David Horner
Harold and Eva White Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts
Physics
David Horner is a physical chemist with interests in computational materials science and computational quantum chemistry. He carried out research in the multi-disciplinary Molecular Materials group at Argonne National Laboratory, including computational modeling of the growth of diamond films and interactions of carbon nanotubes with diamond surfaces. He also has research experience in magnetic resonance spectroscopy and experimental chemical kinetics.
He taught a wide range of courses across NCC's physics and chemistry curricula, and managed the Dual-Degree Engineering Program. He especially enjoyed teaching introductory physics to first year students, lab courses in quantum physics and physical chemistry, and the Advanced Lab module on data acquisition with LabVIEW. His general education courses included Landmark Discoveries in Science, which examines the nature of scientific discovery in the work of Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, and Watson & Crick, and the lab course Physics of Music.
In retirement, Dr. Horner continues to enjoy working with NCC's student-athletes as a faculty mentor to the Cardinal football team.
Selected Scholarship
Horner, D. A.; Sternberg, M.; Zapol, P.; Curtiss, L. A. “Carbon Nanotunnels Form from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Interacting with a Diamond (100)-(2×1) Surface,” Diamond and Related Materials, 2011, 20, 1103.
Horner, D. A.; Redfern, P. C.; Sternberg, M.; Zapol, P.; Curtiss, L. A. "Increased Reactivity of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes at Carbon Ad-Dimer Defect Sites," Chemical Physics Letters 2007, 450, 71.
Sternberg, M.; Curtiss, L. A.; Gruen, D. M.; Kedziora, G.; Horner, D. A.; Redfern, P. C.; Zapol, P. "Carbon Ad-Dimer Defects in Carbon Nanotubes," Physical Review Letters 2006, 96, 075506.
Sternberg, M.; Horner, D. A.; Redfern, P. C.; Zapol, P.; Curtiss, L. A. “Theoretical Studies of CN and C2 Addition to a (100)-(2×1) Diamond Surface: Nanocrystalline Diamond Growth Mechanisms,” Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience, 2005, 2, 207.
Horner, D. A.; DeGraff, B. A. “Luminescence Decay and Flash Photolysis Experiments Using an Inexpensive, Laser-Based Apparatus” Journal of Chemical Education, 1996, 73, 279.
Courses Taught
CHM 340, 341: Physical Chemistry
PHY 105: Physics of Music
PHY 141, 142, 143, 244: Introductory Physics
PHY 245: Quantum Physics
PHY 251: Physics of Solids
PHY 450: Advanced Laboratory
SCI 210: Landmark Discoveries in Science