Kansas State University

Vita

Education

B.S. Physics, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, 1969

M.S. Physics, University of Colorado, 1973

Ph.D. Physics, University of Colorado, 1977

Professional Experience  

1977 - 1982      Assistant Professor of Physics, Kansas State University
1982 - 1986      Associate Professor of Physics, Kansas State University
1986 - 2000      Professor of Physics, Kansas State University
1987 - present   Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, Kansas State University
2000 - present   University Distinguished Professor
2009 - present   Cortelyou-Rust University Distinguished Professor

Honors

• Phi Eta Sigma (1966)
• Phi Beta Kappa (1969)
• Woodrow Wilson Fellow (1969)
• Army Commendation Medal (1971)
• Stamey Teaching Award (1990, 1994, KSU College of Arts & Sciences)
• Commerce Bank Teaching Award (1996)
• Schenk Physics Teaching Award (1996, 2006, KSU Physics)
• Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Member Award (1997)
• University Distinguished Professor (2000)
• Presidential Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching (2002)
• David Sinclair Senior Scientist Award, American Assoc. for Aerosol Research (2003)
• Coffman Chair for Distinguished Teaching Scholars (2007)
• Making a Difference Award (2007, KSU Women in Science and Engineering)
• Carnegie/CASE National Professor of the Year for Doctoral Universities (2007)
• George Norlin Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Colorado (2008)
• Olin Petefish Award in Basic Science, Higuchi-KU Endowment Award (2008)
• Cortelyou-Rust University Distinguished Professor (2009)
• Fellow, American Association for Aerosol Research (2011)
• Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching, K-State Alumni Association (2011)
• Named one of the top 150 scientists in Kansas history by Ad Astra Kansas Initiative (2011)
• Fellow, American Physical Society (2012)
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2014)
• Michelle Munson, Pres/CEO/Co-Founder of Aspera, former student in my Engineering Phys class endowed $1M to establish the “C. M. Sorensen Intellectual Property Incubator” (2015)
• Outstanding Publication Award (2019) of the American Association for Aerosol Research, Aerosol Science and Technology, for “Light Scattering by Fractal Aggregates: A Review”, C. M. Sorensen, Aerosol Science and Technology 35: 648–687 (2001)
• 2020 Aerosol Science and Technology Outstanding Reviewer

University Service

• Foundation Courses Task Force co-chair College of Arts & Sciences (2019)
• KSU Vice President for Research search committee (2014)
• President Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (2013- 2014)
• KSU Long Range Planning Committee (2012-2013)
• Chair, Task Force for the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Enterprise at KSU (2010)
• KSU President search committee (2008-2009)
• KSU Research Foundation Board of Directors Executive Committee (2004-2009)
• KSU Research Foundation Board of Directors (2002-2009)
• Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Awards committee (2007-2009)
• Dean’s Advisory Committee (2005-2008)
• Primary texts program advisory committee (2003-present)
• Honors program advisory committee (2006-present)
• State of Kansas DEPSCoR Committee (2004-2008)
• KSU Intellectual Property Advisory Committee (1997-2004)
• Kansas Board of Regents Natural Sciences Review Team (2000-2001)
• Faculty Development/University Small Research Grant Awards Committee (1996-2000)
• University Distinguished Teaching Scholar Selection Committee (Chair) (1997-1999)
• Presidential Lecturer (1986-present)

Synergistic Activities

• Led the Grand Challenges workshop at the International Aerosol Conference (IAC), in St Louis, September, 2018. The purpose of the workshop was to identify “Grand Challenges” for aerosol science and technology in the next decade and thereby set the research agenda for our field. Lead author of the report “Grand Challenges for Aerosol Science and Technology”, C. M. Sorensen, R. C. Flagan, U. Baltensperger & D. Y. H. Pui, Aerosol Science and Technology 53, 731-734 (2019).
• Led the University to educate about and lead the public to witness the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017
• Very active in the American Association for Aerosol Research. Served as president in 2007- 2008, the Board of Directors from 1995 to 1998, and chaired the annual meeting in 1997
• Created, developed and taught a “New Studio” course for sophomore-level fundamental physics, that handles 450 students per year. This is now an integral part of our engineering curriculum
• Adapted, developed and taught this New Studio concept to a three-semester optics curriculum
• Created and taught a fundamental physics course for non-SMET majors, freshmen and sophomores, which includes (~40%) reading and discussion of the writings of great physicists 
• Created and taught a seminar course “Great Ideas in Physics”
• Co-created and developed and was primary lecturer for a 4 day summer workshop (EXCITE) for teenage girls
• Present at ca. 3 K – 12 schools per year on science 
• Supervised research for economically disadvantaged high school students sponsored by ACS project SEED (18 years)
• Supervised 20 MS, 21 PhDs, and 11 postdoctoral and over 90 undergraduates in research
• Associate Editor, Aerosol Science and Technology (1998 to 2011)
• Co-Chair, Nanoparticle Synthesis and Assembly: Faraday Discussion 181 of the RSC, 20-22 April 2015 at Argonne national Lab, Chicago, IL, USA
• Presenter at annual Physics Demonstration Show at K-State open house for many years
• Astronomy viewing nights at the Flint Hills Discovery Center (2016 – present) 
• Faculty advisor to both the KSU Men’s and Women’s Rugby Clubs
• Coached girls’ softball for 13 years

Patents

1. Encapsulated Nanometer Magnetic Particles, US Patent No. 6,045,925.  April 4, 2000; with Klabunde and Zhang.
2. Synthesis of Monodisperse Gold Colloids by the Solvated Metal Atom Dispersion (SMAD) Method and their Organization in 2D-and 3D-Structures.  US Patent No. 6,562,504, May 13, 2003, with Stoeva and Klabunde.
3. Glass Composite Including Dispersed Rare Earth Iron Garnet Nanoparticles, US Patent Number 6,790,521B1 (Sept. 14, 2004) with S. Taketome and K. Klabunde.
4. Glass Composite Including Dispersed Rare Earth Iron Garnet Nanoparticles, US Patent Number 7,078,071B2 (July 18, 2006) with S. Taketome and K. Klabunde.
5. Novel Siloxanes and Methods of Synthesis Thereof using Metallic Nanoparticles Catalyst, with B. Prasad and K. Klabunde, US Patent Number 7,244,799 (July 17, 2007)
6. Creation of Ultralow Density Porous Materials via Aerosol Gelation:  Aerosol Gels, C. M. Sorensen, A. Chakrabarti, R. Dhaubhadel and C. Gerving; US Patent Number 7,691,909 issued on April 6, 2010.
7. Process for High-yield Production of Graphene via Detonation of Carbon Containing Material, C. M. Sorensen, A. Nepal, G. P Singh, U.S. Patent No. 9,440,857; September 13, 2016. Licensed by Start-up company Carbon 2D.
8. Graphene to Graphene/Graphene Oxide Core/Shell Particulates and Methods of Making and Using the Same" Provisional Patent Application No.: 62/862,251, Filing Date: June 17, 2020. Inventors: Stefan Bossmann, Christopher Sorensen, Jose Covarrubias, Madumali Kalubowilage, Arjun Nepal.
9. U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/913,462 filed Oct. 10, 2019 for "Monitor for Environmental Particulate Matter Size, Concentration, and Complex Index of Refraction"; Waez, Eckels and Sorensen.
10. Patent disclosure: “Device and process for mass production of particulate materials”, filling date June 15, 2020; inventors: Stephen Corkill, Christopher Sorensen, Justin Wright, Arjun Nepal, Stefan Bossmann.
11. Patent disclosure: “Pristine Graphene Based Nanobiosensor for Biomarker Detection”, filling date December 30, 2020; Stefan H. Bossmann, Christopher M. Sorensen, Obdulia Covarrubias-Zambrano (Perez) and Jose Covarrubias.
12. Patent disclosure: “Process for synthesis of syngas components”, filling date 2021; Christopher M. Sorensen, Stefan H. Bossmann, Justin Wright, Shusil Sigdel, Arjun Nepal, and Jose Covarrubias.