Wolfgang Bauer
University Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Wolfgang Bauer's research is primarily in renewable energy, sustainability, global warming
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Biography
Wolfgang Bauer serves as Associate Vice President for Administrative Services at Michigan State University. He is also a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University. He conducts his research mainly at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, where he has a dual appointment. From 2001 to 2013 he also served as chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and from 2009 to 2013 as founding director of the Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research.
Industry Expertise (3)
Research
Education/Learning
Writing and Editing
Areas of Expertise (10)
Renewable Power Systems Integration
Autonomous Vehicles
Digester
Renewable Energy
Sustainability
Photovoltaics
Global Warming
Biogas
Mobility
Micro-grid Management
Accomplishments (4)
Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (professional)
2003
ComputerWorld 21st Century Achievement Award for Education and Academia (professional)
2003
Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation Distinguished Senior U.S. Scientist Award (professional)
1999
National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow Award (professional)
1992
Education (3)
University of Giessen, Germany: Ph.D. 1987
University of Giessen, Germany: M.S., Physics 1985
University of Giessen, Germany: B.S. 1981
News (3)
Michigan Nuclear Research Facility Could Fight Art Forgery
U.S. News online
2018-08-05
A pair of Michigan State University researchers — Wolfgang Bauer and Bradley Sherill — have proposed using equipment at the university's $765 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams to embed isotopes below the surface of valuable works of art.
What can you do with a $765M nuclear research facility? Fight art forgery, for one thing
Lansing State Journal online
2018-07-26
A pair of Michigan State University researchers — Wolfgang Bauer and Bradley Sherill — have proposed using equipment at the university's $765 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams to embed isotopes below the surface of valuable works of art. Doing so in a specific pattern and density would allow for a unique signature an owner or gallery could check with a handheld isotope detector. And because these isotopes would decay at a predictable rate, the signatures could be useful for a century or longer, explained Bauer, a theoretical physicist ...
MSU’S SOLAR CARPORT RECEIVES THE SMART ENERGY DECISIONS ONSITE RENEWABLE ENERGY AWARD
MSU Today online
2018-03-05
Wolfgang Bauer, senior consultant in the Office of the Executive Vice President for Administrative Services, and one of MSU’s project leaders, attended the ceremony in Austin, Texas, on February 27 to receive the award on MSU’s behalf.
Patents (3)
Smart Hotel System
17111664
2021-06-10
In accordance with the present invention, a smart hotel system is provided. In one aspect, the system includes an occupancy sensor and a processor. Another aspect provides an occupancy sensor associated with at least one hotel room and a programmable controller or processor configured to execute instructions stored in a nontransitory computer-readable medium. A further aspect includes programmed software instructions which include obtaining data indicative of occupancy status of the hotel room from the occupancy sensor and displaying the occupancy status of the hotel room. In another aspect, a controller or processor obtains data indicative of a cleaning status of at least one hotel room and displays the cleaning status of the hotel room.
Isotope tagging for workpiece authentication
10269464
2019-04-23
A method of assisting with authenticating a workpiece is provided. In another aspect, ions are generated, accelerated in an accelerator, an isotope is created, and then the isotope is implanted within a workpiece to assist with authenticating of the workpiece. A further aspect includes a workpiece substrate, a visual marker and an isotope internally located within the substrate adjacent the visual marker.
Method and system for detection of biological materials using fractal dimensions
5848177
1998-12-08
The present invention relates to a method and system for determining the siZe and shape of biological materials using fractals. In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining the surface morphometry of the biological material. The image of the biological material is digitiZed into a computer and a series of processes are performed on the image.
Journal Articles (7)
Cheat sites and artificial intelligence usage in online introductory physics courses: What is the extent and what effect does it have on assessments?
Physical Review Physics Education Research2024-06-01
As a result of the pandemic, many physics courses moved online. Alongside, the popularity of Internet-based problem-solving sites and forums rose. With the emergence of large language models, another shift occurred. One year into the public availability of these models, how has online help-seeking behavior among introductory physics students changed, and what is the effect of different patterns of online resource usage? In a mixed-method approach, we investigate student choices and their impact on assessment components of an online introductory physics course for scientists and engineers.
Safely Transporting Green Hydrogen
Physics2023-10-16
A mathematical study shows that hydrogen–natural gas mixtures can flow safely though existing gas pipeline networks, an important feat for green energy.
Turning Waste into Power: Michigan State University’s Anaerobic Digester
Towards Green Campus Operations2018-05-15
As part of its ambitious Energy Transition Plan towards 100% renewable power Michigan State University (MSU) built an anaerobic digester facility in 2013. Annually it consumes approximately 22,000 metric tons of organic waste, predominantly food waste from the MSU cafeteria system and animal excrements from the MSU farms, and turns them into biogas and digestate. The digestate is a high quality organic fertilizer and replaces chemically produced fertilizers for MSU’s farm fields, which saves money at the same time that it conserves valuable resources. The biogas is combusted in high efficiency reciprocating engines and produces a constant electric power of 300–500 kW. The digester facility also serves as a living classroom for a wide variety of student groups: it hosts thesis projects for graduate students and senior undergraduate students in bio-systems engineering and other engineering and agriculture disciplines, it serves as a laboratory for regularly scheduled undergraduate classes, and it is a popular destination for K-12 school field trips. Thus the MSU anaerobic digester facility serves the entire sustainability education and outreach spectrum, in addition to its sustainability scholarship, research, and practical application purposes.
Knudsen-number dependence of two-dimensional single-mode Rayleigh-Taylor fluid instabilities
American Physical SocietyWe present a study of single-mode Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities with a modified direct simulation Monte Carlo (MDSMC) code in two dimensions. The MDSMC code is aimed to capture the dynamics of matter for a large range of Knudsen numbers within one approach. Our method combines the traditional Monte Carlo technique to efficiently propagate particles and the point-of-closest-approach method for high spatial resolution. Simulations are performed using different particle mean free paths and we compare the results to linear theory predictions for the growth rate including diffusion and viscosity. We find good agreement between theoretical predictions and simulations and, at late times, observe the development of secondary instabilities, similar to hydrodynamic simulations and experiments. Large mean free paths favor particle diffusion, reduce the occurrence of secondary instabilities, and approach the noninteracting gas limit.
Kinetic Simulations of Rayleigh-Taylor Instabilities
Journal of Physics: Conference Series2014-07-29
We report on an ongoing project to develop a large scale Direct Simulation Monte Carlo code. The code is primarily aimed towards applications in astrophysics such as simulations of core-collapse supernovae. It has been tested on shock wave phenomena in the continuum limit and for matter out of equilibrium. In the current work we focus on the study of fluid instabilities. Like shock waves these are routinely used as test-cases for hydrodynamic codes and are discussed to play an important role in the explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae. As a first test we study the evolution of a single-mode Rayleigh-Taylor instability at the interface of a light and a heavy fluid in the presence of a gravitational acceleration. To suppress small-wavelength instabilities caused by the irregularity in the separation layer we use a large particle mean free path. The latter leads to the development of a diffusion layer as particles propagate from one fluid into the other. For small amplitudes, when the instability is in the linear regime, we compare its position and shape to the analytic prediction. Despite the broadening of the fluid interface we see a good agreement with the analytic solution. At later times we observe the development of a mushroom like shape caused by secondary Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities as seen in hydrodynamic simulations and consistent with experimental observations.
Want to Reduce Guessing and Cheating While Making Students Happier? Give More Exams!
The Physics Teacher2012-11-20
It is almost universally agreed that more frequent formative assessment (homework, clicker questions, practice tests, etc.) leads to better student performance and generally better course evaluations.1 There is, however, only anecdotal evidence that the same would be true for more frequent summative assessment (exams). There maybe many arguments against giving more exams, including the general “pain” associated with examinations, as well as reduced teaching time, since classroom sessions are dedicated to exams rather than lecturing. We present evidence that increasing the number of exams in fact does lead to better learning success, less cheating and guessing on homework, and better student course evaluations.
Building a Hydrodynamics Code with Kinetic Theory
Journal of Physics: Conference SeriesWe report on the development of a test-particle based kinetic Monte Carlo code for large systems and its application to simulate matter in the continuum regime. Our code combines advantages of the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo and the Point-of-Closest-Approach methods to solve the collision integral of the Boltzmann equation. With that, we achieve a high spatial accuracy in simulations while maintaining computational feasibility when applying a large number of test-particles. The hybrid setup of our approach allows us to study systems which move in and out of the hydrodynamic regime, with low and high particle densities. To demonstrate our code's ability to reproduce hydrodynamic behavior we perform shock wave simulations and focus here on the Sedov blast wave test. The blast wave problem describes the evolution of a spherical expanding shock front and is an important verification problem for codes which are applied in astrophysical simulation, especially for approaches which aim to study core-collapse supernovae.
