James A. McNeil
University Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics

Since retiring in 2009 and in collaboration with my snow-boarding son, Brodie, I founded and currently serve as President of a nonprofit corporation called the US Terrain Park Council, which is dedicated to developing safer winter terrain park jumps using engineering design principles. My wife, Lynda, and I also enjoy researching the Rock Art, namely petroglyphs and pictographs depicting hunting scenes and deities that were created by the ancient Indian cultures of the American southwest. I am working to develop a non destructive method to date petroglyphs using X-ray fluorescence.

Education

  • PhD, University of Maryland
  • MS, University of Maryland
  • BS, Lafayette College

Research Areas

  • Nuclear Theory: Relativistic models of structure & scattering, 3 body physics
  • Archeometry: XRF dating of Indian petroglyphs
  • Sports Engineering: Winter terrain park modeling & design

Awards and Recognitions

  • Faculty Senate Distinguished Lecturer
  • International Sports Engineering Association Best Paper of 2012
  • CSM Alumni Teaching Award
  • Outstanding Faculty Member in Physics