Alumni Spotlight – Louis Keiner
In the following interview we hear from Dr. Louis Keiner, Professor of Physics and Physical Oceanography at Coastal Carolina University, also serving as the interim Dean of the HTC Honors College there. Dr. Keiner was an undergraduate physics major here at WFU and reflects on his time spent here and its impact, as well as his career path afterwards.
Prof. Macosko: Please let us know where are you now and what are you doing?
Dr. Keiner: I am currently a Professor of Physics and Physical Oceanography at Coastal Carolina University, and I am the interim Dean of the HTC Honors College there. My administrative job encompasses coordinating the University’s Honors Program and supervising the faculty and the interdisciplinary majors of that College. I escape the office as much as I can, alternating semesters teaching in Physics, Marine Science, and Honors. I also lead the University’s study abroad program in Scotland, where I take Physics and Marine Science students to work at a field lab, on and around the lochs on the west coast of that country.
Prof. Macosko: What did your career path look like?
Dr. Keiner: After Wake, I decided that I wanted to apply my physics degree to something connected with the environment, so I went to the University of Delaware for a Ph.D. in Marine Science. My concentration there was in the area of Satellite Remote Sensing, in other words, using sensors on earth-orbiting satellites to investigate physical and biological processes in the oceans and coastal environment. This involves a combination of physics, environmental science, and a lot of scientific programming. I worked as a postdoc at NOAA in Washington, DC in their satellite oceanography division. I then found a teaching position at CCU, teaching Physics and Physical Oceanography and have been there ever since. I have had the wonderful experience of teaching hundreds of students, working with them on undergraduate and graduate research projects, and seeing them succeed in a variety of different fields. My colleagues and I began the Applied Physics major at CCU. I served as the founding director for University’s Center for Effective Teaching and Learning, the department chair of Physics, and developed the study abroad program with the Scottish Association of Marine Science. Most recently, I moved to the Honors College as Associate Dean, where I work with the Honors Program and get to develop and teach interdisciplinary seminars for students of all majors.
Prof. Macosko: How did WFU physics help you get to where you are today?
Dr. Keiner: As with many physics graduates, I think that the most valuable skill that I learned in physics was that of problem solving – not simply for physics, but for any problem I encounter. That’s something that has served me well in all stages and areas of my career, even as an administrator. Similarly, the skills I gained in learning computer programming as a problem solving tool have also been invaluable. No matter what new language I’m using or new application I’m implementing, those core skills were learned in Physics at Wake.
One of my most influential experiences was working with George Holzwarth in his lab for research. I learned about the possibility of applying Physics to problems in other fields of study. It was where I gained many of those skills mentioned before. It was also where I learned, through his example, about the process of research and how to mentor undergraduates in research. I learned experimental design and troubleshooting – lots of troubleshooting. I gained my first experience with image processing. And of course, I learned about the process and technique of scientific writing.
Prof. Macosko: How else did Wake impact your life?
Dr. Keiner: Through the emphasis on the liberal arts, I learned to appreciate the breadth and depth of the human experience and began to understand the important connections between the different disciplines. This is something that I emphasize with my students today, in all the courses I teach and in the programs that I administer: that often, the most important places to investigate are in the areas between traditional fields of study. Most of all, or course, it was the people that I met Wake who had the largest impact on my life. All of them influenced me, in different ways, into becoming the person I am today. Now, as I look around at what these friends are doing in the world today, I look back at our shared experience at Wake Forest and think of how it was preparing us for lives to be lived Pro Humanitate.