Chair of Department
Degrees:
PhD (Geophysics) The University of Calgary, 1999
MS (Physics) The University of Chicago, 1994
B.Sc. (Physics) The University of Calgary, 1989
Position: Associate Professor
Office: B233L
Phone: 403.440.6604
E-mail: rslawinski@mtroyal.ca
Raphael teaches physics and astronomy classes, including PHYS 1201, 1202 and 3602, and ASTR 1101 and 1301. Some of his favourites courses to teach are ASTR 1301 - Planetary Astronomy, where simple physics is used to understand how our Solar System Works, and PHYS 3602 - Elementary Quantum Mechanics, an introduction to the strange world of quantum physics. His research is focused on bringing quantum weirdness to the undergraduate laboratory.
Main areas of scholarly interest and/or expertise
Raphael Slawinski was drawn to Physics because of the insights it offered into the universe around us. Thus, while earning a major in Physics, he also completed a minor in Astrophysics. He went on to earn a Masters degree in Astrophysics, developing statistical methods to analyze x-ray telescope data, to try to understand the nature of gamma-ray bursts. He did his doctoral dissertation in Geophysics, constructing computer models of how seismic waves propagate through fractured rock.
Current research interests / current work
One of the areas he is interested in these days is atmospheric physics. Some questions he asks himself are: Under what conditions could the Earth suffer a runaway greenhouse effect? What might be the effects of global warming on the seasonal cycle?