Vol. VIII Winter 2004-05

Memorial Plaza Dedicated to Physics Alum

Sandra Anderson is seen here withColleen Hartsig, first recipient of theLt. Col. Michael P. Anderson AcademicScholarship for physics students.

Participating in the dedicationceremony were Michael’s wife,Sandra Hawkins Anderson, andtheir two children, Sydney andKaycee. Also present wereMichael’s parents, Bobbie andBarbara Anderson, his sister,Joann Sykes, his first cousin,Kathy Burnette, and many otherrelatives and friends. NASA per-sonnel included retired Lt. Col.Carlos Noriega and our own AliciaDwyer Cianciolo (BSPhy ‘99).

The Offutt Air Force BrassQuintet performed the NationalAnthem following a posting of theColors by the Offutt Color Guard.

Dedication of the AndersonMemorial Plaza and theunveiling of a sculpture of

Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson tookplace on June 12, 2004 duringCreighton University’s annualAlumni Reunion Weekend.

Anderson received a Master’sdegree in Physics from CreightonUniversity in 1990. He died at the

age of 43, along with his six fellowcrew members, when the spaceshuttle Columbia disintegratedduring reentry on February 1,2003, after a 16-day mission. (SeePhysics Newsletter, Vol. VII.)

The larger-than-life bronzesculpture of Anderson was doneby Creighton Fine and PerformingArts professor Littleton Alston.

Speakers at the dedicationincluded: NASA Astronaut ClayAnderson (no relative), a MissionSpecialist hailing from AshlandNebraska who described theexcellent training he received fromAnderson; Mike Fahey, Mayor ofOmaha; David Black, President ofthe Creighton Student Union; andJohn Schlegel, S.J., President ofCreighton University. The full textof Fr. Schlegel’s remarks,“Remembering a Hero,” can befound inside beginning on page 2.

Anderson’s wife, Sandra,thanked everyone responsible forthe honor bestowed on herhusband in dedicating the Plazato his memory and in creating theLt. Col. Michael P. AndersonScholarship for physics students(see photo above). “He would beembarrassed by all this,” shesaid. “He was very low-key. He

Fine and PerformingArts professor

Littleton Alston is seen at far right

unveiling the bust heexecuted for the Lt. Col.

Michael P. AndersonMemorial Plaza,

located in front of the new Hixson-Lied

Science Building.Looking on (from left

to right) are the Rev. John Schlegel,S.J.,

Creighton president,Mrs. Sandra Anderson,

and her daughters, Sydney and Kaycee.

Physics professor, the Rev. Thomas S.McShane, S.J., Anderson’s researchadvisor at Creighton, is seen here per -forming the Blessing at the AndersonMemorial Plaza dedication ceremony. (Continued on Page 3)

2 Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

the city.His Creighton colleagues were

thrilled when we learned thatMichael would again be headingto space in January 2003 on adedicated science research mis-sion.

The crew of the Columbiawould use the shuttle as a plat-form to study the Earth and herenvironment. They had aboardover eighty experiments that stud-ied the human body’s response tothe rigors of space and would usemicrogravity of space to conductphysical science research.

Text of remarks by the Rev. John Schlegel, S.J., at the Anderson Plaza Dedication (June 12, 2004)

Remembering a Hero

Crew of Columbia (left to right): David Brown, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla,Michael Anderson, William McCool and Ilan Ramon.

Bronze Bust of Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson

Good afternoon and awarm welcome to allof our guests, espe-

cially the Anderson family.We as a nation and

University communityexperienced a great loss onFebruary 1, 2003. Today,however, we come togethernot to mourn, but to com-memorate a hero, and alife led with pride, determi-nation, joy and passion.

Hero is a word usedoften, and justifiably, whendescribing the entire crewof the shuttle Columbia. Itis not a word, however,that we use lightly.

Michael Anderson’s heroismdid not come just from his flightsinto space. His heroism was inthe life he lived, the people heloved, the knowledge heembraced, the example he set,and the values he exemplified.

He was certainly all Creightoncould desire in a student and analumnus. As Omaha Mayor MikeFahey noted, he was one of ournation’s and Creighton’s verybest.

When I think about what con-stitutes a hero, four qualitiescome to mind, all of whichfit Michael Anderson. Theyare curiosity, commitment,courage, and faith.

Michael had tremendouscuriosity and he pursuedthat curiosity relentlessly.Born into an Air Force fami-ly in 1959, he grew up witha space program that wasputting a man on the moon.He once said that the spaceprogram combined his great-est loves—science and aero-nautics. It was where scien-tists and engineers flew won-derful airplanes and greatspace ships. It was the per-fect mix, and the perfect job,

for him. Therefore, he followed hisfather’s career path and joinedthe Air Force.

It was while stationed atOffutt Air Force Base, as an activepilot, that he decided to pursue aMasters Degree in Physics atCreighton University. Michaelbelieved that degree would gethim a step closer to achieving hisdream of becoming an astronaut.He was right.

In 1995 he was selected forastronaut class and in January1998, he was abroad the shuttleEndeavour when it docked with

the Mir Space Station andbegan transferring over9000 pounds of scienceequipment, water andhardware.

On that first flight, hewas in space almost ninedays, and traveled 3.6million miles in 138 orbitsof the Earth.

Shortly after hisreturn, despite his hecticschedule, he returned toCreighton to share hisexperiences withCreighton students andfaculty and with otherscience students across

Michael told one inter-viewer that some of theresults might not mean any-thing to us right now, but inthe future, these experi-ments, born of his and oth-ers’ curiosity could prove tobe invaluable.

Courage and commitmentalso makes of true heroes.

The courage Michaelexhibited was not just in fac-ing the possibilities of dan-ger. It takes courage to makea commitment to devote alifetime to a goal, and to pur-sue a dream.

Throughout his career,Michael remained focused,

3Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

didn’t tell anybody what he did.” She then presented a memento toFr. Schlegel––a plaque featuringthe seven astronauts aboard theill-fated space shuttle Columbia.(See photo above.)

Following Sandra Anderson’sremarks, “The Wind Beneath MyWings” was sung beautifully byJennifer Witt, a senior in theCollege of Arts and Sciences.

A heavy rainstorm forced theAnderson Memorial Plaza dedica-tion program to be conductedinside the Hixson-Lied ScienceBuilding, rather than outside onthe Plaza as planned. But, almostmiraculously it seemed, theclouds parted and the downpourstopped at just the right momentto venture outside for a timelyunveiling of the bronze statue of Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson––onhis Plaza. –THZ

Sandra Anderson is seen presenting physics textbooksher husband used

as a Creighton student to

Dr. Robert Kennedy,Physics Department

chairman, at areception following

the dedication ceremony.

Plaza Dedication(Continued from Page 1)

maintaining the course he set forhimself. He was quick to acknowl-edge those who helped himachieve his goals and dream hisdreams, including his parents, hiswife and children, other familymembers, teachers, friends andhis ministers. He said on numer-ous occasions: “You can’t thankthese people enough.”

“For they are the ones whoturn the light on and lead youdown a certain path, and whenyou look back at your life, youknow there are a million thingsthat have happened in just theright way to allow you to makeyour dreams come true. Andsomeone has all of that undercontrol.”

Finally, faith is also a meas-ure of a hero. It is faith in one’sown abilities, fostered and nur-tured by the faith of loved ones,teachers and spiritual advisors.As well as an intimate, interiorfaith in a higher power fromwhich one derives guidance andstrength and comfort.

It is faith that what one isdoing is right, whatever the out-come or ultimate cost.

Michael believed that the risksand challenges of manned spaceflight were offset by the tremen-dous gains that could be made formankind. It is said he confided inhis minister, if the worst hap-pened, “Don’t worry about me. Iam just going on higher.”

I think Michael would bepleased today that this Plazabearing his name graces theentrance to our new Hixson-LiedScience Building, which houseshis beloved Physics Department.

I know he would appreciatethe Physics laboratories, thestate-of-the-art equipment, andthe opportunity for students—undergraduates, and profession-als in health sciences—to shareknowledge, research and learningexperiences in an interdisciplinarysetting––a setting that we atCreighton believe is the future ofscience instruction.

Today, and each time stu-dents cross this Plaza, MichaelAnderson’s curiosity, courage,commitment and faith will beaffirmed.

To Sandra, Sydney, Kaycee,Bobbie, Barbara, and the entireAnderson family, thank you forsharing this remarkable man withus; your husband, father, son andfriend. You, too, are heroes.Michael was always quick toacknowledge the love, supportand opportunities his family pro-vided.

We shared your joy in havinghim among us, your grief at histoo-soon-passing, and we willcontinue to celebrate the messageof his life and the inspiration hewill provide for countless stu-dents. Like you, we miss him, butwe, too, believe that Lt. Col.Michael P. Anderson has, indeed,gone higher.

John P. Schlegel, S.J.President, Creighton University

Sandra Anderson is seen presenting a memento, featuring the astronauts aboard the space shuttleColumbia, to the Rev.John P. Schlegel, S.J.,Creighton Universitypresident, during thededication ceremony.

4 Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

Rev. Martin O. Vaske, S.J., dies at 88

After almost 68 years as aJesuit and over 50 years atCreighton University, the

Rev. Martin O. Vaske, S.J. died ofnatural causes in his sleep onMonday, February 9, 2004 at theage of 88.

In addition to being a philoso-phy professor at Creighton, Fr.Vaske was a very knowledgeableobservational astronomer. It wasthrough his volunteer efforts thatour observatory remained aliveand available to students in itswaning years. Throughout the1960’s and 70’s, hundreds ofCreighton students, includingmany of our physics alums, sawcelestial objects through a tele-scope for the first time, under Fr.Vaske’s enthusiastic and very ableguidance.

His Jesuit nurse, Terry Kult,APRN, will always remember oneof Fr. Vaske’s last comments: “I can’t wait to leave my earthlybody here. My spiritual being isgoing to explode past the universeinto God’s goodness.”

Father Vaske was a person ofmany talents and interests––author of philosophy textbooks,

and avid hiker. Every summeruntil 1996 Fr. Vaske, with physicsprofessor Fr. Tom McShane andothers, spent three weeks hikingthe Rocky Mountains of Colorado.“If you want to sum him up, hehad the King Midas touch,” Fr.McShane was quoted as saying.“Everything he touched turned togold, every endeavor.”

Martin Oscar Vaske was bornand raised in a large GermanCatholic family in New Vienna,Iowa. Two of his brothers and onesister are living; four brothers anda sister preceded him in death.

After studying at Loras Collegefrom 1932 to 1936, he joined theJesuits, earned advanced degreesat Saint Louis University, and wasordained in 1947. In 1949 hetaught Latin and theology atCreighton Prep. In 1950 he beganteaching philosophy at CreightonUniversity.

The Mass of Christian Burialfor Fr. Vaske was on February 12,2004, at St. John’s Church. Thehomily was given by Fr. LarryFlannigan, S.J. Burial was in theJesuit Plot at Holy SepulchreCemetery in Omaha. –THZ

accomplished organist, watercolorartist, cross-country skier, golfer(he shot a hole-in-one at a parfour in Fontenelle), fly fisherman,

Fr. Vaske

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Through his volunteerefforts, our observatory

remained alive andavailable to studentsin its waning years.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Piece of Creighton Observatory Returned from Space

The first orbital flightof Lt. Col. Michael P.Anderson was a jour-

ney to the Russian MirSpace Station aboard spaceshuttle Endeavour inJanuary 1998. He success-fully guided the docking ofEndeavour with Mir andbecame the first AfricanAmerican aboard the SpaceStation.

After his journey to Mir,Michael visited Creightonto give a public lecture onhis experience and toaccept the 1998 AlumniMerit Award from theGraduate School. He usedthe occasion to present our

Physics Department withitems he had taken intoorbit, including a spectro-scope eyepiece from theCreighton Observatory tele-scope. This same instru-ment was used by FathersRigge, Vaske and others,including many generationsof Creighton students. Asthey looked at distant starsthrough this spectroscope,they could not have imag-ined that the instrumentthey were holding wouldone day orbit the Earth––taken into space by no lessthan one of their own, aCreighton physics alum!

–THZSpectroscope eyepiece from the Creighton Observatoryon display after traveling 3.6 million miles in space.

Mrs. Michelle Pope joined us offi-cially in 2003 as our Admin-istrative Assistant (business

manager). Formally from Phoenix,Arizona, Michelle has been a resident ofNebraska for 17 years. She is married toJerry with two children, Julianne 12 andDouglas 8. Previously, Michelle workedfor Peter Kiewit Sons, Inc., CorporateOffices, in the Marketing Department.

Michelle graduated from the Collegeof Saint Mary with a B.S. in BusinessLeadership, cum laude. She is theCoordinator of the Ministry of MothersSharing Program (M.O.M.S.) at SaintGerald Catholic Church in Ralston. Sheenjoys getting together with old friends,leisure reading and traveling.

The family adventure this summerwas stowing away on a Windjammer,hiking a volcano on St. Statia, snorkel-ing, swimming and relaxing on thebeach of Anguilla.

5Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

Meet the newest members of our faculty and staff

Michelle Pope is seen here with husband, Jerry, and children, Julianneand Douglas, standing on the stern of the Windjammer with the islandof Anguilla in the background.

Dr. Gintaras Duda and wife, Mary

Dr. Gintaras K. Duda joined ourfaculty in the fall semester of2003 to fill a tenure-track posi-

tion as Assistant Professor of Physics. After graduating with a B.S. in

Physics from Vilanova University(Augustinian rather than Jesuit!) inPhiladelphia, PA, he went on to completeM.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics at theUniversity of California Los Angeles.

Dr. Duda describes his research areaas astro-particle physics, a field whichattempts to solve astro-physical prob-lems through particle physics solutions.He is particularly interested in dark mat-ter (“what is it, how do we detect it, howmuch is there?”), dark energy (“evenstranger than dark matter, it seems tobe causing the Universe to accelerate inits expansion”), ultra-high energy cosmicray showers, and massive neutrinos.

Dr. Duda’s research is both theoreti-cal and computational. His research labnow has two (and will eventually havefour) high performance Linux based PCsrunning a variety of scientific software.

Currently (fall 2004) Dr. Duda isteaching General Physics (workshop for-mat), quantum mechanics, and gradu-ate-level classical mechanics. He will beteaching an astrophysics/cosmologyclass in spring 2005. He is also the

physics club moderator and faculty coordinator for our PhysicsField Day for High School Students.

Dr. Duda was married in 1999 to Mary (who works atCreighton as the chemical coordinator in Environmental Healthand Safety). They bought a house in Papillion. In their free timethey enjoy their two pet rabbits, tai chi, and traveling to visitfriends and family “strewn about the country.” Dr. Duda has apassion for science fiction and fantasy as well as for strategicboard games.

6

The Hixson-Lied ScienceBuilding received its nameofficially at a dedication cer-

emony on June 2, 2003. Creighton University chose the

name in honor of Christina M.Hixson and in memory of Ernst F.Lied and his parents.

Hixson is the sole trustee of aFoundation set up by Lied in1972. She was Lied’s associate forover 40 years––first at his Omahaauto dealership and later inLasVegas where he made landinvestments that grew in value asthe city expanded. Lied died in1980 at the age of 74. TheHixson-Lied Science Buildingsymbolizes Ms. Hixson’s supportof Creighton University on behalfof Ernest F. Lied.

In addition to the new sciencebuilding, Hixson’s gifts from theLied Foundation Trust have sup-ported Creighton’s new fine andperforming arts building (the LiedEducation Center for the Arts)and undergraduate businessscholarships at Creighton.

Creighton University also hon-ored two other major contributorsto Creighton University and thenew science building by namingthe building’s impressive atriumafter Suzanne and Walter Scott,Jr. A citation read at the dedica-tion ceremony noted Walter’sinvaluable guidance as chairman

Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

The Physics Newsletter ispublished periodically by theCreighton University Department of Physics.Editor:

Thomas H. Zepf, Ph.D.Physics DepartmentCreighton University 2500 California PlazaOmaha, NE 68178thzepf@creighton.edu Voice: (402) 280-2134Fax: (402) 280-2140

Once again CreightonUniversity is ranked No. 1in the U.S. News & World

Report rankings of MidwestComprehensive Universities. Thisis the seventh time in nine yearsCreighton has been ranked No. 1in the Midwest category and the18th straight year it has been ator near the top. Moreover, thisyear Creighton ranks third in theNation among all 573 comprehen-sive universities.

Predominant among areas inwhich points are allocated toachieve a rank are peer assess-

ment, student retention, facultyresources, and the academic pro-file of its entering freshman class.

In an area where our physicsdepartment can rightly claimsome of the credit, Creighton wasthe only Catholic institution to belisted among 36 universities(including Amherst, Carleton,Duke, Grinnell, Harvard, JohnsHopkins, MIT, Princeton, Reed,Yale) for mentoring students inself-directed research that resultsin original scholarly work formallypresented on or off campus.

Creighton Ranked No. 1 in 2004

new science facility dedicated . . . the Hixson–Lied Science Building

Rigge Science and the Criss build-ings, costs about $53 million.

This “...signals a new andenhanced approach to scienceeducation at Creighton. It willbring together undergraduate stu-dents, health sciences profession-al students, and faculty, creatinginterdisciplinary learning.” saidthe Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J.,Creighton University president.

of the Creighton University Boardof Directors from 1990 to 1996and Suzanne’s irreplaceable serv-ice to countless nonprofit organi-zations.

The Hixson-Lied Sciencebuilding is part of Creighton’sIntegrated Science Complex thatlinks the Rigge Science, Criss Iand Criss II buildings. The entireproject, including renovations to

Lookingsouthwest, the Hixson-Lied ScienceBuilding isseen withthe AndersonMemorialPlaza in fore -ground.

The Suzanneand WalterScott Atriumis the cylin -drical six-story glassenclosure inthe centralportion of thebuilding.

7Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

Dr. Cipolla Pursuing Accelerator-based Atomic Research

Since the early days of his appearance onthe Creighton scene, accelerator atomicphysics has been Dr. Cipolla’s primary

research interest. The physics involved isatomic inner-shell ionization––the ejection ofone or more electrons deeply imbedded in anatom. The process by which this electronvacancy production is accomplished stemsfrom the electrical interaction between anaccelerated ion and the affected electrons,referred to as Coulomb excitation.

Trained as a nuclear spectroscopist, Dr.Cipolla found the conversion to atomic inner-shell ionization physics not too difficult,except for learning the intricacies of designingand operating an accelerator system. The 200-kV Creighton accelerator that he inheritedwas manufactured to produce fast neutronsfrom certain nuclear reactions. During a spe-cial training visit at Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory to learn the technique, he alsolearned of the possibility of doing atomicphysics with the accelerator, a more interest-ing and safer activity. Aided by severalresearch grants, the accelerator system wastransformed into an atomic collision systemthat originally incorporated a collision cham-ber and a Si(Li) x-ray detector. The detector

of Kansas State University, Dr. Cipolla switched hisresearch emphasis to a new area of inner-shell ionizationin quasi-molecules formed during the collision of a heavyion (e.g., Ar) and a slightly lighter or heavier atom in a tar-get. Instead of a direct interaction between the electricfields of the projectile ion and electrons in the target atom,in a heavy ion-atom collision the electrons from each colli-sion partner form into energy states of the dynamic mole-cule formed during the collision. Electron excitations nowoccur between molecular energy states that have differentspacings dependent on the varying distance between thenuclei of the collision partners.

In the early 1990s, a research grant afforded the acqui-sition of a new Si(Li) detector equipped with an ultra-thinentrance window that enabled the study of very soft x-rays.Research commenced on systematically measuring K-, L-,and M-shell ionization cross sections from protons impact-ing many different targets. This work formed a databaseused for testing a prevailing theory at collision energieswhere little research had been done.

measures the intensity and energy of x-raysemitted from atoms from which electrons havebeen knocked out by the impact of the accel-erated ions (protons were used initially). Whenan inner-shell vacancy is filled by an outer-shell atomic electron, the energy difference ofthe transition is materialized as a photon inthe x-ray energy range. The intensity of eachx-ray emission is a measure of the probabilityof the vacancy occurring (referred to as the x-ray cross section), and the energy of the x-rayidentifies the particular transition.

The first research projects utilizing theaccelerator system involved the analysis of ele-ments in human blood. In this context, x-raysfrom inner-shell ionization of atoms in bloodare used to "fingerprint" the atoms since eachatom emits a unique spectrum of x-rays.Using the technique of internal doping of sev-eral target specimens of freeze-dried and com-pressed blood, the concentration of certainelements in the blood samples could be de-duced. During these studies, the acceleratorsystem was improved by the addition of abending magnet, ion beam focusing elements,and a target chamber that could handle multi-ple targets.

Following a seminar visit by Dr. Tom Gray

Dr. Sam J. Cipolla (right), Professor of Physics anddirector of our physics graduate program since 1983, isseen here with Creighton alum Dr. William J. Gallagher(BSPhy ‘74) during his recent visit. Bill attended MIT onan NSF Fellowship, completing a Ph.D. in 1978. Sincethen he has been at IBM where he is Senior Manager ofthe Magneto-electronics Division at the main headquar-ters of IBM in Yorktown Heights, NY.

Bill was an undergraduate research participant withDr. Cipolla from 1972-74, engaging in the initial activi-ties of the atomic accelerator program at Creighton. Hewas most influential in developing what has becomeknown as the Gallagher-Cipolla model of the efficiencyresponse of semiconductor x-ray detectors. He alsodeveloped an ingenious computer algorithm to analyzecomplex x-ray energy spectra (XSPEC).

In 1991 Dr. Gallagher received the College of Arts &Sciences Alumni Merit Award. He and his wife, Martha,and their 5 children reside in Ardsley, NY. -THZ

(Continued on Page 10)

8 Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

Meet our newest physics alums!

Class of 2004

Class of 2003

Back Row, from left:Christopher M. Bowen, MS* Nilanthi Warnasooriya, MS* Shane R. Wurdeman, BS Sarah C. Parks, MS* Jennifer M. (Reed) Bradley, MS* Michael G. Swanger, BS Nicholas G. Rebeck, BSPhy* Stephanie M. Gilbert, BS Michael A. Walsh, BSPhy* Front Row, from left: LeAnn M. (Lewis) Tiede, MS* Renan Cabrera Lafuente, MS* Kathleen N. McGill, BS*Rebecca L. Redding, BSPhy*Alok K. Sahgal, BS*Not shown:Steven B. Gronstal, MS

Photo was taken during the Evening of Reflection at the home of Dr. Robert Kennedy on May 4th, 2003.

Class of 2003

Class of 2004

From left:Nicholas B. Hatcher, BSPhy* Justin R. Morehead, MS*Garrett Jeff Sykora, BSPhy*Brian P. Hill, MS*Timothy W. Davis, BSPhy*Scott M. Atay, BA* Not shown:David T. Lynch, BS*Lucas Zeb Stepanek, BS

Photo was taken during the Evening of Reflection at the home of Dr. Janet Seger on April 25th, 2004.

*Member of Sigma Pi Sigma, theNational Physics Honor Society

Twenty-three of our studentsgraduated since the lastPhysics Newsletter. Eleven

have gone on for graduate studyleading to the M.S. or Ph.D. atvarious universities with supportin the form of scholarships,fellowships or assistantships.Four others are either enrolled inor applying to medical school, andthe rest are employed in a widevariety of occupations.

In the Class of 2003, eightearned bachelor’s degrees:

Stephanie Gilbert is studyingphysiology at the University ofArizona in preparation for medicalschool, Kakie McGill is pursuinga master’s degree in mechanicalengineering at the University ofMinnesota, Nick Rebeck isemployed by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency in Washington,DC., Rebecca Redding isemployed by Mutual of Omaha,Alok Sahgal is a student in theCreighton Medical School, MikeSwanger is pursuing a master’s

degree in physics at CreightonUniversity, Mike Walsh is pursu-ing a Ph.D. in materials science atNorthwestern University inIllinois, and Shane Wurdeman ispursuing a master’s degree in bioengineering at the GeorgiaInstitute of Technology.

Also, in the Class of 2003,seven earned master’s degrees: Chris Bowen, who did his undergraduate studies at Creighton, isemployed in health physics by theJaeger Corporation in Omaha;

Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University 9

Why Study Physics?

By Anna Mary (Lyons) Delaney (BS ‘62)Editor’s note: Anna Mary majoredin physics and was one of FatherWagener’s first students. She sentthe following message shortly afterhis passing.

Iwould like to let people knowthat studying physics teachesvery basic problem-solving and

analysis skills that are applicablein almost every endeavor. I espe-cially want to share that view withcurrent students and urge themto take full advantage of all thatCreighton University offers.

Recently, I had the oppor-tunity to tour a Navy submarine.From 1962-1964, right after Igraduated from Creighton, Iworked at the Naval OrdinanceLaboratory in Silver Springs, MD.There I was on teams that estab-lished basic boundaries andguidelines for measurements andguidance systems. I saw thesestill being applied on the subma-rine that I visited. It was verygratifying to be able to link asmall task I did so long ago to amuch bigger picture today.

For the last twenty-five years,I mostly have been a complianceprofessional, applying Departmentof Labor and IRS requirements toretirement plans, as a serviceprovider to employers. Thoughthis appears to be a purely busi-ness-related profession, I am notaware of a study other thanphysics and math that would givea student the fundamental skillsto do this work well.

The specific skill I call onevery day is to be able to read anIRS Code section, a "problem,”and recognize that every singleword is important. Every wordcounts when trying to analyze a"problem,” especially if the text isthe IRS code. It is equally impor-tant to be able to write clearly andrealize that every word written isimportant.

My son is an engineer withCatapillar in Peoria, Illinois. Whenhe was in high school I told himthat I wanted him to take physicsas a good foundational coursethat would help him apply math. Ialso pointed out how many seniorexecutives of major corporationshave engineering as their majorarea of study. It is an interestingexercise to look up biographies, inWho's Who for example––an exer-cise that can capture students’interest as they try to figure outwhat to do with their lives.

It was very affirming to mewhen I last saw Father Wagenerin February 2000. I felt he finally"got it" as I was telling him thevalue of my studies in physicsand math to the work I ended updoing. Up until then, I always felthe was a little disappointed that Ihad not continued in a purelyphysics profession.

In closing, I want to thank youand those who follow you for car-rying on the vision and missionthat Father Wagener and hispredecessors began many yearsago.

Jennifer Reed, who did herundergraduate studies at theUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha,is a Laboratory Technician at theUniversity of Nebraska MedicalCenter; Steve Gronstal, who didhis undergraduate studies atCreighton, is a Science LabCoordinator at the MetropolitanCommunity College in Omaha;Renan Cabrera, who did hisundergraduate studies atUniversidad Major de San Andresin LaPaz, Bolivia, is pursuing aPh.D. in mathematics at theUniversity of Windsor in Canada;Sarah Parks, who did her under-graduate studies at Loras Collegein Iowa, is pursuing a Ph.D. inphysics at Ohio State University;LeAnn Tiede, who did her under-graduate studies at Creighton, isteaching physics at the Universityof Nebraska at Omaha; andNilanthi Warnasooriya, who didher undergraduate studies at theUniversity of Colombo, Sri Lanka,is pursuing a Ph.D. in physics atthe University of South Florida,Tampa.

In the Class of 2004, sixearned bachelor’s degrees: Scott Atay is a student in theCreighton Medical School, TimDavis, a double major in physicsand math, is pursuing a Ph.D. inmathematics at the University ofNebraska, Nick Hatcher is pur-suing a Ph.D. in physics atNorthwestern University inIllinois, Dave Lynch is applyingto medical school, Zeb Stepanekis an Air Force 2nd Lt. in MissileOfficer training at VandenbergAFB, CA, and Jeff Sykora is pur-suing a Ph.D. in physics atOklahoma State University.

Also, in the Class of 2004,two earned master’s degrees:Brian Hill, who did his under-graduate studies at Creighton, isemployed in health physics by theJaeger Corporation in Omaha,and Justin Morehead, who didhis undergraduate studies atHastings College in Nebraska, ispursuing a Ph.D. in biomedicalsciences at Creighton University.

Check out our physics web siteGet the latest news about

Creighton and the PhysicsDepartment by visiting theCreighton home page at: <www.creighton.edu> and navigatingfrom there. Or go directly to thephysics home page at: <http://physics33.creighton.edu>.Places to visit on the physics site

include: News, Programs, CourseInformation, Faculty, Students,Research, Resources andFinancial Support for Students.Clicking on “Newsletters” in thedrop down menu under “News”gives access, in pdf format, to allissues of the Physics Newsletterpublished to date. Enjoy!

After nearly 30 years of dedi-cated service as our physicsdepartment secretary, Mrs.

Bonnie Kelley has retired. Shewas honored for her contributionsto Creighton University at aConvocation hosted by the Deanof the College of Arts andSciences on September 23, 2003.

Bonnie came to Creighton in1975. She held a part-time posi-tion as physics secretary for fiveyears––then moved to a full-timeposition by serving as secretaryfor both physics and mathemat-ics, later for physics and atmos-pheric sciences, and finally forphysics alone.

The computer and word-pro-cessing age had not yet arrivedwhen Bonnie became our secre-tary. Exams, reports and grantswere typed by hand. It was amajor step forward when thedepartment was able to purchasean IBM Selectric typewriter forher use!

Bonnie developed our depart-mental book-keeping system––initially doing it by hand. After wepurchased several desktop com-puters for the general physicslabs in the mid-1980’s, Bonnie

as she suggested new jobs to bedone. She began her career as areplacement for two work-studystudents––twenty-five years latershe was overseeing ten or morework-study students a year! Manyof those students kept in touchwith her after they graduated.

In May 2002, Bonnie had totake time off for surgery. Unfor-tunately, complications from thatsurgery hastened her retirement.

Happily, Bonnie is doing wellnow. She wants everyone to knowhow grateful she is for the manyprayers and expressions of sup-port she received.

Over the years, Bonnie spokeof looking forward to having moretime to work in her garden whenshe retired. But it was always"sometime in the future."

At the Dean’s Convocation, Dr.Kennedy reviewed Bonnie’s manyaccomplishments and spoke forall of us when he said:

"Bonnie, we wish you the bestin your retirement. Enjoy your garden! Enjoy your children andgrandchildren! Thank you for yourmany years of dedicated service tothe physics department.”

Bonnie Kelley Enjoying Retirement

asked if she could try to learnhow to use one at times when itwasn’t needed for the lab. Shequickly learned word processingand spread-sheeting, and soonhad our departmental budget ona spreadsheet––probably the firstdepartment secretary in the col-lege to do so. She also developeddepartmental databases for ourphysics field day and graduatestudent recruitment mailings.

Bonnie’s responsibilities grew

Bonnie Kelley is seen here at a retire -ment party hosted by physics facultyand staff at the home of Bob Kennedy.

Around the mid 1990s, Dr.Cipolla also started a researcheffort in x-ray fluorescence (XRF).In XRF, a source of x-rays isdirected at a target to produceatomic inner-shell ionizationthrough the photoelectric processbetween an incident x-ray photonand an atomic electron. X-raysused in this work are derivedfrom radioactive sources of 55Feand 241Am. The sub-shell ioniza-tion cross sections of heavy atomshave been studied. Currently,intensity ratios of certain L x-raysfrom the XRF of the 4d transitionelements are of interest in orderto compare them with the ratiosmeasured for proton-impact ion-ization. It is suspected that multi-

ple ionization can occur in the lat-ter case, which would affect theintensities of the L x-rays.

Through a NASA Epscor grant,Dr. Cipolla and students workedrecently as part of a GoddardSpace Center team that analyzedthe x-rays produced by solar x-rays and charged particlesimpacting the surface of the near-earth asteroid Eros. This activityoccurred during the NEAR-Shoemaker mission in which aspacecraft equipped with x-raydetectors orbited the asteroid.

Ancillary studies have pro-gressed in parallel with the exper-imental work. These include themodeling of the efficiencyresponse of Si(Li) detectors, a

series of computer programs toanalyze the x-ray energy spectra,a numerical integration programto solve coupled differential (wave)equations in the quasi-molecularstudies, various spreadsheets todo the complex analysis of data,and a very popular computer codeto calculate theoretical Coulombexcitation cross sections, used byresearch groups worldwide.

Dr. Cipolla is grateful to themany graduate and undergradu-ate students who participated,and are still participating, inthese research efforts. He said“the success of the work wouldnot have been possible withouttheir input and inspiration.”

-THZ

10 Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

Atomic Research (Continued from Page7)

11

–––––– Physics Alumni News –––––– Attending the 2004 Alumni

Reunion Weekend, to cele-brate the 40th Anniversary

of their graduation, were physicsalums Robert J. Curran, Ph.D.(BS ‘64) with his wife Debbie, andJeanne (Slaninger) Hutchison,Ph.D. (BS ‘64). Bob is Director ofthe Goddard Earth Sciences andTechnology Center at the Univer-sity of Maryland (UMBC). Jeanneis a Professor of Mathematics atthe University of Alabama (UAB).Jeanne was a double major inphysics and mathematics and

Michael P. Keating, Ph.D.(BSPhy ’66) met Dr. Zepf during aposter session at a SummerMeeting of the AmericanAssociation of Physics Teachers(AAPT) in Rochester, N.Y. Mike isa professor at the MichiganCollege of Optometry (MCO),Ferris State University (FSU). Hehas taught optics to optometrystudents for over 25 years atMCO and is the author ofGeometric, Physical, and VisualOptics published by Butterworth-Heinemann (Boston). His researchinterests are in theoretical optics,particularly in the matrix analysisof astigmatism and refractiveerrors. He served for 6 years asMCO associate dean for academicaffairs and twice served as actingdean. Mike has received severalawards, including the 1996 FSUDistinguished Teacher Award.

Timothy C. Ingoldsby (BSPhy’69) visited with Dr. Zepf during areception at the AAPT Meeting inRochester. Tim was a popularphysics teacher at OmahaWestside High School before goingto AAPT as staff physicist in1979. In 1981 he was promotedto Associate Executive Officer. Heleft a legacy of successful highschool physics projects at AAPT,including the AAPT/NSTA HighSchool Physics Achievement Test.More recently Tim has beenDirector of Business Developmentfor the American Institute ofPhysics, responsible for develop-ing AIP’s Online Hosting Serviceknown as “Scitation.”

Paul F. Alexander (BSPhy ‘82)emailed recently to tell us abouthis most recent employment. Paulworks for Science ApplicationsInternational Corporation (SAIC).Recently Physics Today, a publi-cation of the American Institute ofPhysics, gave SAIC the TopPhysics Company Award for 2004.The company earned the awardbased on the results of an AIPMembership Survey. Second and

third places went to IBM andRaytheon, respectively. Paul hasworked in SAIC’s Columbia, MDlabs for two years now and reallylikes it. His work mainly involvesradio frequency communicationand remote sensing systems.Physics graduates wanting to con-sider SAIC for employment shouldgo to http://www.saic.com.

Dulip Welipitiya, Ph.D. (MS‘89) researches optical and mag-netic materials at IBM in SanJose, CA. He has met manyCreighton alumni in California.His baby girl had a pediatricianwho is the father of Margaret(Peggy) Cirone Shaw (BS ‘89).Dulip has good memories besidesphysics from his Creighton days––“science fairs, the magic show,happy hours”–– which he hasdescribed to his wife and son.

Lt. Col. Alan G. Glodowski(MS ’90) received the Royal AirForce (U.K.) Humphrey GoldMedal award (for top graduate ina one-year long flight test school).Alan was the first American in the29-year history of the program toreceive the Award!

Mark A. Freeling (BSPhy ‘91)attended the 2004 AAPT WinterMeeting in Miami Beach where hemet Dr. Zepf who was doing aworkshop on “Teaching Physicswith Magic.” Mark is living inKearney, Nebraska and teachinghigh school science for theOgallala Public School System.

Major William L. McGraw (BS'91) sends word that he is aFinancial Management officer andtechnology planner at the SpaceVehicles Directorate of the US AirForce Research Laboratory atKirtland Air Force Base outside ofAlbuquerque, New Mexico. Billwas deployed in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom andspent five months in the middleeast operating as the Comptrollerof the 380th Air ExpeditionaryWing (AEW). The 380th AEW’smission is aerial reconnaissance

1964 recipient of the Spirit ofCreighton Award. Also attendingfrom the Class of ‘64 was CliffSturek and his wife Dottie. Cliffwas a math major and physicsminor who, like Jeanne and Bob,was very active in the physicsclub. Dr. Zepf enjoyed showingJeanne, Bob and Cliff the physicsfacilities in the new Hixson-Liedand remodeled Rigge Sciencebuildings.

Joseph F. Fennell, Ph.D. (BS‘64), another member of the Classof ‘64, emailed awhile back to sayhello and update his address. Joesaid he is “still plugging away inthe space physics arena.” Joe hasthe title of Distinguished Scientistin the Space Science ApplicationLaboratory of The AerospaceCorporation in California. Old-timers here remember the greatphysics club picnic we had on theFennell family farm in Iowa whenJoe was a student at Creighton.

Bob and Debbie Curran are seen heretalking with Sandy Anderson.

Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University

Physics Newsletter ! Creighton University12

–––––– Physics Alumni News ––––––of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bill wasfrequently required to transportmillions of dollars in US and for-eign currency from middle easternbanks to US air bases directlysupporting the war in Iraq. He

was awarded the Armed ForcesExpeditionary medal and two AirForce Commendation medals forhis service in the region.

Christopher J. Verzani,Ph.D. (BSPhy ‘92, MS ‘95) com-pleted his doctorate in physics atKansas State University. Wordfrom Dr. Cipolla is that Chris hasa postdoc position at the NationalInstitute of Standards and Tech-nology (NIST). He hopes to joinacademia afterwards, preferablyclose to home (Omaha).

Rebecca A. Burke (BSPhy ‘96)sent a message to Dr. Cherneytelling about her recent activitiesfollowing the passing of herfather. She decided to leave herjob as a web and database devel-oper for work in teaching whichshe loves and finds more fulfilling.Currently she teaches mathemat-ics at Lamar Community Collegein Colorado while helping her sis-ter with a small business ventureand commuting to Boston in thesummer and on holidays to visither boyfriend.

Erin D. Underwood, DO (BS‘96) married Jody Lynn Raymo onJune 12, 2004 at St. Patrick’sChurch in Carleton, Michigan.

Andrea L. (Schiemann) Ross(BSPhy ‘97) is employed as a

business practice specialist withKraft Foods and lives in Madison,Wisconsin.

Mike R. Lopez, Ph.D. (BSPhy‘98) sent word that in March 2003he and his wife Shannon hadtheir first child, named Elena. InOctober 2003, Mike completed hisrequirements for a Ph.D. inNuclear Engineering andRadiological Sciences at theUniversity of Michigan. The fol-lowing month the family moved toAlbuquerque, NM where he joinedthe Sandia National Laboratoriesas an experimental physicist. Heis performing experiments on theZ-machine z-pinch and Z-Beamletlaser. The experiments explorehigh energy density plasmas.Mike said National Laboratoriesand defense contractors are hun-gry for U.S. citizens, especiallywith the reports saying that morethan half of the scientific popula-tion in labs will be up for retire-ment in the next 20 years. Hesaid to “tell the physics majors togo to graduate school. It takes awhile, but it is a lot of fun andthe opportunities really open upafterward.”

Alicia (Dwyer) Cianciolo, MS(BSPhy ‘99) sent the happy newsthat she and her husband Matt,Matthew J. Cianciolo, DO (BSMP ‘98), had a girl, Cameron

Grace Cianciolo, on November 5,2004. Alicia says “she weighed 6lbs 10 oz and was 19.5 incheslong. Everything went very welland we are all adjusting to life athome.” The photo was taken whilethey were still in the hospital.

Jie Lin, Ph.D. (MS ‘99). Jie(Archer) sent word in July 2004that he graduated from Yale witha Ph.D. in Electrical Engineeringand was about to begin workingat Xerox Research in New York.His doctoral thesis was on thetheory of coordinated motion ofmultiple autonomous agents.Archer cited the flocking of birdsas a fun example: “in a recentpaper ...we showed that through alocal averaging method, the flockof birds will be able to fly towardsa common unspecified direction.”

Jennifer S. Sebby (BSPhy ‘99)and Robert J. Strabley (MS ‘99)were married on August 30, 2003in Madison, Wisconsin, followedby a honeymoon in Mexico. Atthat time Bob still had his navyassignment to complete inVirginia and Jenni had her doc-toral research to finish at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.Since then a year has passed and,on Nov.16, 2004, Jenni success-fully defended her Ph.D. thesis.Meanwhile, Bob has been on anaircraft carrier in the PersianGulf, scheduled to head home inDecember. He will start teachingphysics at the US Naval Academyin Annapolis immediately, whileJenni will be enjoying a full one-month vacation before starting ona postdoc position in Bill Phillips’group at NIST in Maryland. Theyboth got their dream jobs and willbe able to live together at last!

Amy N. Hummel (BSPhy ‘00)married John S. Kossler at St.Joseph Church in Fort Collins,Colorado on June 19, 2004. Amyis employed as a software engi-neer for the Norththrop GrummanCorporation, Space SystemsDivision, in Boulder, CO. Cameron Grace Cianciolo

Major William L. McGraw