Research at Drake

The following are the major research interests of the Drake Physics and Astronomy Department:

Dr. Klaus R.Bartschat performs research in theoretical and computational atomic physics, with particular emphasis on electron scattering and photoionization. His projects, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), have involved numerous undergraduate students. Dr. Bartschat collaborates with several groups in the US, Europe, and Australia.

Dr. Robert W. Lutz is a chemical physicist. His current research focuses on the use of computers in physics instruction and in the development of physics resources on the World Wide Web.

Dr. Charles Nelson is an astronomer who is interested in processes which occur in the centers of galaxies,particularly active galactic nuclei (AGN) and starbursts.

Dr. Athanasios Petridis is working on high-energy, nuclear physics and quantum mechanics problems in collaborations with professors from other universities and with a number of undergraduate students.

Dr. Lawrence P. Staunton is a mathematical physicist with an interest in computer solutions to physical problems.

Undergraduate Research Institute At Drake

Undergraduate Research Projects

Electron Scattering Research

• Drake University Update article
• Description and Examples of the Research Project
• Abstract for the XXI International Conference on the Physics of Electronic and Atomic Collisions, Sendai, Japan, July 22-27, 1999.
• Research paper submitted to Computer Physics Communication (April 1999)
• Research paper published in Physical Review A, Rapid Communications (May 2002)
• Talk given at the DAMOP meeting (Spring 2002)

High-Energy Nuclear Physics and Quantum Mechanics

• Talk given at the Fall Meeting of the American Physical Society, Maui, Hawaii, October 2001 (powerpoint format)
• Talk given at the Spring Meeting of the American Physical Society, Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 2002 (powerpoint format)
• Another talk given at the Spring Meeting of the American Physical Society, Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 2002 (powerpoint format)
• A paper presented at the Spring Meeting of the American Physical Society, Philadelphia, April 2003 (powerpoint format)
• A poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Physical Society, Tucson, Arizona, October 2003 (powerpoint format)
• A poster presented at the April Meeting of the American Physical Society, Denver, CO, May 2004 (powerpoint format)
• A paper presented at the April Meeting of the American Physical Society, Denver CO, May 2004 (powerpoint format)
• Another paper presented at the April Meeting of the American Physical Society, Denver CO, May 2004 (pdf document)
• A paper presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Physical Society, Jacksonville, Florida, October 2007 (powerpoint format)