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Peter Sheldon is the Chair of the Physics
Department, and the Pre-Engineering advisor at Randolph. He has a PhD and an MS
in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, and has a BA in Physics and
a BA in Mathematics from Amherst College. Dr. Sheldon's research net is very
wide: he is by education a low-temperature physicist, but has picked up the
fields of ultrafast laser spectroscopy and physics education research in the
last ten years. He has published in all of these fields.
Dr.
Sheldon is currently getting back to the basics, studying properties of
materials, in particular helium films, at low temperatures. In this case,
low temperatures refers to temperatures near 1 K (-273 degrees Celsius). At
that temperature, helium does some amazing things. One of those things is
that it becomes a frictionless fluid - if you start a wave in it, the wave
never stops! In addition, he continues to work with his colleagues in
ultrafast laser spectroscopy and physics education research. In the latter,
he is developing a technology-based curriculum to help middle school
teachers teach science.
Another
of Dr. Sheldon's specialties is bringing physics to the general public. He
regularly gives talks to all age groups on Amusement Park Physics, Newton's
Laws, Pseudoscience, Why Cats Land on Their Feet, and of Innovative Uses of
Technology. He is certainly a computer geek, and teaches and uses computers
extensively. Dr. Sheldon's recent publications include: "Optical
Spectroscopy of Defects in Yttrium Orthovanadate (YVO4) Crystals," Peter
Sheldon, Hank Yochum, Wai Sze Cheung (Randolph student) and Katrina
Wiechmann (Randolph student), Bulletin of the American Physical Society
(April 2007); "The Use of
Interactive Technologies to Improve Student Learning from Middle School to
College," Peter Sheldon and Tracey Wellington (Randolph student), Bulletin of
the American Physical Society (March 2003); "3He spin diffusion measurements
in 3He-4He mixture films," P. A. Sheldon and R. B. Hallock, Physical Review
Letters 85, 1468 (2000); and "Short pulse excitation and spectroscopy of
KNbO3, LiNbO3, and KTiOPO4," H. M. Yochum, P.A. Sheldon et al, Radiation
Effects and Defects in Solids 150, 271 (1999).
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