Since you have arrived at my website, click on that little button above and send me an email to say “hey” or tell me why you traveled here. I’m curious that way.
If you are curious or interested in what I do, then here is the abbreviated version. (The long, boring version is below.)
I “teach” General Chemistry, normally a course for first year students, but many Rhodes students wait until their sophomore year. I also involve senior chemistry majors in a course called Instrumental Analysis. Teaching is undoubtedly the most enjoyable part of my job, the second is…
Research, especially working with students. My research is focused on two projects: (1) Chemical analysis of prehistoric rock paints; and (2) Methods to detect explosives at a distance. At first these might seem diametrically opposed, but in fact both require the use of sophisticated, state-of-the-art chemical instruments.
B.S., Chemistry (1987) Corpus Christi State University (now TAMU-CC)
Ph.D., Analytical/Physical Chemistry (1991) Texas A&M University
- Chemistry 120 - FOUNDATIONS OF CHEMISTRY
- Chemistry 120 - FOUNDATIONS OF CHEMISTRY LAB
- Chemistry 240 - ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
- Chemistry 240 - ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY LAB
- Chemistry 406 - INSTRUMENTAL ANALYSIS
- Chemistry 451 - INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
- Chemistry 452 - INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
Hess, D., D. J. Coker, J. Loutsch and J. Russ (2007) Production of Oxalates In Vitro by Microbes Isolated from Rock Surfaces with Prehistoric Paints in the Lower Pecos region, Texas, submitted to Geoarchaeology.
Spades, S. and J. Russ (2005) GC-MS analysis of lipids in prehistoric rock paints and associated oxalate coatings from the Lower Pecos Region, Texas. Archaeometry 47, 113-124.
Beazley, M. J., R. D. Rickman, D. K. Ingram,, T. W. Boutton, and J. Russ (2002) Natural abundances of carbon isotopes (14C, 13C) in lichens and calcium oxalate pruina: Implications for archaeological and paleoenvironmental studies. Radiocarbon 44, 675-683.
Russ, J., D. H. Loyd and T. W. Boutton (2000) A paleoclimate reconstruction for southwestern Texas using oxalate residue from lichen as a paleoclimate proxy. Quaternary International 67, 29-36.
Edwards, H. G. M., E. M. Newton and J. Russ (2000) Raman spectroscopic analysis of pigments and substrata in prehistoric rock art. Journal of Molecular Structure 550-551, 245-256.
Edwards, H. G. M., L. Drummond and J. Russ (1999) Fourier transform Raman spectroscopic study of prehistoric rock paintings from the Big Bend region, Texas. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 30, 421-428.
Russ, J., W. D. Kaluarachchi, L. Drummond and H. G. M. Ewards (1999) The nature of a whewellite-rich rock crust associated with pictographs in southwestern Texas. Studies in Conservation 44, 91-103.
Edwards, H. G. M., L. Drummond and J. Russ (1998) Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopic study of pigments in native American Indian rock art: Seminole Canyon. Spectrochemica Acta A 54, 1849-1856.
Russ, J., R. L. Palma, D. H. Loyd, T. W. Boutton and M. A. Coy (1996) Origin of the whewellite-rich rock crusts in the Lower Pecos Region of Southwest Texas and its significance to paleoclimate reconstructions. Quaternary Research 46, 27-36.
Russ, J. R. L. Palma, D. H. Loyd, D. W. Farwell and H. G. M. Edwards (1995) Analysis of the rock accretions in the Lower Pecos Region of southwest Texas. Geoarchaeology 10, 43-63.
Russ, J., R. L. Palma and J. L. Booker (1994) Whewellite rock crusts in the Lower Pecos Region of Texas. Texas Journal of Science 46, 165-172.Russ, J., M. Hyman and M. W. Rowe (1992) Direct radiocarbon dating of rock art. Radiocarbon 34, 867-872.
Russ, J., M. Hyman and M. W. Rowe (1991) 14C dating of ancient rock art: A new application of plasma chemistry. Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing 4, 515-527.
Russ, J., M. Hyman, H. J. Shafer and M. W. Rowe (1990) Radiocarbon dating of prehistoric rock paintings by selective oxidation of organic carbon. Nature 348, 710-711.