B.A., University of California at Berkeley
M.S., Columbia University in New York City
Ph.D., Texas Tech University, 2001

Richard Cardenas, Ph.D., joined the physics faculty of St. Mary's University in the fall of 2000. He received his bachelor's in physics and applied mathematics and his master's in applied physics. After receiving his masters degree, he worked in industry for Lockheed Technical Operations Company (now called Lockheed Martin Technical Operations) and Incyte Genomics. Cardenas has research interests in biophysics, medical physics and physics pedagogy. His main research area involves the study of the effects of radiation on aqueous polymer gel systems and their uses in radiation dosimetry. These aqueous polymer gels are tissue-like, hence are useful tools for modeling radiation response of various types of tissue. In addition to the polymer gel studies, he has done research in physics pedagogy in collaboration with Texas Tech University and Harvard University using the force concept inventory.

He has published papers in journals including the American Journal of Physics, MRI and Neuroradiology. He has also presented his findings at conferences in Texas and Pennsylvania, among others. Cardenas' grants and contracts include the following:

• San Antonio Area Foundation, Grant for Education and Outreach ($8,000). Title: Fiesta of Physics Outreach Program (With Dr. Olga Lobban)
• DoD Instrumentation Program for Hispanic Institutions ($200,000). Title: Creating an Biophysical Characterizations Laboratory for Education and Research
• Physics on the Road, the World Year of Physics Grant for Outreach ($10,000). Title: The Fiesta of Physics (With Olga Lobban)
• San Antonio Area Foundation, Grant for Education and Outreach ($5,600). Title: The Fiesta of Physics (With Olga Lobban)
• DoD Instrumentation Program for Hispanic Institutions ($192,738). Title: Acquisition of advanced scientific instrumentation for multi-disciplinary research training and education.

B.A., University of St. Thomas
M.A.T., University of Notre Dame
M.S., University of Iowa

Brother David Fitzgerald has been a member of the Department of Earth Sciences for more than 20 years, devoting much of his work to establishing and developing the Earth Sciences Museum, located at St. Mary's University in Garni Hall, 2nd Floor Hallway. He earned his bachelor's in geology, then taught courses while earning his master's in earth science education. He also received a master's degree in geology.

Professor Fitzgerald now teaches General Geology and Earth Resources, as well as advanced courses in his specialty of sedimentary rocks including paleontology, petrology and stratigraphy. His interest involves the development of museum and field education and the use of audio-visual techniques in teaching strategies for the earth sciences. A veteran of personal study trips to Alaska, Fitzgerald has lead a tour of the Alaskan landscape on a small yacht called the Princess Cruise Line from Vancouver, British Columbia to Anchorage. On the tour, he gave a firsthand, up-close look at some of America’s most beautiful scenery, as well as fascinating commentary along with local experts.

B.S., Eastern Kentucky University, 1995
M.S., Florida State University, 1996
Ph.D., Florida State University, 2000

Robert Laird, Ph.D., joined the physics faculty of St. Mary's University in 2009. He received his bachelor's degree in physics with a minor in mathematics and his master's degree in physics. He received his Ph.D. in Physics specializing in Nuclear Physics. His dissertation was titled "Global Lifetime Measurements of Highly-Deformed and Other Rotational Structures in the A~135 Light Rare-Earth Nuclei." He did postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where he helped in the development of techniques in medical imaging and radiation therapy, air- and water-based gamma-ray and cosmic ray Cherenkov detection.

Laird was a visiting professor at Trinity University from 2003 to 2005. He was also an assistant professor of physics at Texas Lutheran University between 2005 to 2009. He currently serves as a consultant in medical physics at the Research Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio where he is involved in developing detectors to quantify the blood activity of subjects undergoing a PET brain scan, developing new techniques of radiotracer production for PET, and structural equation modeling of human brain function.

Extramural Grant Support

Description: Medical Physics and Functional Neuroimaging at TLU Source: Gillson-Longenbaugh Foundation
Period: 2007-2008
Amount: $12,000 per year
Role: Principal Investigator

Description: To enhance the physics and pre-engineering programs
Source: W.M. Keck Foundation
Period: 2007-2010
Amount: $250,000
Role: Co-Investigator (P.I. = Lorne Davis)

Recent Publications
Comparison of Talairach and MNI coordinates in functional neuroimaging data: Validation of the icbm2tal transform. J.L. Robinson, A.R. Laird, D.Tordesillas-Gutierrez, K.M. McMillan, S.M. Thelen, R.W. Laird, K.L. Ray, P.T. Fox, J.L. Lancaster. Submitted to Neuroimage (2008).

Modeling motor connectivity using TMS/PET and structural modeling. A.R. Laird, J.M. Robbins, K. Lee, M.D. Cykowski, S. Narayana, L.R. Prince, C. Franklin, R.W. Laird, and P.T. Fox. Neuroimage 41, 424-36 (2008).

Rotational structures and their evolutions with spin in 152Gd. D.B. Campbell, R.W. Laird, M.A. Riley, J. Simpson, F.G. Kondev, D.J. Hartley, R.V.F. Janssens, T.B. Brown, M.P. Carpenter, P.Fallon, S.M. Fischer, T. Lauritsen, D. Nisius, and I. Ragnarsson. Physical Review C 064314 (2007).

B.A., University of California at Berkeley, 1971
Ph.D., University of Oregon, 1984

Gary Karshner, Ph.D., acquired his bachelor's degree in astronomy and his doctorate in astrophysics. Karshner has taught at California State College, Stanislaus (1984-1985), the University of Oregon (1976-1981), and Humboldt State University (1973-1975 and 1981-1983). He came to St. Mary's from Gettysburg College, where he was an Assistant Professor from 1985 to 1990.

He has taught a broad range of physics courses: freshman introductory courses, mechanics, modern physics, advanced optics, thermodynamics, atomic and nuclear physics. His teaching specialties lie with electronics, micro-processors and astronomy. He has a special interest in the applications of computers to the physics laboratory and has supervised physics departments' senior projects, including assembly of an image processing system, construction of a photon counting system, automating a telescope drive, computerizing a Michelson Interferometer, and making high temperature superconductor material.

Karshner's own research field in stellar astronomy involves stars that lie on or just off the main sequence. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled: "The Kinematic and Radial Properties of Normal Luminous Sc Galaxies."

B.S., Mount Union College, 1996
M.S., Texas State University, 2000
Ph.D., University of Texas at San Antonio, 2007

Evelynn Mitchell, Ph.D., earned her doctorate from the Environmental Science & Engineering program at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Mitchell taught physics at the University of the Incarnate Word prior to pursuing her Ph.D. She also gained experience in engineering and applied physics working as a manufacturing engineer at Sony Semiconductor from 2000 to 2003.

Mitchell focused on studying the Edwards aquifer in her dissertation research in which she used a combination of hydrogeology and geophysical skills to determine specific storage values using the compression of earthquake waves. She has also performed geophysics research using seismic and resistivity applications to look at the underlying geology and water table in the Texas Hill Country and in Jalisco, Mexico.

Her current research interests involve studying the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere within caves; studying the correlations between the composition of the geological formation and the CO2 levels; and understanding how much of the carbon dioxide produced in the cave environment adds to the CO2 levels in the outside atmosphere.

Publications

Mitchell, J. N. AND E. J. Mitchell. July 2009. Airflow and CO2 in Robber Baron Cave, Proceedings of the International Congress on Speleology, Kerrville, Texas.

Mitchell, E.J.R. and A. Dutton. 2007. Calculation of Specific Storage in the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer, Central Texas, Using Seismic Efficiencies. Report for the Edwards Aquifer Authority, San Antonio, Texas, pp. 34.

Presentations

Mitchell, E. J. R. and A. R. Dutton. 2007. Specific Storage Results for the Edwards Aquifer Using the Seismic Efficiency Method, National Ground Water Association 2007 Groundwater Summit, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mitchell, Evelynn J. 2008. Storativity from Seismic Waves: Using Rayliegh Waves for Seismic Efficiency Calculations. 2008 Joint Meeting of The Geological Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies with the Gulf Coast Section of SEPM, Houston, Texas.

Sherry Wood served twenty years in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps where she was stationed in Missouri, Europe, Arizona, Korea, Colorado and San Antonio. After she retired, she worked full-time at the Bill Greehey School of Business from 1998-2001 and part-time in the Psychology Department from 2001-2002. She has been working full time for the School of Science, Engineering and Technology in the Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Physics Departments since 2002.