Randy Back Ph.D.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Physics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (1997)

Bachelor of Science, Physics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (1988)

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

August 2012 – Present

Associate Professor of Physics at The University of Texas at Tyler

• Helped design and run multiple teacher workshops for a teacher quality grant 2014-2018.
• Lyceum poster judge, April 26, 2018.   
• Gave a guest lecture on Flat Earth conspiracy theory for a philosophy class at UT Tyler, Sept. 7, 2017 and Feb. 15, 2018.
• Grant workshop December 2, 2017.
• Dr. Beckham and I ran a workshop at the Fall 2017 Meeting of the Texas section of the APS and AAPT in Dallas, October 21, 2017.
• Helped give science demo at Robert E Lee high school, March 2017.
• March 1 2017 I gave a math club talk on Symmetry in Physics.
• Gave a physics career talk at Alba Golden High School, Sept. 25, 2017.
• Fall 2016 recorded a series of lectures for PHYS 2326 to make more content available online.
• Science demo at The Brook hill School, Oct 15 2016.
• Attended workshop in Dallas about physics content in AP exams, August 19 2016.
• Attended APS National March meeting 2015 in San Antonio.
• Developed an online astronomy course.
• New Horizons in STEM Education march 27-28 2015 Houston Texas.
• Summer 2015 worked with ACS seed students.
• Fall 2015 help judge science fair at griffin elementary school.

August 2007-2012

Assistant Professor of Physics at The University of Texas at Tyler

• Pursued research in granular media, a field of fast growing interest by doing research over the summer at The Max Planck Institute in Germany 2010.
• Taught University physics courses and conducted physics laboratories.
• Chaired the Chemistry department SACS Core Committee.
• Co-Drafted proposal that would enable UT Tyler to offer Physics Major.
• Presented granular media research at the American Physical Society Meeting.
• Attended College Readiness Conference 2010 where poster on Vertical Alignment was presented.
• Reviewed paper for SSST 2010 Engineering Conference.
• Granular Media research presented by Sam McKenzie who completed the research under my direction at APS, AAPT and SPS Texas Section Meeting.
• Applied for DAAD grant for Germany research trip.
• Attended National Instruments Workshop.
• Taught during Summer Bridge Program and Discover Science Camp Program at UT Tyler.
• Served on Chemistry Departmental Curriculum Committee, making recommendations on new course proposals.

August 2006 – July 2007

Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at University of Texas at Tyler

• Contributed in designing new physics laboratory and ordering new laboratory equipment.
• Initiated ordering various parts needed in activating donated telescope in an effort to encourage more       varied physics options that will engage students.
• Completed science demonstrations at various primary and secondary Tyler public schools as part of the    UT Tyler science outreach program.
• Actively pursued research possibilities and grants on a variety of projects, most particularly a collaboration with a retired professor of biology from University of Texas at A&M involving bird flight and a collaboration with a professor of physics at Northwestern State University involving the non-linearSchrodinger equation.
• Taught math class, Calculus II, offered as UT Tyler summer school course.

January 1998 – May 2006        

Physics Professor at Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts, Natchitoches, LA

• Designed and taught innovative courses in Modern Physics and Quantum Mechanics.     
• Mentored students in not only ordinary course work and research but also in a unique unit known as “Special Projects” that encourages application of complex scientific principals in investigating real-world problems.
• Took leadership role in developing aptitudes beyond classroom learning.  Led Hi-Y Club that modeled the United Nations in an effort to prepare students with government skills, including ambassadorial abilities. 

August 1998 – May 2006

Adjunct Physics Professor at Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA

•  Taught introductory science courses and physics labs to non-science majors.

                    

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND INTEREST

 

I began my research at UT Tyler in the field of granular material.  This led to several presentations and a publication in the journal GRANULAR MATTER.  After I completed that work I began a collaboration with Dr. Beckham.  We modeled the effects of electric and magnetic fields on elastic membranes.  This led to several presentations and two publications.  Currently I am collaborating with Dr. Beckham, Dr. Bill and Dr. Hamouda.  We are looking at behavioral and mathematical models for nicotine intake and withdrawals in Zebrafish.

 

PUBLICATIONS

Back, Randy; Beckham, Jon.  “A magnetically controlled electrostatic-elastic membrane system”. THE TEXAS JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. Volume 69 Number 1 Published June 2017.

Back, Randy; Beckham, Jon.  “Ferrofilm in a magnetic field”. PHYSICAL REVIEW E.  Volume: 86 Issue: 4 Article Number: 046301   Part: 2   Published: Oct.  2012.  

Back, Randy. “Frictional effects on mass measurements in a column of glass beads”. GRANULAR MATTER, Volume 13 Issue 6, 723–729.  Published Dec.  2011.

 

PRESENTATIONS

Fortenbuy, Nathan; Hand, Travis; Beckham, Regan; Back, Randy. “Drainage of a cylindrical ferro-film in an external magnetic field”.  Presented in Dallas Texas at the 247th National Spring Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on March 16 2014

Ellsworth, Ashley; Back, Randy; Beckham, Jon. “Electrostatic-elastic membrane system with elastic volume constraint”.  Presented in San Diego, CA at the 243rd National Spring Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on March 25, 2012

Back R. “Frictional Effects on Mass Measurements in a Column of Glass Beads.”  Presented in Portland, Oregon, at the American Physical Society meeting on March 16, 2010. 

Odell M., Bailey B., Pundt S., Back R. “ Vertical Alignment”  Poster presentation in San Antonio, Texas at the College Readiness Conference on February 25, 2010.

McKenzie S., Back R. “Frictional Effects on Pressure Measurements in a Granular Column.”  Presented in San Marcos, Texas at the Texas section meeting of APS, AAPT and SPS on October 24, 2009.

Back R.   “Soliton Scattering on a Deep Potential Well.”  Presented in Natchitoches, Louisiana at 17th Annual Northwestern State University Research Day on April 15, 2004.

Back R.   “Resonant Bose-Einstein Scattering in a Potential Well.”  Presented in Natchitoches, Louisiana at 16th Annual Northwestern State University Research Day on April 9, 2003.

Back R.  “Results of Using Quantum Mechanics Tutorial Workbook.”  Presented in Boise, Idaho at 125th Annual American Association of Physics Teachers National Meeting on August 3, 2002.

 

GRANTS

Bill, Brent; Hamouda, Ayman; Beckham, Jon; Back, Randy.  UT Tyler Internal Grants Program. Interdisciplinary Grant (Sept. 2018) Awarded: USD 17,000.00

Back, Anthony (CoPI) ,Brown, Fredericka (PI) ,Beckham, Jon (CoPI) ,Odell, Michael (PI), Sherman, Cynthia (PI) ,Smith, Nathan (PI) Teacher Quality Grants Program, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (January 2014 – January 2018) Awarded: USD 779,000.00

Back, Anthony; Beckham, Jon; Pearce, Jennifer.  Applied to NSF for grant to host interdisciplinary physics conference at UT Tyler Jan. 2011 Not Awarded: USD 50,000.00

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

 American Physical Society

 Society of Physics Students

 Pi Mu Epsilon

 

 AWARDS

 Provost's Excellence in Teaching Award, The University of Texas at Tyler, 2012