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. Some of his favourite courses to teach are ASTR 1303 - Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology, where simple physics is used to understand how our universe works; and PHYS 3602 and 4602 - Elementary and Advanced Quantum Mechanics, an introduction to the strange world of quantum phenomena. He also supervises PHYS 5201 and 5202 - Independent Projects that bring quantum weirdness such as entanglement to the undergraduate laboratory.
Main areas of scholarly interest and/or expertise
Raphael Slawinski was drawn to Physics because it helps us understand the fundamentals of how the world around us works. 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
These days, Raphael's scholarship focuses on the physics of sport. He has collaborated on papers analyzing cycling performance in track and hill-climbing