Bio

I run the Carter Laboratory which supports ~10 undergraduates working on a wide range of projects in biophysics and optics. One student is building a low-cost acoustic trap that can manipulate cells for tissue engineering. Another student is studying neurosensory circuits by shining light on neurons in zebrafish and observing the resulting behavior. Finally, another student is measuring how structures of DNA molecules change when folding proteins are added. This would be important in DNA nanoengineering and in building living biomaterials. Besides research, I teach four physics courses a year, including a series for makers on Maker Optics and Electronics. I am very passionate about how to teach laboratory courses and have pioneered a new type of lab experiment, the ''3D, plug and play'' experiment.