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Ruth Shear

  • Professor of Practice
  • Freshman Research Initiative
Profile image of Ruth Shear
DrRuth@utexas.edu
15129709907
PAI
2.08B

Biography

Ruth Shear (she/her) teaches UT Austin undergraduates how to think like a scientist. After completing her PhD in Chemical Physics from Griffith University (Australia), she joined the teaching faculty at UT Austin in 1996 and is now a Professor of Practice. She helped create the UT Austin Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), which involves first-year science majors in authentic research as part of their degree program.  Along with Mary Poteet and Stuart Reichler, Ruth is a co-Research Educator in the Urban Ecosystems FRI research lab, which takes in 80 first years each year, and 20-30 high school students each summer, and studies the effects of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems, while encouraging our students to become engaged with both science and love of our environment. Her personal research with the students involves performing analytical chemistry, identifying and tracing pollution sources. She also has students working with the US Geological Survey, analyzing large amounts of national environmental data. She recently helped redesign the General Chemistry teaching lab class, to integrate many of the ideas originally taught only to FRI students, and served an inaugural class of 4700 students last semester. Ruth has a particular interest in scientific communication, particular to the general public, teaching her students the importance of more public engagement and making science more accessible and understandable.

Education

  • Ph.D., Chemical Physics, Griffith University, Australia, 1992 (Advisor: Alan Knight)
  • B.Sc. (Hons), First Class Honors, Chemical Physics, Griffith University, Australia, 1985 (Advisor: Alan Knight).
  • B.Sc., Physical Mathematics, Experimental Physics, & Chemical Physics, Griffith University, Australia, 1984.

Publications

  • 9. E. Ghanem, S.R. Long, S.E. Rodenbusch, R.I. Shear, J.T. Beckham, K. Procko, L. DePue, K.J. Stevenson, J.D. Robertus, S. Martin, B. Holliday, R.A. Jones, E.V. Anslyn, S.L. Simmons. Teaching through research: Alignment of core chemistry competencies and skills within a multidisciplinary research framework J. Chem. Ed. 95(2), 248–258 (2018).

    8. M.N.R. Ashfold, D.W. Chandler, C.C. Hayden, R.I. McKay and A.J.R. Heck. Two-Colour Resonant Four-Wave Mixing Spectroscopy of Ammonia Chem. Phys. 201, 237–44 (1995).

    7. R.I. McKay, A.S. Uichanco, A.J. Bradley, J.R. Holdsworth, J.I. Steinfeld, J.S. Francisco and A.E.W. Knight. Direct observation of silicon (3P) production following state-selected photofragmentation of (A1B1) silylene J. Chem. Phys. 95, 1688–95 (1991).

    6. R.I. McKay, E.J. Bieske, I.M. Atkinson, F.R. Bennett, (A.J. Bradley, M.W. Rainbird, A.B. Rock, A.S. Uichanco and A.E.W. Knight. Spectroscopy and structure of aromatic-rare gas cluster ions Aust. J. Phys. 43, 683–702 (1990).

    5. E.J. Bieske, R.I. McKay, F.R. Bennett and A.E.W. Knight. Photodissociation spectroscopy of aromatic rare gas cluster ions: Low frequency vibrations in p-difluorobenzene+•argon J. Chem. Phys. 92, 4620–1(1990).

    4. Y.M. Engel, R.D. Levine, J.W. Thoman, Jr., J.I. Steinfeld and R.I. McKay. Information theoretic analysis of quantal fluctuations in fluorescence lifetimes J. Phys. Chem. 92, 5497–500 (1988).

    3. D.J. Muller, R.I. McKay, G.B. Edwards, W.D. Lawrance, J.P. Hardy, A.B. Rock, K.J. Selway, S.H. Kable and A.E.W. Knight. Vibrational relaxation induced by very low energy collisions in the S1(1B2u) state of naphthalene: A search for resonance enhancement of the cross section J. Phys. Chem. 92, 3751–60 (1988).

    2. Y.M. Engel, R.D. Levine, J.W. Thoman, Jr., J.I. Steinfeld and R.I. McKay. Quantal fluctuations in fluorescence lifetimes of individual rovibronic levels J. Chem. Phys. 86, 6561–3 (1987).

    1. J.W. Thoman, Jr., J.I. Steinfeld, R.I. McKay and A.E.W. Knight. Wide fluctuations in fluorescence lifetimes of individual rovibronic levels in SiH2 (A1B1) J. Chem. Phys. 86, 5909–17 (1987).

Awards

  • 2021 Provost Teaching Fellow, UT Austin
  • 2018 Teaching Service Award, Natural Sciences Council, UT Austin (student nominated)
  • 1999 Departmental Teaching Excellence Award, College of Natural Sciences, UT Austin (faculty nominated)
  • 1999 Teaching Excellence Award, Natural Sciences Council, UT Austin (student nominated)