Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences: (Volume 2) (PDF)

David Guerra, Ph.D., is a Professor of Physics at Saint Anselm College (SAC), United States of America. During his time at SAC, he has taught many of the courses offered by the department, including the physics course for biology majors, and has developed and taught courses in such topics as laser physics and remote sensing. At SAC, he has conducted remote sensing research, both in instrument development and data analysis. Upon arriving at SAC, Professor Guerra designed, built, and operated a novel lidar (laser radar) that utilized a holographic optical element (hoe) as its transmitter and receiver. This work was done over the course of his first decade at SAC with several sets of student researchers and in coordination and with funding from NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. The project resulted in a series of publications and the successful development of a lidar system that was flown by NASA using the (hoe) technology. In his time since the successful completion of the lidar work, Professor Guerra has focused his remote sensing research on the analysis of remote sensing data in the investigation of natural systems. As part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Professor Guerra conducted research with several sets of student researchers and faculty from other universities from across New Hampshire to study the environmental dynamics of the natural systems throughout their state. He continues his collaborative remote sensing work with faculty from the departments of computer science and biology at SAC, investigating relationships between environmental conditions and animal behavior and plant development. Professor Guerra has also done work in physics education research, ranging from the development of new laboratory experiences to new pedagogies and even chapters in a widely used high school physics textbook.