Thomas M. Ticich

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Contact Information

Department of Chemistry
Centenary College of Louisiana
2911 Centenary Boulevard
Shreveport, Louisiana 71134
Phone: (318) 869-5229
Fax: (318) 869-5026

Education

• B.S. in Chemistry, 1982, Cook College-Rutgers University
• Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, 1988, University of Wisconsin
  • Thesis Advisor: F. Fleming Crim
  • Thesis Topic: Overtone Vibration Initiated Predissociation and Vibrationally Mediated Photodissociation of Hydrogen Peroxide in Room Temperature Samples and in a Free-Jet Expansion

Professional Experience

• Associate Professor of Chemistry (August 2000-present)
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry (August 1994- July 2000)
• Department of Chemistry, Centenary College - Shreveport, Louisiana
• NASA-OAI Collaborative Aerospace Summer Faculty Fellow (May-August 1999)
• NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow (June-August 1997; May-June 1998; June-August 2000)
• NASA-Glenn Research Center - Cleveland, Ohio
• Visiting Assistant Professor (September 1988-May 1994); Department of Chemistry, Gustavus Adolphus College - St. Peter, Minnesota

Presentations

• 221st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Diego, CA, March 2001. "Laser-Induced Incandescence Measurements in Turbulent Ethylene Diffusion Flames" (co-authored with Valerie Curtis, who presented the poster)
• 221st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Diego, CA, March 2001 "Chemistry in the Bayou" (co-authored with Valerie Curtis, who presented the poster)
• 2000 Meeting of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences, Centenary College, Shreveport, LA, February 2000, "Growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes on supported substrates" (co-authored with Valerie Curtis, who gave an oral presentation)
• 219th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Francisco, CA, March 2000
• "Growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes on supported substrates" (co-authored with Valerie Curtis, who presented the poster)
• 219th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Francisco, CA, March 2000
• "Chemistry is right in our bayou" (co-authored with Sarah Wheat, who presented the poster)
• 217th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, CA, March 1999, "Laser-Induced Incandescence Applied to Metal Nanostructures". (poster)
• 217th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, CA, March 1999, "Trace Metal Detection By Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy" (poster presented by student Joseph R. West, Jr.).
• 215th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Dallas, TX, March 1998, "Can Primary Particle Size Be Determined By Laser-Induced Incandescence?".
• 215th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Dallas, TX, March 1998, "Optical and Microscopy Investigations of Soot Structure Alterations by Laser-Induced Incandescence" (poster presented by student Brock Stephens).
• Invited Lecture, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University-Shreveport, October 1997, "Glowing Soot and Other Stories From My Summer Research at NASA".
• 11th National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Austin, TX, April 1997, "Photophysics of the Dissociation of Trimethyldioxetane From High Vibrational Levels" (presented by student John Hyatt).
• Citizen’s Ambassador Program Physical Chemistry Delegation to the People’s Republic of China, China Northwest University, Xi’an; East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, June 1996, "Physical Chemistry Curriculum Development in the United States".
• 211th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, New Orleans, LA, March 1996. "Unimolecular Dissociation of Dioxetanes" (presented by student Brandon Young)
• Gordon Research Conference on Innovations in the Chemistry Curriculum, Ventura, CA, January 1995. "A Mixed-Mode Approach in the General Chemistry Classroom at Centenary College".
• 1993 Conference on the Dynamics of Molecular Collisions, Helen, GA., June 1993. "Overtone Spectroscopy of Dioxetanes".
• 202nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, New York, NY, August 1991. "An Integrated Writing Program in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory".
• Recent Advances in Physical Chemistry, NSF Workshop, Greeley, CO, July 1990. "Unimolecular Reaction Dynamics".
• 1989 Conference on the Dynamics of Molecular Collisions, Asilomar, CA, July 1989, "Overtone Spectroscopy of Hydrogen Peroxide".

Publications

• "Flame and Furnace Synthesis of Single- and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers", R.L. Vander Wal and T.M. Ticich, Journal of Physical Chemistry (in press).
• "Substrate-support interactions in metal-catalyzed carbon nanofiber growth", R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, V.E. Curtis, Carbon (in press).
• "Comparative flame and furnace synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes", R. L. Vander Wal and T.M. Ticich, Chemical Physics Letter 336:24-32 (2001).
• "Directed synthesis of metal-catalyzed carbon nanofibers and graphite encapsulated metal nanoparticles", R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, V.E. Curtis, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 104(49): 11606-11611 (2000).
• "Diffusion Flame Synthesis of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes", R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, V.E. Curtis, Chemical Physics Letters 323:217-223 (2000).
• "Flame Synthesis of Metal-Catalyzed Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes", R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, V.E. Curtis. Journal of Physcial Chemistry A 104(31): 7209-7219 (2000).
• "Trace Metal Detection by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy", R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, J.R. West, Jr., and P.A. Householder, Applied Spectroscopy 53(10):1226-1236 (1999).
• "Laser-Induced Incandescence Applied To Metal Nanostructures", R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, J.R. West, Jr., Applied Optics 38(27):5867-5879 (1999).
• "Calibration of Laser-Induced Incandescence Using Cavity Ringdown", R.L. Vander Wal and T.M. Ticich, Applied Optics 38:1444-1451 (1999)
• "Can Primary Particle Size Be Determine By Laser-Induced Incandescence?" R.L. Vander Wal, T.M . Ticich, and A.B. Stephens, Combustion and Flame 116:291-296 (1999)
• "Optical and Microscopy Investigations of Soot Structure Alterations by Laser-Induced Incandescence" R.L. Vander Wal, T.M. Ticich, and A.B. Stephens, Applied Physics B 67:115-123 (1998).
• "An Integrated Writing Program in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory," T.M. Ticich, Physical Chemistry: Developing A Dynamic Curriculum, R.W. Schwenz and R.J. Moore, eds. ACS Books: Washington, D.C., 1993.
• "Vibrationally Mediated Photodissociation," M.D. Likar, J.E. Baggott, A. Sinha, T.M. Ticich, R.L. Vander Wal, and F.F. Crim, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans., 84, 1483 (1988).
• "Spectroscopy and Photodissociation Dynamics of Highly Vibrationally Excited Molecules," M.D. Likar, A. Sinha, T.M. Ticich, R.L. Vander Wal, and F.F. Crim, Ber. Bunsenges. Physik. Chem., 92, 289 (1988).
• "Vibrationally Mediated Photodissociation of Hydrogen Peroxide", T.M. Ticich, M.D. Likar, H.R. Dübal, L.J. Butler, and F.F. Crim, J. Chem. Phys., 87, 5820 (1987).
• "Unimolecular Reaction Rate Measurements for Molecules with Excited Overtone Vibrations", E.S. McGinley, L.J. Butler, T.M.Ticich, M.D. Likar, and F.F. Crim., J. Chim. Phys., 84, 393, (1987).
• "10Be Contents of Mono Lake Sediments: Search for Enhancement During a Geomagnetic Excursion," T. Ticich, L. Lundberg D.K. Pal, C.M. Smith, G.F. Herzog, R.K. Moniot, C. Tuniz, W. Savin, T.H. Kruse, and J.C. Liddicoat, J. R. Astron. Soc., 87, 487, (1987).
• "Vibrational Overtone Spectroscopy of Bound and Predissociative States of Hydrogen Peroxide Cooled in a Supersonic Expansion," L.J. Butler, T.M. Ticich, M.D. Likar, and F.F. Crim, J. Chem. Phys., 85, 2331 (1986).
• "Unimolecular Reactions Near Threshold: The Overtone Vibrational Initiated Decomposition of HOOH(5nOH)," T.M. Ticich, T.R. Rizzo, H.R Dübal, and F.F. Crim, J. Chem. Phys., 84, 1508 (1986).
• "10Be and Be in the Maurice River-Union Lake System of Southern New Jersey," L. Lundberg, T. Ticich, G.F. Herzog, T. Hughes, G. Ashley, R.K. Moniot, C. Tuniz, T. Kruse, and W. Savin, J. Geophys. Res. C88, 4498 (1983).

Grants and Research Support

• 2001 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship renewal, Glenn Research Center, $16,470.
• 2000 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship, Glenn Research Center, $16,470.
• 1998-1999 Board of Regents Support Fund – Undergraduate Enhancement Grant, "Enhancement of Discovery-Based Teaching in the General Chemistry Laboratory", $56,454.
• 1999-NASA-OAI Collaborative Aerospace Summer Faculty Fellowship, Glenn Research Center, $16,470.
• 1998-2001-Entrikin Professorship, $3,000 annully for research and travel.
• 1998 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship renewal, Lewis Research Center, $16,470.
• 1997 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship, Lewis Research Center, $16,470.
• "Enhancement of Chemical Education at Hollywood Middle School Through Hands-On Activities", Community Interaction Student Affiliates Grant Program of the American Chemical Society, 1996-97, $400
• "Differential Scanning Calorimetry: A Catalyst for Curricular Reform at Centenary College", Camille and Henry Dreyfus Special Grants Program in the Chemical Sciences, 1996, $15,000
• Laser Science Topical Group Distinguished Traveling Lecture Grant, 1995. Provided travel costs and honorarium to bring Professor Steven Chu, professor at Stanford and member of the National Academy of Sciences, to campus in fall 1996. Professor Chu was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997.
• Broyles Inaugural Year Research Chair, Centenary College, 1994-1996
• One course reduction in teaching responsibilities per semester for first year, $6,000
• Start-up package, Centenary College, 1994
• Equipment transfer agreement with Gustavus Adolphus College to bring Nd:YAG pumped dye laser system and data collection electronics to Centenary College, $25,000
• "Overtone Spectroscopy and Unimolecular Dissociation Dynamics of Dioxetanes", Cottrell College Grant, Research Corporation, 1991-1992, $25,000
• "Request For Funding To Assist With the Purchase of a Nd:YAG Laser Pumped Dye Laser System", Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 1991, $20,000
• "Overtone Spectroscopy and Unimolecular Dissociation Dynamics of Dioxetanes", Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society - G, 1990-1992, $18,000

Memberships

• American Chemical Society
• American Physical Society
• Council of Undergraduate Research