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Jim Baer - Mathematics
Jim Baer
Full Time Faculty
Mathematics
“I was born in Pittsburgh, and grew up watching the moon landings and Star Trek. My father and I bought a telescope when I was in 8th grade, and I was hooked on astronomy. I earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physics from Penn State, and a master’s degree in math from Penn State. I've taught for both The Art Institute Online and South University, and joined South University's fulltime online faculty in 2006. I'm currently working on my doctorate in astronomy at James Cook University.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why Jim Baer, a full time faculty member for South University online programs, is fascinated by the mysterious world of asteroids and whether they present a threat to Earth.

When Jim isn’t busy teaching mathematics to his students online, he says he enjoys researching and learning about astronomy. “I grew up watching the space program, and I’ve loved astronomy my entire life. The mathematics required for this work also happens to be my area of specialty. This particular application is definitely unique and fascinating. I think it’s remarkable that we can learn so much about the solar system with little more than a desktop PC.”

For the past eight years, Jim has been collaborating with colleagues in Italy and Norway to develop software that will calculate the orbits of near-Earth asteroids. They have even developed an application called CODES, a program that will allow astronomers to calculate the orbits of newly discovered asteroids and determine if they pose a collision threat to Earth.

Additionally, Jim and a colleague have worked on a project to deduce the masses and densities of asteroids by observing how their gravity perturbs the trajectory of other nearby asteroids. The team has successfully determined the masses of 21 asteroids and presented their results at the American Astronomical Society Conference, held in Ann Arbor, Michigan in May 2007.

While Jim enjoys his work in astronomy, he has just as much devotion to his students and appreciates teaching mathematics, “I am fortunate to work with extremely motivated students. South University helps people earn an education that will greatly improve their lives and those of their families. It’s a privilege to have an opportunity to help people so directly.”

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