B.S., Physics, Tarleton State University, 1995
M.S., Space Physics, Rice University, 1999
Ph.D., Space Physics, Rice University, 2001
INTERESTS: Experimental Magnetospheric Physics, Spacecraft Instrumentation, and physics education.
EXPERIENCE: 1995 - 1996 Rice University, Graduate Fellow
1996 - 2001 Southwest Research Institute, Research Assistant
2001 - 2003 University of Texas at San Antonio, Adjunct Assistant Professor
2001 - 2003 Southwest Research Institute, Postdoctoral Associate
2003 - 2005 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NRC Resident Research Associate
2005 - 2006 Angelo State University, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics
2006 - Present McMurry University, Assistant Professor of Physics
Dr. W. R. Keith conducted his graduate research at SwRI in 1996. During this time, he participated in the development of two magnetospheric plasma instruments (MEDUSA-1 and -2), which were successfully flown on Swedish satellites. He also developed the data processing software for these and other instruments. For his doctoral research, he studied the connection between the magnetopause current layer and the low-altitude cusp. In the summer of 2000, he was selected to participate in the Summer School for Planetary Sciences at Caltech/JPL. After graduation, Keith continued working at SwRI as a postdoc, and also taught four semesters part-time at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His work at SwRI included the validation of instrument data from the Cluster multi-satellite mission and research on the mid-altitude magnetospheric cusps. In 2003 he was selected as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct multi-altitude studies of the cusps at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. Keith is an active member of the Cluster scientific community, contributing various data visualization and analysis techniques while pursuing his cusp research. In 2005 he accepted a visiting faculty position at Angelo State University, where he taught physical science and astronomy. Keith currently teaches physics and astronomy at McMurry University as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. In the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, Keith attended workshops for new physics and astronomy faculty in College Park, MD.
SOCIETIES: American Geophysical Union, American Association of Physics Teachers
AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS:
Presidential Honors Program, Tarleton State University, 1991-1995
Outstanding Graduate, Department of Mathematics and Physics, Tarleton State University class of 1995
Graduate Fellowship, Rice University, 1995-1996
NASA/Texas Space Grant Consortium Fellowship 1997-1998
COURSES TAUGHT:
Introduction to Astronomy, Introduction to Physics, General Physics, Modern Physics, Solar System Physics,
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS:
Keith, W., M. Goldstein, T. Stubbs, M. Wilber, A. Fazakerley, H. Rème, and A. Balogh, Simultaneous Multi-Altitude Cusp Conjunctions, J. Geophys. Res., in preparation.
Keith, W., and T. Stubbs, Identification of Spacecraft Conjunctions in the Cusps, Adv. Space Res., Vol. 41, No. 10, 2008.
W. Keith, The Magnetosphere: Earth's Invisible Shield, presented at McMurry University, Abilene, Texas, February 2006.
Heikkila, W., P. Canu, I. Dandouras, W. Keith, and Y. Khotyaintsev, Plasma transfer event seen by Cluster, Proc. Cluster and Double Star Symposium, 5th Anniversary of Cluster in Space, ESA SP-598, 2006.
Keith, W., M. Goldstein, T. Stubbs, D. Winningham, A. Fazakerley, H. Rème, and A. Balogh, Identification and Visualization of Magnetic Conjunctions for Multi-Altitude Cusp Studies, presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 2004.
Sharber, J., C. Gurgiolo, S. Mende, H. Frey, B. Lewis, J. Burch, G. Parks, H. Rème, J. Cumnock, W. Keith, To Catch a Cusp Ð An IMAGE-Cluster View, presented at the IMAGE SWG Meeting, Palo Alto, California, December 2004.
Eastwood, J. P., D. G. Sibeck, J. A. Slavin, M. L. Goldstein, W. Keith, M. Hesse, A Balogh, E. A. Lucek, and I. Dandouras, Cluster multi-point Observations of Slow Shock Structures in the Magnetotail, presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 2004.
Parks, G. K., M. Wilber, J.B. Cao, I. Dandouras, H. Rème, J. A. Sauvaud, J. M. Bosqued, K. Maziane, E. Lucek, A. Balogh, A. Fazakerley, M. Goldstein, W. Keith, C. Gurgiolo, M. Bavassano-Cattaneo, and P. Escoubet, New Features of Earth's Bow Shock Observed by Double Star, presented at the Second DoubleStar-Cluster Workshop, Beijing, China, November 2004.
Keith, W., Cluster/DMSP Conjunctions in the Cusp, presented at the 8th Cluster Workshop, Durham, NH, September 2004.
Cattell, C., J. Dombeck, J. Wygant, J. F. Drake, M. Swisdak, M. L. Goldstein, W. Keith, A. Fazakerley, M. Andre, E. Lucek, and A. Balogh, Cluster Observations of Electron Holes in Association with Magnetotail Reconnection and Comparison to Simulations, J. Geophys. Res., 110, A01211, doi: 10.1029/2004JA010519.
Keith, W., M. Goldstein, J. D. Winningham, M. Wilber, A. Fazakerley, H. Reme, and A. Balogh, Multi-Altitude Cusp Observations with Cluster and DMSP, presented at the American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 2004.
Keith, W., J. D. Winningham, M. Goldstein, M. Wilber, A. Fazakerley, H. Reme, T. Fritz, A. Balogh, N. Cornilleau-Wehrlin, and M. Maksimovic, Observations of a Unique Cusp Signature at Low and Mid Altitudes, Surv. Geophys. In press.
Keith, W., J. D. Winningham, A. Fazakerley, H. Reme, M. Goldstein, T. Fritz, and N. Cornilleau-Wehrlin, Observations of a Unique Cusp Signature at Low and Mid Altitudes, presented at the Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Multipoint Measurements in Space Conference, Orleans, France, May 2003.
Keith, W., J. D. Winningham, G. Parks, M. Wilber, A. Fazakerley, T. Fritz, A. Balogh, H. Reme, N. Cornilleau-Wehrlin, and P. Travnicek, Multi-Spacecraft Observations of the Mid-Altitude Cusp, presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 2002.
Keith, W., J. D. Winningham, G. Parks, F. Mozer, M. Wilber, J. Pickett, J. Quinn, and A. Balogh, The True Cusp, a Unique Signature at Low- and Mid-Altitudes, presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 2001.
Keith, W., Theory and Measurements of the Cusp/Magnetopause Current Layer (intro), Doctor of Philosophy Thesis, Rice University, Houston, Texas, April 2001.
Norberg, O., J. D. Winningham, H. Lauche, W. Keith, W. Puccio, J. Olsen, K. Lundin, and J. Scherrer, The MEDUSA Electron- and Ion Spectrometer and the PIA Photometers on Astrid-2, Ann. Geophys., V. 19, 593, June 2001.
Keith, W., J. D. Winningham and O. Norberg, A New, Unique Signature of the True Cusp, Ann. Geophys., V. 19, 611, June 2001.
Keith, W., J. D. Winningham, O. Norberg, G. Marklund and T. Karlsson, Observations of Electrons Accelerated Upwards to keV Energies at 1000 km, presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 1999.
Keith, W., Development of an Ion/Electron Plasma Spectrometer (intro) (appendix), Master of Science Thesis, Rice University, Houston, Texas, April 1999.