Dr Robertson Burgess
Lecturer
School of Education
- Email:robertson.burgess@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:(02) 4055 0737
Career Summary
Biography
What Happens Between the Subjects?
Dr Bob Burgess has always been drawn to the space that exists between the traditional subjects, and how problems can be solved in this space.
Initially educated in a combination of Physics and Mathematics, his research career begun by examining the optical responses in nanometer-scale metallic particles. Using a combination of electron microscopy and computer simulation, his research crossed into areas of both experimental and computational physics, mathematics, and chemistry. Working with a team of Physicists, Chemists, Material Scientists and Material Engineers, his research has also included investigation of materials for the photocatalytic cracking of water molecules, which has the potential to use sunlight as an energy source for the generation of renewable hydrogen gas.
After a period of research, Bob turned to teaching, delivering his knowledge and passion for Mathematics, Science, Physics and integrated STEM learning. During this time, he took on multiple leadership roles, including Acting Head of Year, Acting Head of Science, as well as relief for Head of Administration, giving him a wide range of experiences of different facets of secondary education. It was during his time he noted the remarkable division of knowledge that occurs in the minds of many students; students capable of doing tasks in one classroom become incapable of doing the same thing in a different classroom in a different context, and are unable to solve problems that require knowledge from multiple different disciplines.
Bob hopes to build up new teachers to be more multidisciplinary, with a wider range of knowledge. More than that, he aims to build an understanding of not just the individual disciplines, but how they interact and overlap, building awareness of the space between subjects. In today’s modern world, students need to be able to seek out the knowledge that is required for the problem in front of them, ignoring artificial boundaries between areas of knowledge and increasingly operating in a transdisciplinary space. For students to be able to gain these modern skills, it is critical that teachers be trained who can operate in this space.
Bob is looking to develop an understanding of how context shapes our knowledge, and how context can, conversely, restrict our knowledge. In doing so, he hopes to develop techniques that allow students to more easily break out of the silos entrenched by the current secondary school system and see the interrelations that across human knowledge.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy in Physics, University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Newcastle
- Master of Teaching (Secondary), University of Newcastle
Keywords
- Chemical Physics
- Computational Physics
- Mathematics Education
- STEM Education
- Science Education
Fields of Research
Code | Description | Percentage |
---|---|---|
390113 | Science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy | 40 |
390109 | Mathematics and numeracy curriculum and pedagogy | 30 |
390307 | Teacher education and professional development of educators | 30 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|
Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Education Australia |
Academic appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|---|
1/5/2012 - 1/5/2013 | Postdoctoral Researcher | University of Milano-Bicocca Italy |
Professional appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|---|
2/3/2015 - 18/12/2015 | Project Officer | School of Education, The University of Newcastle Australia |
Teaching appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|---|
3/8/2016 - | Science Teacher | Hunter Valley Grammar School Australia |
4/1/2016 - 15/7/2016 | Mathematics Teacher | The Hastings Academy United Kingdom |
Teaching
Code | Course | Role | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
EDUC6776 |
Design, Delivery and Innovation in Secondary Schools School of Education, The University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 4/9/2023 - 10/11/2023 |
EDUC4197 |
Quality Teaching and Professional Practice School of Education, The University of Newcastle |
Course Coordinator | 1/1/2023 - 31/12/2023 |
EDUC3157 |
History, Nature and Practice of Science School of Education, The University of Newcastle |
Course Coordinator | 2/2/2022 - 1/7/2023 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (6 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
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2014 |
Gionco C, Paganini MC, Giamello E, Burgess R, Di Valentin C, Pacchioni G, 'Cerium-doped zirconium dioxide, a visible-light-sensitive photoactive material of third generation', Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 5 447-451 (2014) The dispersion of small amounts of Ce4+ ions in the bulk of ZrO2 leads to a photoactive material sensitive to visible light. This is shown by monitoring with EPR the formation and... [more] The dispersion of small amounts of Ce4+ ions in the bulk of ZrO2 leads to a photoactive material sensitive to visible light. This is shown by monitoring with EPR the formation and the reactivity of photogenerated (¿ > 420 nm) charge carriers. The effect, as confirmed by DFT calculations, is due to the presence in the solid of empty 4f Ce states at the mid gap, which act as intermediate levels in a double excitation mechanism. This solid can be considered an example of a third-generation photoactive material. © 2014 American Chemical Society.
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2014 |
Burgess RW, Keast VJ, 'TDDFT study of the optical absorption spectra of bare gold clusters', Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 118 3194-3201 (2014) [C1] Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) was used to calculate the optical absorption spectra of gold clusters of 20-171 atoms. The spectra for the smallest clusters agree... [more] Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) was used to calculate the optical absorption spectra of gold clusters of 20-171 atoms. The spectra for the smallest clusters agree with previous results, and the spectra for the largest clusters show features consistent with classical Mie theory. The systematic exploration of particles of sizes within these two extremes has allowed the trends linking optical absorption spectra and particle size and symmetry to be identified. A transition from molecular-like spectra to a more classical response is observed. © 2014 American Chemical Society.
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Nova | |||||||||
2013 |
Gionco C, Paganini MC, Giamello E, Burgess R, Di Valentin C, Pacchioni G, 'Paramagnetic defects in polycrystalline zirconia: An EPR and DFT study', Chemistry of Materials, 25 2243-2253 (2013) The paramagnetic defects present in pristine zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2) and those formed upon reductive treatments (either annealing or UV irradiation in H2) are described and rati... [more] The paramagnetic defects present in pristine zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2) and those formed upon reductive treatments (either annealing or UV irradiation in H2) are described and rationalized by the joint use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and DFT supercell calculations. Three types of Zr3+ reduced sites have been examined both in the bulk of the solid (one center) and at the surface (two centers). Trapping electron centers different from reduced Zr ions are also present, whose concentration increases upon annealing. A fraction of these sites are paramagnetic showing a symmetric signal at g = 2.0023, but the majority of them are EPR silent and are revealed by analysis of electron transfer from the reduced solid to oxygen. The presence of classic F-type centers (electrons in bulk oxygen vacancies) is disregarded on the basis of the g-tensor symmetry. This is expected, on the basis of theoretical calculations, to be anisotropic and thus incompatible with the observed signal. In general terms, ZrO2 has some properties similar to typical reducible oxides such as TiO2 and CeO2 (excess electrons stabilized at cationic sites), but it is much more resistant to reduction than this class of materials. While point defects in doped (Y 3+, Ca2+) ZrO2 materials have been widely investigated for their role as ionic conductors, the defectivity of pristine ZrO2 is much less known; this paper presents a thorough analysis of this phenomenon. © 2013 American Chemical Society.
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2011 |
Burgess RW, Keast VJ, 'TDDFT study of the optical absorption spectra of bare and coated Au(55) and Au(69) clusters', Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 115 21016-21021 (2011) [C1]
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Nova | |||||||||
2008 |
Field MR, McCulloch DG, Lim SNH, Anders A, Keast VJ, Burgess RW, 'The electronic structure of tungsten oxide thin films prepared by pulsed cathodic arc deposition and plasma-assisted pulsed magnetron sputtering', Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 20 175216 (2008) [C1]
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Nova | |||||||||
Show 3 more journal articles |
Conference (1 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 |
Keast VJ, Burgess RW, 'Atomic structure, electronic structure and optical response of metal nanoparticles', Book of Abstracts. XXII International Congress and General Assembly of the International Union of Crystallography, Madrid, Spain (2011) [E3]
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Grants and Funding
Summary
Number of grants | 1 |
---|---|
Total funding | $15,055 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
Highlighted grants and funding
Developing a Pacific Waste Curriculum Toolkit for Pacific Island Nations$15,055
Funding body: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Funding body | Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) |
---|---|
Project Team | Doctor Sascha Fuller, Doctor Robertson Burgess, Doctor Robertson Burgess |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2023 |
Funding Finish | 2023 |
GNo | G2301123 |
Type Of Funding | Scheme excluded from IGS |
Category | EXCL |
UON | Y |
20231 grants / $15,055
Developing a Pacific Waste Curriculum Toolkit for Pacific Island Nations$15,055
Funding body: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Funding body | Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) |
---|---|
Project Team | Doctor Sascha Fuller, Doctor Robertson Burgess, Doctor Robertson Burgess |
Scheme | Research Grant |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2023 |
Funding Finish | 2023 |
GNo | G2301123 |
Type Of Funding | Scheme excluded from IGS |
Category | EXCL |
UON | Y |
Research Supervision
Number of supervisions
Current Supervision
Commenced | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Masters | Teaching Architecture In Secondary Schools With Immersive Digital Tools: Case Studies In Pedagogy, Curriculum Design And Student Learning. | M Philosophy (Education), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
2022 | Masters | Assessing the Development of Cognitive Literacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | M Philosophy (Education), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
2022 | Masters | How Does Virtual Reality Technology Support Learning For Diverse Students Including Those With Special Needs? | M Philosophy (Education), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
Dr Robertson Burgess
Position
Lecturer
School of Education
School of Education
College of Human and Social Futures
Contact Details
robertson.burgess@newcastle.edu.au | |
Phone | (02) 4055 0737 |
Office
Room | V-223 |
---|---|
Building | V Building |
Location | Callaghan University Drive Callaghan, NSW 2308 Australia |