Alumni News

1960s

Since graduating from Iowa, Norton Bretz (BA 1965) received a PhD in plasma physics from the University of Maryland in 1973, and retired in 2001 from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory after 28 years as a principal research physicist. He did research on energy balance in the ST, PDX, PLT, and TFTR tokamaks. Norton developed experimental techniques to measure electron temperature profiles using laser scattering and to measure density fluctuations using reflectometry and microwave scattering. In retirement he is working with a local conservation group to supervise a grant to develop a predictive model of phosphorus as a measure of water quality in a twelve lake watershed in northern lower Michigan. This model will provide a direct link between water quality and development in their area.

David Campbell (BA 1963) is retired from the U.S. Geological Survey, where he worked in Denver as a research geophysicist for nearly 30 years. His field areas for USGS included places in the Rocky Mountains, Great Basin, Alaska, and Saudi Arabia. During 1990-1995 he was Chief of the Branch of Geophysics, USGS. Over the last decade he has specialized in geoelectrical methods for ore deposit and groundwater research. After retiring, he and his wife moved back to the Iowa City area, where they operate a small organic vegetable farm. He keeps his hand in physics by teaching geophysics courses in the Geosciences Department at the UI. He's happy to report that several physics seniors are taking his class this semester.

1970s

Greg Clements (PhD 1978) is a professor of physics and mathematics, and since 1983, he has been teaching introductory physics, computer science and mathematics at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, NE. He is currently the Division Chairperson for the Natural and Applied Sciences. Greg welcomes collaboration in historical research using his collection of 19th and 20th century physics and astronomy college textbooks.

1990s

After receiving his PhD at the University of Washington, and participating in the UW astrobiology program, John Armstrong (BS 1998) is now working with the Virtual Planetary Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developing an integrated planetary climate model. The goal is to predict observable spectra for earth-like planets around other stars to drive the engineering constraints for the next generation of planet finding telescopes.

Yun-Wu Cheng (PhD 1996) is a principal engineer at Apache Design Solutions in Mountain View, CA.

Fred Olchowski (PhD 1998) is a research physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory, Optical Sciences Division, Sensor Systems Section in Washington, DC. They develop high resolution digital reconnaissance cameras and hyperspectral sensors for Navy aircraft. He has flight tested several of these systems aboard the NRL P3-Orion aircraft. Fred says they are always looking to hire good people.

Jongho Seon (PhD 1996) is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He is also Director at Satrec Initiative in Dae-jon, Rep. of Korea. Previously, he was a team leader at the Satellite Technology Research Center at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Deaths

John Kellough (MS 1937), died 7/24/04.