Department
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Phone
+1 (210) 9997890
Email Address
dugolini@trinity.edu
Room
356

Dennis Ugolini has been a member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty since 2003. He teaches a wide variety of introductory and upper-division laboratory and lecture courses, and helped create a first-year experience course on critical thinking. 
After twenty years as part of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration, Ugolini's research now focuses on making cutting-edge research equipment accessible to undergraduates. This program centers on the Arduino, an open-source electronics platform that replaces the complexity of filter and feedback circuits with software. Current projects include an inexpensive device to measure laser wavelength to 0.1 nanometer precision, and a system for controlling the length of an optical cavity.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Physics, Stanford University
  • B.S. in Physics, California Institute of Technology

Selected Publications

  • D. Ugolini, H. Rafferty, M. Winter, C. Rockstuhl, and A. Bergmann. “LIGO analogy lab – a set of undergraduate lab experiments to demonstrate some principles of gravitational wave detection.” American Journal of Physics 87, 44 (2019).
  • D. Ugolini, C. Fitzgerald, I. Rothbarth, and J. Wang. “Discharging Fused Silica Optics Occluded by an Electrostatic Drive.” Review of Scientific Instruments 85, 034502 (2014).

Subjects Taught

  • Introduction to Mechanics
  • Introduction to Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves
  • Electronics Lab
  • First-Year Experience: What We Know That Just Ain't So

Community Service & Involvement

Head Moderator for the Texas Quiz Bowl Alliance

Giving talks at San Antonio area schools, such as the Science Lecture Series at O'Connor High School.

Since 2002, serving as a lecturer for the Research Science Institute (RSI) research internship program for talented and science-focused rising high school seniors.

Teaching and Expertise

  • Designing inexpensive Arduino-based systems to make cutting-edge physics accessible to undergraduate and high school laboratories.

Honors & Awards

  • 2019 Trinity University "Best of the Best" Award