Physics Professor Linn D. Van Woerkom has been named associate provost and director of the University Honors & Scholars Center. In this new role, he will provide leadership for the center, including overseeing and monitoring Honors curriculum university-wide, as well as the Honors Collegium Program.

A recipient of an Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, Van Woerkom's scholarly work focuses on plasma physics, optics and lasers; and his research has been published in several prestigious journals. His extensive university-wide service includes the College of Arts and Sciences’ Faculty Advisory, Honors, and Faculty Admissions committees. He has a long commitment as a collegium mentor.
 
Van Woerkom graduated, summa cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Southern California, where he also earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in physics. Prior to joining the Ohio State faculty, he was a staff physicist at Livermore National Laboratory.