Story of My Life

One of the things required for the tenure review is a full and up-to-date curriculum vitae. Having spent an inordinate amount of time updating and re-formatting my CV, it seems a shame not to make more use of it than that, so I might as well recycle it into a blog post (after stripping out my home address and a few other items).

Of course, I’m too lazy to do it in proper HTML, so what’s below the fold is an automated conversion from the RTF file into really, really bad HTML. But, having spent an inordinate amount of time updating and re-formatting the Word file to get it to look right, I’ll be damned if I’m going to repeat all that fiddly work. I did just enough so it doesn’t look completely stupid. If you feel like gazing into the void, click through to the full entry, and view the source…

Otherwise, well, here’s the (nearly) complete story of my career to date:

Employment     Union College                      2001-present
                      Assistant Professor
                      Department of Physics and Astronomy

            Yale University                          1999-2001
                          Postdoctoral Associate
                          Department of Physics
Education     University of Maryland, College Park                         1993-1999
                      Ph.D. in Chemical Physics.
                      Thesis title: Ultra-Cold Ionizing Collisions in Metastable Xenon
                      Advisors: John Weiner (UMCP) and William D. Phillips (NIST)
             In experiments conducted at NIST-Gaithersburg with laser-cooled
             metastable xenon, studied collisions in optically pumped samples,
             collisions in optical lattices, and optical control of collisions in
             both time-resolved and continuous-wave experiments.

                   Williams College     `                      1989-1993
                       B.A. with honors in Physics.
                      Honors research: constructed vapor-cell MOT for rubidium.

Experience    Teaching
                    Union College                   2001-present
               Classes taught: Physics for Life Sciences w/lab; Introductory  
                Mechanics w/lab (×8); Introductory Electricity and Magnetism
                w/lab (×2); Introductory Modern Physics (×3); Physical Optics;    
                Quantum Optics; Methods of Modern Experimental Physics.
                       Williams College                       1990-1993
                      Teaching assistant: General Physics; Classical Mechanics;
                   Particles and Waves; Waves and Optics (× 2); Introductory    
                   Quantum Mechanics.

    Research
          Union College                   2001-present
                 Assistant Professor. Building a lab to laser cool and trap
                     metastable argon and krypton for collision studies and
                   astrophysical background measurements.

             Yale University                       1999-2001
                     Postdoctoral Associate. Studied the creation of squeezed states
                    in Bose-Einstein Condensate
             University of Electro-Communications (Tokyo)             Fall 1998
                   Studied collisions in magnetically trapped metastable neon.

            Laboratory Development
                  Williams College                      Summer: 1990, 1991
                        Designed, built, and tested experiments for undergraduate
                         teaching laboratories.

            Grants       National Science Foundation Grant PHY-0457100              2005
                     “RUI: Radioactive Krypton Background Evaluation by
                     Atom Counting”

                    Research Corporation: Cottrell College Science Award              2003
                                            (designated a Brian Andreen CCSA in 2004)

                    Union College: Faculty Research Fund                 2001-2005
   Service Activities
       Professional Service
          Member of American Physical Society            1993-present
             Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP)
             Division of Laser Science (DLS)

          Member of Sigma Xi                     1993-present
             Vice-President, Union College chapter          elected 2006

          Journal Referee                  1997-present
             Refereed papers for Physical Review Letters, Physical Review A,
               Journal of the Optical Society of America B.
      
          Grant Reviewer                        2003, 2005, 2006
             Reviewed proposals for Research Corporation Research Innovation
             Award and Cottrell College Science Award, and American
                   Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.

       Union College, College-Wide Service
         
Union College Scholars Program: Acting director                     Winter 2003

         Writing Board: Division 3 Representative                 2002-2004
             Evaluates proposals for Writing Across the Curriculum course
                certification.

          Student Affairs Council: At-large representative              2003-2004
             Deals with non-academic aspects of student life, including student
                housing issues.
  

       Union College, Departmental Service
         
Search Committees              2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006
            
Read applications and interviewed candidates for the hiring of a
             new chair and five visiting faculty.

          Curriculum Committee                  2002-present
             Helped redesign introductory physics curriculum (Physics 120 and
             121) and upper-level laboratory class (Physics 300).

          Colloquium Organizer                       2002-2004
             Scheduled, invited, and hosted speakers from other institutions for
                weekly departmental colloquium series. Arranged Careers in
                Physics panel discussion in Spring 2003.

         Dept. Web Page Coordinator                   2005-present
            
Updated and maintained departmental web page
                      (<http://www.physics.union.edu/>).

       Community Service / Outreach
         
Camp College                            2002, 2006
            
Presented “simulated class” as part of summer program for
                   prospective students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Appeared
                  in local newspaper articles in 2002, and on local television news in
             2006.

          Election 2004                              Fall 2004
             Presented lecture on “How to Lie With Statistics” for special
                Minerva class on the 2004 election. Appeared on local television
                news.

          Sigma Xi Research Award Judge                  2004, 2005, 2006
             Helped decide recipient of annual student research award on the
                basis of nomination letters and student presentations at Steinmetz
                Symposium.

          Faculty Panelist, MultiCultural Weekend                 2005
             Spoke to prospective students about college life, opportunities for
                minority students at Union.
         
Honors
       NIST/UMCP Joint Fellowship in AMO Physics              1993-1999
    Sigma Xi, inducted                            1993
       Stephen H. Tyng Scholarship                    1989-1993
                      National Merit Scholarship                       1989-1990

References     Available upon request.

Publications    C. Orzel and D. N. McKinsey, “Radioactive Background Evaluation by
                Atom Counting,” AIP Conference Proceedings 785, 136 (2005).

             C. D. Fletcher*  and C. Orzel, “Construction and calibration of a low cost    
                Fabry-Perot interferometer for spectroscopy experiments,” Am. J.
                Phys.
73, 1135 (2005).

             D. N. McKinsey and C. Orzel, “Radioactive Krypton Background
               Evaluation Using Atom Counting,” Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 545,
                524 (2005).

          C. Orzel, A. K. Tuchman, M. L. Fenselau, M. Yasuda, and M. A.    
             Kasevich, “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,”
               Science 291, 2386 (2001).

          S. Kulin, T. C. Killian, S. D. Bergeson, L. A. Orozco, C. Orzel, and S. L.
                Rolston, “An ultracold neutral plasma,” AIP Conference
                   Proceedings
  498, 367 (1999).
  

          T. C. Killian, S. Kulin, S. D. Bergeson, L. A. Orozco, C. Orzel, and S. L.                                
            Rolston, “Creation of an Ultracold Neutral Plasma,” Phys. Rev.
          Lett.
83, 4776 (1999).

       C. Orzel, M. Walhout, U. Sterr, P. S. Julienne, and S. L. Rolston, “Spin
          polarization and quantum-statistical effects in ultracold ionizing
          collisions,” Phys. Rev. A 59, 1926 (1999).

       C. Orzel, S. D. Bergeson, S. Kulin, and S. L. Rolston, “Time-Resolved
          Studies of Ultracold Ionizing Collisions,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 5093
          (1998).

       J. Lawall, C. Orzel, and S. L. Rolston,  “Suppression and Enhancement of
          Collisions in Optical Lattices,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 480 (1998).

          S. L. Rolston, G. Birkl, I. H. Deutsch, M. Gatzke, C. Orzel, W. D. Phillips,
                U. Sterr, and M. Walhout, “Optical lattices,” Laser Spectroscopy,
             12
th  International Conference (M. Inguscio, M. Allegrini, M. Sasso
             eds.), 31 (1996).
    
       K.-A. Suominen, K. Burnett, P. S. Julienne, M. Walhout, U. Sterr, C.
          Orzel, M. Hoogerland, and S. L. Rolston, “Ultracold collisions
          and optical shielding in metastable xenon,” Phys. Rev. A 53, 1678
          (1996).

       M. Walhout, U. Sterr, C. Orzel, M. Hoogerland, and S. L. Rolston,
          “Optical Control of Ultracold Collisions in Metastable Xenon,”
          Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 506 (1995).
  

Invited Talks    “Counting Atoms for Astrophysics: Atom Traps, Neutrino Detectors, and
                Radioactive Background Measurements,” Union College
                   Physics and Astronomy Colloquium, Union College, Schenectady,
                NY, March 2006.

    “Counting Atoms for Astrophysics: Atom Traps, Neutrino Detectors, and
                Radioactive Background Measurements,” Amherst College
          Physics Colloquium, Amherst College, Amherst, MA, November
                2005.
  
        “Radioactive Background Evaluation by Atom Counting,” CLEAN
                Collaboration Meeting, New Haven, CT, June 2005.

          “Radioactive Background Evaluation by Atom Counting,” Medium
             Energy Physics Seminar, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne,
          IL, April 2005.
  
       “Radioactive Background Evaluation by Atom Counting,” Topical
           Workshop on Low Radioactivity Techniques, Sudbury, Ontario,
                Canada, December 2004.

             “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” Rensselaer Polytechnic
          Institute Physics Colloquium, Troy, NY, May 2002.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” Colgate University
          Physics Colloquium, Hamilton, NY, April 2002.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” University of
          Connecticut Physics Colloquium, Storrs, CT, December 2001.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” American Physical
          Society Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
          meeting, London, Ontario, Canada, May 2001.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” Williams College
          Physics Colloquium, Williamstown, MA, April 2001.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” Union College Physics
          Colloquium, Schenectady NY, February 2001.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” Atomic Physics
          Colloquium, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, January 2001.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” SUNY Stony Brook
          Atomic Physics Seminar, Stony Brook, NY, December 2000.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” Center for Ultracold
          Atoms Seminar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
          Cambridge, MA, October 2000.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” CLEO/Europe, Nice,
          France, September 2000.

       “Squeezed States in a Bose-Einstein Condensate,” LPHYS 2000,
          Bordeaux, France, July 2000.

       “Ultra-Cold Ionizing Collisions,” APS Centennial Meeting, Atlanta, GA,
          March 1999 (Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 44, 645 (1999)).

       “Ultra-Cold Collisions and Quantum Statistics,” Williams College Physics
          Colloquium, Williamstown, MA, September 1998.

       “Time-Resolved Studies of Ultra-Cold Collisions,” University of
          Connecticut Atomic Physics Colloquium, Storrs, CT, March 1998.
  
Contributed Talks / Posters
         
M. Mastroianni*  and C. Orzel, “An Optically Excited Metastable Krypton
                Atomic Beam Source,” poster, American Physical Society, 37th
                Meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics,
             May 2006.

          C. Orzel, “Spin-Polarized Collisions in Metastable Rare Gases,” poster,
                American Physical Society, 36th Meeting of the Division of
                Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, May 2005.

          A. Tuchman, C. Orzel, A. Polkovnikov, and M. Kasevich, “Evidence for
                Phase Variance Oscillations in a Bose-Einstein Condensate and
                Applications to Precision Interferometry,” talk, American Physical
                Society, APS March Meeting, March 2005.

          C. Orzel and D. McKinsey, “Radioactive Background Evaluation by Atom
             Counting,” poster, American Physical Society, 35th Meeting of the
             Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, May 2004.

          S. L. Rolston, S. D. Bergeson, S. Kulin, and C. Orzel, “A Strongly
                   Coupled Plasma or a Dense Rydberg Gas?,” talk, American
                Physical Society, DAMOP Meeting, May 1998.

          C. Orzel, S. D. Bergeson, S. Kulin, and S. L. Rolston, “Time-resolved
                Studies of Ionizing Collisions,” talk, American Physical Society,
                DAMOP Meeting, May 1998.

          J. R. Lawall, S. L. Rolston, and C. Orzel, “Enhancement and Suppression
                of Collisions in Optical Lattices,” talk, American Physical Society,
             APS/AAPT Joint Meeting, April 1997.

          C. Orzel, U. Sterr, M. Walhout, and S. L. Rolston, “Spin-polarized
                   Penning Ionizing Collisions at Ultra-Low Temperature,” talk,
                American Physical Society, APS/AAPT Joint Meeting, April 1997.

          M. Walhout, C. Orzel, U. Sterr, and S. L. Rolston, “Optical lattices with
                metastable xenon,” talk, Quantum Electronics and Laser Science
                Conference, May 1995.

          C. Orzel, M. Hoogerland, U. Sterr, M. Walhout, and S. L. Rolston,
                   “Optical control of cold collisions,” talk, Quantum Electronics and
                Laser Science Conference, May 1995.

8 comments

  1. I am suprised how much stuff from your undegrad days are on your CV. I don’t think that I even bother to list that I was a Merit Finalist the same year you were, or how many scholarships I got as an undegrad.

    How important is the outreach stuff for you guys? I can imagine that given the smaller size of your college, the administration might feel that such activities boost the presence of the university (or some such language) which is a good thing instead of how a research university may feel about these activities.

    Finally, you should mention how many years you have been supporting KEXP!

  2. I am suprised how much stuff from your undegrad days are on your CV. I don’t think that I even bother to list that I was a Merit Finalist the same year you were, or how many scholarships I got as an undegrad.

    If I were starting from scratch, I probably wouldn’t’ve bothered with it, but it was already there. I only added material, and didn’t delete anything.

    How important is the outreach stuff for you guys? I can imagine that given the smaller size of your college, the administration might feel that such activities boost the presence of the university (or some such language) which is a good thing instead of how a research university may feel about these activities.

    It’s important to be doing something, but won’t make up for deficiencies in teaching or research. I doubt it carries very much more weight than at a research institution.

    I debated whether to add the “Weird Quantum Phenomena” talk I gave at Boskone to the “Public Outreach” section, but I thought that might seem a little too flippant…

  3. Did I miss something here? Look in the wrong place on your cv? Why is blogging not on your cv, especially under “outreach”? I’m confused. You probably reach more people through your blog than through a lecture to a hundred people every now and again.

    Academic bloggers, one and all, listen up: We have to educate our colleagues into realising that this is a legitimate academic pursuit of considerable value. We should be working toward the day where it is standard to take blogging into account in a tenure desicion….We can start reaching for that day by putting it on our CVs just like we would put a tv, newspaper or radio appearance in the “outreach” section.

    I spent a lot of time discussing this last year. See: http://cosmicvariance.com/2005/11/12/academic-blogger-flash-mob/

    -cvj

  4. So how much weight do you think is attributed to teaching and service vs. research and money you raise?

  5. Academic bloggers, one and all, listen up: We have to educate our colleagues into realising that this is a legitimate academic pursuit of considerable value. We should be working toward the day where it is standard to take blogging into account in a tenure desicion….We can start reaching for that day by putting it on our CVs just like we would put a tv, newspaper or radio appearance in the “outreach” section.

    On one level, I absolutely agree with this. I probably get more visitors to the blog than I’ve had students in my five years teaching.

    On another level, though, I’m just not prepared to make myself a test case over this. I’m not concealing the blog (it accounts for most of the first page of Goggle results for my name, after all), but I’m not going to make an issue of it by promoting it. I’m treating it as a hobby, and I don’t list hobbies on my CV.

    There’s also the issue that even if it did count as outreach activity, that and a couple of bucks would get me a cup of coffee…

  6. I agree with cvj. I included my blogging activity in my interim review. There was some discussion in my department about whether it should be listed in Professional Development or Service (outreach), but the major battle was one. This year, my dean even mentioned the impact of my blog in the classical music blogosphere in his response to my annual report.

    Now, DePauw is very different from other universities when it comes to Professional Development. We have no publishing requirements, or performance requirements, or anything specific. Teaching is fundamental to getting tenure, followed by demonstrated active scholarly or artistic participation in one’s academic field and in service to the field and university. So I feel freer to try untread paths in my pursuit of tenure.

Comments are closed.