Physics Department
Dr. Brian P. Beecken
Professor of Physics, Department Chair
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Dr. Beecken received his M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Minnesota and then accepted a position as a member of the technical staff at Texas Instruments. After two years of working on infrared systems, Dr. Beecken left TI for a teaching career at Bethel. Since then, his research interests have centered primarily on optical detectors, including work on IR detector limitations at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee and photon counters, IR cameras, and a dual-band IR spectrometer at the Air Force Research Lab in New Mexico. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he created and verified statistical models for noise in focal plane arrays, and modeled the transport of charge in dielectrics on spacecraft. His analysis has assisted in the development of a test facility at Eglin Air Force Base. Current research interests in computer modeling began as collaborations with both JPL and NASA's Langley Research Center. Dr. Beecken received the 1999 Bethel Excellence in Scholarship Award. His research has been supported by five NASA fellowships, two grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, one grant from Calspan Corp., one NASA grant, and five AFOSR fellowships. |
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