University of Tennessee Physics

Dr. James E. Parks

Associate Head and
Director of Undergraduate Laboratories
Ph.D., University of Kentucky, 1970

Office: 404A Nielsen Physics Building
Phone: 865-974-8952
Fax: 865-974-7843
jeparks@utk.edu
Web Site: http://web.utk.edu/~jeparks

ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY EXPERIMENT DEVELOPMENT

There are many new advances in technology being developed in the research lab that could be transferred to the academic teaching laboratory. We are located in a locale where many research labs exist covering many areas of physics and where many new technologies are being developed. At the same time there are many new technical developments, particularly with computers, that present many opportunities for developing and studying new teaching strategies. Physics education is calling for new, diverse training for its graduates to better prepare them for graduate research and the workplace. The nation is calling for a greater literacy in math and science in their goals 2000 program. Both the American Physical Society and the American Asscociation of Physics Teachers are calling for attention to be given for the improvement of the education of physics graduates. This climate is right for the development of new experiments for the undergraduate and graduate laboratory. New course development to better train students with more practical skills is possible. The department has been developing new experiments for the advanced undergraduate laboratory and has presented many of these experiments to other institutions through National Science Foundation undergraduate faculty enhancement workshops. Computer data acquisition, control, and analysis techniques and skills are being developed for experiments to better train our students and to increase their marketability in the workplace. I have a number of ideas for pursuing these opportunities that exist for students to work with the department to address educational research and development needs.

Brief Vita

Dr. James E. Parks earned a B.A. in Physics from Berea College in 1961, a M.S. degree in Physics from the University of Tennessee in 1966, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Kentucky in 1970. He has over 30 years experience in university teaching, project management, program development, consulting, technical business, technology transfer, new product development, technical services, and entrepreneurship. He has conducted work in many fields and cross disciplines including general physics, atomic and molecular physics, nuclear physics, health physics and dosimetry, biophysics, laser technology, curriculum development, surface physics, semiconductor technology, analytical chemistry, ion beam accelerators, electronics, mechanical and electrical design, and data reduction and analysis. One of his strengths is the ability to interact with a diverse group of persons and form collaborative working relationships. He has a strong interest and background in technology applications and their commercialization. He was an instructor of physics at Berea College for the academic years 1964-1966. He taught at Western Kentucky University from 1970-1981 rising to the rank of full professor. In 1981 he became Technical Director of Atom Sciences, Inc., a small company formed to develop and commercialize the technology of resonance ionization spectroscopy. In 1989, he joined UTK as Director of the Institute of Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (IRIS). As Director of IRIS, he organized the international symposia on RIS and its applications and served as the co-editor of the proceedings of the meetings held biennially, alternating between the U. S. and Europe. In 1993 Dr. Parks became director of undergraduate laboratories in the UT Department of Physics and Astronomy. He is responsible for the operation of all the undergraduate labs and the supervising and training of approximately 40 graduate teaching assistants. He is keenly interested in undergraduate laboratory development, taking innovations from the research lab to the academic lab and drawing upon his experience in industrial and research labs. He has organized and presented four National Science Foundation Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement workshops on advanced undergraduate experiments using lasers and electro-optics. He is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Assosication of Physics Teachers, the Laser Institute of America, and the Tennessee Association of Physics Teachers. He is the author or co-author of more than 52 research papers, book chapters, articles, and publications, and is an inventor for three patents.

Selected Publications

  1. J. E. Parks, H. W. Schmitt, G. S. Hurst, and W. M. Fairbank, Jr., "Sputter- Initiated Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy," Thin Solid Films 108, 69-78 (1983).
  2. J. E. Parks, D. W. Beekman, H. W. Schmitt, and E. H. Taylor, "Materials Analysis Using Sputter Initiated Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy", Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res. B10, 280-284 (1985).
  3. J. E. Parks, "Laser Applications to Materials and Surface Analysis," Optics News 12, (October, 1986) pp. 22-27.
  4. J. E. Parks, M. T. Spaar, and P. J. Cressman, "Analysis of High Purity Solids by Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy," J. Cryst. Growth 89, (1988) pp. 4-15.
  5. W. M. Fairbank, Jr., M. T. Spaar, J. E. Parks, and J.M.R. Hutchinson, "Anomalous odd- to even-mass isotope ratios in resonance ionization with broad-band lasers," Phys. Rev. A 40, 2195-2198, (1989).
  6. J. E. Parks, "Surface Analysis Using Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy," in Lasers and Mass Spectrometry edited by David M. Lubman, (Oxford Series on Optical Sciences) (Oxford University Press, New York 1990) pp. 37-64.
  7. James E. Parks, Charles S. Feigerle, Robert DeSerio, and Joseph Wiest, "National Science Foundation undergraduate faculty enhancement workshop on advanced laboratory experiments using lasers," J. Laser Applications 6, pp. 115-121 (1994).
  8. H.-Jurgen Kluge, James E. Parks, and Klaus Wendt, editors Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy 1994, Seventh International Symposium, Bernkastel- Kues, Germany, 1994, (AIP Conference Proceedings 329)(American Institute of Physics, New York, 1995).
  9. G. Samuel Hurst and James E. Parks, "Methods and Applications of Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy," in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics: Atoms and Molecules, edited by B. F. Dunning and Randall G. Hulet, (Experimental Methods in the Physical Sciences Volume 29B) (Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, 1996) pp. 171-190.