David Appell

appell-at-nasw.org
home page: http://www.nasw.org/users/appell

BACKGROUND: Writer and journalist with broad technical and scientific knowledge. Experience as an engineer, computer programmer, and scientist. Writing ability to communicate technical topics to experts and nonexperts alike. Education in physics, mathematics, and creative writing.

EXPERIENCE:

3/98 to present
Freelance writer and journalist

• Write news and feature articles on science, technology, and other topics for a variety of periodicals. Have written for Scientific American, Audubon, New Scientist, Discovery Channel Online, Science, Popular Science, The Industrial Physicist, Gale Research science and technology encylopedias, and many other publications. See list of publications.
• Wrote technical software manuals for Noyes Fiber Systems.

1997-1998
PENNWELL PUBLISHING CO., Nashua, NH
Assistant Editor, Technology, Laser Focus World

• Wrote news articles and feature length articles to deadline for laser and electro-optics trade magazine and its associated newsletter, Laser Report. Specialization in lasers, space science, and fiber optics.
• Solicited and edited feature-length articles for the magazine.
• Attended conferences and survey journals and papers to keep industry audience abreast of technology and scientific developments and trends.
• Selected technologies to be listed in New Products section.

1994-1997
Freelance writer and journalist

• Generated story ideas, queried editors, wrote news and feature articles to deadline, and worked with editors on revisions.
• Published in The Industrial Physicist, The Appalachian Trailway News, Poets & Writers, Backpacker, Internet World, The Phoenix Gazette, The Arizona Republic and other magazines, newspapers and literary journals. See list of publications .
• Correspondent for weekly town newspaper, The Williston Whistle, Williston, VT.
• Associate Editor, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
• Proofreader, Academic and Administrative Documents, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

1993-1994
MCI COMMUNICATIONS CORP., Colorado Springs, CO
Senior Engineer

• Led systems engineering and coordinated systems development for Advantage 800, MCI's North American 800 service developed in alliance with Bell Canada.
• Managed design of service architecture, obtained development commitments, and planned coordination of network enhancements.

1991-1992
GOLD SYSTEMS, INC., Boulder, CO
Director

• Involved in all aspects of a start-up telecommunications software company, including business development, product development and project management.
• Project Manager and Lead Developer for a PC-based Voice Mail system. Designed service architecture, wrote software, and planned and executed system installation at Fayetteville Hospital, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

1988-1991
AT&T BELL LABS

Project Manager, Business Communications Services, Bedminster, NJ

• Managed AT&T's Software Defined Network (SDN) Network Remote Access (NRA) service, a $200M revenue/yr. calling card service.
• Led large teams (5-40 people) of systems engineers, system managers, software developers, product managers and field technicians to develop new services, feature enhancements, and fraud control systems.
• Reduced fraud losses by about one million dollars a month while service grew by nearly 100%.

Systems Engineer, Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ

• Systems engineering of support systems, processes and operations for AT&T's Software Defined Network (SDN) provisioning and maintenance.
• Wrote service plans to improve performance of AT&T work centers.

Other:
State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY
Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics

• Performed research in cosmology and elementary particle physics while completing a Ph.D. in physics. Research was highly analytical and involved mathematical analysis followed by extensive numerical analysis and scientific programming (in UNIX/FORTRAN) of detailed calculations in quark-gluon interactions via quantum chromodynamics.
• 3½ years teaching undergraduate physics courses.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. in Physics, State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook. Thesis research consisted of computational analysis of high-energy subnuclear structure
• M.A. in Physics, State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook.
• B.S. in Physics and Mathematics, University of New Mexico.
• Graduate Program in Creative Writing (15 hours completed), Arizona State University.

ORGANIZATIONS

• National Association of Science Writers (NASW)
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

OTHER

• fiction writer and essayist.
• backpacker and hiker (1996: 1,500 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail).

PUBLICATIONS