Effrosyni Seitaridou
Professor of Physics
Frosso Seitaridou is Professor of Physics. She received her B.A. in Physics from Smith College and her B.E. in Materials Science from Dartmouth College, both in 2002. For her graduate studies she went to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where she got her M.S. in 2004 and her Ph.D. in 2008, both in Applied Physics. Her dissertation was in the area of Biophysics, where she used microfluidic technology to study diffusion in the small-numbers limit and the self-assembly of the 30S ribosomal subunit.
Dr. Seitaridou joined Oxford in the fall of 2008. She is currently teaching introductory physics courses, both calculus and non-calculus based (PHYS 151-152 and PHYS 141-142, respectively,) as well as sophomore-level physics courses on computational modeling (PHYS 212), mathematical methods (PHYS 220), and modern physics (PHYS 253). Her research focuses on investigating the communication mechanism of bacterial cells within biofilms that are grown inside microfluidics. She has co-authored articles with undergraduate students and collaborators from diverse subfilelds in physics. She has also co-authored two books. Her first book on diffusion was written with Dr. Dan Gillespie and is titled “Simple Brownian Diffusion: An Introduction to the Standard Theoretical Models,” released in October, 2012 by Oxford University Press. Her second book was written with Dr. Alfred Farris and is titled "A Student's Guide to Rotational Motion," released in August, 2023 by Cambridge University Press. She has received numerous recognitions for excellence in teaching.
Born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece, Dr. Seitaridou came to the U.S. in order to pursue her undergraduate and graduate level studies. In her spare time, she enjoys talking about physics, reading, running, and hiking with her dog, Gibbs.
Education
BA| Smith College| 2002
B.Eng| Dartmouth College| 2002
MS| California Institute of Technology (Caltech)| 2004
Ph.D.| California Institute of Technology (Caltech)| 2008
Courses Taught
- Physics 141: Introductory Physics I with Lab (algebra-based)
- Physics 142: Introductory Physics II with Lab (algebra-based)
- Physics 151: General Physics: Mechanics with Lab (calculus-based)
- Physics 152: General Physics: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics with Lab (calculus-based)
- Physics 212: Computational Modeling for Scientists and Engineers with Lab
- Physics 220: Introduction to Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers
- Physics 253: Modern Physics with Lab
Accomplishments
- Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award – Oxford College, May 2019
- Phi Eta Sigma award for exellent teaching (2013)
- Phi Beta Kappa recognition for excellent teaching (2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022)
Publications
- E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. "A Student's Guide to Rotational Motion", Cambridge University Press, August 2023.
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E. Seitaridou. "Developing the First Two Years of an Undergraduate Physics Program", Physics Today, January 2021, DOI: 10.1063/PT.6.5.20210121a.
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Y. Cao, L. Petzold, E. Seitaridou. “Stochastic Simulation of Biochemical Systems: In Memory of Dan T. Gillespie’s Contributions”, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Vol. 81(8), August 2019, DOI: 10.1007/s11538-019-00633-w.
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C. Cheng, Y. Dong, M. Dorian, F. Kamili, E. Seitaridou. “Quantifying Biofilm Formation of Sinorhizobium meliloti Bacterial Strains in MIcrofluidic Platforms by Measuring the Diffusion Coefficient of Polystyrene Beads”, Open Journal of Biophysics, Vol. 7, July 2017, DOI: 10.4236/ojbiphy.2017.73012.
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D. T. Gillespie, E. Seitaridou, C. A. Gillespie. “The Small-Voxel Tracking Algorithm for Simulating Chemical Reactions among Diffusing Molecules”, The Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 141, December 2014, DOI: 10.1063/1.4903962.
- D. T. Gillespie, L. Petzold, E. Seitaridou. “Validity Conditions for Stochastic Chemical Kinetics in Diffusion-Limited Systems”, The Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 140, February 2014, DOI: 054111.
- D. T. Gillespie, E. Seitaridou. “Simple Brownian Diffusion: An Introduction to the Standard Theoretical Models”, Oxford University Press, October 2012.
- E. Gardel, E. Seitaridou, K. Facto, E. Keene, K. Hattam, N. Easwar, N. Menon, N. “Dynamical Fluctuations in Dense Granular Flows”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, Vol. 367(1909), December 2009, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2009.0189.
- W. Ridgeway, E. Seitaridou, R. Phillips, J. Williamson. “RNA – Protein Binding Kinetics in an Automated Microfluidic Reactor”, Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 37(21), September 2009, DOI:10.1093/nar/gkp733.
- E. Seitaridou. “Non-Equilibrium Dynamics: Diffusion in Small Numbers and Ribosomal Self-Assembly”, Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Applied Physics, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, U.S.A., May 2008.
- E. Seitaridou, M. Inamdar, R. Phillips, K. Ghosh, K. Dill. “Measuring Flux Distributions for Diffusion in the Small-Numbers Limit”, The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol. 111, No. 9, pp. 2288-2292, February 2007, DOI: 10.1021/jp067036j.
- K. Ghosh, K. Dill, M. Inamdar, E. Seitaridou, R. Phillips. “Teaching the Principles of Statistical Dynamics”, American Journal of Physics, Vol. 74, No. 2, pp. 123-133, February 2006.
- K. Kaliski, A. Mills-Tettey, E. Seitaridou, R. Collier, D. Fraser. “Low complexity, continuous, noise monitoring system for communities, small airports and remote areas”, Noise-Con (2001), Best student paper award, U.S. Patent No. 7,092,853 B2, August 2006.
· Y. Cao, L. Petzold, E. Seitaridou. “Stochastic Simulation of Biochemical Systems: In Memory of Dan T. Gillespie’s Contributions”, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Vol. 81(8), August 2019, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-019-00633-w.
Presentations
- N. George, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. “Developing a Simple Algorithm to Study Biofilm Growth”, Oxford Research Scholars Symposium, Oxford, GA, April 14, 2023 (poster presentation).
- F. Hatoum, K. P. Gram, J. Sui, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. "Quantifying Thermodynamic Properties of Texts Using Jaynes' Principle of Maximum Entropy", March Meeting, American Physical Society, Las Vegas, NV, March 9, 2023 (poster presentation).
- K. P. Gram, J. Sui, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. “Quantifying Patterns of Sound Units in Language Using Maximum Entropy”, Summer Oxford Research Scholars Symposium, Oxford, GA, August 3, 2022 (poster presentation).
- K. P. Gram, J. Sui, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. “Quantifying Patterns of Sound Units in Language Using Maximum Entropy”, Oxford Research Scholars Symposium, Oxford, GA, April 22, 2022 (poster presentation).
- K. P. Gram, J. Sui, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. “Quantifying Patterns of Sound Units in Language Using Maximum Entropy”, March Meeting, American Physical Society, Chicago, IL, March 15, 2022 (poster presentation).
- J. Sui, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. “Quantifying Languages Using Computational Physics: Examining the Energies of Words”, Summer Oxford Research Scholars Symposium, Oxford, GA, August 4, 2021 (poster presentation).
- D. Huryn, E. Seitaridou, A. C. K. Farris. “Identifying Bacteria Strains with Image Analysis”, Oxford Research Scholars Symposium, Oxford, GA, April 24, 2020 (oral presentation).
- E. Seitaridou. “Developing the First Two Years of an Undergraduate Physics Program – A Ten-Year Study”, American Physical Society Meeting, Denver, CO, March 2020 (abstract accepted but conference cancelled due to Covid19).
- M. Cheng, Z. Qiu, M. Rogers, E. Seitaridou. “Modeling Energy Use in the Oxford Science Building”, Oxford Research Scholars Symposium, Oxford, GA, April 21, 2017 (poster presentation).
- Y. Dong, E. Seitaridou. “Quantifying Biofilm Formation of Sinorhizobium meliloti by Measuring the Diffusion Coefficient of Polystyrene Beads in Microfluidic Platforms”, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at Emory University (SURE), Atlanta, GA, August 4, 2016 (poster presentation).
- N. Jacob, S. Fankhauser, L. Talliafero-Smith, E. Seitaridou. “Integrating Undergraduate Research at Various Levels within a STEM Curriculum”, 17th Biennial Conference, Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR), Tampa, FL, June 26, 2016 (workshop presentation).
- M. Dorian, E. Seitaridou. “Quantifying the Rate of Biofilm Growth of S. meliloti Strains in Microfluidics via the Diffusion Coefficient of Microspheres”, March Meeting, American Physical Society, Denver, CO, March 5, 2014 (poster presentation).
- M. Dorian, E. Seitaridou. “Quantifying the Rate of Biofilm Growth of S. meliloti Strains via the Diffusion Coefficient of Microspheres within Microfluidics”, Atlanta Area Molecular and Cellular Biophysics Symposium, Biophysical Society, Atlanta, GA, December 7, 2013 (poster presentation, awarded 3rd prize).
- M. Dorian, E. Seitaridou. “Quantifying the Rate of Biofilm Growth of S. meliloti Strains via the Diffusion Coefficient of Microspheres within Microfluidics”, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at Emory University (SURE), Atlanta, GA, August 1, 2013 (poster presentation).
- E. Seitaridou. “The President in a Crowded Room (and How the Higgs Particle Explains Mass)”, Lyceum talk series at Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA, September 27, 2012.
- C. Cheng, E. Seitaridou. “Tracking the Biofilm Development of S. meliloti by Observing the Diffusion of Microspheres inside Microfluidics”, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at Emory University (SURE), Atlanta, GA, August 4, 2011 (poster presentation).
- E. Seitaridou, F. Kamili. “Improving on Einstein’s Diffusion Theory with Microspheres in Solutions”, Physics Colloquium. Agnes Scott College, Atlanta, GA, September 17, 2010.
- F. Kamili, E. Seitaridou. “Tracking Particles and Growth: The Diffusion Coefficient as an Indicator of Biofilm Development Inside Microfluidics”, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at Emory University (SURE), Atlanta, GA, August 5, 2010 (poster presentation).
- E. Seitaridou. “Microfluidics and the Study of Non-Equilibrium Systems”, Physics Colloquium, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, November 13, 2009.
Research Interests
- Project I - Developing Oxford's Physics and Astronomy program: Physics and Astronomy departments are traditionally small and students often enter physics courses with a fear for the subject. My scholarship has focused on applying the common elements of thriving physics programs to the Oxford College campus in order to create a landscape where students, especially women and minorities, will ultimately chose to major in physics and/or astronomy, be retained, and have a successful pathway. Such landscape includes the development of a challenging curriculum, especially in the introductory courses, taught by supportive faculty; the development of interdisciplinary experiments and group, open-ended research projects, which incorporate technology; providing research experience within courses; proper advising and mentoring.
- Project II - Understanding the diffusion mechanism in biofilms: Most bacteria in natural and pathogenic ecosystems are in groups called biofilms. Bacterial cells belonging to the same biofilm use diffusion to communicate, which makes diffusion critical to the survival of a biofilm. Diffusion can also be used to quantify the growth stage of the biofilm and to distinguish between biofilm forming and non-biofilm forming bacterial strains. Diffusion inside a bacterial community can be observed by tracking a microsphere as it moves within the biofilm. The scope of this project is to conduct a comparative study inside microfluidic devices of the diffusion of microspheres in Sinorhizobium meliloti bacterial strains (wild type and mutations) that differ in their ability to form a biofilm.
- Project III – Physics in liguistics: Techniques of statistical physics and computation can be applied to study patterns in language use and development. In partiular, one can observe how new words emerge and are incoporated into the language, how languages develop over time, and how people use language differently depending on the means of communication (i.e., social media, newspapers, etc.)