Ross is an Associate Professor in the Natural Sciences Department, teaching physics, chemistry, and environmental science. He received a B.A. in environmental studies and chemistry from Middlebury College, a M.S. in mathematics from The University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College. Starting with examining the pore structure of soil systems in 2006, Ross has been using X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) to probe the microstructure of various samples. The majority of his research has been studying snow, ice, and other geologic samples from Antarctica to the Arctic. More information on his research is available at vermontstate.edu/centers-research/draco/
For many of his projects, Ross partners with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) located in Hanover, NH. Research expeditions have taken him and his students from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Recently he received a $3.3 million project to study microbes across various Arctic environments. Additionally, he has partnered with the Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative to use μCT to characterize the structure of various manufactured parts ranging from plastics to metals. He recruits students to join him in his research projects with opportunities to work at a governmental lab, publish scientific papers, and present work at national and international conferences.
In his free time, Ross enjoys the woods of VT, adventuring outside with his wife, two kids, and two dogs whether it be skiing, hiking, biking, paddling, or adventure racing. If you are interested in getting involved with polar research, looking for tips on outdoor adventures, or want advice about class or life as a scientist, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sea ice
Microstructure
X-ray μCT
Physics I
Physics II
Modern Physics
General Chemistry I
Introduction to Environmental Science
Pre-Calculus
Asenath-Smith, E., Lieblappen, R., Taylor, S., Winter, R. R., Melendy Jr., T. D., Moser, R., Haehnel, R. B. 2022. Observation of crack arrest in ice by high aspect ratio particles during uniaxial compression. CRREL Technical Report ERDC/CRREL TR-22-3.
Thurston, A. K., Courville, Z. R., Farnsworth, L. B., Lieblappen, R. M., Rosten, S. A., Fegyveresi, J. M., Doherty, S. J., Jones, R. M., Barbato, R. A. 2021. Microscale dynamics between dust and microorganisms in alpine snowpack. CRREL Technical Report ERDC/CRREL TR-20-12.
Darrow, M. M., Lieblappen, R. M. 2020. Visualizing cation treatment effects on frozen clay soils. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 175, 103085. doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2020.103085.
Courville, Z. R., Lieblappen, R. M., Thurston, A. K., Barbato, R. A., Fegyveresi, J. M., Farnsworth, L. B., Derry, J., Jones, R. M., Doherty, S. J., Rosten, S. A. 2020. Microorganisms associated with dust on alpine snow. Front. Earth Sci. 8, 122. doi:10.3389/feart.2020.00122.
Lieblappen, R., Fegyveresi, J., Courville, Z., Albert, D. 2020. Using ultrasonic waves to determine the microstructure of snow. Front. Earth Sci. 8, 34. doi:10.3389/feart.2020.00034.
Frantz, C. M., Light, B., Farley, S. M., Carpenter, S., Lieblappen, R., Courville, Z., Orellana, M., Junge, K. 2019. Physical and Optical Characteristics of Heavily Melted ‘Rotten’ Arctic Sea Ice. Cryosphere. 13, 775-793, doi:10.5194/tc-13-775-2019.
Courville, Z. R., Lieblappen, R. M., Melendy Jr., T. D., Bernier, A. P. 2019. Microstructural characterization of snow compaction related to snow pavements. CRREL Technical Report ERDC/CRREL TR-19-1.
Lieblappen, R., Kumar, D., Pauls, S., Obbard, R. 2018. A Network Model for Characterizing Brine Channels in Sea Ice. Cryosphere. 12, 1013-1026. doi:10.5194/tc-12-1013-2018.
Lever, J., Taylor, S., Song, A., Courville, Z., Lieblappen, R., Weale, J. 2017. The Mechanics of Snow Friction as Revealed by Micro-Scale Interface Observations. J. Glaciol. 64 (243), 27-36. doi:10.1017/jog.2017.76.
Courville, Z., Lieb-Lappen, R., Claffey, K., Elder, B. 2017. Investigations of skeletal layer microstructure in the context of remote sensing of oil in sea ice. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings. 2017, 1, 2237-2255. doi:10.7901/2169-3358-2017.1.2237.
Iverson, N., Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Dunbar, N., Kim, E., Golden, E. J., Obbard, R. W. 2017. The First Physical Evidence of Subglacial Volcanism under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Sci. Rep. 7, 11457. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11515-3.
Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Golden, E. J., Obbard, R. W. 2017. Metrics for Interpreting the Microstructure of Sea Ice using X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 138, 24-35.
doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.03.001.
Obbard, R. W., Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Nordick, K. V., Golden, E. J., Leonard, J. R., Lanzirotti, A., Newville, M. G. 2016. Synchrotron X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Salts in Natural Sea Ice. Earth Space Sci. 3. doi: 10.1002/2016EA000172.
Hammonds, K., Lieb-Lappen, R., Baker, I., Wang, X. 2015. Investigating the Thermophysical Properties of the Ice-Snow Interface under a Controlled Temperature Gradient: Part I: Experiments & Observations. Cold Reg. Sci. Technol. 120, 157-167. doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2015.09.006.
Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Obbard, R. W. 2015. The Role of Blowing Snow in the Activation of Bromine over First-Year Antarctic Sea Ice. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15, 7537-7545. doi:10.5194/acp-15-7537-2015.
Hammonds, K., Lieb-Lappen, R., Courville, Z., Song, A. Wang, X., Baker, I. 2014. Laboratory Investigations on the Thermophysical Properties of the Ice-Snow Interface while under a Controlled Temperature Gradient. Proceedings of the International Snow Science Workshop. Banff, Canada. Vol. 29, pp. 35-42.
Lieb-Lappen, R. M. 2014. Cover Art for Special Issue from the 13th International Conference on the Physics and Chemistry of Ice, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, November 26, 118, 47, Cover.
Nghiem, S. V., Shepson, P. B., Simpson, W., Perovich, D. K., Sturm, M., Douglas, T., Rigor, I. G., Clemente-Colón, P. , Burrows, J. P., Richter, A. , Steffen, A., Staebler, R., Obrist, D., Moore, C., Bottenheim, J., Platt, U., Pöhler, D., General, S., Zielcke, J. Fuentes, J. D., Hall, D. K., Kaleschke, L., Woods, J., Hager, C., Smith, J., Sweet, C. R., Pratt, K., Custard, K., Peterson, P., Walsh, S., Gleason, E., Saiet, E., Webster, M., Lieb-Lappen, R., Linder, C., Nuemann, G. 2013. Arctic Sea Ice Reduction and Tropospheric Chemical Processes. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Bioenvironment, Biodiversity and Renewable Energies: BIONATURE 2013. Lisbon, Portugal.
Lieb-Lappen, R. M., Danforth, C. M. 2012. Aggressive Shadowing of a Low-Dimensional Model of Atmospheric Dynamics. Physica D. 241, 637-648. doi:10.1016/j.physd.2011.12.001.
Costanza-Robinson, M. S., Harrold, K. H., Lieb-Lappen, R. M. 2008. X-ray Microtomography Determination of Air-Water Interfacial Area-Water Saturation Relationships in Sandy Porous Media. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42 (8), 2949-2956. doi:10.1021/es072080d.
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