About me?
As to research interests, I'm an astrophysicist specializing in
supernovae (SNe)
and radiative transfer.
SNe are giant explosions of
stars which for a few days or weeks
can be brighter than whole galaxies.
We observe hundreds of SNe
per year nowadays, but mostly in remote
galaxies and none in the
Milky Way
since 1604.
SNe are, in fact,
key ingredients in the evolution of the
observable universe
and in cosmology.
One key feature is that SNe
create most of the heavy elements from which rocky
planets
and life are formed.
Another key feature is that they are used to study the expansion history
of the observable universe.
My second specialization,
radiative transfer,
is the process by which light
propagates through media.
We have to understand
radiative transfer
to understand everything we see in the
observable universe.
You-all should just call me David. It's mandatory.
It's tough, but sooner or later you have to call your elders by their first names.
So altogether now 1, 2, 3: "David".
I got my Ph.D. in
1988 from
McMaster University
in
Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada---and since then have been seeing the world
with research/teaching positions at
University of Oklahoma,
Harvard University,
University of Barcelona,
Vanderbilt University,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
Northern Arizona University,
and numerous other places.
At University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
I originally came as a visiting assistant professor in
1998--1999
and
2003--2004,
and have been a teaching faculty
2012--present.
See my vita for the whole saga.
Emails to me should begin with the
salutation "David"---and
"Good Morning", "Good Afternoon", "Hello" which I consider
gauche.
My Preliminary Schedule is below.
Some changes might have to be made.
Note: During office hours (OH), I am usually able to respond to email
or voicemail fairly quickly.
I am also usually available to see students in person (with good safety
practices enforced) during office hours, but you should make an
appointment if you want to see me for sure since I could be out of the office
for a few mintues or on an errand if you just stop by.
I am also usually able to respond to emails in the evenings and on weekends
fairly quickly.
Preliminary Schedule:
Does NOT apply to summer semesters
Period Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
9:00 OH OH OH OH
10:00 OH OH OH OH Coffee
11:00 OH OH OH OH Lunch
11:30 A104-1 A104-2 A104-1 A104-2 Lunch
12:45 OH OH OH OH
1:30 OH OH OH OH
2:30 OH OH OH OH
3:30 OH OH OH OH Colloquium
7:00 OH Lab OH Lab OH Lab OH Lab
A104-1 = Ast104 section 1001 Intro astro
A104-2 = Ast104 section 1002 Intro astro
A727 = Ast727 section 1001 Cosmology
A729 = Ast729 section 1001 Galaxies
A734 = Ast734 section 1001 Relativity and Gravitation
P493 = Phy493 research meeting
OH = Office hours by appointment in-person or by
zoom meeting
and for email contact.
OH-zoom = Office hours by
zoom meeting.
Image Information