EDUCATION

8/88 to 4/89, 8/91 to 8/94
BS Geology, Magna Cum Laude, Brigham Young University

8/94 to 12/99

Ph.D. Geological Sciences, specializing in mineral surface geochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Ph.D. advisor - Michael F. Hochella. Dissertation title: “Atomic Force Microscopy Study of Clay Mineral Dissolution”.
Click here to obtain a copy of this dissertation.

TEACHING

Physical Science 110B: Physical Science

Geology 351: Mineralogy

Geology 445: Geochemistry

Geology 550: Environmental Soil Chemistry

RESEARCH

I have focused my research in two areas: low temperature geochemistry and geoscience education.

Low Temperature Geochemistry: Chemical reactions between minerals and aqueous solutions happen at the mineral-fluid interface, a tiny region where solution properties are quite different than in the bulk fluid, and solid properties are quite different than in the bulk mineral structure. However, although this interface is where all the action is, chemically speaking, prior to the last two decades the tools to study such surface processes were comparatively primitive. In most cases chemists were limited to examining changes in solution chemistry and explaining these changes in terms of some assumed surface process (e.g. adsorption, precipitation, etc.) Recent advances in theory and instrumentation are now allowing researchers to more directly probe mineral surfaces, allowing us to gain a more complete and accurate picture of mineral-fluid interactions. In my case, I am interested in studying how mineral surface atomic structure and composition affect reactivity. I use Atomic Force Microscopy, Force Spectroscopy, and other surface sensitive techniques to achieve this goal, as well as more traditional wet-chemical methods. I also use ab initio molecular structure calculations to help explain experimental results.

Geoscience Education: I teach an Earth Science class for Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education majors, and I feel it is imperative that these students learn to love and have an adequate knowledge of science, so that they can pass these on to young children. So far my research has focused on accomplishing these goals using innovative methods such as service-learning and creative writing projects, as well as experimenting with methods for teaching the nature of science.

EMPLOYMENT

1991-1999 Various Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant jobs in the Geology, Chemistry, and Honors departments of Brigham Young University and the Geological Sciences department of Virginia Tech.

1/00 to 7/01 Postdoctoral Research Associate for Prof. Kathryn L. Nagy, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder.

8/01 to present Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, Brigham Young University.

HONORS

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1994-1999

American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Scholarship, 1996-1998

Outstanding Dissertation Award, Virginia Tech, 2001 (one of two awarded per year in the University)

J. Keith Rigby Research Award, BYU Department of Geological Sciences, 2005-2006.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Member of the Research Grants committee, Clay Minerals Society

Associate Editor, Journal of Geoscience Education

AFFILIATIONS

National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Geochemical Society, Mineralogical Society of America, Clay Minerals Society, American Chemical Society

PROFESSIONAL, PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

*denotes works published after BRB joined the BYU faculty

Names in red are graduate students

Names in purple are undergraduates.

*Thompson KR, Bickmore BR, Graham CR, Yanchar SC (submitted) A service-learning strategy for improving attitudes toward science of pre-service elementary teachers. Journal of Geoscience Education.

*Bickmore BR, Rosso KM, and Mitchell SC (2006) Is there hope for multisite complexation modelling? In Surface Complexation Modelling (ed. Lützenkirchen J). Amsterdam, Elsevier, 269-283.

*Bickmore BR, Rosso KM, Tadanier CJ, Bylaska EJ, and Doud D. (2006) Bond-valence methods for pK_a prediction. II. Bond-valence, electrostatic, molecular geometry, and solvation effects. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 70, 4057-4071.

*Bickmore BR, Nagy KL, Gray AK, and Brinkerhoff AR (2006) The influence of Al(OH)₄^- on the dissolution rate of quartz. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 70, 290-305.

*Lusk MG, Bickmore BR, Sudweeks R, Bothell T, and Christensen E. (2006) Use of a mentored creative writing project to improve the geology education of preservice elementary teachers. Journal of Geoscience Education, 54, 31-40.

*Thompson KR, Graham CR, and Bickmore BR (2005) Earth science storybook projects for preservice elementary education majors: Improving attitudes toward science. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2005, 3761-3766.

*Bickmore BR, Tadanier CJ, Rosso KM Monn WD, and Eggett DL. (2004) Bond-valence methods for pKa prediction: Critical reanalysis and a new approach. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 68, 2025-2042.

*Bickmore BR, Rosso KM, Cygan RT, Nagy KL, and Tadanier CJ. (2003) Ab initio determination of edge surface structures for dioctahedral 2:1 phyllosilicates: Implications for acid-base reactivity. Clays and Clay Minerals, 51, 359-371.
Click here to see the abstract and download the article if you have a subscription.

*Bickmore, BR, Nagy, KL, Sandlin, PE, and Crater, TS. (2002) Quantifying surface areas of clays by atomic force microscopy. American Mineralogist, 87, 780-783.
Click here for article.

*Bickmore, BR, Nagy, KL, Young, JS, and Drexler, JW. (2001) Nitrate-cancrinite precipitation on quartz sand in simulated Hanford tank solutions. Environmental Science and Technology, 35, 4481-4486.
Click here for abstract. Click here for article (subscription only). Click here for supporting information.

Bickmore BR, Bosbach D, Hochella MF, Jr., and Charlet L. (2001) In situ Atomic Force Microscopy study of Hectorite and Nontronite dissolution: Implications for phyllosilicate edge structures and dissolution mechanisms. American Mineralogist, 86, 411-423.
Click here for abstract. Click here for article (MSA members only).

Bosbach D, Charlet L, Bickmore BR, Hochella, MF, Jr. (2000) The dissolution of hectorite: In-situ, real-time observations using Atomic Force Microscopy. American Mineralogist, 85, 1209-1216.
Click here for abstract. Click here for article.

Bickmore BR, Hochella MF Jr., Bosbach D, and Charlet L. (1999). Methods for Performing Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Clay Minerals in Aqueous Solutions. Clays and Clay Minerals, 47, 573-581.

Bickmore BR, Hochella MF Jr., Bosbach D, and Charlet L. (1999) Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Minute Particles in Aqueous Solutions. Microscopy Today, 99-9, 14-18.

Bickmore BR, Rufe E, Barrett SD, and Hochella MF, Jr. (1999) Measuring discrete feature dimensions in Atomic Force Microscopy Images with Image SXM. Geological Materials Research, 1, no. 5. This journal can be accessed at http://gmr.minsocam.org .

Barrett SD, Bickmore BR, Rufe E, Hochella MF Jr., Torzo G, and Cerolini D. (1998) The use of macros in AFM image analysis and image processing. Journal of Computer Assisted Microscopy, 10, 77-82.

Hochella MF Jr., Rakovan J, Rosso K, Bickmore B, Rufe E. (1998) New directions in mineral surface geochemical research using scanning probe microscopy. In Mineral-Water Interfacial Reactions: Kinetics and Mechanisms, ACS Symposium Series Vol. 715 (ed. Sparks DL, Grundl TJ). Washington, DC, 37-56.

PROFESSIONAL ABSTRACTS

*Bickmore BR, Thompson KR, Graham CR, Grandy DA, Tomlin T. (2006) Science as “storytelling” for teaching the nature of science to preservice teachers. GSA Abstracts with Programs, 38, 397.

*Bickmore BR, Rosso KM, Brown ID, and Bylaska E (2006) Water structure and the valence sum rule. American Chemical Society national meeting, San Francisco.

*Bickmore BR, Rosso KM, and Brown ID (2005) Bond-valence controls on liquid water structure: An ab initio molecular dynamics study. GSA Abstracts with Programs, 37, 382.

*Thompson KR, Bickmore BR, Graham CR (2005) Earth science mini-lessons: A service-learning strategy. GSA Abstracts with Programs, 37, 85.

*O’Reilly SE, Furukawa Y, Bickmore B, Kim J, Watkins J, Newell S (2005) Dissolution, precipitation, and Fe(III) reduction in experimental systems with nontronite (NAu-1) and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 69, A459.

*Bickmore BR, Tadanier CJ, and Rosso KM (2004) New approach for predicting acidity constants: Combining bond-valence and ab initio methods. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 227, U1203.

*Bickmore BR, Tadanier CJ, and Rosso KM (2004) Combined ab initio/bond-valence method of pK_a prediction for oxide surfaces. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 68, A121.

*Mitchell SC, Bickmore BR, Tadanier CJ, and Rosso KM (2004) An improved MUSIC model for gibbsite surfaces. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 68, A123.

*Bickmore B, Rosso K, Nagy K, Cygan R, and Tadanier C (2003) Ab initio determination of phyllosilicate edge structures: Implications for acid-base reactivity. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 5, 04682.

*Bickmore, BR, Rosso, KM, and Nagy, KL. (2002) Experimental and modeling studies of clay mineral surface reactivity. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 223, GEOC 155.

*Bickmore, BR, Nagy, KL, Sandlin, PE, and Crater, TS. (2002) Quantifying surface areas of clays by atomic force microscopy, The Clay Minerals Society 39^th Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts, Boulder, CO, June 8-13, 41.

*Bickmore, BR, Nagy, KL, Gray, AK, and Moschetti, M. (2001) The effect of adsorbed Al(OH)₄^- on the dissolution rate of quartz. In Eleventh Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, Abstract #3296, LPI Contribution No. 1088, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston (CD-ROM).

*Bickmore, BR, Nagy, KL, and Gray, AK. (2001) Dissolution of quartz and precipitation of cancrinite in contact with Hanford tank simulants. American Chemical Society national meeting, Chicago, August 26-31, GEOC 54.

Bickmore BR, Bosbach D, Charlet L, and Hochella MF Jr. (1999) Real-time observation of smectite dissolution: Rates and mechanisms. Euroclay 1999, Conference of the European Clay Groups Association, Program with Abstracts, 64.

Bickmore BR, Bosbach D, Hochella MF Jr., and Charlet L. (1999) Acid dissolution rates of 2:1 phyllosilicate clay minerals measured with in situ Atomic Force Microscopy. In Ninth Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, pp. 28-29, LPI Contribution No. 971, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston.

Bickmore BR, Hochella MF Jr. (1997) The particle-specific nature of mica weathering: Real-time observation of K⁺ exchange in clay-sized mica particles using fluid cell TMAFM™. In Seventh Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, pp. 27-28, LPI Contribution No. 921, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston.

Bickmore BR, Hochella MF Jr. (1997) Real-time observation of K-exchange in clay-size phlogopite particles: A fluid cell TMAFM study. Abstracts with Programs, Geological Society of America Annual Meeting 29, 26.

STUDENTS

I have a strong commitment to mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students, and encouraging them to publish their results in top journals. Look for the names of the students below and in the publications list above. Graduate student names are in red and undergraduate student names are in purple. A couple more undergraduates that I helped mentor as a post-doc are also highlighted above.

Mary G. Lusk - M.S. Geology Education (M.S. thesis - "The Earth Science Storybook Project")

Scott C. Mitchell - M.S. Geology (M.S. thesis - "An Improved MUSIC Model for Gibbsite").

Kirsten Thompson - Ph.D. student in Instructional Psychology and Technology. (Kirsten is working with me on my Geoscience Education projects.)

Thomas J. Campbell - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "Force titration of the gibbsite (001) surface")

Laura Cardon - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "The role of defects in mica interlayer exchange: An atomic force microscopy study")

Eric Taylor - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "The role of defects in mica interlayer exchange: An atomic force microscopy study")

Will D. Monn - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "Bond-valence methods for pKa prediction")

A. Riley Brinkerhoff - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "Surface Complexation Modeling of quartz")

Ashley Dalrymple - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "Surface Analysis of gibbsite and nontronite."

Brittney Bates - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "Force titration of silica surfaces.)

Tom Ward - Undergraduate research assistant (Research project - "Automation of a potentiometric titration system")

FUNDING

$59,876, National Science Foundation, “The Earth Science Storybook Project,” 2002-2004.

$35,000, Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society, 2003-2005.

$217,602, National Science Foundation, “The Earth Science Storybook Project: An Intervention Strategy for Teaching Science to Pre-service Elementary Teachers,” 2005-2008.

$169,182, National Science Foundation, “Collaborative Research: Unravelling the Bacterium-Mineral Interface,” 2005-2008. (The lead P.I. for this proposal is Steven Lower of Ohio State University. BRB is the lead P.I. for the BYU team, and the dollar amount listed reflects only the BYU budget.)

Total external research funding: $481,660

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