Dr Robert Austin, Ph.D
Educatioin
12/1990 PhD, Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
05/1987 MSc, Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
12/1982 BSc, Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Dr. Robert A. Austin has been teaching online and in the classroom since 2003, and he has taught physics classes at Saint Petersburg College since 2010. After completing his PhD Thesis on "Upper limits for the flux of very high-energy gamma radiation from Cygnus X-3 and for the explosion rate of primordial black holes obtained by the Haleakala Gamma Ray Observatory," he began his career at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. There he developed X-ray detectors for astronomical payloads that flew on high altitude balloons from such glamorous locations as Palestine, TX and Ft. Sumner, NM - the final resting place of Billy the Kid. He was also a member of the team that calibrated NASA's Chandra X-ray Space Telescope. Since leaving NASA he has worked in private industry, developing flat panel displays, radiation detectors for medical imaging and homeland security, and MRI-based scanners for airport security.
