Although more emphasis is being placed on African Americans athletes, there are still disparities in the number of African American athletes compared to the number of African Americans in administrative positions. This study is based on the argument that supports the need for more African American in athletic administration positions, by examining the current hiring and retention of African American administrators and the critical issues underlying their employment.It is important to have more information readily available since there is such a large percent of African American athletes competing at institutions. Until the number of African American administrators is equitable to the number of participants creating revenue for their respective universities, there will always be a need for this study.This study utilized qualitative research methods to analyze interviews and survey data. The results of this study revealed that having role models, mentors, establishing a network, and enhancing enrollment and graduation rates of African Americans in graduate schools are key elements in increasing the numbers of African Americans in athletic administration positions. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

The various electronic phenomena of electrons in the quasi-one-dimensional semiconducotor heterostructures have been largely investigated in the past research, due to its importance both on the theoretical understanding and the design of nanodevices. In particular, most research is currently based on the GaAs-AIGaAs material system with a 2-DEG interface. From the study of Hua Wu, following the Bohm's interpretation of quantum mechanics, energetic electrons approximately approach the classical behavior. The goal of this theoretical study is to investigate how the flow of energetic electrons may be controlled by the use of a tunable reflector. When encountering hard potential walls, energetic electrons in the nanostructure nearly follow the law of reflection. In addition, if the hard potential walls function as a reflector, the bouncing ball trajectory is also predicted. In this project, the fact that energetic electrons demonstrate semi-classical periodical flow motion is conceptually verified.The quantum wire (QW) with a tab and a notch nanostructure is selected as the practical model to achieve the project's goal. The resonant properties of the QW with a tab and the QW with a notch are individually investigated. The tight-binding recursive Green's function method is the theory underlying the numerical computation of the conductance in a nanodevice. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

This thesis deals with electrical and optical characterization  of p+i–n+ nanowire-based photodetectors/solar  cells. I have investigated their I-V performance and found that all of them exhibit a clear rectifying behavior with an ideality factor around 2.2 at 300K.  used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to extract their optical properties. From the spectrally resolved photocurrent data, I conclude that the main photocurrent is generated in the i-segment of the nanowire (NW) p-i-n junctions, with negligible  contribution from the substrate.   I also used a C-V technique to investigate the impurity/doping profiles of the NW p+-i-n+ junction.  The technique has been widely used for investigations of doping profiles in planar p-n junctions, in particular with one terminal (n or p) highly doped. To verify the accuracy of the technique, I also used a planar Schottky  sample with an already known doping profile for a test  experiment. The result is very similar to the actual data. When we used the technique to investigate the doping level in the NWs photodetectors grown on InP substrates, the results show a very high capacitance above 800pF which most likely is due to the influence of the parasitic capacitance from the insulating layer of SiO2. Thus,  a new sample design is required to investigate the  doping profiles of NWs.

A novel way of producing nanostructures in the past decade has been through the use of an anodized alumina template. This template has dense, self-ordered nanometric pores that grow in the oxide as the aluminum is being anodized. This technique is a fairly new method of processing nanostructures, and much study and research is presently being done to understand the formation mechanisms of the highly ordered pores. Ultra-pure aluminum foil and pure aluminium single crystal plates were anodized to create porous anodized alumina, and using it as a template to electro-deposit Nickel nanostructures. The effects different anodizing parameters have on oxide creation were studied, and the results obtained from studying the effects of substrate purity and texture of the anodized aluminum substrate on the morphology of the alumina template, through the use of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. / Nickel nanowires were prepared by DC electrodeposition inside the porous alumina template with a gold-palladium coating serving a conductive base. The nanowires have a diameter of 65 nm, and their length depends on the deposition time. The nanowires can uphold a position perpendicular to the substrate by partially dissolving the alumina template. They also have a tendency to gather together once the template is partially removed.

Research into molecular electronics has exploded in recent years due to a proliferation of new and exciting techniques for producing atomic level structures (e-beam lithography, self-assembled monolayers, etc.); coupling these techniques with the ability to accurately manipulate atomic systems (such as with Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STM), Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM), or Mechanically Controllable Break Junctions (MCBJ)) opens the possibility to create novel quantum coherent devices for both engineering applications, as well as research into fundamental physics. Along these lines, presented here is a series of experiments on superconducting point contacts which were aimed at understanding the dynamics of coupling superconducting effects to the mechanical degrees of freedom of a nanowire. In addition, another series of experiments presented here explore the nature of charge transport at high biases in superconducting point contacts. Specifically, an investigation of point contacts at high voltage biases revealed a suppression of one component of the total current, which is explained through a phenomenological model.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pennsylvania State University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2003.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2006.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). "September 2008." Includes bibliographical references (p. [190]-210). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S. in Combat Systems Science and Technology)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2008. / Thesis Advisor(s): Haegel, Nancy M. ; Luscombe, James. "December 2008." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 29, 2009. Sponsoring/Monitoring Agency Report Number: "DMR-0526330." Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-61). Also available in print.