Vol. 6 Spring 2001

Vol. VI Spring 2001 E=mc2

In 1968 the Department ofPhysics moved into the justfinished Rigge Science Build-

ing, leaving its homey quarters onthe fourth and fifth floors of theAdministration Building. Sincethat time in 1968 the number ofour faculty and staff has more thandoubled and the enrollment in ourcore-curriculum courses for non-science majors has grown tremen-dously. For example, in the 1960’sthe astronomy course had anenrollment of 15 to 20 studentseach year; it now enrolls about 400per year. What were spaciousquarters in 1968 is now tight onspace for offices and laboratories.

A similar growth has beengoing on in the other departmentsin Rigge.

To remedy this crowding theuniversity has undertaken amassive project to substantiallyexpand, upgrade and update thescience facilities. An additional

science building of about 60,000 sq.ft. will be constructed and willconnect the Rigge Science Buildingwith the Criss III Building. At onepoint in the anticipated five-yearproject, the Department of Physicswill be moved temporarily into thenew building while the two phys-ics floors in Rigge are remodeledand renovated. At the end of thefive year project our two floors inRigge will house four introductorylevel laboratories, up from two atpresent, as well as providingseparate space for each researchspecialty and new specializedundergraduate laboratories for ourcomputational and health sciencestracks in physics. The connecting“hallway” between the new andold building will include a 30-ftwide student “break-out” space.Serving as a crossroads betweenoffices, classrooms and labs, thespace will promote increasedinteraction, discussion and com-

munity among students andfaculty.

The new building will eventu-ally house all of the physics facultyand department offices, as well astwo state-of-the-art classrooms forphysics—one a tiered lecture roomseating about 70 students and theother a level-floor classroom withflexible seating for about 30 stu-dents. The two classrooms willconnect to a common equipmentstorage and preparation room forlecture demonstrations in physics.

Groundbreaking is set for thisspring, with a completion datesome five years in the future. Wehave been extensively involved inthe planning of the facility and areanxiously looking forward tomoving in, even though it will besome five years before all is fin-ished. If you are near campusplease stop in and see what wehave planned, and see how theseplans are being translated intoreality.

New Science Building to Link Rigge, Criss

2 Physics Newsletter • Creighton University

On April 28, 2000, the following message was sent byDr. Robert Kennedy,

Physics Department Chair, to all ofour graduates who had given ustheir email addresses.

“We have sad news to report.This morning we received theunfortunate news that Fr. Wagenerdied in his sleep last night. Thoseof us who saw him in the depart-ment this past week were unawareof any health problems. In fact hewas quite happy that he hadfinally gotten the current newslet-ter mailed and was already talkingof items that he might include inthe next issue.

“It should be noted that it isbecause of Fr. Wagener’s work onputting together a list of ourgraduates with email addressesthat you are able to receive thisnews so quickly.

“As sad as we are over this losswe continue to remember themany pleasures Fr. Wagenerbrought to our lives. As he remem-bered each of us in his dailyprayers, it is our turn to rememberhim in our prayers.”

A follow-up letter from Dr.Kennedy along with a photo of Fr.Wagener was mailed to each of ourgraduates on May 30, 2000, using themailing list that Fr. Wagener hadcompiled for the Physics Newsletter.

_________________________

Official Press ReleaseFR. CLARENCE WAGENER, S.J.,LONG-TIME CREIGHTONPHYSICS PROFESSOR, DIES

OMAHA, Neb. — Fr.Clarence M. Wagener, S.J., diedearly this morning in his sleep atthe Jesuit residence at CreightonUniversity. The 78-year-old priesthad been an astronomy and phys-ics professor at Creighton for morethan 40 years.

Fr. Wagener was born inWaconia, Minn., on July 7, 1921.He attended Campion High Schooland Marquette University, and wasawarded four degrees from St.Louis University, including a

master’s in physics and math.He entered the Jesuits in 1940

and was ordained a priest in 1953.Fr. Wagener taught at St. Louis

University High School, RegisHigh School in Denver, andMarquette University in the 1940’sand 1950’s. Fr. Wagener arrived atCreighton University in 1959 andbecame a fixture in the physicsdepartment for the next fourdecades. Funeral arrangements arepending.

ObituaryWAGENER-Rev. Clarence M.,

SJ, age 78 yrs. Survived by sistersDolores Gaffaney, Silver Bay, MN,Irene Staiger, Port Huron, MN,Elizabeth Jorgensen, Wakeshaw,WI, Marie Wynsteker, Minneapo-lis, MN, Florence Wagener, NewYork, NY; brothers, Arthur, St.Bonifacius, MN, Hank, Garrison,MN, Maurice, Wayzata, MN.

SERVICES Mon. 10 a.m., St.John Church at Creighton Univer-sity. Internment, Holy SepulchreCemetery. VISITATION at St. JohnChurch Sun. 4-7 p.m. with WAKESERVICE at 7 p.m. Memorials toCreighton University.

Rev. Clarence M. Wagener, S.J., Dies at 78

Homily at the Mass of ChristianBurial for Fr. Wagener

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Fr. Wagener

This is my memory of my wordson that sad occasion. — Fr. JohnGinsterblum, S.J.

In my parish work, I have theduty to conduct funeral services,and I always strive to learn some-thing about the deceased so that Ican give a human face to thatperson. I do not need to ask aboutClancy Wagener; I’ve known himsince the fall of 1935 when he and Ienrolled as freshmen at CampionJesuit High School.

Clancy was one of the unfor-gettable members of our class,principally because he earnedgrades of 98% throughout his fouryears and was the academic leader.At our commencement services hewon all the prizes for achieve-ments, leaving my mother awe-struck and wondering why I didn’thave such a record. Clancy was nota one-sided person even then:working his way in the kitchen,participating in the school band,

editing the Annual, and appearingeverywhere in the school publica-tions. He was then, as he wasthroughout his life, a friendly man.

Clancy and I entered theSociety of Jesus on the same day,we took our vows together, wereordained together, and workedtogether for many years atCreighton University. I considerthat I am an expert on this unusualman.

Clancy came to Creighton U.after years of graduate studies atSaint Louis U. and Stanford U. Hewas never able to complete hisdoctorate because of years of illhealth, and he had to live with theknowledge of that failure, the onlyfailure in the seamless garment of afaith-filled, brilliant life.

At the time of Clancy’s arrivalat Creighton University, the Phys-ics Department was almost anonentity: understaffed, short on

Physics Newsletter • Creighton University 3

The Physics Newsletter is pub-lished periodically by CreightonUniversity's Department of Physics.Editor is Thomas H. Zepf, Ph.D.([email protected])

Fax: (402) 280-2140Voice: (402) 280-2134Creighton UniversityPhysics Department2500 California Plaza

Omaha, NE 68178

By Tom Zepf

Fr. Wagener was the PhysicsDepartment Chair who re-cruited me in 1962. I first met

him when I came by bus to Omahafor an interview. “You look hun-gry,” he said (I was much thinnerthen) as he sat me down in the busstation diner. For a “starving”graduate student from Saint LouisUniversity, the plate of roast beefwith mashed potatoes piled highwas quite a treat, and the first ofmy countless experiences of Fr.Wagener’s thoughtfulness andcaring nature.

My tour of the Physics Depart-ment during that visit went on formany fascinating hours, well intothe evening. It wasn’t that thefacilities were so extensive. Every-thing except the Observatory andsome equipment shared withChemistry was in two fourth-floorlabs in the Administration Build-ing, or stored in the attic. No, thetour ran long due to the minutelydetailed information Fr. Wagener

Dr. Zepf Remembers Fr. Wagener

aged to track down, sometimes inequally antique and obscurecatalogues. I was experiencing twomore of his defining characteris-tics: a love of challenging puzzlesand a painstaking–some wouldeven say inordinate–attention todetail. In any case, I was im-pressed.

During my visit Fr. Wageneralso gave me a tour of the AlumniLibrary. As he walked me slowlybetween row after row of physicsbooks and journals, frequentlystopping to point out recent acqui-sitions and sharing in great detailhis assessment of the strengths andweaknesses of the collection, Irealized I was in the presence of avery thorough and methodicalperson. A scholar certainly–butbeyond that, I could see he wastaking his role as Chair of thePhysics Department very seriously,perhaps the first to do so in manyyears.

He was beginning to lay afoundation for the future of theDepartment, brick by brick, liter-ally book by book, starting fromthe ground up. I was deeplyimpressed.

‘An Appreciation and Profile’

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provided for each of the manyantique pieces of apparatus that heshowed me — apparatus whoseidentity and purpose were oftenobscure, but which he had man-

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Characteristically, hehad a love of puzzles,

and an impressive

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attention to detail

His brick laying went beyondbooks. By the time of my joiningthe Physics Department in the fallsemester of 1962, Fr. Wagener andthe Chair of the Chemistry Depart-ment, Dr. Christopher Kenny, hadbeen successful in jointly obtainingan Instructional Equipment Grantfrom the Atomic Energy Commis-sion. Among other items, it fundedthe Pu-Be neutron source andneutron howitzer, still used in ournuclear physics laboratory today.

In the fall of 1962, during myfirst semester of teaching atCreighton, Fr. Wagener received aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity hecould hardly refuse: an NSF Fac-ulty Development Grant to pursuedoctoral studies at Saint LouisUniversity–starting in the springsemester of 1963! Once before hehad studied for a doctorate inphysics–at Stanford University–butill health forced him to quit. Hewondered if he should try again.Even as I was encouraging him todo so, my mind was spinning withthe thought of covering his teach-ing load and finding time tocomplete my own doctoral disser-tation by May. Had he known how

Heads of Physics Department spanning 40 years: (from left) Bob Kennedy, Fr.Wagener, and Zepf.


much writing I had left to do, Iam sure he would not have ac-cepted the grant. He was toothoughtful and caring for that. So Ididn’t tell him — and it all workedout well, thanks largely to theunderstanding of my students thatspring.

Fr. Wagener completed therequired course work for the

dedication and service to theCreighton Physics Department.During break periods he returnedto Omaha to serve voluntarily asour physics librarian. He did thenew book orders and continued hisrelentless search for missing back-issues of professional journals andout-of-print classics using an AIPsurvey of physics libraries as aguide. It was a great love that hepursued without interruption fromhis very first days at Creightonuntil the day he died. He seemedalways to have a reason to stop inat the Library during walks be-tween his physics office in Riggeand his living quarters in theAdministration Building. As aresult of this untiring dedication,we arguably have one of the finestundergraduate physics libraries inthe country — certainly the best hecould possibly squeeze out of alimited budget.

In the fall of 1966, Fr. Wagenerreturned full-time to the CreightonPhysics Department where heremained active until his death. Atone time or another he taughtnearly every physics course thatwe offer, from introductory as-tronomy and general physics to themost advanced courses at theupper division and graduatelevels. But his impact on theDepartment went well beyondclassroom teaching. There weremany other tasks that Fr. Wagenerfulfilled vigorously and withoutfanfare, right up until the time ofhis death: Departmental Librarian(including ordering physics text-books as well as library books),Departmental Archivist/Historian(including responding to a multi-tude of surveys from outsideagencies), keeper of records for allsections of General Physics, andcertainly not least of all, Editor ofThe Physics Newsletter. Early on heset about to track down all of ourphysics alums and to compile anup-to-date mailing list (a task hecompleted shortly before hisdeath). Certainly one of the greatsources of joy and satisfaction forhim was the contact that he devel-oped and maintained with his

extended family, our physicsalums. As noted at a faculty meet-ing shortly after his death, Fr.Wagener was a hard worker,conscientious and thorough, takingpride in what he did, unassuming.But perhaps his greatest contribu-tion was the tone that he set for thePhysics Department. He was akindly, holy person, concerned

doctorate at Saint Louis U., andpassed the comprehensive exams,but he ran into difficulties with hisdissertation research. There weresetbacks brought about by goingfrom a theoretical to an experimen-tal project (in nuclear scattering)and by the absence of his newadvisor during most of a criticaldata-taking phase. Nevertheless,Fr. Wagener completed the datacollection and was well into theanalysis when his interest incontinuing waned. It may be anoversimplification to say that hegot bogged down in the details. Ido know he was somewhat dissat-isfied with the quality of his data.Nonetheless, the department chairassured him that he could get thedegree if he would complete theanalysis and write up his results.He decided it wasn’t worth doing.“They’ll still call me Father” hetold me once, referring to hisstudents, “whether or not there’s aPh.D. after my name.” Being aphysicist was not paramount inFather Wagener’s life. He was firstand foremost a Jesuit priest!

Throughout the three-and-a-half years that he pursued full-time studies at Saint Louis Univer-sity, Fr. Wagener maintained his

(Continued from Page 3

about others, here for the students,a model of the “Jesuit presence” oncampus.

Fr. Wagener’s contributionswent well beyond the PhysicsDepartment. He was a frequentvisitor to those he knew who werehospitalized or confined to theirhomes. He said an early morningMass each week for nuns at a localconvent. (His failure to arrive tosay Mass led to the discovery thathe had died during the night in hisroom.) And throughout his manyyears at Creighton, nothing butoccasional trips out of town, suchas to visit his family, could keephim from hearing confessions onSaturday afternoon at St. John’sChurch. As one of his fellowJesuits, Fr. John Ginsterblum,noted at the Funeral Mass for Fr.Wagener: “He had a special gift ofbringing peace of mind to the mosttroubled souls.”

Over the years, Fr. Wagenerand I shared many lively discus-sions ranging from science tophilosophy to theology to politics.Not surprisingly, he was opposedto abortion. Yes, he was staunchly“pro-life.” But he did allow forsome exceptions: he definitely wasnot pro-life when it came to pi-

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A kindly, holy person,concerned about oth-ers, a model of Jesuit

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presence on campus

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He Made Physics Library One of the Best

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“They’ll still call meFather ... whether ornot there’s a Ph.D.

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after my name”


The display case in the firstfloor lobby of the RiggeScience Building houses the

world famous harmonic curvegenerator built by Fr. William F.Rigge, S.J., along with a copy of histextbook on harmonic curves. Fr.Rigge designed and built themachine, which he called the“Creighton Machine,” during theperiod from 1915 to 1924. Hisbook, Harmonic Curves, was pub-lished in 1926. He illustrated thebook with curves generated by hismachine. While many of ourphysics grads will rememberseeing the device on display inRigge, some older alums will nodoubt recall the thrill of actuallyrunning it to generate curves.

Now a description and photo-graph of the Creighton Machine(reproduced here) can be seen inthe second of two articles recentlypublished by former Creightonphysics major, Robert J. Whitaker,Ph.D. (BS ’58), Professor of Physicsat Southwest Missouri State Uni-

versity. Titled, “Harmonographs IPendulum design” and“Harmonographs II Circulardesign,” these extraordinarily well-

Creighton Grad Dedicates Articles to Fr. Wagener

documented articles with manyreferences to Fr. Rigge appeared inthe February 2001 issue of theAmerican Journal of Physics. Dr.Whitaker had this to say about thearticles: “When people ask howlong I worked on them, I tell themabout 40 years. While this isexaggerating, they did have abeginning in Fr. Rigge’s machineand book.” Bob learned of Fr.Rigge’s work first as a student, andlater as an Instructor at Creightonfrom 1959-1960. He goes on to say:“I hope my articles place Fr.Rigge’s work in historical perspec-tive. …When I was copying themanuscript to send to the Journal, Imade an extra copy to send to Fr.Wagener. I am glad he got to see it;he had helped in many waystowards its completion.” The firstof the two articles contains adedication to Fr. Wagener whichreads as follows: “Rev. C. M.Wagener, S.J. of the CreightonUniversity Department of Physicsprovided support and encourage-ment for this project for manyyears. This short statement isinadequate to express my appre-ciation. Fr. Wagener passed away28 April 2000. This paper is dedi-cated to his memory.”

Fr. Rigge’s “machine” (above) has sat for many years in a glass case in the Rigge ScienceBuilding hallway, where thousands of students have seen it.

Fr. Wagener (left) isshown with Bob

Whitaker in this 1960photograph.


The messages below arerepresentative of the fondmemories and expressions of

deep respect for Fr. Wagener thathave come from Creighton physicsstudents spanning a period of 40years.

Helped Get PicturesThank you for telling me about Fr.Wagener. I had gotten an emailfrom him last week. He had helpedme get pictures of Fr. Rigge’s(harmonic curve) machine for anarticle for the American Journal ofPhysics. I shall miss his manykindnesses over the years.

—Robert J. Whitaker, Ph.D.,(BS ’58), Professor of Physics,Southwest Missouri State Univer-sity.

Counting His ‘Chicks’My family and I live in WayzataMN. Over Holidays and in the fall,Fr. Wagener usually called mewhen he was in town visiting hisfamily. And I often was able to seehim when I was in Omaha–as myhusband’s family still lives thereand we usually visit at least atholidays. ...I hope the PhysicsDepartment will take on Fr.Wagener’s mission to find all thephysics graduates. He was veryproud of his success–was countinghis missing “chicks” when I sawhim last February. I will misscoming down to Creighton andseeing all the new “stuff” when Iam in town at New Year’s.

—Anna Mary (Lyons) Delaney(BS ’62), Trust Officer, IDS Trust,Minneapolis.

Profound InfluenceI emailed Fr. Wagener just lastweek after receiving the physicsnewsletter. I was so impressedwith the job he was doing keepingtrack of the Creighton Physicsalumni.

...Fr. Wagener had a profoundinfluence on me, always pushingme to do a little more. ...I decidedto minor in physics while majoring

in mathematics. When I wassigning up for a subsequent phys-ics course at one of those registra-tion sessions we had in the gym,he sat me down at his table duringa low-demand time and told methat I needed to be thinking aboutdoing a second major in physics.He thought I should do it andasked me to come by later todiscuss a plan. I did opt for thedouble major, but I don’t believe Iwould have if he hadn’t challengedme with it. ...Of course the physicsmajor was great preparation formy career as a mathematics profes-sor. I have been daily thankfulwhen I discuss applications that hesteered me into it. Fr. Wagener wasalways so enthusiastic aboutphysics and the Creighton physicsprogram. He was a great salesman.At those times I met and corre-sponded with him throughout theyears, I never saw that enthusiasmdiminish. He was so proud of thegraduates and what they hadaccomplished. I thought of him asextended family, someone youcould always count on to beinterested in your progress, per-sonal as well as professional. He’llbe missed.

—Jeanne (Slaninger)Hutchison, Ph.D. (BS ’64), Math-ematics Professor, School of Natu-ral Sciences & Mathematics, Uni-versity of Alabama at Birmingham.

Balance for LifeFr. Wagener was a strong influencein both my professional career inPhysics and its balance with otheraspects of life. I’m sure my col-leagues remember as I do, themany discussions we had on bothtopics. One of these discussionsoccurred on a random meeting, 25years after my graduation! I wasvisiting Creighton and happenedto run into him in the hallway. Heacted as if no time had passed andasked, by name, if I would followhim to his office to talk. The resultsof Fr. Wagener’s formal and infor-mal teaching continue to influenceme to this day.

—Robert J. Curran, Ph.D. (BS’64), Director, Goddard EarthSciences & Technology Center,University of Maryland (UMBC).

Fanned the FlamesI, like many others, have Fr.Wagener to thank for showing usthe great satisfaction that a careerin physics could bring. Prior to hisEngineering Physics class, my onlyexperience had come from readingin magazines all the new thingsthat were happening in physics. Iremember thinking it sounded likean interesting area to look into. Ihad decided to try for it as I en-tered Creighton. His class fannedthose flames of initial interest. Iespecially remember his supportivecomments and his enthusiasm. Mywife and I were lucky to be at SaintLouis University when Fr. Wagenerwent back to complete his Ph.D. Hewas then one of the graduatestudents with the rest of us. We hadan occasion to provide Father witha ride back to Omaha during one ofthe break periods. He helped withthe driving. We enjoyed the com-pany and discussion as we nursedour 1948 Studebaker (in 1965) the500 miles from St. Louis to Omaha.I have never forgotten that trip. Itgave both of us a chance to knowFr. Wagener the man. His passing isour great loss. We will rememberalways his enthusiasm and genuineniceness and will keep him in ourprayers.

—Joseph F. Fennell, Ph.D. (BS’64), Distinguished Scientist, SpaceScience Application Laboratory,The Aerospace Corporation, CA.

Steered to PhysicsVery sorry to learn of FatherWagener’s death. He was certainlythe major factor in steering me intophysics. I assume that I was notalone. Teachers are very specialpeople. Jesuits are very specialpeople. I guess he must have been(special)2.

—Morris B. Pongratz, Ph.D.(BS ’64), Deputy Group Leader,Group NIS-1, Los Alamos NationalLaboratory, NM.

Students Remember Fr. Wagener ...


Enjoyed VisitsFr. Wagener...truly was a fixture ofthe Physics Department atCreighton, and he will be sorelymissed. I very much enjoyed myvisits with him whenever I wouldreturn to the campus. May he restin peace. He will be in my family’sprayers.

—Timothy C. Ingoldsby (BSPhy ’69), Director of BusinessDevelopment, American Instituteof Physics, NY.

He Nurtured UsI was very sorry to hear of Fr.Wagener’s death. He was a tre-mendous scholar and teacherwhile he also nurtured us aspeople. He lived the Jesuit ideal inthat regard. I will never forget thegreat positive influence that he hadon my life. He taught us howimportant it was to think andreason and search for truth in ourown small way. He helped tocreate that great environment forwhich Creighton is so famous andthat I’ve never found anywhereelse. Please give my sympathies tohis family.

—Marilyn J. Stangl, Ph.D. (BSPhy ’71, MS ’73), Director ofProcessing Services, Lucent Tech-nologies, NJ.

Sustained ContactI was sorry to receive the newsabout Fr. Wagener. I remember himfondly and appreciate his efforts tomaintain and sustain contact withformer students. I am sure every-one will miss him.

—Antonia Bennie-George (BSPhy ’75, MS ’77), Physics Teacher,Green River Community College,Auburn, WA.

Cemented InterestMy first physics course atCreighton was taught by Fr.Wagener and he cemented myinterest in the subject. I also re-member my course in ModernPhysics taught by Fr. Wagener inthe Physics Seminar Room. Neverdid I have such an intimate classagain; there were two of us. And Iremember the other student’sabsence from a class did not stopFr. Wagener from coming in,setting up his pile of notes, andbegin lecturing as if he was speak-ing to a throng. The pressure wason when, after scrawling numer-ous equations on the board, hewould turn to the group (N=1) andask if there were any questions.

—Patrick W. Corrigan, Psy.D.(BS ’78), Associate Professor ofPsychiatry & Executive Director,

University of Chicago Center forPsychiatric Rehabilitation.

Pillar of DepartmentFr. Wagener was a pillar of theCreighton Physics Dept., and I amcertain he will be missed by all....He truly used every effort tokeep in touch with the physicsalumni.

The newsletter was a superidea, and we are all grateful that heled the project so successfully. Ishall never forget the time he wenton the sabbatical tour of Europe,and we were all waiting for eachset of slides to show up in the mail,so we could follow his adventureacross the sea.

—Kathryn E. Polt (BS Phy ’83,MS ’85), Quality Manager,Datacom Custom Manufacturing,McAllen, TX.

Latest NewsletterI was very sad to hear Fr. Wagenerpassed away. Just about two weeksago, I got the latest CreightonPhysics Newsletter, thanks to Fr.Wagener’s personal efforts (totrack me down). I have manywonderful memories of Fr.Wagener registered in my mindduring my physics graduatestudies at Creighton about 16 yearsago. Certainly he will be missed byall of us.

— Y-Ming (Allen) Xiong,Ph.D. (MS ’85), Server Perfor-mance Engineer, Dell ComputerCorp., Austin, TX.

Dedicated TeacherI talked to Fr. Wagener by phonerecently when he was working onthe newsletter. Hearing his voiceafter so many years reminded meof how much I enjoyed my time inthe Creighton Physics Department,learning from Fr. Wagener andeveryone else. Clarence Wagenerwas a very kind and dedicatedteacher and it is heartening toknow that he still enjoyed workingwith students for such a long time.All of you that I knew in Physicsare remembered by me with

. . . in Letters to Physics Department

(Contiinued on Page 9)

Fr. Wagener works on book orders in his office in 1993.


Researchers at the RelativisticHeavy Ion Collider (RHIC)at Brookhaven National

Laboratory in Upton, New York,are hoping to recreate conditionsthat have not existed since mil-lionths of a second after the BigBang.

Protons and neutrons, whichmake up the nucleus of an atom,have their own constituent parts:elementary particles called quarks,and gluons that hold the quarkstogether. The quarks and gluonswe observe are bound inside ofparticles. Scientists at RHIC,however, hope to change this.

Gold nuclei are acceleratedaround the 2.4-mile ring in oppo-site directions near the speed oflight. When the nuclei collide, theenergy densities can potentiallyreach a high enough level to allowthe quarks and gluons to moveabout freely for an instant. Thisnew phase of matter is calledQuark-Gluon Plasma. No otherexperiment is energetic enough tocreate this unseen phenomenon. Inshort, this is currently the hottestHigh Energy Physics project in theworld. Furthermore, CreightonUniversity undergraduates have theopportunity to work on this excit-ing experiment, thanks to grantsfrom the U.S. Department ofEnergy. [Principal Investigator: Dr.Michael G. Cherney; Co-Investi-gators: Dr. Janet E. Seger and Fr.Thomas S. McShane, S.J.]

The Creighton UniversityGroup is part of the multinationalcollaboration that conducts theSolenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR)experiment. STAR is one of thedetectors in which the collisionsactually take place. Creighton is incharge of the computer controlsand status monitors of the hugedetector. Undergraduate studentshave the opportunity to installhardware and program some ofthe software necessary for theexperiment. They can do this overbreaks (i.e. Spring, Summer, orFall), or they can even spend anentire semester at STAR.

Undergrads Doing World-Class Research

Creighton students who havetraveled to Brookhaven to work onthe experiment include seniorsZulma Barrios and James Fiedler,junior Jeremy Schue, sophomoreNick Rebeck, and freshmanKerrick Stack. Those scheduled towork there this summer are NickRebeck, Jeremy Schue, KerrickStack, juniors Alex Lopez andRebecca Redding, and freshmanNick Hatcher. Undergraduates at

the experiment are able to experi-ence the inner workings of aresearch collaboration. They learnthe importance of cooperating withindividuals from other schools andinstitutes (e.g. Yale University,Carnegie Mellon University,Purdue University) as well as othercountries (e.g. Poland, Russia,Germany).

Very few college undergradu-ates have the opportunity to workon truly world-class research.Creighton University, though, ismaking it happen.

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider site in Upton, N.Y., at Brookhaven NationalLaboratory. The 2.4-mile ring where gold nuclei are accelerated is at top.

Fr. Tom McShane, S.J., is dwarfed by theSTAR time projection chamber of theRHIC experiment.


geons or thistles! He decimated thepigeon population around St.John’s Church at Creighton — firsttrying to do it with a slingshot andthen, successfully, with an air rifle.During his doctoral studies in St.Louis, the same fate was met bythe pigeons around St. FrancisXavier Church on the SLU campus.Thistles fared no better. Armedwith a sharp digging tool fastenedto the end of a walking stick

(“you’ve got to dig them out by theroots or they’ll come right back”),he roamed the Creighton campus,and the I-480 right-of-way border-ing the campus, carrying on arelentless battle against thistles!The last time I saw Fr. Wageneralive he was standing by theelevator in the Rigge ScienceBuilding, thistle weapon in hand,about to embark on yet anotherbattle against that “obnoxiousweed.”

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He Did Battle With Thistles and Pigeons

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Alums Remember Fr. Wagener

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Homily by Fr. Ginsterblum...continued

money, equipment, books, all thenecessary means of the Depart-ment. Clancy began the rebuildingof the Physics Department. I recallhis joy at persuading Tom Zepf, anew Ph.D., into the Department. Idon’t know the details of the workof development of Physics to thestatus of today’s Department oftrained Physicists combining toeducate undergraduates andgraduates, and to do significantresearch. I do know that all of itrests on the tireless shoulders ofClancy Wagener.

Fr. Wagener was a man ofmany facets. He enjoyed working

on mathematical puzzles. Heprovided copies of the SundayCrosswords to us all, dutifullysolving them himself. He spent hisworking days: in the classroom, inthe labs, and in his office where heaided students and faculty alike.The Physics Department was asecond home for him, his col-leagues and students an extendedfamily. Clancy meant much atCreighton University.

Clancy was a man of faith, apriest and thus “a man for others,”and always a Jesuit. I was amazedto learn that he was a SaturdayConfessor in St. John’s Church atCreighton for a total of forty

years—from his arrival as a teacherto the last week of his life.

He was, without argument, agreat priest, a dedicated teacher, afriend to many, an indispensableman.

But he was also very human,some would say eccentric. Hisbrother Arthur said it better:“Clancy was a man who wasblessed with manyideosyncracies.” He never lookedwell-groomed; he was innocent ofdesigner clothes (an understate-ment to say the least); he wagedwar on pigeons, hunting themwith an air-rifle; he fought thistleson campus—never winning butnever surrendering.

In summary, Clancy was agreat man, a lasting friend, a fineteacher, a brilliant man; he lovedGod and his neighbor, his familymembers, Creighton University,his fellow Jesuits, the Church. Wewho knew him will miss him.

I concluded the homily withreflections from the readings of theMass, which included the Paulineassurances of our share in thepromises of eternal life, of immor-tality, of beatitude in the finalcommunity with the Triune Godand with the people of Faith,Hope, and Charity; and withChapter Six of the Gospel of Johnand the Eucharistic Promise ofeternal life. I remembered Fr.Clarence Wagener, S.J. as the surerecipient of the promises of Christ.I take these promises for myself;with his family and host of friends,for our consolation in our time ofloss of Clancy our friend.

fondness because of your kindnessand commitment to your students.

—Rosemary Kellen Boyle (BS’85, MS ’86), Graduate Fellow inMolecular Biotechnology, Univer-sity of Washington.

Respect for StudentsWe all, as foreign students, treatedFr. Wagener with utmost respect,mainly because of his kindnessand other good qualities. He was awonderful person to all of us.Sometimes, I used to share mypersonal matters and other prob-lems with him after I got to knowhim very well. As far as I couldremember he enjoyed a wonderfullife, and the greatest of all is thathe entered into eternal life withoutsuffering. Very rarely does deathclaim people like that, unless deathoccurs under tragic circumstances.I am sending this message to sharemy grievances with you all...Hiscontribution, dedication anddevotion to the entire physicsdepartment is irrecoverable....MAY HE ATTAIN “NIBBANA”!(eternal life according to ourreligion.)

—Andravas U. De Vas (MS’94), Software Engineer, CritechResearch Inc., Ann Arbor, MI.

Behind the ScenesI am very sad to hear about (Fr.Wagener’s death). I know he did a

lot of behind the scenes work inthe department to help keep thingsorganized. He will be missed.

—Paul J. Teeter (MS '97),Software Quality AssuranceEngineer, iPlanet – A Sun|Netscape Alliance, Palo Alto, CA.

Made Me Feel GoodWhen I thought that I had lost mykeys to the building, Fr. Wagenerwaited outside to let me in, and hehelped me look for my keys.Noticing the frustration on myface, he comforted me by saying,“Don’t cry over spilled milk, you’llfind them later. I lost mine before,too.” He always made me feelgood!

— S. Hakan Armagan (MS’01),Graduate Fellow in Physics,Creighton University


Since the last Newsletter, we arepleased to welcome eleven new

graduates to the Creighton familyof physics alums, through Decem-ber, 2000.

Our nine new Bachelor’sDegree graduates are: Scott J.Brick, from West Des Moines,Iowa, who is planning to attendmedical school in Iowa; Steven B.Gronstal, from Omaha, Neb., whois employed in electronics andcomputer sales in Omaha; ToraneW. (TW) Hull, from French Gulch,Calif., who is employed in theBiomechanics Lab at the CreightonUniversity Center for Osteopathic

Award to Honor Fr. Wagener’s ServiceBazil N. Lazure to be First Recipient

Fr. Wagener (left) and Bazil Lazure. Lazure is first recipient of the Fr. Wagener Award.

Family of Physics Alums Grows by ElevenResearch; Amy N. Hummel, fromLincoln, Neb., who is a GraduateFellow in the Department ofPhysics at Ohio State University;Timothy K. Huyck, from Omaha,Neb., who is a medical student inthe Creighton University School ofMedicine; Gregory J. Kubicek,from Willmar, Minn., who is amedical student in the Universityof Minnesota School of Medicine;Michele W. Lee, from Honolulu,Hawaii, who is employed fulltimeand attending school part-time;Dylan T. Thein, from Memphis,Tenn., who is a Graduate Fellow inthe Department of Physics and

Astronomy at UCLA; and Sadiq U.Zaman, from Glendale Heights,Illinois, who is a medical studentin the Creighton University Schoolof Medicine.

Our two new Master’s Degreegraduates are Steven K. Brady,from Omaha, Neb., who is aGraduate Fellow in Physics in aPh.D. program at WashingtonUniversity (Saint Louis) and YuYuan, from Tianjin, China, who is aGraduate Fellow in Physics in aPh.D. program at the University ofNotre Dame.

At a recent meeting of thePhysics faculty, an awardin memory of Fr. Wagener

was established: “The Fr. ClarenceM. Wagener, S.J. Award for Out-standing Service to the Depart-ment of Physics.”

Normally the award will goannually to the graduating seniorwho best reflects the qualities ofdedication and service exemplifiedby Fr. Wagener. However, it wasdecided that the first-ever Fr.Wagener Award should be given inretrospect––to a former Creightonstudent, Bazil N. Lazure, for hislifetime of dedication and serviceto the Department of Physics.

A retired lieutenant colonel inthe Army, Mr. Lazure received hisBS degree at Creighton Universityin 1934 and an MS degree in 1939.After teaching briefly at Creighton(1946-1947), he returned in 1953and has continued since then to bean active member of the PhysicsDepartment. Indeed, for a time hewas the only member of its faculty.In 1977 he was named AssociateProfessor Emeritus. Even now inretirement, at the age of 88 (89 inJuly), Baz voluntarily serves thedepartment by maintaining ourvisual aids equipment. He alsoserves the community: volunteer-ing at a local homeless shelter and

providing transportation for thesick and the elderly. An avidfisherman, Baz gained recognitionin the news media for his icefishing on Carter Lake. He contin-ues to enjoy fishing, as well asphotography and many otheractivities.

Presentation of the first Fr.

Wagener Outstanding ServiceAward was to have been made inearly May on the Creighton cam-pus. Join the Physics Departmentin expressing our gratitude andcongratulations to Mr. Bazil New-ton Lazure, his wife Geraldine, andtheir five children: Kenneth, Leroy,Gerry, Robert and Linda!


During the Spring 2001semester, the physicsseminar program included

four alumni guest speakers. Theintent was to let our physicsmajors learn first-hand of somepossible career paths after theygraduate.

Mike Lopez (BS Phy ‘98) ledoff the schedule with a presenta-tion on his current graduate re-search in nuclear engineering atthe University of Michigan, en-titled “Starting at $70,000 withSigning Bonus, or Where yourPhysics Degree and GraduateEducation in Engineering can takeYou.” Ensuring a great receptionfor his talk and for the entireschedule, Mike generously pro-vided free pizza to his audience.

The next of the alumni presen-tations was given by Mark Cipolla

(BS Phy ‘90, MS ‘94), who is amedical physicist based at St.Joseph Hospital in Omaha andemployed by the Jaeger Corpora-tion. His presentation concernedone of his major clinical activities,entitled “A New Method of Treat-ing Prostrate Cancer:Transperineal Ultrasound GuidedImplants using 125I or 106Pd.”

Dr. David Bruening (BS Phy‘66), a physicist who is involved intraining nuclear engineers at theOmaha Public Power District, ledan informal discussion centeredaround his own personal experi-ences entitled “A Physics Degreeas Preparation for an EngineeringCareer.”

The last presentation was byChris Verzani (BS Phy ‘92, MS ‘95)who is in the final stages of obtain-

Seminar Program Features Four Alumniing the Ph.D. in physics. He spokeon “A Graduate Student’s Experi-ence in Atomic Physics Research atKansas State University.”

Seven undergraduate physicsmajors and two physics graduatestudents also gave presentationson their research participation orother areas of keen interest. Twooutside guest speakers completedthe program: Dr. Danny Dale ofthe California Institue of Technol-ogy spoke on “Infrared Diagnos-tics of Galaxies” and Dr. RichardMcCray of the University ofColorado gave a presentation on“Supernova 1987A.” The Spring2001 Seminar program was orga-nized by Dr. Sam Cipolla, Profes-sor of Physics and Director ofCreighton’s Graduate Program inPhysics.

Dr. P.K. John wrote to expresshis sadness on learning of Fr.Wagener’s death. Some of ouralums from the early ‘60’s willremember Dr. John, his wifeMariam, and their young son,Sajeev. Having been recruited byFr. Wagener, he joined our physicsfaculty in the fall semester of 1963after completing his doctorate atOhio State University. He quicklybecame a very popular teacher.Unfortunately his visa expiredafter only 18 months. FromCreighton he went on to become aProfessor in the Department ofPhysics and Astronomy at theUniversity of Western Ontario inCanada where he has had a verysuccessful career in condensedmatter physics.

Little Sajeev, who attended theconvent school run by the nuns ofSt. John’s Parish, went on to get adoctorate in physics at HarvardUniversity in 1984 and currently isa Professor at the University ofToronto, specializing in theoreticalcondensed matter physics andquantum optics. He also wrote ofhis sorrow on learning about thepassing of Fr. Wagener. He has

pleasant memories of his days inOmaha, and wondered if theconvent school that he attended inthose days was still there. Unfortu-nately it isn’t, but clearly hismemories of it live on!

On Dec. 17, 2000 Dr. SajeevJohn was named co-winner of oneof the science community’s mostprestigious awards, the 2001 KingFaisal International Prize in Sci-ence! He shares this year’s prizewith Chen Ning Yang, 1957 winnerof the Nobel Prize in physics.Sajeev John was the first to concep-tualize the possibility of creatingphotonic band gap materials thatwould be capable of trapping or

localizing photons, much as asemiconductor localizes electrons.His research holds out the promiseof photonic computers, with newcapabilities and speed far surpass-ing their present-day electroniccounterparts, using laser light tocarry information instead ofelectric current.

His parents accompaniedSajeev as his guests when he wentto Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to acceptthe Prize, no doubt glowing withpride over their son’s accomplish-ments. Members of the Creightonphysics community share in thatpride as well. Congratulations to atruly remarkable family!

Dr. Zepf (left) and Dr. P. K. Johnare shown in this 1963 photo. Dr.John’s son Sajeev is shown below.

Dr. John’s Son Sajeev Making Big Mark, Too


Gerald Schneider (BS ’63)retired in August from his positionas Director of the Computer andImaging Laboratory in the Depart-ment of Biomedical Sciences at theCreighton Medical School. Hebegan his career at Creighton as apart-time employee in 1959 andjoined the Medical School full-timewhen he graduated in 1963. Westill use some of the electronicequipment that Jerry assembledover 40 years ago while he was astudent in the Physics Department.

Luke McCormick (BS ’76)completed his tour as the HealthPhysicist and Radiation ProtectionStaff Officer for US Army Europe& Seventh Army and returned tothe States last year. He and his wifeUrsula enjoyed life in Europe andhad some wonderful experiencesover the last three years includingstays in Italy, Hungary, Belgium,Luxembourg, the Netherlands andthe Balkans and a one day visit tothe Max Planck Institute, ParticlePhysics Research Center. Currentlyhe is working for the US ArmyCorps of Engineers as a HealthPhysicist at the Hazardous, Toxicand Radioactive Waste Center ofExpertise in Omaha.

Chungte (Bill) Chen, Ph.D.(MS ’76) wrote at Christmas to saythat he is still working at Raytheonsystems in El Segundo, CA. Overthe past decade he has beengranted 30 patents in the opticstechnology area. “A lot of pleasantmemories (about Creighton) stillfloat in my mind. ..a very wonder-ful experience in my life.” Bill andhis wife Jenna have two daughters,Julia and Stacy. Julia has juniorstanding in Electrical Engineeringat UCLA. Stacy is president of herschool’s Red Cross Club, takingpiano lessions, and applying tocolleges all over the country.

Mark Mildebrath (BS Phy ’81,MS ’83) emailed to say he wassaddened by Fr. Wagener’s death.He continues to work for Essilor inR&D for anti-reflection coatings onophthalmic lenses. He says he is

still traveling a lot and that thefamily is doing well.

Lt. Col. Lewis Hoffman, M.D.(BS ’84) emailed recently to reportthat he went on from Creighton tobecome an Air Force FamilyPhysician. After a tour in JapanLew spent the past six yearsteaching in residency programs inWashington, D.C., and on the GulfCoast in Florida. Currently he isserving as White House Physician,one of five military doctors whoprovide comprehensive medicalcare to the President, Vice Presi-dent, and their families both athome and on the road. He feelsvery honored—“a truly great wayto serve our country.”

Larry Hicks (MS ’84) emailedin February. He is Supervisor overa group of technicians for a com-pany called Applied Materials inAustin, Texas but lives in SanAntonio “where the cost of livingis much lower.” He goes on to say:“The company designs and manu-factures semiconductor fabricationmachines. Lots of new leadingedge technology … plasma phys-ics, sputtering, etching, and accel-erators (ion implantation). …Greatjob for graduating Physicists.…Check out the web sitewww.AppliedMaterials.com.”

Kathryn Polt (BS Phy ’83, MS’85) emailed a few weeks ago togive an update on her employ-ment. Kay writes “… after 8 1/2years with TRW, I am now atDatacom Custom Manufacturing.My title is Quality Manager. Moreresponsibility, less stress, moremoney, fewer hours. What morecan a girl ask for… ” Datacom’sfactory is in Reynosa Mexico, justdown the street from where shewas previously working. She livesin McAllen, Texas. Her classmateswill remember that it was Kay whopainted the large sign in the Riggestairwell announcing our LowerLevel Physics Labs.

Dulip Welipitiya, Ph.D. (MS’89) wrote to say that he joinedIBM in February 2000. His focus ison optical and magnetic materials.

Also, he and his wife have a newmember added to their family, ababy girl.

Capt. Michael Dolezal, Ph.D.(MS ’95) stopped by in July to sayhello to Dr. Cipolla, his thesisresearch advisor at Creighton.Mike is in the Air Force, in chargeof an electro-optical laboratoryfacility. He recently got his Ph.D. inEngineering Physics at the AirForce Institute of Technology.

Alicia Dwyer (BS Phy ’99)wrote last May to say how sorryshe was to hear of Fr. Wagener’spassing. She attends the GeorgeWashington University at theNASA Langley site located inHampton, VA. “It is not the typicaluniversity setting,” she says,“being at a research center, but wehave had many great opportunitiesto meet the people and tour themany facilities they have here. …Itreally is an exciting place.” Aliciahas been doing research on theatmosphere of Mars. “I do not getinto the lab much. I spend most ofmy time writing computer pro-grams. …Programming has been achallenge and has made me think alot. But it is all working out prettywell.”

Jenni Sebby (BS Phy ’99)emailed last August to say that herresearch was going well. “After (apaper on a new “non-destructive”imaging method) is out we’ll bedevoting all of our efforts towardsan all optical Bose Condensate.”Later she wrote: “I have spent thelast three months studying away inpreparation for my Ph.D. qualify-ing exam. The moment of truthcame last weekend and after aweek of waiting for results, I ampleased (and a bit surprised) to saythat a passing score appeared onthe top of my test! Rest assuredthat the celebrations will be under-way shortly! I want to thankeveryone for their thoughts,prayers, and for putting up withmy whining.”

Alumni Update: News from Our Alums

Vol. 6 Spring 2001

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 6 Spring 2001