Congratulations Kemper Fellows

CDIS is pleased to recognize two new Kemper Fellows, Dorina Kosztin, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Tony Lupo, Associate Professor of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences.

The William T. Kemper Fellowship is awarded for exceptional performance and commitment to teaching. Fellowships are awarded to five outstanding teachers at the University of Missouri each year. We are proud to offer courses developed by two of this year's distinguished recipients.

Physics and Astronomy: Physics

Dorina Kosztin is an Associate Teaching Professor of Physics and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri–Columbia. She received her PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Her research interests lie in the area of theoretical biological physics, mainly molecular dynamics simulations of bimolecular systems. She is currently involved in revitalizing the introductory physics courses for science and non-science majors offered by the MU Department of Physics.

Course Preview: Physics 1210: College Physics 1 (Online)

Have you ever asked yourself why the sky is blue, how a rainbow forms, how a light bulb or radar gun works, how wave pools work, and so on? These are questions that physics will help you to answer, because physics is the study of the universe in which we live. Physicists observe natural phenomena and try to establish patterns and principles to explain these phenomena. Throughout this course you will learn about many physical phenomena and will work to find the answers to questions like the ones above. You will also learn how to use physics laws and theories to analyze and solve many problems.

Atmospheric Science

Dr. Lupo is from Auburn, NY, and graduated with a B.S. degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. His graduate degrees (M.S. and Ph.D.) were obtained from Purdue University in 1991 and 1995, respectively. Dr. Lupo enjoys attending sporting events, playing softball, and reading books. He also enjoys family life and is the proud father of three daughters.

Course Preview: Atmospheric Science 1050: Introductory Meteorology (Online)

This course will provide the learner with a survey of the atmosphere’s structure, the processes which cause atmospheric motions, the fundamentals of weather and climate, as well as the details and difficulties of weather forecasting. The first part of the course focuses on the molecular structure of the atmosphere as well as the distribution of heat, mass, and moisture. The principal conservation laws (mass, momentum, energy) are discussed along with the equation of state and the second law of thermodynamics. These laws are all important in understanding motions in our atmosphere.

Dr. Lupo worked closely with his colleague Dr. Patrick Market on this course.