Chris Nolting has been a Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at Gustavus since 2023. In his classes, he focuses on including many worked example problems and opportunities for hands on learning in groups, and as many physics demonstrations as possible. As a computational astrophysicist, he enjoys showcasing examples related to astronomy whenever possible. His research focuses on the study of galaxy cluster environments and powerful jets from active galactic nuclei, supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies that accrete matter and power some of the brightest objects in the universe. This work is mainly done through numerical simulations on compute clusters and supercomputers using up to tens of thousands of processors simultaneously. Gustavus students working on research with Chris learn coding languages and data visualization techniques, and even 3D print some of the structures they simulate.

Chris is the faculty advisor to the Society of Physics Students and the Gustavus Engineering Club.

Outside of Gustavus, Chris a self-identifying nerd. He is a lover of board games, magic the gathering, Marvel movies, anime, and going on walks with his dog.
 

For more than twenty years, Christine Nessler worked as a marketing and public relations professional across government, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. As a former entrepreneur and franchise owner, she has experience building brands from the ground up and maintaining a strong community presence. Beyond the business world, creative writing is her primary passion. As a freelance writer, she contributed articles to various regional publications. Her short stories and essays are featured in Half and One online literary journal and The Motherly Collective.

In 2024, Nessler joined the faculty at Gustavus. Students in her courses gain hands-on experience and the practical skills necessary to thrive in the workplace by applying classroom concepts to real-world community and business projects. In Nessler’s marketing courses, her favorite part of the semester is watching the students gain confidence as they serve as consultants for local business clients. As they develop strategic marketing plans, students also develop communication, project management, and leadership skills. Similarly, in Introduction to Management, her students build their own business from the ground up. According to Nessler, watching their final business plan presentations makes her optimistic about their futures as business and community leaders.

Outside of the classroom, Nessler serves on the Board of Directors for the Harry Meyering Center, volunteers as a reader of creative nonfiction for The Good Life Review, and cheers on her three kids at their various activities.