Dr. Karen Johnson has been teaching in the St. Lawrence Physics department since 1989. See the Academics tab above for more information.
Fall 2020 Courses:
Phys 3011: Art & Craft - Scientific Writing
Spring 2021 Courses:
Phys 104L: Lab for College Physics
Phys 452: Seminar in Contemporary Physics
Phys 490: SYE: Advanced Lab Research
Ph.D. - History of Science and Technology
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
M.S. - Physics
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
B.A. - Physics
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Research Interests:
Dr. Johnson studies the history of modern physics, particularly nuclear and chemical physics. Her work has focused on the close analysis of the evolution of scientific ideas, such as the wave theory of light and the nuclear shell model. She also studies the history of women in science and the role of collaboration in scientific creativity.
Sample Student Projects Supervised:
Genesis of the Dragon Lady: Chien-Shiung Wu’s Years in China and Her Contribution to the Discovery of Non-conservation of Parity in Beta Decay - Xiaoying Claire Lu '16
"Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity: a Case Study of How Models are Used in Physics" - Abagael Giles '15
"A Search for Variations in the Decay Rate of 54Mn During Solar Cycle 24" – Luke Dobrowski '13
"Using Gamma Spectrometry and Radon Detection to Determine Uranium and Radon Presence in Well Water" - Alexandra Kusnezov '08
"Assessment of Covering Materials for Mitigation of Radon from Concrete" - Kit Wright '08
