"People who wish to analyze nature without using mathematics must settle for a reduced understanding." Richard Feynman, PhD, Nobel Laureate.

Welcome to my website

I am a physics instructor at Camosun College in Victoria, British Columbia. I teach engineering bridge students, who will enter third year engineering at the University of Victoria or the University of British Columbia after finishing a two semester program at the college. I also teach a Biomechanics course for the Bachelor of Athlete Therapy program here at the college and a Renewable Energy course that I have developed for the Mechanical Technology students. You will find course outlines, class schedules, problem assignments and solutions on the D2L website for my current courses.

Research

In 2008 I completed a PhD in climate modeling at the University of Victoria. My areas of research are abrupt climate change and stochastic climate models of the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic. I try to incorporate a few lectures on climate change into all of my classes.

Publications

  • Alexander, J. and A.H. Monahan: Non-normal perturbation growth of pure thermohaline circulation using a 2-D zonally averaged model , Feb. 2009, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 39, No.2, pp369-386. PDF file
  • Monahan, A.H., J. Alexander, and A.J. Weaver: Stochastic models of the meridional overturning circulation: Timescales and patterns of variability, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. A , 366, 2527-2544, 2008. PDF file
  • Alexander,J.: Nonnormal perturbaion growth and optimal excitation of the thermohaoine circulation using a 2D zonally averaged model, PhD Dissertation, 2008.PDF file
  • Alexander,J.: The Physics of Boat Acceleration Curves for Rowing Shells, 2015.Youtube video
  • Alexander,J.: A Biomechanical Analysis of Rowing Part 1, 2015.Youtube video
  • Alexander,J.: A Biomechanical Analysis of Rowing Part 2, 2015.Youtube video
  • Picciotto, C, and Kopac, J (Alexander) Double-beta-decay suppression with three generations of Majorana neutrinos , Sept. 1985, Phys. Rev. D, 32, No.5, pp1241-1243. PDF file

Additional Interests

I have been an athlete all my life. I competed at the national level in gymnastics in my teens, played volleyball in university and took up rowing in 1999. My brother, John Alexander, and I have won numerous World Championship gold metals in the masters mixed double. I row my single shell on Elk Lake four to five times a week and bicycle and do weights for cross training.

julierowing

World Masters Belgium 2015 Canadian Masters Gold medal 2014