 |
VARDENY: |
|
Ok.
My name is Zeev Valy Vardeny. And I'm
working in the physics department of
the University of Utah. As the chair
of the department and the chair of physics. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
kind of science do you do? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
I'm
an experimentalist. Doing mostly optics
in organics. Organics polymorphs and
small molecules that we can grow a single
crystal out of. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
Is
it research, theory, or experimental? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well
it's research. Experimental research.
We do optics, laser action, symphit
transistors, transport, photocrons,
and things like that. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
makes your science important? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well,
it's a difficult question to answer
because everyone thinks that his science
is the most important. So the criterion
to know whether your science is important
or not is really your publications.
If the publications are in very exceptional
journals then your science is important.
And our recent publications are in exceptional
journals such as science and nature. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
And
what made you decide to go into the
field you study? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well,
this was by chance actually. I was a
postdoct at Brown University. And one
day professor Higer came with some revolutionary
ideas about electronic expectation in
electronic polymorphs and I was listening
to his talk and I thought "Boy,
with the technique that I have in Brown
University I can do marvel in this new
field." And so I approached him
and I asked him for some sample polymorphs
and he agreed and he sent me some polymorphs
and this is how I started. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
kind of education/academic background
did you have? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well
of course I have the regular, usual
12 years of elementary school and high
schools. Four years of bachelor degree
in physics, two years master degree
in physics, and five years of PhD. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
And
how did you come to the U of U? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Yeah,
this is also by chance. In 1984, professor
Craig Taylor from the U of U Physics
department has organized a conference
in Snowbird, Utah. And we were invited
to go to this conference and we came
to Snowbird and fell in love with the
mountains, Wasatch mountains. And so
when I started to look for jobs in 1987
I was approached by professor Craig
Taylor and he told me that there is
an opening and should I want to apply
I'll be welcome. So I applied and I
got the job and I came to Utah twice,
once with my family and my family liked
the area and the city so we decided
to takes it. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
do you like most about your job? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well,
the most things that I like is to program,
plan ahead for research experiments
and write the research response in such
a way that people will understand it
and will appreciate it. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
do you like least about your job? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well
I like my job. I don't have anything
in particular that I dislike. Maybe
the only thing that comes to my mind
is to deal with staff members because
of problems that I am not familiar with.
But after five years of being the chair
I became familiar with problems with
the staff so it doesn't bother me anymore. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
hobbies do you have outside of your
field of work? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
Well,
I have three hobbies outside my work.
One is playing bridge, so I play cards.
Bridge is an exceptional playing game
that I can do on the computer too. But
usually when I had time before becoming
the chair I would go to some clubs where
they play bridge, competing bridge.
This is one hobby. The other hobby is
my garden. I plant plants and flowers
and take weeds and take care of the
yard. And the third hobby is traveling.
So I like to travel to mostly Europe.
I like the renaissance, especially France,
Italy, and, Spain. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
What
advice would you give to an aspiring
scientist? |
|
|
VARDENY: |
|
The
advice I give to an aspiring scientist
is the same advice I would give to beginner
graduate students in my group. I tell
them that you very quickly will know
if you're a true scientist or a fake.
It's by the time, amount of time that
you spend doing the experiment in you
science. If you are absorbed and you
spend most of the time doing science,
thinking about it, writing about it,
and savor it then you are a true scientist.
If you do it only because you want the
end result that means to graduate and
to get a job then you are not a true
scientist. It's better not to start
even. |
|
|
ASPIRE: |
|
Ok,
thank you for your time. |
