"Well, Doug and I had two physics classes together in a row, with lunch squeezed in between, during the spring of our sophomore year," said Wheeler. "We were spending so much time on physics that we figured it was almost like doing a sport. One day, Doug came up with the idea of getting jackets, like the crew team. So we decided to get them. Of course, I was the one who ended up doing all the work."
A teacher inspires
Wheeler grew up in Bethesda, Md., and he went to Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass. for high school. There, he was inspired by his physics teacher.
"I took physics for two years. The teacher, Mr. Bacher, was really great. There were two physics teachers there; sometimes, I wonder if I'd had a different physics teacher in high school, whether I would have become involved in physics."
"I came to Amherst because I would be able to take a little bit of a lot of things," said Wheeler. And he certainly did so. While at Amherst, Wheeler pursued several academic interests aside from physics. He is also a computer science major and has taken classes in a number of disciplines.
Wheeler was also a member of the Glee Club, which is the one of the most rewarding activities he has done. "It was a really good time. I love choral singing. I would say that we're the musical group on campus that has the most fun. For example, we went on a tour of Japan this [past] summer and we had a great time."
He did his thesis work with Assistant Professor of Physics David Hall on Binary Bose-Einstein condensates, a new state of matter which has recently been discovered. These are incredibly cold systems of atoms which lose their quantum individuality. "[Professor] Hall worked with the men who discovered them, and when he came to Amherst, he built a lab. It was really interesting, and I loved being able to do something that was on the cutting edge of physics."
After Amherst, Wheeler is not entirely sure of his plans. He is currently applying for jobs as a high school teacher, hoping he can inspire his pupils to study physics. Applying for graduate school down the line is also a possibility, but it is not something that he wants to do right away.
From the farm to the lab
Orbaker comes from a very different background from Wheeler. He grew up on a fruit farm in upstate New York that his family has owned since the late 19th century, and spent most of his summers working there until graduating from Williamson Senior High School in June 2000.
"In eighth grade, Amherst was number one in U.S. News and World Report. I remember telling my mom that I'd go there, and she just chuckled and said I probably wouldn't be able to get in," said Orbaker. "At the end of high school, I knew that I really wanted to go to a liberal arts college, and after touring 11 campuses, Amherst kind of blended in with the others, but I still applied. I went to Accepted Students' Weekend and loved it, so I decided to come."
While at Amherst, Doug was involved with the jazz band, ski team and ultimate frisbee team. In addition to his demanding physics schedule, he took a number of courses in other departments. His favorite class was The Fiction of James Joyce with Professor of English John Cameron. "I really enjoyed reading 'Ulysses' and looked forward to each class."
He also wrote a thesis in physics. "I did my thesis with Professor Larry Hunter as my advisor. The experiment I worked on was a high precision test of Local Lorentz Invariance using Cs and Hg magnetometer," explained Orbaker. "The layman's explanation is rather long, but the experiment is attempting to set new limits on the violation of a physical principle. Most of my thesis dealt with building a rotating structure to put the experiment on."
This summer, he will be working at an optical engineering firm in Rochester, N.Y. After that, he intends to find a job at a resort in the West as a ski instructor while he applies to graduate schools for physics. Orbaker hopes to eventually get his doctorate and work in research or science policy. "And there's always the possibility of taking over the family farm, but right now that's not one of my priorities."