richard laffers
education
- Magister of Natural Sciences, Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University (Bratislava, Slovakia). June 2004.
- Bachelor of Natural Sciences, Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University (Bratislava, Slovakia). June 2002.
employment history
- Teaching Assistant for GEO 107 Natural Hazards and GEO 304 Natural Resources courses, Stony Brook University, New York, 2004-2005.
- Field Geophysical Investigation – Assistant, Geophysics a.s. (Brno, Czech Republic). 1998-1999.
- Custom Declarants Office – Assistant, DHL Slovakia a.s. (Bratislava, Slovakia). 2002-2004.
professional services
- Webmaster of the Graduate Student Organization (Stony Brook University) website, February 2006 - to date.
- Web design and administration of the Schoonen's Aqueous Geochemistry Lab website, January 2005 - to date.
- Design of the Stony Brook Outdoor Club website, 2005 - to date
- Author and administrator of GEO 107 Natural Hazards course website for students, Autumn 2004.
research skills
- DCP-ES
- Liquid Ion Chromatography
- X-ray powder diffraction analysis
- BET surface area analysis
- FTIR spectroscopy (DRIFT, ATR)
- Raman spectroscopy
- Electron-optical methods (SEM, BSE, electron microprobe analysis)
- Optical microscopy of rock-forming and ore minerals
- Low-T geochemical experiments experience
- Field geological research experience
computer skills
web design
- HTML, XHTML, XML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- PHP
- MySQL
- Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash
- Smarty
graphics manipulation
- Corel suite
- Adobe Photoshop
- Macromedia Fireworks, Flash
specialized software
- Geochemical modelling (Geochemist's Workbench, EQ3/6, Phreeqci)
- XRD data manipulation (Match!, GSAS+EXPGUI, Compare, Logic)
other
- Apache web server configuration and administration
- MySQL server configuration and administration
- Experience with Windows and Unix-based OS
- MS Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
- Experience with PC hardware configuration
languages
English, Slovak, German, Czech
awards and honors
- Award of Honor in recognition of outstanding achievement and dedication as a teaching assistant, Geosciences Dpt., Stony Brook University, New York, 2005.
- Nomination to The National Dean's List®, USA, 2005.
- Comenius University's Rector Award for outstanding academic achievements and performance, Comenius University, 2004.
- Award for the best paper at the Geological Section of Student Scientific Conference, Comenius University, Slovakia, 2003.
- Geological Section at the Faculty of Sciences Award for outstanding academic achievements and performance, Comenius University, Slovakia, 2002.
- Faculty of Sciences' Dean Award for the best paper at Student Scientific Conference, Comenius University, Slovakia, 2001.
- Award for the best paper at the Geological Section of Student Scientific Conference, Comenius University, Slovakia, 2001.