Wayne J. Bresser
Assistant Professor of Physics
Department of Physics and Geology, Northern Kentucky
University
Highland Heights, KY 41099
Phone: 859-572-6678
BresserW@NKU.edu
Educational Background
Ph.D. in
Physics, October 1986. “Molecular Phase
Separation and Cluster Size in GeSe2”, University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
M.S. in
Physics, December 1980. “Investigation
of Structure and Chemical Bonding in (GeSe2)x(GeTe2)1-x
Glasses Deduced by Quadrupole Interaction Using 125Te and 129I
Mössbauer Investigations”, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
B.A. in
Physics, May 1977. Thomas More College,
Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
Teaching Experience
Assistant
Professor of Physics at Northern
1) directed undergraduate
research projects.
2) advised majors in the
physics department.
3) been NKU advisor
to student research project in the Air Force Research Laboratory at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
4) been advisor for
the Moonbuggy team.
5) been director of
the department’s Telescope Nights.
6) been co-advisor
for the Earth/Space Science Club and assisted with the club booth at the
Cincinnati Gem and Mineral Show for two years.
7) been advisor for
Physics Club.
8) been co-editor for
NKU’s Radiation Safety manual.
9) been the
department’s liaison to the Steely library.
10) acted as Project
ASTRO mentor in conjunction with the
11) co-organized Dr. Jon Spijkerman’s (Ranger Scientific, Inc.) seminar.
12) been speaker for
two Planetary Geology classes.
13) been speaker at
the Nobel Prize Winners colloquium.
14) assisted in organizing
a scientific group from NKU and UofL to study
meteorites.
15) organized a scientific
group from NKU and UC to study and manufacture carbon nanotubes.
16) participated on departmental,
college, and university committees as needed.
Lecturer of
Physics at Northern
1) directed undergraduate
research projects.
2) advised majors in the
physics department.
3) been NKU advisor
to student research project in the Air Force Research Laboratory at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
4) been advisor for
the Moonbuggy team which competed in the 9th Annual Great Moonbuggy
Race held in April 2002 at the
5) been director of
the department’s Telescope Nights.
6) been co-advisor
for the Earth/Space Science Club and assisted with the club booth at the
Cincinnati Gem and Mineral Show for two years.
7) been co-advisor for
Physics Club.
8) acted as Project
ASTRO mentor in conjunction with the
9) been physics
advisor to the CINSAM Function Box project, directed by Dr. Long.
10) been the
department’s liaison to the Steely library.
I have organized and updated the physics/geology/astronomy journals and
have placed book requests for the department’s faculty.
11) designed and outfitted
the machine shop for the
12) set up the new
equipment for the Radioisotope Lab (Mössbauer spectrometer and Closed Cycle
Refrigerator, high temperature furnaces with temperature controllers and
radiation monitoring system) and Condensed Physics Lab (cryogenic pumping
system, Differential Scanning Calorimeter and Thermogravimetric Analyzer).
13) worked on evaluating
an interactive Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram using the Hipparcos star catalog in
the Digistar 3 system for NKU’s Digital Theater.
14) assisted in the design
and purchase of the monochromator system for Optic studies in Advanced Physics
Labs.
15) coordinated the loan of
demonstration equipment (Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer and Rheometer) from TA
Instruments, Inc.
16) participated on
departmental, college, and university committees as needed.
Lecturer of Physics at Northern
Kentucky University. (8/00 to
8/02) I was responsible for teaching
University Physics with Lab II, Advanced Physics Laboratory I, II (topics
include modern physics and solid state physics), General Physics with Lab II,
Modern Physics, Introductory level astronomy classes, and Directed Research in
Physics. In addition, I have:
1) directed undergraduate
research projects.
2) developed
summer research opportunities at University of Cincinnati for undergraduate
students.
3) tutored Comair
pilot in physics for training requirement.
4) participated
in outreach activities by giving talks at Northern Kentucky Physics Teacher
Alliance meetings and at Mary Queen of Heaven Elementary School.
5) participated
in two geology field trips. The first
trip (September 2000) was to the Falls of the Ohio State Park where students
learned about invertebrates and vertebrates of the Devonian and attended talks
on the mineralogy of Kentucky and on Devonian paleogeography. The second trip (October 2000) was to
southeastern Kentucky. On this trip
students evaluated the Middlesboro impact structure and the Pine Mountain
Thrust sheet.
6) been physics
representative to geology field trips.
7) updated the
electronics and detectors for nuclear radiation experiments.
8) coordinated
the donation of Perkin-Elmer thermal equipment (Differential Scanning
Calorimeter and Thermogravimetric Analyzer) from University of Cincinnati and
Perkin-Elmer, Inc.
9) participated
on departmental, college, and university committees as needed.
Part-Time
Instructor at Northern Kentucky University.
(8/92 to 5/00) I was responsible
for teaching
evening introductory level astronomy classes with Lab. In addition I participated in a Geology field
trip to Sidling Hill and Round Top Hill, MD, April, 2000
Assistant Professor at Xavier
University. (9/85 to 5/92) I was responsible for teaching Introductory
level astronomy classes, Introductory level geology classes, University Physics
I and II and Labs, College Physics I with Lab, Electromagnetism I and II,
Physical Optics and Lab, Quantum Mechanics, Electronics I with Lab and Digital
Lab, Special Studies in Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Physics Research, and Advanced
Physics Lab. In addition, I have:
1) directed
undergraduate research projects.
2) advised majors
in the physics department.
3) been advisor
to student research project developing original Windows software for data
manipulation and interfacing IBM’s Personal Science Laboratory (PSL) modules to
PS/2 computers.
4) been director
of SPS Chapter.
5) been advisor
for Physics Club.
6) developed and
implemented twenty new astronomy labs.
7) developed
summer research opportunities at University of Cincinnati for undergraduate
students.
8) developed and
directed several Science Olympiad events for local high schools.
9) participated
in outreach activities by giving talks at the Cincinnati Astronomical Society,
Cincinnati Country Day School and St. Margaret Mary School.
10) presented several
optics demonstrations to the Tri-State Physics Teachers meetings.
11) designed and
outfitted a research lab and rooftop observatory in the new Physics Building.
12) beta-tested
several astronomy programs of Stellar Concepts, Inc and integrated them into
the introductory astronomy course.
13) invited Jet
Propulsion Laboratory scientist for colloquium and public talk on the Magellan
mission.
14) coordinated
donation of research equipment from Procter & Gamble and a 4” refractor
telescope from Edgecliff College.
Work Experience
Research Associate. (5/92 to
8/00) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science,
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
I was responsible for my own research projects and the research projects
for eight graduate students and collaborations with five faculty members at UC,
NKU and Thomas More College and Ranger Scientific, Inc. I designed and outfitted a thermal, optical
and Mössbauer research lab in the new Engineering Research Center.
Scientist (1994 to 1997)
NoMel Technology, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio.
As part of Phase I SBIR grant I was responsible for design and
construction of support structure for closed cycle refrigerator used for
cooling samples in an Auger spectrometer.
Chief Scientist – Physics and Beta-tester. (1990 to
1992) Stellar Concepts Inc.,
Cincinnati, Ohio. I was responsible for designing and testing astronomical and
meteorological education software.
Speaker at the NKU inter-departmental colloquium. I gave a presentation on the winners of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics to NKU faculty, December 2003.
Director for CINSAM astronomy workshop for a group of middle school students on the Sun’s Radiation, November 2003.
Speaker at the Northern Kentucky Physics Teacher Alliance meeting. I gave a presentation on laser light and sugar water to local high school and college teachers, October 2003.
Speaker for Planetary Geology class studying Mars and Jupiter’s moons, September and October 2003.
Host for NKU’s Telescope Night for public observation for Mars Opposition, August 2003.
Speaker at
Co-host at the Big Bone Lick State Park Telescope evening, July, August and October 2003. I gave a presentation on constellations and current astronomical events.
Advisor for Ms. Pam Dumaine (Saints Peter and
Speaker at NKU Tenure-track Position search. Presentation entitled "Rigidity Transitions and the Intermediate Phase in Ge-Se Glasses” given to faculty and physics students, March 2003
Speaker and guide for
Speaker at the Northern Kentucky Physics Teacher Alliance meeting. I gave a presentation on holography to local high school and college teachers, December 2002.
Speaker and guide for tour of thermal equipment laboratory in the new Natural Science building during KAS meeting, November 2002.
Speaker and guide for tour of optics and thermal equipment laboratory and Moonbuggy display during NKU Science Center Open House, September 2002.
Co-host at the Big Bone Lick State Park Telescope evening, July, August and October 2002. I gave a presentation on constellations and current astronomical events.
Speaker at the Northern Kentucky Physics Teacher Alliance meeting. I gave a presentation on stellar evolution and spectra to local high school and college teachers, January 2002.
Guest speaker at Dr. Jerome Langguth’s Honors philosophy class on contemporary cosmology.
Guest Speaker at ScopeOut October 2001. I gave a presentation on atmospheric evolution of Venus, Earth and Mars for the general public.
Guest Speaker at Mary Queen of Heaven Elementary School. During November 2001 I gave a presentation for CINSAM to a group of middle school students on the Solar System.
Co-host at the Big Bone Lick State Park Telescope evening, June, July, and August 2001. I gave a presentation on constellations and current astronomical events.
Guest Speaker at ScopeOut October 2000. I gave a presentation on planetary observations for the general public.
.
Research in
Progress
Self-Organization
in Disordered Networks Project – I am currently working with Dr. Punit
Boolchand at the University of Cincinnati. This project is evaluating Rigidity
Transitions and Intermediate Phases in Chalcogenide Glasses and Intermediate
Phases in Oxide Glasses and Chalcohalides.
Solid
Electrolytes Project – I am currently working with Dr. Punit Boolchand at the
University of Cincinnati. This project
is evaluating Ag as an additive in chalcogenide glasses, which has attracted
widespread interest in optical recording and information storage technologies.
Negative
Electron Affinities, New Cold Cathode and Organic Light Emitting Diodes – I am
currently working with Dr. Punit Boolchand at the University of Cincinnati.
Rare-earth monosulphides, such as LaS and NdS, are unusual metals, as they possess
low
work-functions.
Undergraduate Research Projects
I was
responsible for directing the following undergraduate research projects:
1) Construction
of Closed-Cycle Refrigerator with Mössbauer Spectrometer, with Seth Bradley and
Ferd Metzger and Anthony DiBello, Northern Kentucky
University, 2003.
2) Construction
of a Cryopumping System, with Brian Hiner, Northern Kentucky University, 2002.
3) Measurement of
the Viscosity of GeSe2 Glasses Using a Perkin-Elmer Dynamic
Mechanical Analyzer, with Ben Hanks (in collaboration with Dr. Punit Boolchand
at University of Cincinnati), Northern Kentucky University, 2001.
4) Glass
Transition (Tg) Variation with Average Coordination Number
<m>: Evidence of a Threshold Behavior in the Slope |dTg/d<m>|
at the Rigidity Percolation Threshold (<m> = 2.40) with Steve Mancini (in
collaboration with Dr. Punit Boolchand at University of Cincinnati), Xavier
University, 1992. Steve’s work was
published in J. Non-Cryst. Solids 151, 149 (1992).
5) Chalcogen
Chemical Order in g-Cux(As2Se3)1-x
Alloys Probed by Mössbauer Spectroscopy, with Todd Culman (in collaboration
with Dr. Punit Boolchand at University of Cincinnati), Xavier University,
1989. Todd presented his results at the
1989 March Meeting of the American Physical Society.
6) Computer
Control of a Home-Built Twelve-Inch Cassegrain Telescope, with Bill Phillips,
Xavier University, 1988.
7) Modification
of Multichannel Analyzer for Use with a Mössbauer Spectrometer, with Steve
Seta, Xavier University, 1987.
Graduate
Research Committees
A guest
committee member for Deepak Selvanathan M.S.
University of Cincinnati (1998).
A guest
committee member for Xingwei Feng, M.S.
University of Cincinnati (December, 1997).
Grants
Research Associate on National Science Foundation Grant DMR-97-02189.
Co-PI on National Science Foundation Grant DMR-94-24556 - $274,000 Equipment Award for a Dispersive Raman Spectrometer System for Basic Investigations on Network Glasses.
Research Associate on National Science Foundation Grant DMR-92-07166.
Publications
“Thermally Reversing Windows, Nanoscale Phase Separation and Electrical Switching in Telluride Glasses, submitted for publication, L. Cai, P. Boolchand and W. J. Bresser.
“Rigidity Transition in Binary Ge-Se Glasses and the Intermediate Phase”, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 293, 348, (2001), P. Boolchand, X. Feng, and W. J. Bresser.
“Mobile Silver
Ions and Glass Formation in Solid Electrolytes”, Nature 410, 1070 (2001), P Boolchand and W. J. Bresser.
“Onset of Rigidity in Steps in Chalcogenide Glasses – The Intermediate Phase” in M. Thorpe (ed.) Properties and Applications of Amorphous Materials, NATO Science Series (Plenum/Kluwer, 2001), P. Boolchand, D. Selvanathan, Y. Wang, D.G. Georgiev and W.J. Bresser.
“Evidence for the Intermediate Phase in Chalcogen Glasses”, To be published in the Proceedings of the workshop on Phase Transitions and Self-Organization in Electronic and Molecular Materials, Cambridge, England, 2000 (Plenum/Kluwer, 2001), P. Boolchand W. J. Bresser, D.G. Georgiev, Y. Wang and J. Wells.
”The Structural Origin of Broken Chemical Order in GeSe2 Glass”, Philosophical Magazine B 80, 1757 (2000), P. Boolchand and W.J. Bresser.
“Stiffness Transitions in SixSe1-x Glasses from Raman Scattering and Temperature-Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry”, Phys. Rev. B61, 15061 (2000), D. Selvanathan, W.J. Bresser, and P. Boolchand.
“Thermally Reversing Window and Stiffness Transitions in Chalcogenide Glasses”, Solid State Commun. 111, 619 (1999), D. Selvanathan, W.J. Bresser, P. Boolchand, B. Goodman.
“Angle Dependence of Magnetism in a Single-Domain YBa2Cu3Ox Sphere”, Phys. Rev. B58, 11761 (1998), B.A. Tent, D. Qu, Donglu Shi, W.J. Bresser, P. Boolchand, and Zhi-Xiong Cai.
“Role of Network Connectivity on the Elastic, Plastic and Thermal Behavior of Covalent Glasses”, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 222, 137 (1997), X.W. Feng, W.J. Bresser, M. Zhang, B. Goodman and P. Boolchand.
“Direct Evidence for Stiffness Threshold in Chalcogenide Glasses”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 4422 (1997), X.W. Feng, W.J. Bresser and P. Boolchand.
“Metal (M) Dopant Centered Local Structures, High Pressure Synthesis and Bulk Superconductivity in YBa2(Cu1-xMx)3O7-d:M = Fe, Co, Ni”, J. Phys. Condens. Matter 9, L307 (1997), F. Shi, R. Harris, W.J. Bresser, D. McDaniel, And P. Boolchand.
“Effect of High Pressure Oxygen Annealing in Promoting Superconductivity in YSr2Cu2.7 Fe0.3Oy: Evidence for Fe Coordination Number Change in the Chains”, Phys. Rev. B 54, 6776 (1996), F. Shi, W.J. Bresser, M. Zhang, Y. Wu, D. McDaniel and P. Boolchand.
“Molecular Origin of Glass Forming Tendency in Ternary Te-Se-Br(Cl) Chalcohalide Glasses”, Z. Naturforsch. 51a 373 (1996), W.J. Bresser, J. Wells, M. Zhang and P. Boolchand
“Medium Range Order of a Network Glass Established by a Local Probe”, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 195, 170 (1996), J. Wells, W.J. Bresser, P. Boolchand and J. Lucas.
“Lamb-Mössbauer Factors as a Local Probe of Floppy Modes in Network Glasses”, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 182, 143 (1995), P. Boolchand, W. Bresser, M. Zhang, Y. Wu, J. Wells and R.N. Enzweiler.
“A General Purpose Cold-Finger Using a Vibration-Free Mounted He-Closed Cycle Cryostat”, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 66, 3051 (1995), P. Boolchand, G.H. Lemon, W.J. Bresser, R.N. Enzweiler and R. Harris.
“Gamma-ray Polarization in Transmission through a Non-cubic and a Nonmagnetic Single Crystal”, Phys. Rev. B 50, 6833 (1994) P. Boolchand, W. Bresser, G. Anaple, Y. Wu, R.N. Enzweiler, R. Coussement and J. Grover.
“Observation of the Room-temperature 125Te Mössbauer Effect in Mg3TeO6: Linewidth, Recoil-free-fraction, and Isomer Shift”, Phys. Rev. B 47, 11663 (1993), W. Bresser, M. Zhang, L. Koudelka, J. Wells, P. Boolchand, G.J. Ehrhart and P. Miller.
“Glass Transition (Tg) Variation with Average Coordination Number <m>: Evidence of a Threshold Behavior in the Slope |dTg/d<m>| at the Rigidity Percolation Threshold (<m> = 2.40)”, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 151, 149 (1992), M. Zhang, S. Mancini, W.J. Bresser and P. Boolchand.
“Softening of Cu-O Vibrational Modes as a Precursor to Onset of Superconductivity in EuBa2Cu3O7-d”, Phys. Rev. B 37, 3766 (1988), P. Boolchand, R.N. Enzweiler, I. Zitkovsky, J. Wells, W.J. Bresser, D. McDaniel, R.L. Meng, P.H. Hor, C.W. Chu and C.Y. Huang.
“Rigidity Percolation and Molecular Clustering in Network Glasses”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 2493 (1986), W.J. Bresser, P. Suranyi and P. Boolchand.
“The Molecular Structure of As2Se3 Glass”, Hyper. Inter. 27, 385 (1986), P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser and P. Suranyi.
“Molecular-Phase Separation and Cluster Size in GeSe2 Glass, Hyper. Inter. 27, 389 (1986), W.J. Bresser, P. Boolchand, and P. Suranyi.
“Charge-Transfer in Rare-Earth Trichloride Graphite-Intercalation Compounds, Solid State Commun. 52, 675 (1984), P. Boolchand, G. Lemon, W.J. Bresser.
“Atomic Structure and Crystallization of AsxTe1-x Glasses”, Phys. Rev. B 27, 7533 (1983), M. Tenhover, W.J. Bresser and P. Boolchand.
“151Eu Mössbauer Studies on Graphite EuCl3”, Intercalated Graphite, edited by M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, J.E. Fischer, M.J. Horan, (North Holland, 1983), p. 393, P. Boolchand, G. Lemon, W.J. Bresser D. McDaniel, R.E. Heinz, P.C. Eklund, E. Stumpp and G. Nietfeld.
“121Sb Mössbauer Studies on NO2SbF6 Intercalated Graphite”, Intercalated Graphite, edited by M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, J.E. Fischer, M.J. Moran, (North Holland, 1983), p. 384, P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser, D. McDaniel, P. Eklund, D. Billaud and J. Fischer.
“121Sb Mössbauer Studies of Graphite SbF5 Intercalation Compounds”, Intercalated Graphite, edited by M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, J.E. Fischer and M.J. Horan (North Holland, 1983) p. 377, D. McDaniel, P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser and P. Eklund
“Direct Evidence of Intrinsically Broken Chalcogen Chemical Order in GeSe2xTe2-2x Alloy Glasses”, Nucl. Instrum. Methods 199, 295 (1982) P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser, P. Suranyi, and J.P. Deneufville.
“Intercalant Species in SbCl5 – Graphite from Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Carbon 20, 132 (1982), P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser, K. Sisson.
“Structural Origin of Broken Chemical Order in GeSe2 Glass”, Phys. Rev. B 25, 2975 (1982), P. Boolchand, J. Grothaus, W.J. Bresser and P. Suranyi.
“Direct Evidence for Intrinsically Broken 8-N Coordination Rule in Melt-quenched Glasses by a Novel Method”, Phys. Rev. B 25, 2971 (1982) P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser and M. Tenhover.
“Intrinsically Broken Chalcogen Chemical Order in Stoichiometric Glasses”, J. de Physique Colloque C4, 193 (1981), W.J. Bresser, P. Boolchand, P. Suranyi and J.P. Deneufville.
“Identification of the Intercalant Species in SbCl5 Graphite using Mössbauer Spectroscopy”, Solid State Commun. 40, 1049 (1981), P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser, D. McDaniel, K. Sisson, V. Yeh and P. Eklund.
“129I Nuclear Quadrupole Interaction in Trigonal Te and the Role of Oxygen Contamination”, Phys. Rev. B 23, 3669 (1981), P. Boolchand, W.J. Bresser and Gary J. Ehrhart.
“Direct Evidence for Intrinsically Broken Chemical Ordering in Melt-Quenched Glasses”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 1689 (1981), W.J. Bresser, P. Boolchand, P. Suranyi and J.P. Deneufville.
Professional Associations
Society
of Physics Students, 1976 – present.
American
Physical Society, 1979 – present.
American
Association of Physics Teachers, 1988 – present.
Cincinnati
Astronomical Society, 1988 – present.
Sigma
Xi,
1999-present.
Experimental
Apparatus
Mössbauer
Spectrometers – University of Cincinnati, Xavier University – 24 years
experience.
Substantially
Vibration-free Shroud and Mounting System for Sample Cooling and Low
Temperature Spectroscopy – Co-inventor on United States Patent No. 5,327,733 with P.
Boolchand, G. Lemon, R.N. Enzweiler and R. Harris, issued July 12, 1994.
Analytical Apparatus Instrumentation
Mössbauer Spectroscopy – A standard liquid Helium cryostat with an 8 T superconducting
magnet and an exchange gas column for inserting a vertical drive assembly is
used for Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements at 4.2K. In the early 80's
vibration-free He-cryocoolers opened the way to perform Mössbauer spectroscopy
measurements in the 10K < T < 300K range without the need of liquid
cryogens.
Raman Spectroscopy – Jobin Yvon, Inc. model T 64000
triple monochromator system equipped with an optical multichannel detector (CCD
array), a photomultiplier detector and a microscope attachment. Eight years experience.
X-ray Diffraction (XRD) – Rigaku D-2000 powder diffractometer with Bede double-crystal model
200. Ten years experience.
Differential Scanning Calorimeter – Perkin-Elmer,
Inc DSC Model 2C. Twenty-two years experience.
Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimeter – TA
Instruments, Inc. Five years experience.
Thermogravimetric Analyzer – Perkin-Elmer,
Inc TGA Model TGA7. Twelve years
experience.
Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer – Perkin-Elmer,
Inc DMA Model DMA7. Nine years
experience.
Magnetron Sputter-Deposition of Thin Films System – Two US guns
(one RF and the other DC) with provisions for 2" targets have been
incorporated in a Cooke Vacuum system model CVE-600MC, which includes a steel
bell jar assembly, a CT-8 He cryogenic pump from CTI-Cryogenics. Twelve years experience.
Vapor-Deposition of Thin Films System – A small
furnace has been incorporated in a Cooke Vacuum system, which includes a glass
bell jar assembly, a CT-8 He cryogenic pump from CTI-Cryogenics. Fourteen years experience.
Vibrating Sample Magnetometer – EG & G PAR
model 4500 equipped with a 1 Tesla Electromagnet with He-cryosystem mounting
(using an APD CS-202 W with a DMX-19 interface) to cool samples to 10K. Ten years experience.