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USM Jupyterhub Server
 Current Projects:

Maine Space Grant: “A Computationally Integrated Physics Curriculum” In this grant, Prof. Julie Ziffer and I are working to integrate computing throughout our Physics curriculum by introducing compuational problems into every course’s weekly problem sets.

Courses: Fall 2023 

Physics 240 & 242: Intermediate Physics Laboratory I & II
MoWe 2:00PM - 4:45PM
This course is our advanced lab where students work in groups to perform some classical experiments in physics. You will learn the basics of differential error propagation, curve fitting, and extensive use of Jupyter notebooks for data analysis using the Julia Language. This is a fun, intensive class that prepares students to write in the scientific genre appropriate for submission to a physics journal, the importance of and how to deal with error propagation, experimental techniques and instrumentation, and how to give a 10 minute conference length talk such as students would encounter at a scientific conference.

Spring 2024

Phy 261: Computational Physics
 MoWe 12:30 - 14:20  and F 9:30-11:20 Science 290 C-Wing
For the second time,  Computational Physics will be taught using the Julia Programming Language. No prior programming experience is assumed. This course is required for all physics majors, and the only prerequisite is Physics 121. Come learn one of the fastest growing and speediest computer languages around! 

Student/Office Hours

Tue & Thu: 09:00-11:00 and by arrangement

Research and Teaching Interests
Computational Physics: I use Python and Julia (almost exclusively Julia now) for all my computing needs, as well as for teaching Physics 261: Computational Physics. I have been working on a text for the course, but my work is morphing into creating a set of Jupyter Notebooks for each project. The course is now a 3 Credit laboratory, and we will be using a new JupyterHub server to provide all students with the same computational environment.  Currently working on a new set of notebooks all written using Julia.

Torsion Pendulum Magnetometer: Together with many students, I have designed a torsion pendulum that will be used to measure fluctuations in the horizontal component of the earth's magnetic field.

Physics Education: My main inspiration for physics education came from reading the works of Carl R. Rogers (Freedom to Learn and it's revisions). I have been incorporating authentic assessment and conceptual questioning into my introductory physics classes. In addition, together with other faculty at USM, and the help of our Provost, we helped create a Learning Assistant program at USM.

Curriculum Vitae: Click CurriculumVitae2019 to download in PDF format. The file includes as an attachment, the original LaTeX source which you can feel free to extract (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro 8.0 or later) or PDF Expert (OSX App) and use as a LaTeX CV template. (updated 05-Nov-2019)

Publications:
• Smoothing.jl: a simple package that contains a binomial smoothing routine for apply to a time series. To install, just say > add Smoothing from withing the Julia package manager.
• labjack-controller: Robust and Easy Data Collection with Labjack T-Series DAQs in Python
Vector plot of Helmholtz Coil in Earth's Magnetic Field, from the Wolfram Demonstrations Project,Cody Goolsby and Paul Nakroshis, Dec. 2011

The Headlight Effect, from the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, October 2007
Measuring Boltzmann's constant using video microscopy of Brownian motion, American Journal of Physics, 71 (6) June 2003

Statistics of continuous motion force events in a driven 2D granular array

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Contact Info

Office/Lab Phone: 207.780.4158

Email

pauln at maine dot edu

Department of Physics

Portland, Maine 04104