Dr. Marty Becker has authored two publications entitled Spiral Coprolites from the Upper Cretaceous Wenonah-Mt. Laurel and Navesink Formations in the Northern Coastal Plain of New Jersey which appeared in the Northeastern Geology and Envirnomental Science Journal, Volume 21; No. 3, p. 181-187;and Pathological Tooth Deformities in Modern and Late Cretaceous Chondrichthyans:  A Consequence of Feeding Related Injury which appeared in Lethia, Volume 36, No. 2, p. 1-16.  Recent conferences attended by Dr. Becker include The Geologic Society of America (Nationals) in Denver CO,  Providence, R.I. (Regionals) and New Brunswick, NJ for the Northeastern Section of GSA.  His research activities are currently centered on fossil mole crabs, strontium isotopic signatures in fossilized sharks' teeth, and a fossilized elk moose cervical vertebra dredged from the Inner Continental Shelf.

Dr. Romulo Ochoa was a visiting scholar at the University of Arizona Materials Science Department over the summer.  His research involves modeling silicon carbide and amorphous silica using molecular dynamics. Both materials are of scientific and technological importance. In collaboration with Michael Vergara, they have developed a novel energy analysis useful to study diffusion and fracture at the fundamental level. He recently gave an invited talk, "Molecular Dynamics Studies of Diffusion in SiC"  at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY.

Dr. Ronald Gleeson has been working with the Navy for about 12 years.  Captain, ML. Noble of the Navy's Avionics Department recently recognized Gleeson's work in a letter he sent to TCNJ President, Dr. R. Barbara Gitenstein.  The recognition was given for Gleeson's "significant contribution to the Navy's aviation research program."  As a result of Gleeson's team effort, "a whole new family of computer-vision algorithms has been discovered," said Noble.

Dr. Thulsi Wickramasinghe has published several articles over the last year including An Analytical Approach to Estimate Luminosity distances in Universes with Vacuum Constant in the Astrophysical Journal (2000) in press; Are Stars being formed in the halo of NGC 253?: Galaxy Discs and Disc Galaxies, presented in the ASP Conference Series, p. 110 (2000); and Relativistically Moving Point Lens, Gravitational Lenses and Future Goals, University of Boston Press, p. 72 (2000), presented at a national conference.  His usual summer of international travel brought Thulsi to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome for his presented work on Galaxy Disks and Disk Galaxies, and to Belgium for the 35th Liege International Astrophysical Colloquium.  In late August, he conducted astronomical studies utilizing the 2.2 m telescope at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile.  

Dr. Raymond Pfeiffer is continuing his research on binary stars through the development of a code to model light curves for tidally distorted stars in closed binary systems.  He is also conducting spectrophotometric analyses and modeling winds in hot binary star systems.

Dr. Fred Goldstein attended conferences for the New Jersey Science Teachers Association and the Geologic Association of New Jersey.  He presented workshops on energy and environment and continues his work on the geology of the Caribbean.

During the Spring and Summer, Dr. Frank Kolp coordinated the National Science Teachers' Association Middle States Program Review.  This constitutes the first draft of the accreditation document for Teacher Education Programs in Physics, Biology and Chemistry.

"Relative Age Determination through Fossil Chondrichthian Teeth" presented by seniors Mike Keat and John Griswold working with Dr. Becker.

"Photographic Analysis of Pathologic Upper Cretaceous Chondrichthian Teeth" was done by Mike Murphy, a junior Graphics Art Major working with Dr. Becker.

"A Possible Way to Use Gamma Ray Burts to Measure Vacuum Energy in the Universe," presented by senior Michelle Reno, mentored by Dr. Wickramasinghe.

"Control of a Lock-In Amplifier using LabView," presented by senior Brian Cahill, working with Dr. Ochoa.

"Automation of a Temperature Controller using LabView; Application to the Absorbency Spectra of CdS nanocrystals," presented by senior Jason Moscatello, also working with Dr. Ochoa.

"Relativistic Aberration in Gravitational Lensing"* presented by junior Neil Aaronson working with Dr. Wickramasinghe.

"Measuring the Quintessence"* was studied by freshman Karl Strohmaier under the direction of Dr. Wickramasinghe. 

"Astronomical Imaging with ST7-CCD Camera" was presented by senior Liz Wittman who was also working with Dr. Wickramasinghe.

Michael Vergara, senior, studied the "Analysis of a 3-Body Potential for Silicon Carbide" with Dr. Ochoa.

"Study of semi-conducting Mo_6-x Z_x Te₈ compounds", 
was presented by Nita Silimkhan, a senior Chemistry major, working with Dr. Dalafave.

*Papers outlining this work will appear in the publication "TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship," available in January, 2001.

James Crispino, a senior physics major worked in an intensified program study in Mathematics at Penn State University.

Jacqueline Perry, a senior physics major, spent the summer at San Jose University attending classes in nuclear Chemistry while studying carbon-14 dating and analysis.  This work also involved lab instrumentation utilizing radioisotopes.

Jessica Evans, a junior physics major, worked during the summer of 2000 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) Research Division.  She studied silicon microstrip detectors and Monte Carlo test team simulations for the NASA Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope. (GLAST)  She measured leakage currents and depletion voltages on some of the detectors.  

Following the Independent Study Presentations last spring, the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Physics Club sponsored a talk entitled "Space Infrared Astronomy in the 21st Century:  The New Generation Space Telescope", by Dr. John Mather, NGST Study Scientist at NASA.  Over 200 faculty members and students attended the lecture.

Ten new physics majors joined our department this fall as the class of 2004.  They are currently involved in the Introductory Seminar held on Wednesday mornings, and some of the activities held so far and planned for the future, are the annual freshmen vs. upperclassmen/faculty volleyball game.  (We would announce the results, but it may prove too embarrassing to the freshmen).  Activities planned for the next few weeks include the "egg-drop" and "paper airplane" contests, and a trip to the NJ State Museum for a paleontology session with Dr. Becker.

The department is the recipient of over $80,000 in bond money originally intended to be part of the new facility. However, due to the delays, we were able to receive over $60,000 to purchase and extend lab set ups for General Physics and Modern Physics, and research equipment for Astronomy.  Over $20,000 was used to provide new PCs and software in the General and Modern Physics Labs and notebook computers for Astronomy research.

After several construction delays and painfully slow work over the summer, the science complex appears to be back on the "front burner" of the College's construction master plan.  Projection completion is estimated as early as Summer, 2001, and we hope to be able to occupy the new facility in September, 2001.  We'll keep you posted.

The annual Fink-Moses-Pregger Physics Award was earned by Jefrey Thomas, who was awarded a research assistantship in Physics at Rutgers University.

Michelle Reno is in the Ph.D. program as a research assistant at The University of Michigan working in the field of applied physics.

Gene Lera is doing graduate work in applied optics at Stevens Institute of Technology and Jason Moscatello is doing graduate work in physics at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA.

Brian Cahill has accepted a position with Galaxy Scientific and is working with detection systems primarily dealing with airport security.  Brian is working with Rob Kleug, (Class of '97)

Tom Brettell, is a physics teacher at Hamilton High School West, John Griswold is teaching physics and earth science in Hamilton as well.  Adam Angelozzi is teaching physics and chemistry in the newly formed Physical Science Department at New Egypt High School.  In addition, he is coaching wrestling and football.  Mike Keat has accepted a position at Elizabeth High School.  John Kay and Doug Platt have also accepted teaching positions recently.

Michael Vergara is working at Telecordia Technologies Software Testing.