Contact Information:
MOVED TO:
Physics, Hastings College
Hastings, Nebraska 68901
Phone: (402) 461-7748
Home: (402) 462-8526
e-mail:rsivron@hastings.edu
Research
& Teaching Interests
I love science.
Astronomy and physics are my passion. (I admit to flings with earth science,
computer science, biology, chemistry and off course literature and poetry.)
I want to do as
much science as I possibly can through scholarship,
outreach,
and teaching.
My research interests in:
Astrophysics:
-
Black Hole Candidates: I want
to know what makes quasars and black hole `tick,' and what use we
may find for the physics of matter near black hole candidates.
I am trying to apply that knowledge to the study of high temperature plasmas
and shock waves in plasmas.
-
Non-linear Dynamics in Astrophysics:
The above systems are perfect labs for studying non-linear dynamical
systems in astrophysics. Non-linear dynamics and time series analysis
may be referred to as the quantitative study of how things
tick.
-
Cosmology: I am working on a
back - reaction model of post-recombination cosmology that will explain
the recently observed apparent acceleration of the universe. Again, non-linear
dynamics plays a role.
Physics and Physics Related:
-
Physics of Shatter Cones:
Recently I started to work with Prof. John Weber and his Earth & Space
science students, on trying to understand shatter cones in ancient
impact craters. This project combines knowledge of shocks and elasticity
with John's expert knowledge of geology. Its a fun project!
-
Physics Education: I also
wants to know what makes science students `tick', so I do
physics education research. I developed new methods of teaching, and
alternative explanations to many "rules of thumb" in physics.
Outreach:
The NASA IDEA project:
Mars for middle school classes.
Outreach throught the bucknell observatory (Interim director, Fall
1999)
Teaching:
I am teaching a one year non calculus
based astronomy course in Bucknell University. I also teach a "foundation
seminar" course on Science and Science Fiction. This course was created
in collaboration with Ms. Nava R. Sivron. This is a very popular one semester
course. Three undergraduate physics students are working with me
on problems in high energy astrophysics.
Papers, CV, Etc.
Upcoming
Paper on Acceleration of a 2nd Order Clumping Universe (APS meeting Talk
FB10-08).
For my paper
on self organized criticality in compact accreting sources click here.
"Rules
of Thumb" Explanations (Including a relativistic explanation of Lenz's
law).
Click
here for a list of the rest of my publications, presentations, outreach,
research, resume etc.
Click Here for a web page that
I designed
Click Here
for my Curriculum Vitae
Click
Here for my Teaching Experience & Teaching Philosophy
Links to Current and Previous Classes and Current
Schedule
Email:rsivron@bucknell.edu
Last Updated: August 2000.
