Teaching                                  

          Professor John Nagle has taught many courses in the Physics Dept., including Introduction to Biophysics, which attracted students from Biological Science, Physics and Engineering, and Special Topics in Statistical Mechanics. Professor Nagle is now Emeritus from teaching in the classroom, but he still teaches a reading class as well directing undergraduate students in 33-350 and 33-451.

         Research Professor Stephanie Tristram-Nagle teaches undergraduates how to conduct research in Biological Physics.  The courses are 33-350 and 33-451, Research for Undergraduates.  As many as 36 credits may be taken during the undergraduate career, but only 9 credits may be used as a Physics elective.  Emphasis is on data analysis of x-ray synchrotron data collected at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (some students have even participated in the data collection!), and experiments at CMU including samples preparation, density measurements, high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray experiments at CMU.  In addition, literature searching and reading of scientific papers are required.  Depending on the quantity and quality of the experimental results, research papers are written with the undergraduates included as authors and submitted to scientific journals.  In two past cases, undergrads have presented their research at the national meeting of the Biophysical Society.  Special permission for this course must be obtained in advance from Prof. Gillian Ryan.  Prof. Tristram-Nagle is a faculty member of the Physics Department and the Molecular Biophysics/ Structural Biology Graduate Group at Pitt/CMU.