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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: Personal
Invisibility demos at UNC Charlotte STEAM Innovation Expo!
This past Sunday, I participated once again in the annual UNC Charlotte STEAM Innovation Expo, in which faculty, staff and partners present science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics demonstrations and as well as demos highlighting the links between them. Last … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Personal
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My “Why I Love Horror” story!
The other day, I happened to see that my social media friend and super talented horror author Brian Keene is a contributor to a book of essays called Why I Love Horror, coming in September of this year. The book … Continue reading
Donate to support kitty Mitzi’s cancer surgery!
Hi all, my kitty Mitzi goes into surgery tomorrow to remove a cancerous growth on her nose. My impression from the surgeon and oncologist is that the outlook looks good for her, with no spread of the cancer elsewhere yet. … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Now a Bookshop.org affiliate!
Hi all, this is just a short message to note that I decided to become a Bookshop.org affiliate! For those not familiar, Bookshop.org is a relatively new (2020) online bookshop whose mission is “”to financially support local, independent bookstores” as a … Continue reading
Physical copies of Electromagnetic Optics are now available!
This post is primarily aimed at optics students and researchers, so feel free to ignore otherwise! I wanted to let folks know that my textbook on Electromagnetic Optics is now available in physical copies through sites like Bookshop.org! Here are … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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Electromagnetic Optics is available!
This post will only be relevant to a small portion of my audience, but I wanted to announce that my latest textbook Electromagnetic Optics is now available! That link is for the e-book, which is already available; the print book … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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Latest Dead Reckonings is out!
Hi folks! For those who are familiar, I occasionally write book reviews for the horror and weird periodical Dead Reckonings, and the most recent issue is out! I wrote about Laird Barron’s recent collection of horror fiction, a return to … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Personal
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Talking Invisibility on the Peculiar Book Club!
For those who aren’t yet tired of me talking about the physics of invisibility and my book about it, a couple of days ago I was a guest on the Peculiar Book Club, hosted by Brandy Schillace! It was a … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Personal
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My tips for scientific conference presentations
This semester, I decided to replace the final exam in one of my upper-level graduate courses with a short 15 minute presentation on a scientific paper related to the course topic. To give the students some guidance, I provided a … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Physics
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Electromagnetic Optics available for pre-order!
Let me just share a short note here that my Electromagnetic Optics textbook is now available for pre-order, to be published in March 2025! The link to the IoP Publishing site is here. The official description of the book: Light … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal
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Skulls in the Stars 