James Overduin

Biography

James Overduin is a theorist in the areas of gravitation, cosmology, astronomy and high-energy physics. He is particularly interested in extensions of General Relativity, attempts to incorporate gravity into the Standard Model of particle physics, and in ways to test those attempts through observation and experiment. He has also worked extensively on cosmic background radiation at all wavelengths, focusing on its implications for cosmic evolution (Olbers' paradox and the intergalactic medium) as well as its potential as a dark-matter detector. Dr. Overduin is also a specialist in dark energy (a.k.a. Einstein's cosmological constant), on which he has co-authored a book with Helge Kragh (The Weight of the Vacuum, Springer Briefs in Physics, 2014). Most recently, he has begun to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate physics education through innovative teaching demonstrations. Much of his research is carried out with undergraduate students (see https://wp.towson.edu/joverdui/students/ ).