Michael S. Pierce

Curriculum Vitae


Materials Science Division, Bldg 223
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Ave. Argonne, IL 60439
Phone: (630) 252-4353
Fax: (630) 252-9595
mpierce@anl.gov

Academic Training


• Postdoctoral Research Appointee, Argonne National Laboratory, 2006
• PhD Completed, April 20th 2006 from University of Washington
• Full PhD Candidate University of Washington 2003
• Passed General Examination December 2002
• M.S. University of Washington (UW) 2002
• Passed Physics Qualifying Examination Summer 2001
• B.S. Physics Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 1998, Magna Cum Laude

Research Experience


• Postdoctoral Research—
Argonne National Laboratory
Materials Science Division
Advisor: Dr. Hoydoo You
2006 — Present

I currently work in the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. I work under the guidance of Dr. Hoydoo You in the Synchrotron Radiation Studies group. We study the structure and character of interesting materials using modern x-ray sources such as the Advanced Photon Source. Our primary research interests are surface and interface science, nanomaterials, and electrocatalysis. I have been studying the reconstruction of gold atoms from room temperature to near the bulk melting point in different gaseous and electrochemical environments. We are also studying nano-faceting of crystals, metal-oxide interfaces, and other surface phenomena. I am also very fortunate to be able to continue some of my thesis research in magnetism and coherent x-ray scattering.

• PhD Thesis Work—
University of Washington
Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
Advisor: Professor Larry B. Sorensen
2001— mid 2006

My thesis work has centered around using coherent x-ray scattering experiments to study thin magnetic films. First we demonstrated the use of coherent soft x-ray scattering as a way to study the microscopic magnetic properties of perpendicular magnetic films. The experiment worked so well that we went on to apply it to study the effects of disorder on the memory properties of a series of technologically important Co:Pt films. What we found surprised us and conflicted with predictions from current models of magnetic hysteresis. We went on to work with several leading theorists to formulate possible explanations for our observed results.

• Undergraduate Thesis Work—
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Theoretical Nuclear Physics
Advisor: Professor Nimai C. Mukhopadhyay(deceased)
1996-1998

My undergraduate research involved the study of Delta(1232) resonance in photon-nucleon interactions. I used an Effective Lagrangian model developed by R.M. Davidson and N.C. Muhkopadhyay to study the photon-nucleon scattering process at the Delta resonance to extract the electric quadrupole (E2) and magnetic dipole (M1) amplitudes from existing data. Precise determination of the amplitudes was our primary goal such that predictions from theoretical models of nuclear physics could be tested.

• Undergraduate Research Experience—
University of Texas
Experimental Plasma Physics
PI: Professor Alan J. Wootton
Summer 1997

I worked on a project to build a linear plasma device for the study of instabilities and turbulent flows in plasmas for the Fusion Research Center at the University of Texas.

Teaching Experience


• 2003 Teaching Assistant (UW) Physics 431, Modern Experimental Physics Lab, Physics 434, Interfacing Computers and Experiments
• 2002 Teaching Assistant (UW) Physics 431, Modern Experimental Physics Lab
• 1999-2001 Teaching Assistant (UW) Physics 117,118,119 Freshman Labs, Physics 131,132,133 Freshman Labs
• 1997 Teaching Assistant (RPI) Junior Experimental Physics Lab

Awards and Recognition


• 2007 Henderson Prize for outstanding PhD thesis, University of Washington
• Thesis research selected for Advanced Light Source at Berkeley National Lab science highlight for 2005
• Thesis research selected for Advanced Light Source at Berkeley National Lab science highlight for 2003
• 1998 G. Howard Carragan Award (RPI)
• 1998 APS Apker Award Nominee for RPI
• Graduated Magna Cum Laude (RPI)
• Completed Honors Program, Amarillo College 1995

Publications


• M.S. Pierce, K.C. Chang, D. Hennessy, V. Komanicky, A. Menzel, and Hoydoo You. CO-Induced lifting of the Au(001) surface reconstruction. Letter: Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 112 2231-2234 (2008).

• D. Hennessy, M.S. Pierce, K.C. Chang, S. Takakusagi, H. You, and K. Uosaki. Hydrophilicity Transition of the rutile TiO2 (110) surface. Electrochimica Acta. Accepted and awaiting publication 2008.

• M.S. Pierce, C.R. Buechler, L.B. Sorensen, S.D. Kevan , E.A. Jagla, J.M. Deutsch, T. Mai, O. Narayan, J.E. Davies, K. Liu, G.T. Zimanyi, H.G. Katzberger, O. Hellwig, E.E. Fullerton, and J.B. Kortright. “Disorder induced magnetic memory: Experiments and theories.” Physical Review B, 75, 144406 (2007).

• M.S. Pierce, C.R. Buechler, L.B. Sorensen, J.J. Turner, S.D. Kevan, E.A. Jagla, J.B. Kortright, J.E. Davies, K. Liu, O. Hellwig, and E.E. Fullerton. “Hysteresis, disorder, and the evolution of magnetic domains in Co:Pt thin films.” In preparation for early 2007 submission to Physical Review B.

• M.S. Pierce, C.R. Buechler, L.B. Sorensen, S.D. Kevan. “The Persistence of Memory: Disorder-Induced Microscopic Magnetic Memory.” Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley Lab science highlight for 2005.

• M.S. Pierce, C.R. Buechler, L.B. Sorensen, J.J. Turner, S.D. Kevan, E.A. Jagla, J.M. Deutsch,T. Mai, O. Narayan, J.E. Davies, K. Liu, J. Hunter Dunn, K.M. Chesnel, J.B. Kortright, O. Hellwig, and E. E. Fullerton. “Disorder induced microscopic magnetic memory.” Physical Review Letters 94, 017202 (2005).

• M.S. Pierce, R.G. Moore, P. Geissbuhler, L.B. Sorensen, S.D. Kevan, J.B. Kortright, O. Hellwig, and E.E. Fullerton. “Learning how magnets forget.” Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley Lab science highlight for 2003.

• M.S. Pierce, R.G. Moore, L.B. Sorensen, S.D. Kevan, J.B. Kortright, O. Hellwig, and E.E. Fullerton. “Quasistatic x-ray speckle metrology of microscopic magnetic return point memory.” Physical Review Letters 90, 175502 (2003).

• R.M. Davidson, Nimai C. Mukhopadhyay, M.S. Pierce, R.A. Arndt, I.I. Strakovsky, R. L. Workman. “Problems with Extraction of the Nucleon to Delta(1232) Photonic Amplitudes.” Physical Review C 59, 1059 (1999).

• PhD Thesis 2006 (UW) “X-ray Speckle Experiments on the Persistence and Disintegration of Magnetic Memory” Advisor: Professor Larry B. Sorensen.

• Senior Thesis 1998 (RPI) “Importance of Double Polarization Observables in the Study of the Delta(1232) Resonance Using Real Photons.” Advisor: Professor Nimai C. Mukhopadhyay.


Talks, Conferences and Seminars


• Questioning Nobility : CO and the Au (001) surface reconstruction, 2007 PEC Conference, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, June 20th, 2007
• Disorder and Hysteresis. University of Wisconsin Free-Electron-Laser workshop, magnetics focus group. University of Wisconsin, Madison, June 18th, 2007
• Study of the influence of disorder on magnetic memory using coherent x-rays, XSD-APS, Argonne National Laboratory, April 3rd, 2007
• Persistence and Disintegration of Memory, Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, January 13th, 2006
• Persistence and Disintegration of Memory, Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, January 6th, 2006
• Persistence and Disintegration of Memory, LANSCE Lujan Seminar Series, Los Alamos National Laboratory, December 15th, 2005
• Persistence of Magnetic Memory, University of Washington Physics—CDO Networking Day, November 1st, 2005
• The Persistence of Memory, University of Puget Sound, November 19th, 2004
• New Lessons from Speckle Studies of Disordered Magnets, Annual Advanced Light Source—Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Users Meeting, October 19th, 2004

Other Activities


• Participant in two online science outreach programs: the ANL-Newton Ask a Scientist service and the Mad Scientist Network
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/aas.htm
http://www.madsci.org
• Participant (and occasional organizer) of the UW Condensed Matter Journal Club, 2001—2005.
• Computer Operating Systems(fluent): Macintosh (OsX, Os9), RedHat x86 Linux (6.x,7.x,8,9), Fedora Core x64 Linux (3,4,5), Yellowdog PPC Linux (2.x,3), IBM OS/2, MS Windows.
• Computer Programming Skills(fluent): C/C++, Cocoa, Fortan, Visual Basic(prior to .Net), Matlab.
• Track and Road Bicycle Racing, Category 3 USCF Road and Track Racer 2000-2005.
• Collegiate Bicycle Road Racing, Mens A Category(UW), NCCA 2000-2002.
• Instructor for track bicycle racing classes at Marymoor Velodrome, Redmond WA 2003-2005.
• Functional knowledge of the German language, though not fluent. Wenn nur mein Deutsch doch besser w ̈are. Na ja.
• A love of amateur science and astronomy.