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Physics & Astronomy Department Faculty

My main interest is Astronomy (I own a 32-inch telescope on Cape Cod) and I enjoy doing "amateur" astronomy with it and inviting Wheaton students to look through it. I also enjoy snorkeling, radio control glider and helicopter flying, paragliding, playing tennis, and watching movies.  I have observed extensively with the large telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory and with NASA's International Explorer Satellite, studying planetary nebulae (the material left behind by stars when they die), but my main research interests have shifted to projects that can be done using the equipment on the Observing Deck on the roof of the Science Center.

 

Head to the Astronomy homepage to learn more

    Tim Barker, Bojan Hamlin Jennings Professor of Natural Science, Professor of Astronomy, Dir. of Science Programs

 

My research interests include optical and laser spectroscopy of solids. I Have received research grants from the U.S. Air Force and Research Corporations to support my research with students on campus.

Head to my Research Page to learn more

    Xuesheng Chen, Professor of Physics, Department Chair

 

The research programs I focus on center on the interaction of light with solid state laser materials. Some of these investigations focus on finding materials that would make more efficient lasers. Other projects seek to understand the basic physics of the ions responsible for the laser light (usually rare-earth and transition metal ions): how they interact with the host lattice, with other ions in the solid, and with light.

 

Head to the Facilities page to see some pictures of the lab.

    John Collins, Associate Professor of Physics

 

I am a planetary scientist, using the tools of geology, geophysics, and remote sensing to learn about the other planets in our solar system. Studying the evolution and current behavior of other planets gives us perspective on how the Earth works, and in what ways the Earth is a unique place. Currently I am involved in NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter, investigating the tectonics of Jupiter's satellites. I am trying to figure out what caused the deformation that we see in the grooved terrain on Ganymede and the ridges and chaotic terrain on Europa. I strive to teach science as a process, rather than as a static set of "facts," by showing students how we know what we think we know and encouraging them to design their own plans for probing planetary mysteries.

    Geoffrey Collins, Assistant Professor of Geology