Nicholas Sterling, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Physics
Department of Natural Sciences College of Arts, Culture, and Scientific Inquiry

678-839-5139
nsterlin@westuaU7PYbXBwuLZCuOxiU1BYaapRjVgtAZnXYZXV4Zga.edu

Technology Learning Center - Room 2250
Office Hours
Please contact for Hours.

Download curriculum vitae for Nicholas Sterling, Ph.D. in PDF
Nicholas Sterling, Ph.D.

Prof. Sterling grew up in St. Paul, MN and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a double B.S. in physics-astronomy and mathematics. He received a Ph. D. in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin, and has had postdoctoral fellowships at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Michigan State University. He taught physics at Valparaiso University (Indiana) before joining the University of West Georgia in August 2013. 

Research Interests 

Prof. Sterling studies planetary nebulae, the gaseous ejecta of dying low-mass stars (1-8 times the Sun’s mass). He uses spectroscopy to study the chemical composition of planetary nebulae, in order to understand how elements are formed in low-mass stars. From observations with 3−10 meter telescopes in the US, Chile, and Spain, he has discovered and analyzed emission lines from some of the rarest elements in the Universe, including selenium, krypton, rubidium, cadmium, tellurium and xenon. In addition to his observational research, Prof. Sterling studies the atomic properties of heavy element ions via state-of-the-art computer calculations and (previously) experimental measurements conducted at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

His research is currently funded by two NSF grants: one to investigate how atomic ions capture electrons (a process called recombination) in astrophysical plasmas, and a second that involves observations of planetary nebulae in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies in order to study the production of heavy elements (atomic number Z > 30) in the Universe with unprecedented precision and accuracy.  In 2023-2024, Prof. Sterling has been awarded time on the 8.1-meter Gemini South and 6.5-m Baade Telescopes in Chile, the 3.0-m NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii, and the 10-m Hobby Eberly Telescope in Texas to study the spectra of planetary nebulae. He is also actively involved in four James Webb Space Telescope programs.

UWG undergraduate students play key roles in this research, and Dr. Sterling encourages students interested in astronomy or atomic physics research to contact him. He is proud to supervise several undergraduate research students each year, most of whom present research results at state and/or national conferences. 

Fall 2024 Sections

Spring 2024 Sections

Fall 2023 Sections

Spring 2023 Sections

Fall 2022 Sections

Spring 2022 Sections

Fall 2021 Sections

Spring 2021 Sections

Fall 2020 Sections

Spring 2020 Sections

  • PHYS-2212 (Principles of Physics II) Section: 01
  • PHYS-2212 (Principles of Physics II) Section: 02
  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02

Fall 2019 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02
  • PHYS-4513 (Mathematical Physics) Section: 01
  • PHYS-4984 (Physics Seminar) Section: 01W

Spring 2019 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02
  • PHYS-4103 (Astrophysics) Section: 01

Fall 2018 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02
  • PHYS-3503 (Modern Physics) Section: 01W
  • PHYS-4984 (Physics Seminar) Section: 01W

Spring 2018 Sections

  • PHYS-2212 (Principles of Physics II) Section: 01
  • PHYS-2212 (Principles of Physics II) Section: 02
  • PHYS-2212 (Principles of Physics II) Section: 03
  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02

Fall 2017 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: L2R
  • PHYS-4513 (Mathematical Physics) Section: 01

Spring 2017 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 01
  • PHYS-4103 (Astrophysics) Section: 01

Fall 2016 Sections

  • PHYS-1112 (Introductory Physics II) Section: 01
  • PHYS-1112 (Introductory Physics II) Section: 02
  • PHYS-1112 (Introductory Physics II) Section: 03
  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: L2R
  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: LXR

Spring 2016 Sections

  • PHYS-1111 (Introductory Physics I) Section: 01
  • PHYS-1111 (Introductory Physics I) Section: 02
  • PHYS-1111 (Introductory Physics I) Section: 03
  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 01
  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 25H

Fall 2015 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02
  • PHYS-4513 (Mathematical Physics) Section: 01

Spring 2015 Sections

  • ASTR-2313 (Astronomy) Section: 02
  • PHYS-3521 (Experimental Physics II) Section: 01W