Professor, Physics, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Engineering and Science
2022
Bio:
In the self-analysis of his teaching, Dr. Robert Ross notes “I treat teaching and learning in a scholarly manner and use student data to inform curricular decisions and to develop assessments. I created an inquiry-based curriculum for the second semester general physics laboratory courses and demonstrated that, on a particular assessment instrument, Detroit Mercy students perform at a higher level than students from a sample cohort in a national study.”
In the emeritus support letter, Dr. Matthew Mio, Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, wrote “Prof. Ross consistently garners outstanding evaluations of teaching (Detroit Mercy Student Evaluation of Teaching) and always strives to provide an inclusive learning environment for every student (student feedback incorporated into inquiry-based curricular decisions and assessment design). Prof. Ross highlights his dedication to excellent teaching as evidenced by his commitment to the UNITE summer enrichment program for high school students from 2000-2012.”
“UNITE was a high school student summer enrichment program where Detroit Mercy granted college credit (PHY 1100 2 cr.) for successful completion of courses. The program was a partnership between the University, DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program) and JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society). Over the twelve years, we provided an outstanding educational opportunity to over 500 Detroit area students. During the last few years that the program ran, I revised the curriculum towards a hands-on, inquiry-based exploration of the physics of cell phones and wireless communications. I developed a touch screen simulator that received the best paper award from the Engineering Physics and Physics Division of the ASEE in 2012.” (Ross)
Professor Ross taught introductory physics and laboratory courses along with modern physics and engineering courses; developed a laboratory manual for the second semester general physics laboratory using inquiry-based experiments to facilitate student learning; mentored undergraduate students and encouraged participation in undergraduate research opportunities; and was responsible for scheduling teaching assignments for the program, developing laboratory equipment, building and maintaining demonstration equipment, and supervising teaching assistants. Beyond teaching General Physics, Dr. Ross taught Introduction to Physics, History of the Universe, Modern Physics, Modern Physics for Engineers, Modern Physics with Device Applications, Solid State Electronics, Solid State Device Physics, Principles of Electrical Engineering, and Science of Materials.
Scholarship/research/publications and service are integral to the work of a college professor. According to Dr. Mio “…Prof. Ross has published 16 manuscripts in double-blind, peer-reviewed venues. The majority of these publications, many in the areas of curriculum development and assessment, are rated HIGH by the scholarship rubric used in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for Tenure and Promotion.”
Specifically, some of Dr. Ross articles include: Computer Simulation of Mermin’s Quantum Device published in American Journal of Physics; Assessment of Quantum Mechanical Concepts in Proceedings of the 2020 American Society for Engineering Education; Gender Effects in a General Physics Laboratory Assessment in Proceedings of the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education; Gender Effects in Physics Assessment of Kinematic Graphs in Proceeding of the 2016 American Society for Engineering Education; A Student-Centered Solar Photovoltaic Installation Project in Proceeding of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education; Tales from the Wave Front: Teaching the Physics of Cell Phones and Wireless Communications in Proceedings of the 2008 American Society for Engineering Education; Fabrication of Organic Light-emitting Diodes in an Undergraduate Physics Course in Proceedings of the 2011 American Society for Engineering Education; and A Simple Demonstration of the Power Factor in Proceedings of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education.
For a university faculty member, service includes commitment to department, college, university, and community participation. Dr. Ross served on either the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry or the College of Engineering and Science Promotion and Tenure committees for seventeen years, the department committee when not on the college committee. He served on the Undergraduate Standards Committee, Core Curriculum Implementation Subcommittee Reading, Writing and Research across the curriculum; the Engineering and Science Faculty Assembly Curriculum and Standards subcommittee; was a founding faculty advisor for Kappa Delta Rho; and served on the Ad-hoc pre-med/dent/PA letter writing committee.
A long-serving Trustee of the Utica Community Schools (UCS) Board of Education, Dr. Ross held positions of President, Past President, Chair of UCS Finance subcommittee, Chair of UCS Capital Projects, and member of UCS Curriculum and Human Resources Committee. In service to the technical community, Dr. Ross served as program chair of the 2017 to present Engineering Physics and Physics Division of ASEE and Treasurer (2014-2017); was a reviewer for the American Journal of Physics, the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, the Naval Research Laboratory Fellowship, and for Prentice-Hall, Pearson, Oxford University, and John Wiley & Sons publishers.
Dr. Ross received the Distinguished Educator and Service Award from the Engineering Physics and Physics Division of the American Society for Engineering Education in 2016 and Best Paper Award for A Physics Laboratory Activity to Simulate the Operation of the Touchscreen on a Smartphone from the Engineering Physics and Physics Division of the ASEE in 2012. He is a member of The American Association of Physics Teachers, American Society for Engineering Education, and Michigan Chapter of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
With and earned Bachelor of Science in Physics from Wayne State University, Detroit MI, Dr. Ross later earned a Ph.D. in Physics also from Wayne State University. Hired as a University of Detroit Mercy Adjunct Professor in 1994 he earned a full-time Assistant Professor position in 1995; was granted tenure in 2001; earned promotion to Associate Professor in 1999; and promoted to full Professor in 2007.
Prior to joining Detroit Mercy he was a Senior Scientist, United Solar Systems Corp. where according to his vitae he was “responsible for the design, construction and operation of deposition equipment for the development of amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices including glow-discharge, evaporation (conventional and reactive), and sputtering (reactive, dc, rf, magnetron, etc.); advanced the state of the art of amorphous silicon alloy solar cells; developed automated computer systems for the measurement of current-voltage characteristics of photovoltaic devices under standard illumination conditions; developed an automated computer system to measure the spectral response and reflection properties of thin film multi-junction solar cells; and managed the reliability and qualification testing program for photovoltaic modules.”
Citation:
Dr. Ross’ nomination for Professor Emeritus status was approved and conferred by Dr. Antoine M. Garibaldi, President of the University of Detroit Mercy on August 16, 2022