarah McKagan

 Student Understanding and Application of the Dirac Delta Function
David Donnelly, Hunter Close

 Analysis of Lagrange's original derivation of the Euler-Lagrange Differential Equation
Ryan Laughlin, Hunter Close

Learning To Use TeX
Derek Hammons, Hunter Close

Three Dimensional Surface Topography Using LCD Pattern Transfer Method
Javad R. Gatabi, Wilhelmus Geerts, Bryant Aaron, Dan Tamir, R.K. Pandey

Sample topography measurements by a novel image processing algorithm
Bryant Aaron, Dan Tamir, Javad R. Gatabi, Wilhelmus Geerts, R.K. Pandey

Automation of the Telescope in the Observatory at Texas State University-San Marcos
Cary Smith

QMSA Measurements of III-V Heterostructures on Silicon
Thiess Cunningham, Richard Hill, Man Hoi Wong, Ravi Droopad

Pressure induced structural transitions in Lead Chalcogenides and its influence on thermoelectric properties
John Petersen, Michael Spinks, Pablo Borges, Luisa Scolfaro

Characterization of multiferroic BiFeO$_{3}$ synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering
Rye Johnson, Anup Bandyopadhyay, Gregory Spencer

GaN HEMTs
Jonathan W. Anderson, Kyoung-Keun Lee, Edwin L. Piner

Optical Properties of dual ion beam sputtered Indium Tin Oxide films on glass and Silicon
Nelson Simpson, Wilhelmus Geerts, Anup Bandyopadhayay

Report on THECB Decisions Regarding Physics Programs
Heather Galloway

Congratulations!

The Physics Department would like to Congratulate Dr. Don Olson, Professor of Physics, who received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching this year.  Anyone who has been in one of Dr. Olson's classes knows this award is well deserved.