Paul Renteln
Professor & Chair

My current research interests lie in the field of combinatorics. I am particularly interested in hypergraph theory, combinatorial commutative algebra, and enumerative combinatorics. My past research activities centered on the development of a quantum theory of gravity and on the quantization of spacetime.

Website: http://physics.csusb.edu/~prenteln/
E-Mail: prenteln@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5402
Office: CS-216

Leo Connolly
Professor

Professor Connolly is currently serving as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters. He can be reached at (909) 537-5800 or by email at the address below.

Website:
E-Mail: lconnoll@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5400
Office:

Paul Dixon
Professor

The experimental investigation of complex fluid systems using dynamic light scattering and various dynamic susceptibilities. At the moment, I am particularly interested in the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of granular systems near the onset and quenching of fluidization. Another ongoing project involves the development and study of electro-active gels. The creation and improvement of experimental techniques for complex fluids research: this includes Specific Heat Spectroscopy (SHS), Third-Harmonic Dielectric Spectroscopy (THDS), and Speckle Visibility Spectroscopy (SVS). Currently, I am focusing on a two year NSF-funded project to improve SVS and develop it into a more robust experimental tool for use by non-specialists. The design of computer-based data acquisition and control systems for research and instruction - including the Digital Lock-in Analyzer (DLI) and the National Instruments Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrument Suite (NI-ELVIS). Presently, I am involved in a long-term project to integrate NI-ELVIS into a self-paced instructional environment.

Website:
E-Mail: pdixon@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5399
Office: CS-208

Karen Kolehmainen
Associate Professor

Current research involves computer modeling of the population genetics of a class of human genetic diseases called trinucleotide repeat diseases, which include Fragile X syndrome, Huntington's disease, and myotonic dystrophy. These disorders involve complex non-Mendelian genetics, and my work correlates their inheritance patterns to recently discovered molecular details of the mutations. This work should improve understanding of the underlying molecular genetics, as well as improving risk estimates for genetic counseling. Past, and potentially future, research projects involve computer modeling of the properties of matter at very high density and temperature, including applications to heavy ion collisions, supernova explosions, and the early universe.

Website: http://physics.csusb.edu/~karen/
E-Mail: karen@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5401
Office: CS-211

Susan Lederer
Assistant Professor

Comets and asteroids comprise the last remaining building blocks from which the planets condensed 4.5 billion years ago. Kuiper Belt Objects are a class of comets that reside in a belt beyond Neptune’s orbit, while Centaurs are believed to be transitioning from the Kuiper Belt to the inner solar system. These objects have undergone limited processing in their lifetimes, and as such, can yield clues about the conditions present when our solar system formed. Dr. Lederer’s studies aim to investigate the physical and chemical properties of this class of objects. She has established an active collaboration and exchange program with the NASA Johnson Space Center through these studies. This collaboration and her research are funded through a 3-year NASA grant.

Itokawa (1998 SF36; 25143) is the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) target body of the Japanese/US Hayabusa spacecraft mission. Dr. Lederer has been directly involved with this mission since 2001. She has led a collaboration to collect broadband photometry and apply Hapke models to characterize the surface properties of this asteroid in anticipation of the spacecraft’s arrival in 2005. Intermediate results have been submitted for publication; the next stage of research on this object will commence with the last favorable apparition of this object, in 2004, before the spacecraft encounters the asteroid.

Dr. Lederer also analyzes photometric and spectral telescopic data of Centaurs and Kuiper Belt Objects to characterize their spectral properties, look for evidence of aqueous alteration in the visible/near IR spectral region, and look for evidence of any other type of absorption features that could indicate surface compositional properties. In particular, the presence of a feature centered at 0.7 µm in spectral data, which indicates of the presence of aqueous alteration, has been the focus of recent studies. In addition, narrowband filter cometary images are collected, analyzed, and compared with Monte Carlo models to investigate the source of gases including OH, CN, C2, C3, and NH.

Website: http://physics.csusb.edu/~slederer/
E-Mail: slederer@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5389
Office: CS-105

Javier Torner
Professor

Professor Torner is currently serving as University Information Security Officer. He can be reached at (909) 537-7262 or by email at the address below.

Website: http://physics.csusb.edu/~jtorner/
E-Mail: jtorner@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5403
Office:

Timothy Usher
Professor

Ferroelectrics research: Ferroelectric materials remember electric fields. Therefore, they have obvious applications in computer memory and smart cards. They also have other applications ranging from nonlinear laser communications to microwave applications. Ferroelectric materials derive their amazing properties from their structure, therefore by studying ferroelectric materials we can probe fundamental properties of materials. The Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) fund this research.

Piezoelectric research: Piezoelectric materials respond to applied voltages by moving (actuating). They also exhibit the reverse property of producing a voltage in response to an applied force. They have a wide range of applications ranging from microrobotics to outdoor gas grill lighters. We are currently working with NASA-Dryden to apply piezoelectric actuators to morphable wings. This research is funded by NASA and DoD.

Education: While the research results are of value, student training is at least as important. These students will be the future scientists and engineers that our country desperately needs. The research laboratory is one of the best “classrooms”. In addition, we bring our research experience into the traditional classroom. An example of this is the electronics teaching system known as NI-ELVIS that we invented and is now commercially produced by the world leader in computer-based instrumentation (National Instruments).

Website: http://physics.csusb.edu/%7Etusher/
E-Mail: tusher@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5410
Office: CS-210

Laura Woodney
Assistant Professor

Dr. Woodney studies the physics and chemistry of comets, concentrating on their chemical composition and the clues they provide about the formation of the solar system. Recent activities have included studying cometary jet morphology to draw conclusions about their nuclear composition and investigating whether or not cometary nuclei are heterogeneous collections of ices.

Website:http://physics.csusb.edu/~lwoodney/
E-Mail: woodney@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-7593
Office: CS-106

 

Steve Barnes
Lecturer



Website:
E-Mail: spbarnes@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-7734
Office: CS-209

John McGill
Lecturer



Website: http://physics.csusb.edu/~jmcgill/
E-Mail: jmcgill@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-7734
Office: CS-208

Linh Phan
Lecturer



Website:
E-Mail:
Phone: (909) 537-7734
Office: CS-208

Diana Wall
Lecturer



Website:
E-Mail:
Phone: (909) 537-7734
Office: CS-209

Maureen Murphy
Administrative Support Coordinator



Website:
E-Mail: mmurphy@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5397
Office: CS-216

James Sheu
Lecturer/Instructional Support Technician



Website:
E-Mail: sheu@csusb.edu
Phone: (909) 537-5404
Office: CS-320