Chad Orzel, Union College
The invention of quantum physics in the early 20th century forced scientists to reconsider many cherished ideas from classical physics, leading to revolutionary changes in our scientific and philosophical understanding of the universe. Quantum phenomena have also proven to be a rich source of metaphors and inspiration for fiction.
Chad Orzel will describe some of the strangest phenomena in quantum mechanics-- topics like entanglement, quantum measurement, and Schrodinger's infamous cat-- and discuss some of their manifestations in literature and film.
Speaker bio:
Chad Orzel is a professor at Union College in Schenectady, NY, and the author of three books explaining science for non-scientists: How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog (Scribner, 2009) and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog (Basic, 2012), which explain modern physics through imaginary conversations with Emmy, his German shepherd, and Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist (Basic, 2014), on the role of scientific thinking in everyday life.
He has a BA in Physics from Williams College and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he did his thesis research on collisions of laser-cooled atoms at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the lab of Bill Phillips, who shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics (not for anything Chad did, but it was a fun time to be in that group).
He has been blogging about science since 2002, on his own site, at scienceblogs.com, and most recently for Forbes. His next book, _Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of an Ordinary Morning_ will be published in December 2018 by BenBella Books (US) and Oneworld Publications (UK). He lives in Niskayuna, NY with his wife Kate Nepveu, their two children, and their new dog Charlie the pupper.