Joseph T. Keiser
- Lecturer in Chemistry
Research Interests
Chemical education, spectroscopic characterization of surfaces.
Applied Spectroscopy, Chemical Education
Dr.
Keiser's research background is in the use of spectroscopic methods to
characterize surfaces. For example, Dr. Keiser has worked on a project
with NASA to develop a method to remotely and quantitatively determine
the thickness of ice films on the space shuttle's external fuel tank.
This tank is filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen; therefore,
condensation of water vapor from the air can and does occur. Because of
the possibility of damage to the shuttle by flying ice chunks, any
launch will automatically be aborted if the ice is thicker than 1/8".
Currently, remote sensing is done with a TV camera coupled to a thermal
imaging device. This device is capable of identifying the presence of
ice, especially if it is covered with a layer of frost, but it has
difficulty identifying transparent ice and is not capable of
determining the thickness of ice in any case. Thus, there is a need for
developing a technique for measuring the thickness of frost/ice on the
tank surfaces. Dr. Keiser has studied the feasibility of using near
infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to solve this problem. The
laboratory experiments have investigated the reflectance of
near-infrared radiation from ice films of different thicknesses and
morphology. The final system envisioned would involve a near-infrared
beam, which would pass through the ice film and reflect off the surface
of the tank. The scattered light would be remotely collected and
analyzed to determine the thickness of the ice film.
Dr. Keiser's current research interests pertain to
chemical education. As director of the General Chemistry Laboratories,
Dr. Keiser has the responsibility to decide what are the most effective
ways of using laboratory time to communicate the principles of general
chemistry. Clearly, the laboratory is a "hands-on" time for students.
But what is the most effective way to make use of that time? Are
computer-simulated experiments an appropriate way to teach part of the
lab course? To what extent should the time be divided between
quantitative work and qualitative "descriptive" chemistry? To what
extent should general chemistry experiments be "cookbook" as opposed to
more exploratory work? These issues are under investigation in a
continuing attempt to make the General Chemistry Laboratory the best
learning experience possible.
