Assistant Professor Don Smith

Don Smith

Don Smith grew up near Chicago, and has lived in Germany (86-87 and 92-93). He went to college at The University of Chicago (BA, Physics, 92) and graduate school at MIT (PhD, Physics, 99). He then lived in Ann Arbor for five years, working at the University of Michigan as an NSF postdoctoral Fellow and a lecturer. He began as an assistant professor at Guilford College in the fall of 2005.

Classes Research Quaker Hobbies

Fall 2008
I am teaching three classes at Guilford:

Physics 121 - Classical and Modern Physics I (with lab)
Physics 231 - Experimental Physics I
Physics 421 - Classical Mechanics

Here is a PDF copy of my block weekly schedule.
Here is my most recent CV.
A record of past courses I have taught at Guilford.

Don is currently an active member of the FUNGRB collaboration, working to automate Guilford's observatory for inclusion in the SkyNet web-based telescope control network. He also keeps an eye on the ROTSE project, on which he worked as an NSF postdoctoral Fellow. He also stays involved with his graduate school project, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, studying transient outbursts from Black Hole Binary systems.
In the summer of 2008, he spent three weeks teaching a summer immersion course in scientific English for Russian Science Students as a consultant for the Civilian Research and Development Foundation.
More details on Don's professional career.
Don has been active in the Religious Society of Friends since he was a teenager. He was a counselor in the Youth Education program of New England Yearly Meeting between 1994 and 2000, and was co-coordinator of the High School Program for Friends General Conference in 2003 and 2004. He has recently contributed a chapter to The Quaker Bible Reader, writing on how a Quaker scientist reads creation stories. Recently, he presented on his interdisciplinary work at the 2008 meeting of the Friends Association for Higher Education. Don enjoys theatrical lighting design, and has designed lights for Chicago, Cabaret, Bye Bye Birdie and .
Don also likes to travel, cook, bike, play raquetball, watch (and discuss) movies, program computers, and play strategy games. Most importantly, he is delighted when he can spend time with his wife, Kembra.

Some other useful links: My old ROTSE page The department seminar

Classes	Research	Quaker	Hobbies

Fall 2008 I am teaching three classes at Guilford: Physics 121 - Classical and Modern Physics I (with lab) Physics 231 - Experimental Physics I Physics 421 - Classical Mechanics Here is a PDF copy of my block weekly schedule. Here is my most recent CV. A record of past courses I have taught at Guilford.	Don is currently an active member of the FUNGRB collaboration, working to automate Guilford's observatory for inclusion in the SkyNet web-based telescope control network. He also keeps an eye on the ROTSE project, on which he worked as an NSF postdoctoral Fellow. He also stays involved with his graduate school project, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, studying transient outbursts from Black Hole Binary systems. In the summer of 2008, he spent three weeks teaching a summer immersion course in scientific English for Russian Science Students as a consultant for the Civilian Research and Development Foundation. More details on Don's professional career.	Don has been active in the Religious Society of Friends since he was a teenager. He was a counselor in the Youth Education program of New England Yearly Meeting between 1994 and 2000, and was co-coordinator of the High School Program for Friends General Conference in 2003 and 2004. He has recently contributed a chapter to The Quaker Bible Reader, writing on how a Quaker scientist reads creation stories. Recently, he presented on his interdisciplinary work at the 2008 meeting of the Friends Association for Higher Education.	Don enjoys theatrical lighting design, and has designed lights for Chicago, Cabaret, Bye Bye Birdie and . Don also likes to travel, cook, bike, play raquetball, watch (and discuss) movies, program computers, and play strategy games. Most importantly, he is delighted when he can spend time with his wife, Kembra.