Research Projects and Publications

Development of Experiments for Physics Education

Publications/Presentations

bullet"Image Recognition using Low Cost Spatial Light Modulators," Chris Sweet and Romulo Ochoa, APS March Meeting, New Orleans (Mar. 13-17, 2017) (talk by Sweet)
bullet"Measuring the Refractive Index of Transparent Substances using a Home Tool: the Laser Distance Meter," Romulo Ochoa, Rich Fiorillo, and Cris Ochoa, AAPT Winter Meeting, San Diego (Jan. 3-6), 2015)
bullet"Analyzing the Motion of Coupled Oscillators using the Wii Motion Plus," Romulo Ochoa, Cris R. Ochoa, and Michael Erickson, AAPT 2013 Winter Meeting, New Orleans, (Jan. 5 - 9, 2013).
bullet"Physics Experiments Using the Wii Motion Plus," Michael Erickson, Cris Ochoa, and R. Ochoa, CUR Meeting, TCNJ (June 2012) (Poster Presentation)
bullet"Optical Tweezing of Yeast Cells," K. Gilroy and R. Ochoa, APS April Meeting, Washington D.C. (February 2010) (talk by Gilroy)
bullet"Classical Mechanics Experiments using Wiimotes," A. Lopez and R. Ochoa, APS April Meeting, Washington D.C. (February 2010) (talk by Lopez)
bullet"Introductory Physics Experiments Using the Wii Balance Board," J. Starr, R. Sobczak, Z. Iqbal, and R. Ochoa, APS April Meeting, Washington D.C. (February 2010) (talk by Starr, Sobczak, and Iqbal)
bullet"Introductory physics experiments using the Wiimote," W. Somers, F. Rooney, and R. Ochoa, APS Spring Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA (March, 2009) (talk by W. Somers and F. Rooney)
bullet"Analysis of the Resonance Frequencies of a Cantilever Beam," M. Hvasta and R. Ochoa, APT Meeting, Baltimore, MD (January 2008) (poster presentation)
bullet"An analysis of the linearity of half periods of Lorentz's pendulum," T. Wickramansinghe and R. Ochoa, Am. J. of Phys., 73, 442-45 (2005).
bullet"A constant velocity apparatus based on Lenz's law," T. Angle and R. Ochoa, Phys. Ed., 36, 488-490 (2001).
bullet"Quantitative Demonstration of Lenz's Law," R. Ochoa, F. Kolp, and J. Handler, Phys. Teach., 36, 50 (1998).
bullet"The computer mouse as a data acquisition interface: Application to harmonic oscillators," R. Ochoa and N. Kolp, Am. J. Phys., 65, 1116 (1997)
bullet"A mouse in our Lab," J. Handler, R. Ochoa, and N. Kolp, Phys. Teach., 34, 488 (1996).

Undergraduates involved:

bulletTeri-Lynn Allonardo (Class of '04)
bulletTiffany Angle (Class of '01)
bulletCorrado Ballaera (Class of '16)
bulletCharles Banyard (Class of '96)
bulletHarrison Bilmers (Class of '14)
bulletRyan Bohler (Class of '11)
bulletJan Brauburger (Class of '14)
bulletJeff Chin (Class of '03)
bulletJaylond Cotten-Martin (Class of '16)
bulletKim Cox (Class of '05)
bulletSean Elmes (Class of '05)
bulletMichael Erickson (Class of '12)
bulletKyle Gilroy (Class of '11)
bulletJoel Handler (Class of '96)
bulletThomas Holdbrook (Class of '03)
bulletMichael Hvasta (Class of '08)
bulletZohaib Iqbal (Class of '12)
bulletEdward Kim (Class of '12)
bulletAlex Lopez (Class of '10)
bulletCris Ochoa (Class of '15)
bulletDavid Pauls (Class of '15)
bulletMinal Patel (Class of '02)
bulletMichelle Reno (Class of '00)
bulletFrank Rooney (Class of '10)
bulletJ.C. Sanders (Class of '02)
bulletRichard Santillo (Class of '04)
bulletRob Sobczack (Class of '12)
bulletJulian Starr (Class of '12)
bulletWill Somers (Class of '09)
bulletChris Sweet (Class of '17)
bulletKyle Van Gilson (Class of '02)
bulletJill Vorhees (Class of '01)
bulletSarah Wanger (Class of '07)

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Raman and Photoluminescence Studies of CdTe and CdS nanocrystals and Cocrystals

Supported by a grant from Research Corporation and TSC funds (6/1/94-5/31/96)

Publications:

bullet"Raman Spectroscopy of Cocrystals," F. Rooney, P. Reardon, and R. Ochoa, APS April Meeting, Washington D.C. (February 2010) (talk by Rooney and Reardon)
bullet"Quantum confinement effects on the photoluminescence spectra of CdTe nanocrystallites," O. Romulo Ochoa, C. Colajacomo, E. J. Witkowski III, J.H. Simmons, and B.G. Potter, Jr., Sol. State Comm. 98, 717 (1996).
bullet"Raman characterization of CdTe nanocrystallites embedded in a glass matrix," O. Romulo Ochoa, E.J. Witkowski, C. Colajacomo, J.H. Simmons, and B.G. Potter, Jr., Mat. Sci. Let. 16,613 (1997).

Undergraduates Involved:

bulletClaudio Colajacomo(Class of '95)
bulletJeff Hendrickson (Class of '96)
bulletRob Klueg (Class of '97)
bulletSteve Morrow (Class of '96)
bulletPaul Reardon (Class of '10)
bulletFrank Rooney (Class of '09)
bulletScott Sorraiocco (Class of '98)
bulletEd Witkowski (Class of '95)

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Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Crystalline and Amorphous Materials

Silica Fracture Movie (avi)

In collaboration with Carlos Pizarro, Universidad Catolica del Peru, and Dr. Joseph Simmons, University of Arizona

Publications/Presentations:

bullet"Visualization of fracture precursors in vitreous silica: study of under- and over-coordinated ions." F. Jones, R. Ochoa, and D. Knox, APS Spring Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA (March, 2009) (talk by F. Jones)
bullet"Computer Simulation Studies of Fracture in Vitreous Silica," R. Ochoa, M. Arief, and J. H. Simmons, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 731, 103-108 (2002).

Undergraduates Involved:

bullet Teri-Lynn Allonardo (Class of '04)
bullet Michael Arief (Class of '02)
bullet Andrew Bazergui (Class of '05)
bullet John Fischer (Class of '07)
bullet Frank Jones (Class 0f '09)
bullet Yawar "Spaz" Qadri (Class of '03)
bullet Michael Richman (Class of '07)
bullet Jeffrey Thomas (Class of '00)
bullet Michael Vergara (Class of '00)

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Raman microprobe studies of CdTe quantum dots

Supported by a grant from the Petroleum Institute Fund (American Chemical Society) and TCNJ funds (8/1/95 - 8/31/97)

Undergraduates Involved:

 
bullet Maggie Benoit (Class of '99)
bullet Rafael Calderon (Class of '97)
bullet Jeff Hendrickson (Class of '96)
bullet Rob Klueg (Class of '97)
bulletScott Sorraiocco (Class of '98)
 

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Selected Publications:

bullet"Index of Refraction Measurements Using a Laser Distance Meter," R. Ochoa, R. Fiorillo, and C. Ochoa, Phys. Teach. 52, 167-168 (2014).
bullet"The Wiimote in the Playground," M. Erickson, R. Ochoa, and C. R. Ochoa, Phys. Teach.51, 272-275 (2013)
bullet"General Physics Laboratory Manual," R. Ochoa, D. Dalafave, and R. Gleeson,  5th Ed., J. Wiley Custom Services, NY, (2012).
bullet"Using the Wiimote in introductory physics experiments," R. Ochoa, F. Rooney, and W. Somers, Phys. Teach. 49,16-18 (2011).
bulletAn analysis of the linearity of half periods of Lorentz's pendulum," T. Wichramansinghe and R. Ochoa, Am. J. of Phys., 73, 442-45 (2005).
bulletGeneral Physics Laboratory Manual," R. Ochoa, F. Kolp, D. Dalafave, R. Gleeson, and R. J. Pfeiffer, 4th Ed., J. Wiley Custom Services,NY, (2004).
bulletComputer Simulation Studies of Fracture in Vitreous Silica," R. Ochoa, M. Arief, and J. H. Simmons, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 731, 103-108 (2002).
bulletA constant velocity apparatus based on Lenz's law," T. Angle and R. Ochoa, Phys. Ed., 36, 488-490 (2001).
bulletGeneral Physics Laboratory Manual," R. Ochoa, S.K. Dalafave, F. Kolp, and R. Gleeson, J. Wiley Custom Services,NY, 1st Ed. (1997), 2nd Ed. (1999), 3rd Ed. (2001).
bulletAbsorption and Raman Spectroscopies from Semiconductor-glass Composites," T. J. Bukowski, T. M. Neidt, R. Ochoa, and J. H. Simmons, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 274, 87-92 (2000).
bulletQuantitative Demonstration of Lenz's Law," R. Ochoa, F. Kolp, and J. Handler, Phys. Teach., 36, 50-51 (1998).
bulletThe computer mouse as a data acquisition interface: Application to harmonic oscillators," R. Ochoa and N. Kolp, Am. J. Phys., 65, 1115-18 (1997).
bulletRaman characterization of CdTe nanocrystallites embedded in a glass matrix," O. Romulo Ochoa, E.J. Witkowski, C. Colajacomo, J.H. Simmons, and B.G. Potter, Jr., Mat. Sci. Let.16,613-16 (1997).
bulletA mouse in our Lab," J. Handler, R. Ochoa, and N. Kolp, Phys. Teach., 34, 488-90 (1996).
bulletQuantum confinement effects on the photoluminescence spectra of CdTe nanocrystallites," O. Romulo Ochoa, C. Colajacomo, E. J. Witkowski III, J.H. Simmons, and B.G. Potter, Jr., Sol. State Comm. 98, 717-21 (1996).
bulletNon-linear Optical Processes in Quantum-Confined, Cluster-Insulator Composites," J.H. Simmons, B.G. Potter and R. Ochoa, Handbook of Laser Science and Technology, Supplement 2-Optical Materials, CRC Press, Boca Raton FL, (1995).
bulletIncreased Precision in Strain Measurement of Diamond by MicroRaman Spectroscopy," W.B. Alexander, P.H. Holloway, J, Simmons, and R. Ochoa, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 12, 2943-45 (1994).
bulletVisible Light Emission from Heavily Doped Porous Silicon Homojunction pn Diodes," Z. Chen, G. Bosman, and R. Ochoa, Appl. Phys. Lett. 62, 708-10 (1993).
bulletAtomistic Modeling and Simulation of the Structure and Transport Properties of Glass," J.H. Simmons, R. Ochoa and T. Neidt, in Experimental Techniques of Glass Science, C.J. Simmons and O.H. El-Bayoumi, Eds.; Amer. Ceram. Soc., Columbus, Ohio (1993).

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