Project Supervisors

Jim Cottingham, Professor of Physics I have been working with undergraduate students in musical acoustics research since 1990. During this period about 35 students have been involved in this research, with several presenting papers at national or international meetings, including meetings in Cancun, Honolulu and Berlin. The acoustics research at Coe has focused on of the physics of those musical instruments using so-called "free reeds." These include the harmonica, the accordion-concertina family, and the reed organ. The major portion of the acoustics research at Coe has been on the acoustics of the American reed organ and on the Asian free reed mouth organs, in which a free reed is coupled to a pipe resonator. These Asian instruments include the khaen (Thailand/ Laos), the sheng (China), and the bawu (China). Another major interest of mine is track and field and cross country. Recently I have worked as an assistant coach here at Coe and as a coach with West Branch (Iowa) High School. More about this as well on my web page... Phone: 319-399-8706; Email: jcotting@coe.edu

Steve Singleton, Associate Professor of Chemistry My research involves two major areas of study: Atmospheric chemistry and the study of glassy materials. In our atmospheric chemistry work, we are looking at how CFC replacement compounds interact with excited atomic oxygen atoms. Atomic oxygen is important to the natural ozone cycle, and these studies help us understand how CFC replacements influence this cycle. We have a fast-flow reactor which allows us to "recreate" aspects of the stratosphere in the laboratory. This system includes a powerful UV laser system that simulates the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun. Using this equipment we can study the kinetics of these very fast reactions in real time. I also collaborate with Dr. Affatigato of the physics department. In this work, we study the structure of glassy materials. Because glasses do not have long-range or periodic order, understanding their structure is a great challenge. In this work, students utilize a sophisticated laser-induced fluorescence apparatus to learn about glass structure. By observing how laser light interacts with differents glasses we are learning how the composition of the glass affects its electronic structure. Email: ssinglet

Steve Feller , Professor of Physics For the past twenty-three years I have been very actively involved at Coe College in research with students. This research is on glass and is both basic and applied. In particular, our work focuses on the relationship between structure at the atomic level and resulting physical properties. We have also discovered new families of glasses by rapid cooling liquids and other means. At Coe, we fabricate glasses, perform property measurements and we do spectroscopic investigations. I enjoy the resulting interaction with people and I enjoy the discoveries we have shared. In this time I have worked with about 110 students and we have written more than 60 journal papers. Also, we have attended and given more than 90 talks at national and international scientific meetings. Our work has been supported by an interesting variety of groups including the National Science Foundation, the Research Corporation, The McElroy Foundation of Iowa, The Maytag Foundation of Iowa, The States of Iowa and Texas, The British Government, the US-UK Fulbright Commission, The Society of Physics Students, The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the Council on Undergraduate Research, The Greek Government, Motorola Corporation, former students, colleagues, and Coe College. I look forward to many more years of doing science with more students. Phone: 319-399-8633; Email: sfeller@coe.edu

Susan Noreuil, REU Program Coordinator Susan is the science teaching associate in the Chemistry Department, and is also the chemical hygiene officer for the college. She received a B.S. in Medical Technology from Illinois State in 1982, and has worked in the medical laboratory at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. She teaches laboratories in Introductory and Organic Chemistry, as well as a Forensic Science course. Phone: 319-399-8524; Email: snoreuil@coe.edu

Mario Affatigato, Associate Professor of Physics My research interests lie in the area of the optical properties of glasses and the relationship between such properties and the structure of the glass. Glasses of interest to me include alkali borates, alkali bismuthates, heavy metal oxide glasses, and sol-gel glasses. In particular, my recent work has focused on bismuth-based glasses, that is, those that contain bismuth as a modifier (e.g., bismuth borates, lead-bismuth silicates), and also those containing bismuth as a non-conventional glass former (e.g., lithium bismuthates). Other recent families we have investigated include bismuth and rhenium silicates made using the sol-gel method, alkali silicates, and bismuth borosilicates. The optical properties my students and I investigate include absorption, fluorescence, optical basicity, second harmonic generation, as well as some interactions of light with matter such as laser-induced desorption and ionization. This last interest has led to a new project involving the determination of the structure of glass using time of flight mass spectroscopy on the ions released by the sample when the laser light strikes it. This method is a novel way to try to analyze the glass structure. Phone: 319-399-8705; Email: maffatig@coe.edu

Scott Stoudt, Associate Professor of Chemistry Scott teaches Organic Chemistry I & II, Organic Chemistry laboratory, and Advanced Organic Chemistry. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1995. After teaching for one year at Bennington College, he returned to MSU to do postdoctoral research. Dr. Stoudt was an assistant professor at Siena College prior to joining the Coe faculty in 2000. Phone: 319-399-8705; Email: sstoudt@coe.edu

Maria Dean, Associate Professor of Chemistry Maria received her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 1991, from the Biochemistry Department at the University of Nebraska. She joined the faculty at Coe in 1994. In addition to general and nursing chemistry, Dr. Dean teaches Biochemistry, Protein Biochemistry, and Food Chemistry. For the past three years, students have helped her study the composition and structure of two biocements from the marine worms P. lapidosa and P. gouldii. Her group uses traditional biochemical techniques as well as instrumental methods (AFM, SEM, Raman) in an effort to understand the proteins and inorganic compounds making up these unique cements. In collaboration with Prof. Tom Tauer of the Coe College Biology Department, her group also performs genetics studies on the proteins of the sea worms. Phone: 319-399-8588; Email: mdean@coe.edu

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