Professor Oakes, a native of New York City, majored in mathematics and physics at St. John's University and graduated cum laude in 1978. She continued her studies in physics at Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA, working as a teaching assistant while earning her M.S. and Ph.D. Her first teaching position was as a science teacher at Philipsburg(NJ) Catholic High School. She joined the physics faculty at Eastern in 1987, and says “It has been my privilege to be a part of this team since then.”

Dr. Oakes' professional interests include theoretical studies in elasticity, graduate level studies in musical acoustics with several Master’s students, and public lectures at Cranbrook Institute and Henry Ford Museum. She has developed an eclectic approach to teaching physical principles as applied to music, art and dance and incorporated those into a basic studies course for undergraduates. She has revived the nuclear physics course, developed a new thermodynamics course, developed laboratories for undergraduate major courses in strength of materials and in acoustics, and added an Academic Service Learning component to engineering dynamics. She is spearheading the department’s goal of acquiring ABET accreditation for the Engineering Physics Program.