Brian Welsch

I work at the Space Sciences Laboratory (a.k.a. SSL) of the University of California at Berkeley. My current curriculum vitae tersely lists details of my professional background; this page is more human. Until recently, I worked on the Solar MURI project, which aimed to predict CMEs and their effects on the near-Earth space environment. While the MURI project has concluded, I still focus on Space Weather.

Photo credit: Courtesy NASA/TRACE.

In Feb. 2002, I earned my Ph.D. after working with MSU's Solar Physics Group. My thesis advisor, Professor Dana Longcope, and I studied the topological properties of solar magnetic field configurations. My Ph.D. thesis dealt with the flux of magnetic helicity in the quiet sun.

I re-started and ran SSL's Friday Solar Lunch, a journal club, for four years. In addition, I've been slowly compiling a few pages of useful solar pages, including some images and factoids.

Teaching & Outreach Experience:
In the summer of 2001, I taught an calculus-based electricity & magnetism course for engineering students at Montana Tech. Over the summer of 1999 I taught intro astronomy for non-science majors, Phys 101: Mysteries of the Sky. For about six years, I volunteered an hour or more per week in the Physics Learning Center, providing free tutoring in physics. Until recently, I have answered some of the solar physics questions submitted to Ask Dr. SOHO. Most recently, I've been a volunteer tutor at Patten College's San Quentin program.

"Institutional History:"
B.S. in Physics, with Minor in Philosophy, 1994, College of William & Mary , Williamsburg, VA.
M.S. in Physics, 1998, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
Ph.D. in Physics, 2002, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.

Personal Interests: I keep myself busy, and am usually off on some escapade, or planning to be soon. Here are some random pics.

Nearly every day I exercise in some way: I enjoy running, swimming, and biking. In '98, I ran the Calgary Stampede Runoff marathon. From 2003 - 2005, I ran the S.F. Chronicle marathon (in '03 under the nom de race Bill Abbett, a co-worker who registered but couldn't make the race). In September, 2004, I ran the Ben Nevis race in Scotland, which was a blast -- I'd love to do it again. (I blame my terribly slow time on my recent shoulder surgery & my dehydration at race's start.)

I love the outdoors: I backpack, rock climb, road & mountain bike, and ski --- cross-country, telemark, & downhill.

Every summer, I try to make a trip into Glacier National Park or the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Friends and I have been hiking stretches of the Contintental Divide Trail.

I joined the forces of CHAOS a while back; they're a fun crowd and a constant source of adventure. ^{1 2 3 4}

Here's the view of the Continental Divide Trail in Glacier, looking south from Cut Bank Pass towards Dawson Pass. Flinsch Peak is to the left, and the Nyack & Coal Creek drainages are to the right.

I'm an avid reader, and am a regular visitor to amazon.com (though I'll never be able to buy most books I want... sigh). I've been lucky enough to find a good book group; we meet Mondays at Cafe Au Coquelet.

I also enjoy good film. Long ago, I started a compilation of video picks, but it's now rather dated. [Warning: view recommended movies at your own risk! Most people prob'ly find my taste in movies bizarre, at best.]

Some www links: I hit the Tom Tomorrow archive weekly, the Borowitz report regularly, and The Onion's homepage occasionally. Cool pics from astrophysics can be found at the Astoronomy Picture of the Day Archive. And, last but not least, a link to what is perhaps the best picture ever.