Raphael Slawinski
Raphael, often referred to as Raph, is on a different level than most earthlings. Analytical and high functioning, Raph is the son of successful immigrants. Everyone in his family has a PhD, with his being in physics. Early on as a child, Raph envisioned himself climbing mountains with ice axes and crampons, a possible by-product of his parents' shared passion for climbing. From the first instance he put pick to ice, he was enthralled and since has become one of the most prolific mixed climbers on the planet. Once Raph decides to do a climb, his laser focus kicks in and he is virtually unstoppable, a habit that favours him most of the time. Although Raph's motivations are internal, he once won a medal at the X-Games without training. As a reward, he took his earnings and bought his first two Sphynx cats. When Raph isn't climbing, teaching or reading sci-fi, he is most likely whipping up delicious vegetarian food with his wife at their home in Calgary.
Raphael teaches physics and astronomy classes, including PHYS 1201, 1202 and 3602, and ASTR 1101 and 1301. Some of his favourites courses to teach are ASTR 1301 - Planetary Astronomy, where simple physics is used to understand how our Solar System Works, and PHYS 3602 - Elementary Quantum Mechanics, an introduction to the strange world of quantum physics. His research is focused on bringing quantum weirdness to the undergraduate laboratory.
He was drawn to Physics because of the insights it offered into the universe around us. 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.
One of the areas he is interested in these days is atmospheric physics. Some questions he asks himself are: Under what conditions could the Earth suffer a runaway greenhouse effect? What might be the effects of global warming on the seasonal cycle?
Raphael teaches physics and astronomy classes, including PHYS 1201, 1202 and 3602, and ASTR 1101 and 1301. Some of his favourites courses to teach are ASTR 1301 - Planetary Astronomy, where simple physics is used to understand how our Solar System Works, and PHYS 3602 - Elementary Quantum Mechanics, an introduction to the strange world of quantum physics. His research is focused on bringing quantum weirdness to the undergraduate laboratory.
He was drawn to Physics because of the insights it offered into the universe around us. 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.
One of the areas he is interested in these days is atmospheric physics. Some questions he asks himself are: Under what conditions could the Earth suffer a runaway greenhouse effect? What might be the effects of global warming on the seasonal cycle?
