The Library of Congress Virtual Reference Shelf.

NEW! PGCC Student Scholarship Search and Application Site!

Free US College Student Scholarship and Grant Information!

Free Transfer College and Scholarship Search Information.

Dr. Roberts' webpage with Freeware and Useful Programs for your computer.

Courses taught by Dr. Boyle at Prince George's Community College:

• Biology BIO 1010, General Biology I

• Chemistry CHM 1010, General Chemistry I

• Chemistry CHM 1020, General Chemistry II

• Chemistry CHM 1030, General Chemistry II Laboratory

• Physical Sciences PSC 115/1150, Fundamentals of Chemistry and Physics

Prince George's Community College Example Student Projects:

• GOLD: ITS HISTORY, IMPORTANCE, AND CHEMISTRY.  PGCC Honors Program Project.
  • Student: Ms. Jacqueline Anjorin.

• THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY: FUEL CELLS.  PGCC Honors Program Project.
  • Student: Ms. Queenet Ibekweh.

• SPRAY FLAME SPECTROSCOPY.  PGCC STEM Collegian Center Project.
  • Students: Ms. Leke Abondem Atabong and Mr. Njimikara Abianui.

• The Revised Spectroscopy Lab Procedure.

• The Atmospheric Pressure Demonstration Video.

Honors:

• Creator and Moderator of the Science, Technology, and Society Discussion Corner Facebook group since January 2009;
  As of June 2017 this Facebook group has more than thirty-four thousand active members!

• Montclair Who's Who In Collegiate Faculty, 2006/2007

• Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 2006/2007

• University of Washington Graduate Student Research Award for 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94;
  The Egtvedt Charitable Trust Fund, Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Boyle's academic background:

• Ph.D. in Food Science and Engineering, 1994, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
  • Dissertation: "Development of a system for measuring the biomass of live aquaculture fish using computer vision."




Professor Boyle in 1992 with the prototype Fish Viewing Chamber he designed and built.  The Fish Viewing Chamber allowed sharp images of the fish to be taken by the video camera on top as the fish were pumped through the chamber (The live aquaculture fish are unharmed by this routine pumping procedure).  Professor Boyle also designed the image-processing algorithm to obtain the weight from images of the flexible fish bodies as they tumbled through the tubing and chamber, i.e., in any pose and viewed from any angle; not a trivial proposition.  The motivation for this research was an optimization of each individual aquaculture farm's profits: To minimize the costs of fish feed (the largest cost item for aquaculture farming) while maximizing the growth of the farmed fish (marketable product).  The research project was a spectacular technical success;  this computer-vision system measured the weights of the fish with an accuracy of within one percent.



Schematic of the projective geometry analysis of the fish images.

• M.S. in Pulp and Paper Technology, 1987, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
  • Thesis: "Measurement of molecular masses and diffusion coefficients of macromolecules in solution by convection-diffusion dispersion in laminar flow through capillary tubes."


• Diploma, 1981, United Nations Programme on Environmental Control in the Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries.
  • University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
• M.S. in Chemical Engineering, 1979, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
  • Thesis: "Biochemical engineering processing of aqueous wastes containing acetic acid to produce edible Torula yeast."


• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 1976, Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador.
  • Thesis: "Assessment of the pollution by heavy metal compounds in the sediments, rivers and streams of the San Salvador metropolitan area using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometry."

• Some projects Dr. Boyle has worked on:

• The economic evaluation of a biogas generating system and an electric power co-generation system as a heat source for a trout aquaculture facility.
• The design for a computer-based automatic system for the Southern Blotting DNA identification technique.
• The design of a fermentation facility for the production of 20 tons per day of edible fungal protein (processing steps, material and energy balances, equipment specifications, etc.)
• The material and energy balances for a modular aquaculture system (300,000 lb/yr per module) for production of tilapia (a common aquaculture fish species) with thermal power plant or geothermal heat sources.
• The design for an industrial processing plant to produce surimi, omega-3 fish oil, and liquid fish fertilizer.
• Faculty participation in a Better Process Control School (intensive four-day course) covering food microbiology, thermal sterilization, canning & aseptic packaging processes, and pertinent legislation.
• Laboratory evaluation of a refrigerated package system for shipment of live salmon and trout eggs.

• Dr. Boyle's interests:
  • Applications of science to the solution of complex technical and social problems.
  • Interactions between technology and society.
  • Resource/energy use optimization.
  • Environmental protection.
  • Biochemical engineering/Biotechnology.
  • The dynamics of interpersonal relationships, and the development of a rational basis for human ethical behavior;
    e.g., see my world-class essay on Sibling Rivalry, (First place in Google, 2001-2007).
  • Member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, since 1987.

  
  

  

  An application of biotechnology:  The Flow Diagram for the material and energy balances for the production of 680.3 kilograms per hour of Pekilo (Paecilomyces sp.) dried protein concentrate.  The byproduct carbohydrate feed stream is concentrated with a nanofilter and is then sent to a continuous aerobic bioreactor where it is transformed into Pekilo protein biomass.  The Pekilo protein biomass slurry exiting the bioreactor is then filtered, pressed, and dried into the dry Pekilo protein concentrate product.  This product is used in the formulation of livestock feed and is also used for human protein supplements.  Similar biotechnology processes are used for the manufacture of many different products, from ethanol for beverages or biofuel, to monoclonal antibodies for medical uses.

  

  "Modern science is the mathematical description of natural phenomena;
  Mathematics is the systematic study of patterns (in time, in space, or in structures)." --WAB.
  

  

  "La ciencia moderna consiste en la descripción matemática de los fenómenos que observamos en la naturaleza; 
  Por su parte, la matemática consiste en el estudio sistemático de regularidades o patrones (en el tiempo, en el espacio, o en estructuras)." --WAB.
  

  

  "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one." --The Second Law of Thermodynamics.
  

  

  "What is Space?;  What is Time?" --Albert Einstein.

  "What is Energy?" --WAB.
  

  

  "Inertia is a property of matter." --Galileo.

  "Inertia is also a property of gray matter." --WAB.
  

  

  Back to the Natural Sciences Department webpage
  

  

  * * * * *