Dr. Bob Crackel

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Office: 333B CMSC
Email: robert.crackel@minotstateu.edu
Phone: 858-3852

Chemistry 110 - Survey of Chemistry
Chemistry 115 - Introductory Chemistry
Chemistry 121 - General Chemistry I
Chemistry 122 - General Chemistry II
Chemistry 360 - Principles of Physical Chemistry
Chemistry 380 - Environmental Chemistry
Chemistry 461 - Physical Chemistry I
Chemistry 462 - Physical Chemistry II

Dr. Crackel was born and raised in South Dakota. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from South Dakota State University in 1980. He finished his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Iowa State University in 1987. He joined the faculty at Minot State in the fall of 1986. His teaching responsibilities include a variety of undergraduate chemistry courses at the introductory and advanced level as well as graduate courses for science teachers. His research interests are in the areas of absorption spectroscopy, environmental chemistry, studies of methamphetamine contamination, and chemical education. He has worked on projects with a number of undergraduate students and science teachers working on their Master of Arts in Science Teaching. He enjoys making bad chemistry jokes and has worked with the Beta Gamma Phi Science Club and the regional Science Olympiad for over 30 years.

RESEARCH

"A Computer-interfaced Diode Array Spectrophotometer in Undergraduate Laboratories" Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy Of Science, vol. 42, April 1988, p.23. with Hain, Marla R. "The Effect of Solvents, Dye Concentration, pH, and Temperature on the Absorbance Spectra of Nile Blue, an Oxazine Dye" Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science, vol. 43, April 1989, p.92.

"BioGeoChemical Cycles: Representative Results from Science Teacher Research Projects" Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science, April, 1991, Volume 45, p. 17
"Fluorescence, Phosphorescence, and Photoluminescence" MAGILL'S SURVEY OF SCIENCE: PHYSICAL SCIENCE by Salem Press ,Inc. January 1992

"A Study of Water Quality and Wellhead Projection" with James Heckman presented at the North Dakota Water Pollution and Control Conference in Fargo, ND October 1994

GRANTS WRITTEN:

"Learning Stems from Experience" written with Dr. Laurie Geller and submitted to Math and Science Partnerships Program Competitive Proposal. This grant was funded at $530,700 for 2013-2104 and the same amount for 2014-2015        

"NCLB Science Education Institute" for $231,218 to Math and Science Partnership Programs Competitive Proposal August 2010 (with Dr. Ron Royer and Dr. John Webster) (Funded 2010-2013)

"NCLB Science Education Institute" for $251,798 to Math and Science Partnerships Program Competitive Proposal September 2006 (with Dr. Ron Royer and Dr. Clark Markell) (funded 2006-2010)

"Special Topics in Science: A Science Institute" for $30660 to North Dakota University System Title II, Eisenhower Professional Development Program January 2000 (funded)

"Special Topics in Science: A Science Institute" for $29043 to North Dakota University System Title II, Eisenhower Professional Development Program January 1999 (funded)

"Special Topics in Science: A Summer Science Institute" for $24757 to North Dakota University System Title II, Eisenhower Professional Development Program March 1998 (funded)

"Frontiers in Science: A Summer Science Institute" for $25898 to North Dakota University System Title II, Eisenhower Professional Development Program November 1996 (funded)

co-PI/PD (John Webster, PI/PD) proposal to the National Science Foundation Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program for "Use of Inductively-Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) for Rapid Multi-element Analysis in Earth Science, Chemistry, and Biology" for $46,653 November 1996 (funded)

OTHER RESEARCH:

Agreement between the City of Minot and Minot State University for a wellhead protection and water chemistry study. 1991-1992

Analysis of liquid samples for Bio-Sunn 1992

Agreement between the City of Minot and Minot State University for a study of possible re-use options for the wastewater for the City of Minot 1993

Work on narcotics identification research in cooperation with the Rural Crime and Justice Center 2006-present

GRADUATE STUDENT THESIS ADVISOR:

Larry Ray Cook, Thesis title: "Students' Perceptions of Household Waste" completed July 1993

William C. Bohnsack, Thesis Title: "A Survey of North Dakota High School Chemistry Teachers to Assess Potential Hazards Found in Academic Laboratories" completed July 1993

Larry Groth, Thesis Title: "The Chemical Determination of Various Metals in Water Entering and Leaving the Devils Lake Lemna Water Treatment System" completed July 1996

Justin M. Guyer, Thesis Title: "Developing and Testing of a Unit on Selenium to Incorporate in a Science Curriculum" completed July 1996

Melanie J. Kathrein, Thesis Title: "A Comparative Study Between CRISTAL Learning Cycle Strategies and Traditional Teaching Strategies for High School Chemistry" completed March 1998

Lisa Patrice Potts, Thesis Title: "A Study of Seasonal Orthophosphate Concentrations Throughout the Minot Wastewater Treatment Facility" completed July 1999

Donna Lynn Knutson, Thesis Title: "A Comparison of Standard and Inquiry-based Teaching Approaches in Ninth-grade Physical Science" completed July 1999

Clarence Eugene Bender, Thesis Title: "Highly Qualified Science Teachers in North Dakota: Overcoming Obstacles to NCLB Compliance" completed April 2006

Kyle Ray Baarstad, Thesis Title: "An Investigation of the Effect Molecular Chain Length Has on the Dimerization of Cyanine Dyes" anticipated completion date August 2008

Courtney Mundahl "The Effectiveness of Phosphate Removal by a Lemna System for the City of Devils Lake North Dakota" completed November 2012

Naomi Winburn "Determination of a Cadmium Concentration Ratio for Tail and Liver Samples of Ambystoma mexicanum" completed January 2013

Natalie Skovran "Assessing Causes of Change in the Distribution of Fragile Papershell Mussels in Apple Creek, North Dakota" completed April 2015

Nolan Spooner "A Measure of Water Quality in Relation to Sustainable Fish Populations in Clearwater Lake" completed July 2016

Nicholas Kulas "Land Use Effects on Nitrate and Phosphate Concentrations in Ground and Surface Waters" completed July 2016

Elizabeth Kelly "Characterization of the Flora in McHenry County, North Dakota in a Tract of Privately Owned Prairie as Potential

Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae) Habitat" completed July 2106

Bridget Jacobs "Comparison of Wetlands Constructed on Abandoned Mine Lands with Naturally Occurring Wetlands by Water and Soil Analysis."

Richard Frye "Water Quality of Sweet Briar Lake"

RESEARCH PROJECTS WITH UNDERGRADUATES:

with Marla R. Hain "The Effects of Solvents, Dye Concentration, pH, and Temperature on the Absorbance Spectra of Nile Blue, an Oxazine Dye" 1988-1989

with Charles R. Hopkins, a study of endogenous pyruvates by lactate dehydrogenase in a commercial plasma ammonia assay, 1989-1990

with Mary Fallis, Greg Herman, JeNell Pederson, Margaret Lowe, James Heckman, Jeff Herman, Andrea Crackel, and Clark Markell; a water chemistry study for the City of Minot as part of a wellhead protection study, 1991-1992

with Silvano Bentzel, an analysis of liquid waste-stream samples for Bio-Sunn, 1992

with Tim Melander, a project examining the effectiveness of Lignite/Lime mixtures at adsorbing metal cations, 1993

with Nancy Walsh and Crystal Halseth, water chemistry study of the City of Minot wastewater treatment system, 1994

with Chris Focke, a project to measure pKa's of acid-base indicators on indicators in nonaqueous solvents, 1995

with Gloria Kiernan, a project determining formation constants of Rhodamine B dimers and aggregates in solution, 1995

with Jason Sorenson, a project to monitor total nitrogen levels in the wastewater treatment system in Minot, 1997

with Chris Heth and Hilary Davidson, a project investigating the role of phosphate protection on lead leaching into water, 2003-2004

with Krista Burckhard, Michaela Schwan, and Jack Carraher, projects investigating the determination of lithium in soils and other materials using atomic absorption spectroscopy 2004-2007

with Yannick Nkunni a project investigating the determination of ammonia in soils and other materials using ultraviolet/visible absorption spectroscopy 2006-2007

with Brittany Finneman, a project investigating the factors involved in determine substances involved in methamphetamine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry 2007-2008

with LeeAnn Pekovitch a study of the effect of temperature on the GC-MS signal from methamphetamine 2008-present (LeAnn presented her Senior Seminar on this research in December 2009)

with Virginia Faulkner a study of the effect of other substances on the GC-MS signal from methamphetamine, 2009-2010

with Pamela Guss a study of the effect of other substances on the GC-MS signal from methamphetamine, 2010-2011

with Josh Wood a study of the leaching of lead from brass into water In the presence of various phosphates Spring 2011

with Kerri Berg a study of the effectiveness of different cleaning methods on the removal of methamphetamine from glass and wood surface Spring and Fall 2011

with Mitchell Falkenberg a study of the detectable signal from methamphetamine in solution at elevated temperatures Fall 2011-2012

with Kelsey Beyer a study of the effectiveness of different cleaning methods on the removal of methapmphetamine from a variety of surfaces Spring 2012- 2013

with Rachel Lozensky a study of determination of Cd in soil using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Fall 2013

with Osinachi Nwachukwu a study of extraction of Methamphetamine from permeable surfaces including wood and sheetrock Fall 2013-present

with Michael Hickman a study of determination of Lithium in soil using Graphite Furnance Atomic Absorption and different extraction methods Spring 2014-present

with Ayanda Ncube a study of the phosphate concentrations throughout the City of Minot Wastewater System Fall 2015- Spring 2016

with Stephanie Brock a study of different methods of cleaning methamphetamine residue from several types of carpet Fall 2015- Spring 2016