Seamus Lagan,
Physics Dept.,
Whittier College ,
Whittier
(562) 907-4200 X4458
slagan@whittier.edu
Curricular
materials for the course PHYS250
Computational Oscillations and Waves
Click below to go
to the web page for:
PHYS180 Introductory Thermodynamics and Electromagnetism
EDUCATION
Ph.D. 1984, Lehigh
University, Bethlehem,Pa.
M.S. 1979, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.
B.A. 1976, Dublin Univ., Trinity College,
Dublin, Ireland.
EMPLOYMENT
2005-present.......Whittier College, Prof. of Physics
1988-2005.......Whittier College, Assoc. Prof. of Physics
1984-1988..........Dickinson College,
Asst. Prof. of Physics.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Courses Taught
Introductory Astronomy
Fundamentals of Physics: (2-semester calc.-based intro. physics course)
Introductory Optics and Modern Physics
Introductory Waves and Thermodynamics
Introductory Kinematics and Mechanics
Modern Physics
Advanced Modern Physics
Statistical Physics
Oscillations and Waves
Optics
Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics
Mathematical Physics
Computational Oscillations and Waves
Chaos in Science and Literature
What is Reality?
Whittier Scholars Senior Projects
Sponsored at Whittier
College
1993, Project carried out by Kolya
Kaposhilin
"Introductory Science - An Investment in Our Future.
A Study of Undergraduate Introductory Science Curricula
and a Proposal for their Modernization."
1995, Project carried out by Bart Hutton
"The Physics and Form of Renewable Energy - A Workshop."
Research Projects
with Undergraduates
Whittier College, 2003 - 2004
Animation of a sheared foam. 1
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF A SHEARED FOAM. The project is aimed at looking for self-organized
critical (SOC) behavior in a molecular dynamics simulation of a foam of bubbles
moving in a region between sliding walls. Preliminary computer code was
developed by Ghalib
Bello.
SEARCH FOR CHAOTIC SOLUTIONS TO SIMPLE THIRD-ORDER DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS. Georgi
Gospodinov has carried out numerical solution of differential equations
using Mathematica and C. Code has been written to calculate phase space
trajectories, Lyapunov exponents, and box-counting dimension. A search of
parameter space for chaotic regions has been carried out. Georgi gave a presentation
of his work at the Southern California Council for Undergraduate Research
(SCCUR) meeting in Fall 1999 at
SELF-ORGANIZED CRITICALITY IN A
CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR OF A SIMPLE MECHANICAL SYSTEM: An undergraduate research
project involving the construction of a non-linear torsional pendulum andthe
analysis of its behavior. A total of five students (Phillip Williams, Nicholas
Bates, Ingrid Barclay, Annmarie Haley and Jeffry Mount) were involved in this
project over a period of two semesters and one summer. Phil Williams continued
work of this project and gave a presentation of his results at an American
Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) meeting at
Workshops
Attended
June 11 – 19, 2005 BioQUEST 2005 Summer Faculty
Workshop “Investigating Interdisciplinary Interactions”
Beloit College, Beloit, WI
August 8 – 12, 2003 “SENCER Summer Institute”
(Science Education for new Civic Engagements and Responsibilities)
Santa Clara University, San Jose, CA
July 21 – 28, 2002 “Using Computers in
Undergraduate Physics.”
Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
July 15 - 26, 1998 “Teaching Introductory
Physics, Conservation Laws First: An NSF Faculty Enhancement Conference.”
Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
June 14-26, 1992 "Using New Technologies
to Teach Physics: A Leadership Development Workshop."
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Co.
June 1990 "N.S.F. Summer Seminar on
Interactive Physics".
A 2-week workshop. Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.
June 4 - 10, 1989 "Teaching Science Through Technology."
Joint Science Center, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, Ca.
Presentations
“Computational
Oscillations and Waves”
An invited poster presentation given at the American Association of Physics
Teachers (AAPT) National Summer Meeting, Syracuse University, July 26, 2006
“Exploring Cancer Incidence Rates: Creating
the Multi-hit Model of Cancer in STELLA.”
A presentation given in June 2005 at the BioQUEST 2005 Summer Faculty Workshop
Beloit College, Beloit, WI
“The Perceived Usefulness of Three Aspects
of Workshop Physics”.
A poster presentation given at the NSF Faculty Enhancement Conference at
Harvard University,
July 15 - 26, 1998.
“Chaos and Percolation Theory: involving
undergraduates.”
PARSEC Meeting, The Webb School, Feb. 1998
"Computer Simulations of Inelastic
Collisions to Emphasize the Conservation of Total Energy"
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) National Summer Meeting, U. of
Maine, Aug. 14, 1992
“Sink or Float (Archimedes Revisited)”
and
“Newton, Hooke and Bungee”.
Two presentations given in June 1992 at the Leadership Development Workshop
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Co.
"The Macintosh in Introductory
Physics"
AAPT Southern California Section Meeting, Nov 10, 1990
“Using “Interactive Physics” from Knowledge Revolution to examine elastic
and inelastic collisions and the relationship between impulse and momentum
change.”
June 1990 N.S.F. Summer Seminar on Interactive Physics
Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.
Publications
“Chaos: Connecting Science and the
Humanities”
by Seamus Lagan and David Paddy.
Journal of College Science Teaching, January/February 2005, 31-35.
"A Simple Hallway Demonstration of
Chaos"
by Seamus Lagan.
Physics Teacher, 29, 461 (1991)
"Kinetic Theory for a Weakly-Associated
Diatomic Gas with Reactions"
by Seamus Lagan and James A.McLennan.
Physica 128A (1984) 178-206
On-line
Publications
“Exploring Cancer Incidence Rates: Creating
the Multi-hit Model of Cancer in STELLA.”
A project developed at the BioQUEST 2005 Summer Faculty Workshop “Investigating
Interdisciplinary Interactions” Published on the World Wide Web at
http://www.bioquest.org:16080/summer2005/resources.php#projects
Teaching materials for use in introductory physics courses. Developed at the NSF 1998 Faculty Enhancement Conference Teaching Introductory Physics, Conservation Laws First. Published on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.harvard.edu/conference/con_materials.html
Grants
Received
Summer 1995
Participant in a FIPSE Dissemination Program organized through Dickinson College. A grant of $20,000 was received to introduce or expand the use of Workshop Physics pedagogy in introductory physics classes.
Summer 1990
NSF Instrumentation and Lab Improvement (ILI) grant #9050621 entitled "Introductory Physics Computer Laboratory for Undergraduates" worth $23,468.
March 1990
Through Apple Computer's Higher Education Development Donation program, awarded computer hardware worth $31,260 for use in Introductory Physics.
Honors
Listed in “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” 2003-2004, 2004-2005
Awarded the Whittier College, Harry Nerhood Teaching Excellence Award, Spring 2000.
Listed in "Who's Who in American Education" 4th Edition (1994 - 1995)
Current Interests
The use of computer technology in the teaching of undergraduate Physics, especially in an interactive environment with students working in groups.
The incorporation of computation into the undergraduate Physics major, especially at the upper level.
Complex behavior in simple systems e.g.chaos, self-organization.
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