research summary


Structure and Properties of Ionic Glasses:

We study simple binary glasses with a wide range of applications ranging from lasing materials to cell batteries.  The work includes synthesizing the glasses, which sometimes takes special techniques such as roller quenching, done in collaboration with colleagues at Coe College.  Once prepared, our studies for structural determination focus on using optical experiments such as IR, Raman, and UV-Vis.  Other studies include conductivity work performed by Impedance Spectroscopy, elucidating both structure of the glass and some basic properties.  Theoretical work of the glasses is also done from the Impedance work, using simple dielectric modeling.

Pedagogical Work:

I am involved with projects that will help teachers and students understand and appreciate chemistry better.  Ways to relate chemical topics to everyday life are helpful to students in order to better understand and remember the material.  I also try to develop laboratory experiments and demonstrations for students at the elementary and middle school level.

Chemistry of Wine:

This is a new project I am just beginning, involving my personal interests with chemistry.  We will study chemicals in wine, in particular, polyphenols.  The idea is to understand what happens to these chemicals over time, with pH, and with oxidation, and to determine how this affects the wine’s color, taste, and smell.