Dr. Karshner acquired his B.A. in Astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley, California, in 1971, and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the University of Oregon in 1984.

     Dr. Karshner taught previously at California State College, Stanislaus (1984-1985), the University of Oregon (1976-1981), and Humboldt State University (1973-1975 and 1981-1983). He came to St. Mary's from Gettysburg College, where he was an Assistant Professor from 1985 to 1990.

     He has taught a broad range of physics courses:  freshman introductory courses, mechanics, modern physics, advanced optics, thermodynamics, atomic and nuclear physics. His teaching specialties lie with electronics, micro-processors, and astronomy. He has a special interest in the applications of computers to the physics laboratory and has supervised physics departments' senior projects, including assembly of an image processing system, construction of a photon counting system, automating a telescope drive, computerizing a Michelson Interferometer and making high temperature superconductor material.

     Dr. Karshner's own research field in stellar astronomy involves stars that lie on or just off the main sequence. His Ph.D. dissertation was entitled: "The Kinematic and Radial Properties of Normal Luminous Sc Galaxies."