Andrew G. Baruth, BS, PhD

Department

• Physics

Position

• Professor

I have the pleasure of serving as Creighton University's Director of Sustainability and oversee progress on the Sustainable Creighton Initiative, as well as facilitate transparent sustainability reporting for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. 

As full professor of physics, I am a leader and supporter of client-engaged, project-based, academic service learning stategies. I take pride in promoting hands-on student engagement through teaching, lab research, and service.
My academic career has focused on active engagment of undergraduate students with the purpose of publishing high impact papers, presenting national and regional talks, and preparing students for summer research programs, professional schools, graduate programs, and industry.

Books

Articles

• , 46, 219-225
• , 128, 354-360
• , 8
• , 43(4), 437-446
• , 9(6), 271
• , 19, 267-275
• , 10(12), 1358
• , 9, 1379-1387
• , 16
• , 7, 2781-2789.
• , 4, 3550-3557
• , 112, 054328
• , 3
• , 23
• , 97
• , 322
• , 78
• , 89
• , 74

Publications

• , 30, 1034.7
• , 97

Presentations

Grant Funding Received

• Directed Self-Assembly of Block Polymer Thin Films Via Solvent Vapor Annealing (Nebraska EPSCoR, $20,000 direct, $20,847 indirect, 01/01/15 – 09/01/15, P.I. A.G. Baruth). This proposal focuses on the systematic investigation of the solvent-assisted self-assembly process in block polymer thin films. We plan a series of experimental investigations in order to elucidate and control the parameters most critical to the directed self-assembly of block polymer thin films.
• Student Fellowships 2014/2015 Yanchilin & Gnabasik (NASA Nebraska Space Grant & EPSCoR, $4000 direct, 09/01/14 – 3/31/15, P.I. A.G Baruth). The award provides annual stipends for two students, Ryan Gnabasik and Anton Yanchilin.
• Omaha Youth’s Path to Passive Solar (Nebraska Academy of Sciences and the Nebraska Environmental Trust, $3,000 direct, 06/01/14 – 07/01/14 , P.I. A.G. Baruth). This is to help fund a three-week camp that will meet for three hours a day and focus on the design, installation and maintenance of convection and passive solar heating systems. The camp is open to all Nebraska youth and funding will help subsidize camp costs. Students are able to receive college credit though Creighton Summer Sessions under course number ERG 132 at an additional cost.
• Collaborative Research: Understanding and Supporting Student Intrinsic Motivation in STEM Courses (NSF TUES Type 2 Grant, 10/13-10/15, P.I. Jonathon Stolk, Role: Faculty Partner). Prior and emerging educational research suggests that understanding students’ motivational relationship to their learning experience could be a crucial insight necessary for a systemic shift toward high-level outcomes. This study will facilitate a deeper understanding of student motivation through analysis of motivation research data from undergraduate classroom contexts, and by coupling context-specific research data with course design tools that enable targeted instructor action to enhance intrinsic drive.
• Solvent-induced ordering of self-assembled block copolymer thin films (Creighton University Graduate School, $4800 direct, 07/01/13-9/1/13, P.I. A.G. Baruth). The study will focus on the construction and testing of an advanced solvent vapor reaction chamber for block copolymer thin films. Such materials naturally self-assemble into a wide-range of morphologies (i.e., shapes); however, without direction, this order has little periodicity at large lateral length scales. The solvent-induced, directed ordering of self-assembled block copolymer thin films will allow access to these novel periodic nanostructures with unprecedented control and precision.