Faculty Profile

Lane Seeley

Lane Seeley

Professor and Chair of Physics

Email: seelel@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2011
Office: Otto Miller Hall 130


Education: BS, University of Puget Sound, 1994; MS, Montana State University, 1996; PhD, University of Washington, 2001. At SPU since 2001.

Lane Seeley earned his doctorate in experimental condensed matter physics, focusing on testing microscopic and mesoscopic models for phase changes in the nucleation of ice from liquid water.

Since joining the faculty at Seattle Pacific University in 2001, Dr. Seeley has worked closely with colleagues to build a close-knit Physics Department that is primarily focused on student learning.

He has worked with departmental colleagues on several grant funded projects aimed at supporting K–12 physics and physical science teachers, and he has played an active role in the development of web-based diagnostic tools for physical science teachers.

Most recently, Dr. Seeley has been a lead researcher on the SPU Energy Project, a research effort aimed at studying and supporting energy learning among K–12 teachers. His current research interests include building bridges between the energy we learn about and the energy we care about; studying growth in learner’s ability and disposition to use a rigorous energy model creatively and flexibly; and understanding some of the real and perceived obstacles to student-centered science instruction.


Selected publications

View Dr. Seeley’s CV (PDF) for more more publications.

Personal Links

Dr. Seeley’s personal webpage

Lane Seeley instructing students

Why I Teach at SPU

Lane Seeley, Professor and Chair of Physics

“I believe that God created a universe which is both profoundly understandable and ineffably mysterious. Physics involves a deep search for patterns in the natural world. Through the study of physics, we see the hand of a Creator who has sewn the fabric of nature with patterns which are elegant and understandable. When we keep raising and refining our questions, the elegant patterns of nature lead to novel insights and further mysteries. I love to teach at a place where no questions are out of bounds and we can freely weave together scientific, ethical, and theological ideas.”