Physics and 3-2 EngineeringSchlumberger Shell Oil Siemens Thrasher Engineering Tower Engineering...

Physics and 3-2 Engineering West Virginia Wesleyan College

G. Albert Popson, Jr., Chair 304-473-8070 [email protected] https://www.wvwc.edu

Here is information on fields of engineering, employers,

internships, our schedule of classes, our NASA affiliation,

labs, new equipment, and student projects.

Our hands-on approach emphasizes labs. In recent years,

we have benefited from grants from the U.S. Department

of Education, NSF, NASA, Dominion Resources, and the

Naylor Foundation. These grants fund student projects

and help us keep our labs up-to-date.

Our graduates report satisfying professional careers. Our

graduates often pursue an M.S. or Ph.D., and in the last

five years, our acceptance rate into these programs is 94%. Our senior class with the faculty, February 2019.

What is the 3-2 Engineering Program?

This is our collaboration with West Virginia University,

Marshall University, and the University of Virginia. Students

study three years at Wesleyan followed by two years at one

of the universities. Students earn two degrees—Wesleyan’s

The 3-2 program benefits students by enabling them

to start their engineering studies in our smaller classes.

A strong physics background also enables engineers to

better understand the theory behind engineering practice.

physics degree and the univer-

sity’s engineering degree.

Students can finish this in

only five years because many

of Wesleyan’s courses count

toward the university’s engi-

neering degree, and many of

the university’s courses count

toward our physics degree.

Meet our faculty—Dr. Reynolds, Dr. Popson, Dr.

Wiest, Dr. DeLaney, Mr. Grose (technician)

The physics background

is especially valuable to

engineers who are working

on projects at the forefront

of the profession. In addition,

many of our students success-

fully participate in sports,

student government, theatre,

and music.

We welcome our 2018 freshman class

Where do our graduates work?

Alliant Technical

American Electric

BAE Systems

Ball Aerospace

Bell Helicopters

Bechtel-Bettis

Cabot Oil & Gas

Caterpillar

Corhart Refractories

Cutler-Hammer

DuPont

EPIC Systems

Fischione Instruments

General Electric

General Motors

Hermes Abrasives

Hewlett-Packard

Huntington Medical

Physicists

Jacobs Engineering

Kettering Cancer

Center

Johnson & Johnson

Lockheed-Martin

Mercy Cancer Center

Mitre Corporation

Morton-Thiokol

Monongahela Power

Motorola

Mylan

NASA-Glenn

NASA-Langley

Nissan

National Energy

Technology Lab

Omnia Medical

PDC Energy

Pratt and Whitney

Raytheon

Rockwell Automation

Schlumberger

Shell Oil

Siemens

Thrasher Engineering

Tower Engineering

Toyota

United Hospital Center

U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers

U.S. Naval Air Station

U.S. Well Service

Vantage Oncology

Weatherford

WV Division of

Highways

mailto:[email protected]

Summer internships B.S. in Applied Physics This major is designed for students who are interested in

physics applications to help meet the society’s needs. It is

a four-year program that includes the courses in our 3-2

Engineering and our B.S. in Physics programs.

The program has all the components of modern experi-

mental and theoretical physics. Our hands-on system has

one or two labs each semester. Students succeed at summer internships and graduate school. They have obtained

professional employment at national labs and industry.

Typical class schedule

Antero Resources

Cleveland Clinic

Corhart Refractories

Cornell University

Energy Corporation of

America

Johns Hopkins University

LEAM Drilling Services

NASA-Fairmont

NASA-Glenn

NASA-Goddard

NASA-Langley

National Energy Tech-

nology Laboratory

National Institute of Stand-

ards and Technology

National Radio Astronomy

Observatory

Jefferson National Lab

Oak Ridge National Lab

Pennsylvania Department of

Transportation

Pickering Energy Solutions

Raytheon

Penn State University

Rutgers University

Thrasher Engineering

Toyota

University of Florida

University of Utah

Virginia Tech

Walter Reed Medical Center

West Virginia University

Weyerhaeuser

WV Division of Highways

WV Wesleyan College

Year 1, Fall General Physics I 4

Calculus I 4

Composition I 3

Freshman Seminar 4

Total 15

Year 1, Spring

General Physics II 4

Human Communication 3

Composition II 3

General studies 6

Total 16

Dylan’s superconductivity project

Graduate schools

Year 2, Fall Engineering Mechanics 3

Light & Atomic with Lab 4

Chemistry I with Lab 4

Calculus II 4

Technology for Calculus 1

Total 16

Year 2, Spring Mechanics of Materials 3

Nuclear with Lab 4

Chemistry II with Lab 4

Calculus III 4

Laser Lab 1

Total 16

Year 3, Fall Digital Electronics & Lab 4

Differential Equations 4

Scientific Programming 3

Humanities 3

General studies 3

Total 17

Year 3, Spring

Materials Science & Lab 4 Thermodynamics 3

Analytical Mechanics 3

Fluid Mechanics 3 General studies 3

Total 16

Year 4, Fall Analog Electronics & Lab 4

Electromagnetic Theory 3

Engineering Lab 1

Research Seminar I 1

General studies 6

Total 15

Year 4, Spring Solid State & Lab 4

Quantum Mechanics 3

Engineering Mathematics 3

Research Seminar II 1

General studies 6

Total 17

West Virginia University

University of Virginia

Virginia Tech

Boston University

Case Western Reserve Univ.

Clemson University

Colorado School of Mines

Duke University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical

University

Georgia Tech

George Mason University

George Washington Univ.

Lehigh University

Marshall University

Ohio State University

Old Dominion University

Penn State University

Purdue University

Stanford University

University of Alabama

University of Arizona

University of Cincinnati

University of Florida

University of Kentucky

University of Maryland

University of Nevada

University of New Mexico

University of North Carolina

University of Oregon

University of Pittsburgh

University of Wisconsin

Vanderbilt University

Virginia Tech

Spectra of sodium, mercury, helium, and hydrogen

Freshman Engineering Design

NASA Fellowship winners

Faculty congratulate 2018’s NASA Fellowship winners.

Each year, we offer NASA Fellowships to eleven students

(freshmen preferred) to help pay for college. NASA also

provides funding for summer research.

Wesleyan students have priority for summer internships at

sites such as NASA-Langley. And NASA provides expertise

for our Space Club to build payloads to be launched from

NASA sounding rockets.

Josh’s NASA picosatellite electronics must fit in the can.

3-2 Engineering

Typical class schedule Aerospace, Civil, Industrial, Mechanical

Year 1, Fall Engineering Design I 1

General Physics I 4

Calculus I 4

Freshman Seminar 4

General studies 3

Total 16

Year 1, Spring

Engineering Design II 1


Composition II 3

Humanities 3

General studies 6

Total 17

Year 2, Fall Engineering Mechanics 3

Light and Atomic & lab 4

Calculus II 4

Analog Electronics & lab 4

General studies 3

Total 18

Year 2, Spring

Mechanics of Materials 3

Electro-Optics Lab 1

Calculus III 4


General studies 9

Total 18

Year 3, Fall Chemistry I with lab 4




General studies 3

Total 17

Year 3, Spring

Chemistry II with lab 4

Engineering Math 3


Thermodynamics 3

Engineering Lab 1

General studies 3

Total 17

Years 4-5 — Engineering at chosen university

General Physics Lab

Aerospace Engineers design airplanes, spacecraft, rockets, fuel-efficient

cars, propulsion systems, and guidance systems.

Will George (2014 NASA Langley internship; B.S.

Wesleyan, 2015; M.S., Virginia Tech, 2017). “I work at

Pratt and Whitney, where I develop tests to satisfy the

FAA that our engines are safe to fly.”

Will George (white shirt) in Langley’s 20-ft wind tunnel

Jacob Poldruhi’s internship at NASA Glenn: “I worked

to find a way to recycle used plastic materials into some-

thing useful such as water or fuel to support astronauts.”

Cody O’Meara’s summer internship at NASA-Langley

involved a new design of a device to reduce the speed of

airflow as it enters an engine. “I chose a design, ordered

materials, built the device and performed a series of tests.”

Alexa Mortenson (2018) is pursuing an M.S. at New

Mexico State University.

Robert Vollmerhausen (2014) completed our Dual-

Degree Engineering program at WVU. He works at the

Naval Air Command in California.

Russell Gillespie (B.S. Wesleyan) is pursuing an M.S.

at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Chris Kuhl (M.S., Purdue, NASA Langley) was chief

engineer of the sensors on the Mars Rover’s heatshield to

monitor atmospheric conditions during the rover’s descent.

Josh Keane (M.S., George Washington University). “I

work at Bell Helicopters on projects such as the UH-1 Huey,

the AH-1 Cobra, and the V-22 tilt rotor helicopters.”

Emily Kearney’s 2017 summer internship at NASA-

Fairmont involved the Commercial Crew Program, a

partnership with companies to develop safe and reliable

access to the International Space Station. Emily is com-

pleting the 3-2 program at WVU.

Our NASA affiliation

Wesleyan is a member of the NASA-WV Space Grant

Consortium, which enables us to offer NASA Fellowships

to our students. They provide student funding for summer

research at Wesleyan. And our students have priority for

summer internships at sites such as NASA-Langley.

Space Club

NASA supports Wesleyan’s Space Club. Members

are working on this year’s NASA Space Flight Design

Challenge. The objective is to design and build a payload

to compare several methods of harvesting energy during a

rocket’s flight. Members are participating in regular design

reviews at NASA-Fairmont, just like NASA engineers.

Science Public Outreach Team

This is an organization of college students who travel

to schools to give science presentations to students K-12.

SPOT members are also giving Universe in the Park

presentations at Stonewall Resort, which include talks on

research at the Green Bank Observatory and backyard

astronomy. In addition, participants can observe planets

with our large Dobsonian telescope and hike through our

Planet Walk, which is a scale model Solar System.

Skype downlink from the International Space Station

Jan. 25, 2018—The SPACE Club invited students K-12

to participate in a live conversation with astronauts.

Applied Physicists work with lasers, nuclear power, quality control,

radiation safety, solar panels, airport security

systems, electron microscopes, and robotics.

James Abraham is the radiation safety officer at

Colorado State University.

Wes Hughes (B.S. Wesleyan, M.S. in Applied Physics,

University of Oregon): “I work at Fischione Instruments

as a designer of ion milling equipment to prepare

specimens to use in electron microscopes.”

Wes returned to give a presentation at Wesleyan.

Jason Martin (B.S. Wesleyan; M.S. U.Va.) teaches at

the Naval Nuclear School in Charleston, SC.

Michael Scruggs (B.S. Wesleyan 2011; M.S. Optical

Physics, University of Arizona). is a laser physicist at the

Naval Surface Warfare Dahlgren Division.

Aaron Weaver (B.S. Wesleyan 2016, M.S. Physics,

WVU) is the Physics Lab Manager at the State University

of New York in Brockport.

Joe Zambelli is a physical scientist at the National

Energy Technology Lab in Morgantown.

Hunter Lowe (2018) performs abrasive studies on

bonded abrasives at Hermes Abrasives in Virginia Beach.

Hunter travels to Hermes locations in the U.S. and beyond.

Robert Hardin (B.S. Wesleyan; Ph.D. Physics, WVU)

works at Oak Ridge National Lab.

Tom Damiani (B.S. Wesleyan; Ph.D. Physics, WVU)

designs propulsion systems for submarines and aircraft

carriers at the Bechtel-Bettis Nuclear Lab in Pittsburgh.

Robert Powell (2010 summer internship, Jefferson

National Accelerator; B.S. Wesleyan, 2011) is a field

engineer at the Bechtel-Bettis Nuclear Lab in Pittsburgh.

Corey Rhodes had a summer internship (2016) at the

NIST studying the sensitivity of atomic force microscopes.

Cody O’Meara, had a summer internship (2015) at

NIST studying three-dimensional laser scanners.

Engineering Lab

Heat pump

Air conditioner

Steam engine/generator

Wind tunnel Tensile tester

Biomedical Engineers design and implement neural repair, pacemeakers,

hip replacements, and genetic manipulations.

3-2.in.Biomedical.Engineering Students study three years at Wesleyan followed

by two years at an articulation university. Students earn

two degrees—Wesleyan’s physics degree and a B.S. in

Biomedical Engineering from the university.

Typical class schedule

Summer biomedical internships Rebecca Davis studied spinal cords at Rutgers Univer-

sity.”I used a clearing agent called Visikol to clear soft

tissue surrounding the spinal cord, which made the spinal

cord visible using light sheet microscopy.”

Lauren Cronise studied

the standard for lung tissue

at the National Institute of

Standards and Technology

to improve accuracy in

diagnosing emphysema.

Paige Rutter studied silver nanoparticles at WVU.

“If these are put into the cement at a joint replacement,

the result could be lower infection rates and faster healing.

I investigated the correlation of particle size to toxicity.”

Taylor Price worked at WVU to study photonic crystals

to be used as an optical biosensors.

Dillon Huffman worked at WVU to understand path-

ways in the human sensorimotor system and to design

rehabilitation to help people to recover from damage.

Graduate schools Troy Schifano earned an M.S. at the University of

Alabama. He works as Omnia Medical in Morgantown.

The company provides medical sand surgical products for

spinal pathology and neurological and orthopedic trauma.

Dillon Huffman is pursuing a

Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering

at the University of Kentucky.

“I work in the Neural Systems

Lab on signal acquisition and

machine learning to build com-

putational models of brain states

from EEG data. It’s satisfying to

see how your work translates to

a clinical setting in a field that is

innovative and growing.”

Lauren Cronise is a student at the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine. She is in her third-year rotation in

Labor and Delivery at United Hospital Center.

Paige Rutter earned an M.S. in Health Science at WVU.

She works at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, where she

is involved with research on gastrointestinal disease, lupus,

pulmonary disease, kidney transplants, and diabetes.

Year 1, Fall Engineering Design I 1

General Physics I 4


Composition I 4

Calculus I 4

Total 17

Year 1, Spring




Composition II 3

General studies 6

Total 18

Year 2, Fall Princ. Biology I & Lab 4

Calculus II 4


Analog Electronics & Lab 4


Total 17

Year 2, Spring Princ. Biology II & Lab 4

Calculus III 4


Humanities 3

General studies 6

Total 18

Year 3, Fall Anatomy & Physiology I 4




General studies 3

Total 17

Year 3, Spring

Anatomy & Physiology II 4


Engineering Lab 1 Economics 3

General studies 6

Total 17

Years 4-5 — Engineering at the chosen university

Student projects at Wesleyan Kim Lubic’s objective was to use electrical signals from

electrodes attached to her head to control a servomotor.

Paige Rutter designed a prosthetic arm. Her project

consisted of four parts: (1) creating a design, (2) printing

the design on a 3-D printer, (3) installing the servomotors

and Myoware muscle sensors, and (4) programming an

Arduino microcontroller.

_________________________________________

Parag Chitnis earned a Ph.D. at Boston University and

is a professor of biomedical engineering at George Mason

University. His research includes ultrasound-assisted drug

delivery systems, ultrasound contrasting agents, and cancer

treatments using combined acoustical and optical methods

Chemical engineers adapt chemical reactions to produce industrial

quantities of chemicals, fuels, and other products.

Civil engineers design, construct, and operate facilities such as

highways, bridges, and drinking-water systems.

Cayla Collett had a 2017 summer internship at the

National Institute of Standards and Technology. “I worked

on time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, which

can be used to make three-dimensional maps of surfaces

of organic molecules.” She is pursuing a Ph.D. at Colorado

School of Mines.

Thomas Haines (B.S. Wesleyan, 2017) is working on a

Ph.D. at WVU. “My research involves methods to convert

shale gas into useful chemicals. Last summer, I worked at

Jacobs Engineering to synthesize ammonia using a plasma

at low pressure.”

Kim Richards Farnsworth (B.S. Wesleyan; Ph.D.,

Georgia Tech). “I work at Dupont in Parkersburg as

Division Engineer for Teflon. I work to improve the

production process and to search for new polymers.”

Laser spectrometry

X-ray crystallography

Amelia Riley (B.S. Wesleyan

2016; M.S. Civil Engineering

WVU) works on projects involv-

ing dams at the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers in Pittsburgh. At

Wesleyan, Amelia tested the com-

pressive strength of different

types of concrete (photo).

Ben Vance (B.S. Wesleyan;

M.S., WVU) works for the WV

Division of Highways.

Alex Lipscomb (2018) works at Civil and Environ-

mental Consultants in Bridgeport.

Jason Jackson (B.S. Wesleyan; M.S. WVU) is a field

engineer at Kokosing Engineering.

Wyatt Strickler (2017) is pursuing an M.S. at

Cleveland State University.

Thomas Bartleman (B.S. Wesleyan, 2014; M.S.,

Stanford University). Thomas works for the software

company Aperia Technologies.

Tom’s senior project involved converting energy from

water waves into electrical energy. Austin Jarrell and Seth Gandee had summer intern-

ships (2018) with the WV Division of Highways

Andrew Cvetnick (2016) is pursuing an M.S. at WVU,

specializing in detecting leaks in fiber reinforced pipes.

Brenton Stone (B.S. Wesleyan; M.S., University of

Virginia) designs bridges at Volkert and Associates.

Ed Hasis (B.S. Wesleyan 2013; M.S. University of

Pittsburgh) is a project engineer at Mascaro Construction

in Pittsburgh. He is supervising construction of two cancer

treatment centers for the Allegheny Health Network.

Electrical Engineers develop communication systems such as cell

phones, control systems such as microprocessors,

and electrical power transmission systems.

Field engineer. Denny Vincent reports (2017), “I am a

field engineer trainee at First Energy in Fairmont and have

almost completed the three-year training program. I operate computer programs that switch electric circuits on and off.

My job is to strategically select circuits to enable necessary maintenance while minimizing customer outages.”

Tesla coil. For his

senior project (2016)

at Wesleyan, Corey

Rhodes constructed a

400,000-V solid-state

tesla coil. He is work-

ing on an M.S.E.E. at

Virginia Tech. Last

summer, Corey had an

internship at NASA-

Glenn. “I worked on

electric propulsion for

deep-space probes.

They offered me a job

when I finish my M.S.”

Kichler Lighting, Cleveland. Tom Tyson (B.S.

Wesleyan; M.S. Penn State) is an electrical engineer here.

Rockwell Automation. (B.S. Wesleyan; M.S. Penn

State). “I man-age a team in manufacturing pulp and paper

technology for Rockwell Automation. This is a $900-

million business devoted to large-scale industrial projects.

A recent project is a materials-handling system for a

Chicago news press.”

Alexa’s digital counter circuit

SQUIDS. Rebecca Davis (summer 2018) studied super-

conducting quantum interference devices at Cornell with

Dr. Katja Nowak. SQUIDs are highly sensitive detectors

of magnetic fields. Applications include brain scans and

detecting land mines and submarines. Rebecca studied a

procedure to tune SQUIDs to minimize noise.

Avalanche diodes at NIST. Merrik Malin (summer

2018) studied single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs)

with Dr. Kevin Bienfang at the National Institute of

Standards and Technology. These devices provide a

convenient solid-state detector of individual photons.

Merrik investigated a temperature controller to cool the

diode to a low-noise state and circuitry to quench single-

photon-induced avalanches and reset the diode.

M.S.E.E. Kody Tucker is pursuing an M.S. in Electrical

Engineering at WVU. He reports (2018), “Some projects I

have worked on include designing a battery charger for an

electric car, designing circuit boards with MatLab, and

designing a feedback circuit to simulate the motion of a

pendulum as a function of string length and angle. My

thesis project involves low-power sensors using op-amps

and floating-gate transistors with Dr. David Graham.”

Light-emitting diodes. Merrik Malin (summer 2017)

had an internship at WVU involving the efficiency of

gallium-nitride LEDs.

General Motors. Colby Stanley completed his M.S. in

Computer and Electrical Engineering (2017) at Duke Uni-

versity and works at the GM’s Milford Proving Grounds.

Colby reports, “I mentor new engineers as they rotate

through our team every four months. I train them on the

software and physics behind our work, and I work alongside

them to improve our software capabilities.

“I drive vehicles on the track prior to the public debut.

I write software that runs in the engine-control modules of

vehicles to detect misfire in accordance with government

regulations. My software goes in every car GM makes.”

M.S.E.E. Alex White (2017) is pursuing an M.S. in

Electrical Engineering at WVU. Alex reports (2017), “I’m

working on a signals and systems project, which has a lot

of differential equations. Another project involves digital

multiplexers and decoders.”

American Electric Power. Desmond Sivels (B.S.

Wesleyan 2017) is an associate transmission dispatcher.

Electronics lab

Mark programs the Comdyna analog computer.

Josh Tenney’s Lissajous figure

Josh Keane shows us a diode’s characteristic curve.

3-2 in Electrical and

Computer Engineering

Typical class schedule Year 1, Fall Engineering Design I 1

General Physics I 4

Calculus I 4

Composition I 3

Freshman Seminar 4

Total 16

Year 1, Spring



Computer Sci. Discipline 3

Composition II 3

General studies 6

Total 17

Year 2, Fall Analog Electronics & Lab 4



Calculus II 4


Total 17

Year 2, Spring Calculus III 4



Humanities 3

General studies 6

Total 18

Year 3, Fall Digital Electronics & Lab 4

Object-Oriented

Programing I 3




General studies 3

Total 17

Year 3, Spring

Discrete Mathematics 3

Object-Oriented

Programing II 3

Engineering Mathematics 3 Mechanics 3

Economics 3

General studies 3

Total 18

Years 4-5 — Engineering at the chosen university

Zach is synthesizing a sawtooth wave.

Geophysicists use remote sensing to discover and evaluate

underground resources.

Industrial engineers plan such things as assembly lines, hospital emer-

gency rooms, and amusement park layouts.

Eric Wooten (2018), LEAM Drilling in Oklahoma,

a company that plans, coordinates, and supervises the

drilling of petroleum and natural gas wells.

Caleb Riffle (2018), R.L. Laughlin Natural Gas

From our class of 2017, Ryan Holcomb and Cody

Turner both work at Thrasher Engineering in Bridgeport.

Tre Kerns (2017) works at PDC Energy in Bridgeport.

Ryan North (B.S. Wesleyan, 1997; Ph.D., Colorado

School of Mines) works the U.S. Army Research Center in

Vicksburg, Miss.

Mark Mattis (B.S., Wesleyan, 2015) works at Systems

Planning and Analysis. Mark is also pursuing an M.S. at

George Mason University.

Chris Ly (2013) works at Raytheon-Solyptis in

Baltimore. Raytheon is paying Chris to obtain an M.S.

at the University of Maryland.

Bryan Corder completed our 3/2 Engineering program

in 2009. He reports, “Wesleyan and WVU provided me

with a great opportunity with the 3/2 program. Your

careful planning made the transfer easy.” Bryan works at

Bechtel-Bettis in Pittsburgh.

Medical physicists are licensed professionals who use radiation to

treat cancer. They use nuclear medicine, X-ray

imaging, computerized tomography, ultrasound,

and MRIs. The average starting salary is $95,000.

Peter Sandwall (B.S. Wesleyan, 2005; Ph.D., Univer-

sity of Cincinnati) is Chief Medical Physicist at TriHealth

Institute, with three physicists, three dosimetrists, and three

cancer centers under his care. His company, Vantage

Oncology, has two board-certified medical physicists.

Amy Patrick (B.S. Wesleyan, 2006; M.S. Vanderbilt)

works at the United Hospital Center in Clarksburg.

Josh Carter (B.S. Wesleyan, 2015; M.S. Duke). Josh

started his residency at Rutgers in July 2017.

Josh’s proton beam project at Wesleyan

Emma Rickels (2018) is pursuing a doctorate in

Medical Physics at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Her classes include Nuclear Physics, Radiation Biology,

and Cross-Sectional Anatomy.

Tom Holtschneider (B.S. Wesleyan, 2013, Ph.D.,

Uni-versity of Cincinnati). Tom works at Kettering

Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio.

Chera Gainer (B.S. Wesleyan, 2012; M.S., University

of Cincinnati) works at Huntington Medical Physicists.

Mike Curry (B.S. Wesleyan, 2012; M.S. East Carolina

State University) works at the Mercy Cancer Center in

Des Moines, Iowa.

Kate Turner Wagner (B.S. Wesleyan, 2011; M.S.

Duke) is a medical physicist at the Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Summer-research students at Wesleyan

Mechanical Engineers design devices that move, such as cars, heat

engines, and industrial machinery.

Gary Valkavitch (B.S. Wesleyan, M.S. UVa) works

at Bechtel Plant Machinery in Monroeville, Pa. where he

focuses on relief valves on nuclear reactors.

Derek·Johnson (B.S. Wes-

leyan, 2013) works at Pentree

Engineering in Princeton, WV.

At Wesleyan, Derek designed

a device that uses footfall

energy from walking to charge

a battery.

Matt Edwards (B.S. Wes-

leyan, 2013; M.S., University

of North Carolina), where he

studied improvements to exer-

cise equipment and football

helmets. Matt works at Cross

Automation in Charlotte.

Chad Moore (B.S. Wesleyan; M.S., Georgia Tech).

works at General Motors.

Gary Valkavitch (B.S. Wesleyan, M.S. UVa) works at

Bechtel Plant Machinery in Monroeville, Pa. where he

focuses on relief valves on nuclear reactors.

Valerie Keefer Oldaker (B.S. Wesleyan; M.S., WVU)

is a quality specialist at Toyota in Buffalo, WV.

Randy Corathers (2018) is pursuing an M.S. from the

University of Maryland.

From our class of 2017, Andre Fernandes, Dustin

Kimble, and Pedro Martins are all pursuing an M.S. at

WVU. Pedro reports, “I work in the Center for Alternative

Fuels, Engines, and Emissions. They made headlines by

discovering the Volkswagen emissions scandal.”

Ryder Bolin (B.S. Wesleyan 2016; M.S. WVU) works

at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent, Maryland.

Cody O’Meara (B.S. Wesleyan, 2016, M.S. Ohio State). Cody works at Nexceris in Columbus, Ohio, where he is studying methods of preventing thermal runaway in

lithium-ion batteries.

Ken Benson (B.S. Wesleyan, 2016) completed our

3/2-Degree program at Virginia Tech and is enrolled in

their M.S. program.

Matt Spicer (B.S. Wesleyan 2015; M.S. Virginia Tech,

2017) works at Blue Ridge Envisioneering. “My work in-

volves high speed computer signal processing and machine

learning. I am working to speed up computer algorithms

by running them on a graphics processing unit.”

Nuclear Physics Lab

Gamma ray spectroscopy

Beta particle spectroscopy

Nuclear coincidence spectroscopy

Nuclear X-ray spectroscopy

Laser lab

Homemade helium-neon laser

Argon plasma

Nitrogen laser fluorescence

Iodine excited by Nd:YAG laser Computerized spectrum

Guest speakers Aerospace Engineering. William George (B.S. Wes-

leyan, M.S. Virginia Tech) spoke on measuring airflow in

jet turbofan engines. He works at Pratt and Whitney.

Atomic force microscope. Student Corey Rhodes

spoke on his summer project at the National Institute

of Standards and Technology. An AFM is capable of

visualizing individual atoms. Biomedical engineering. Student Rebecca Davis

spoke on her summer research at Rutgers on methods

of visualizing spinal cords.

Chemical engineering. Thomas Haines (B.S. Wes-

leyan, 2017) discussed his research to make plastic from

natural gas as a graduate student at WVU.

Civil engineering. Jennifer Morris Cook (B.S.

Wesleyan, M.S. WVU) discussed her work as a bridge

designer at Palmer Engineering.

Electrical engineering. Tom Tyson (B.S. Wesleyan,

M.S. Penn State) discussed his magnetic-resonance work,

which can be used in airport security systems.

Humans on Mars. Dr. Darrel Tenney (B.S Wesleyan,

Ph.D. Virginia Tech) spoke on his work at NASA Langley.

Gravitational waves. Dr. Sean McWilliams spoke on

his work at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave

Observatory (LIGO). Gravitational waves are ripples in

space-time produced when a very massive object suddenly

slows down, speeds up, or changes direction. Gravitational

waves are a key prediction of Einstein’s 100-year-old

theory of general relativity.

Higgs Boson. Dr. Gavin Hesketh spoke on discover-

ing the Higgs boson at the European Center for Nuclear

Research (CERN). He is a member of the team that made

the discovery.

Medical Physics. Dr. Peter Sandwall (B.S. Wesleyan,

Ph.D. Medical Physics, University of Cincinnati) spoke

on his career. He is Chief Medical Physicist at Tri-Health

Center Cancer Institute.

NASA rocket payload. Student Olivia Rycroft spoke

about her experience at NASA-Wallops Island, in which a

payload she built was launched on a sounding rocket. Her

payload measured Earth’s magnetic field, which recently

has shown surprising changes.

Nuclear power. Tom Damiani (B.S. Wesleyan, Ph.D.,

WVU) discussed his work at the Bechtel-Bettis Atomic

Power Lab, which involves nuclear propulsion systems

for submarines and aircraft carriers.

→ For more information, please email or call me. ←

Dr. Albert Popson, Chair, [email protected], 304-473-8070

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