Dr. Rajeev K.

Pathak 2010, OCTOBER THE 10TH

COVER-LETTER

Hello!
Please permit me to take the liberty, through this electronic communica
tion, of offering my candidacy for an appropriate teaching position in Physics.
Allow me to introduce myself: I teach physics at the University of Pun
e, India. I have had an opportunity to teach both undergraduate (chiefly in the
U.S.A.) and graduate courses (in India) in Physics, and have been carrying out
my research in the field of Atomic and Molecular Physics, under a special refere
nce to aAtomic and Molecular Physicsa; aChemical Physicsa; aDensity Functional T
heorya and aMathematical Physicsa.
Subsequent to my Ph.D., I had a unique opportunity to work in the Par
r-group at the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, at Chapel Hill, NC. My second post
doctoral assignment in The United States was in the Quantum Theory Group at the
TULANE UNIVERSITY, New Orleans, LA. These two groups had then been the world's l
eading active research groups on density functional theory. Subsequent to anothe
r postdoctoral assignment in Canada in Professor Dr. Ajit Thakkaras group at the
UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK, I once again carried out my research under my (thi
rd one in the United States) post-doctoral associateship in Tulane, New Orleans.
Currently I have been collaborating on exciting research problems on molecular
clusters with Professor Dr. Libero Bartolotti (formerly with the North Carolina
Supercomputing Center, NC) of the EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY, Greenville, NC. In
addition, collaboration is also underway with my associate at UMN, Minneapolis,
MN. We are currently investigating some novel problems in electronic structur
e, bonding, response to external electric fields and aqueous solvation molecular
of nano-clusters. I have in the past collaborated with PROFESSOR DR. VIRAHT SA
HNIas group, Brooklyn College, CUNY; during my second postdoctoral at Tulane.
During the SPRING Semester 2007, I was offered a VISITING PROFESSO
R position at TULANE UNIVERSITY, New Orleans, LA, USA, which was a gratifying ex
perience. I taught three different sections PHYSICS-01, -02 and -03 the algebra
-based (non-calculus) course PHYSICS-122 a la Cutnell and Johnson. Most of my s
tudents were pre-meds and thankfully, I was able to share some exciting physics
with them! The cumulative strength of the classes was about 150, so one encount
ered a wide spectrum: dedicated students and serious about physics and some fuss
y only about their grades, who also got aconverteda into liking physics. Whereve
r possible, I augmented classroom teaching by actual demonstrations that brought
forth and de-mystified various phenomena. It was an exhilarating experience wi
th students coming from diversified background and cultures as well, which is th
e state of affairs in my home country too.
Should I get this opportunity of carrying out teaching physics co
urses at undergrad / grad level, I shall consider that as a cherished hope being
realized. I visited your website and was delighted to observe that you have a v
ery conducive environment for academics.
I just love to teach the undergraduate classes as much as I do,
to teach the aadvanceda ones. In fact I learn from teaching: my Tulane Universi
ty experience has been very invigorating, gratifying and enriching. Moreover,
opportunities are available in plenty only at the opening level. Motivating stu
dents is my objective and as my student-responses would indicate, I reckon that
an earnest endeavor toward it is definitely being made! Although my 'Statement
' will elaborate further on this, let me assure you that I shall be carrying out
my duties with 100% application of Head, Hand and Heart! I am not hesitant in
stating that I simply adotea on teaching!
 I am submitting my application electronically. May I request t
hat my application may please be considered for an opening for any: PROFESSOR, A
SSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OR ADJUNCT level, FULL-TIME teaching pos
t? I have, in this comprehensive document, included:
(i) A Cover Letter (right this very one!) (ii) Career Summary and Objectives (i
ii) aWHY HIRE Rajeev Pathaka? (iv) Personal Information (v) Highlights of my A
cademic Career: Teaching and Research (vi) List of my research publications (vi
i) Referencesa Names, their Coordinates (vii) Teaching Statement (viii) Studen
t-Responses (ix) A sketch of my Research Plan.
May I request you to kindly acknowledge receipt by e-mail and
oblige. I would be most delighted to provide any further information required
in support of my candidacy; please just prompt me at either of the following e-m
ail addresses.
E-mail : pathak@physics.unipune.ac.in
E-mail : rpd142fc@westpost.net
Thanking you,
Respectfully,

Rajeev K. Pathak.
Please do visit my Personal Website: http://physics.unipune.ernet.in/~pathak/

Dr. Rajeev K. Pathak

CURRICULUM VITAE

CAREER SUMMARY
a Physics teacher at the College and University levels with over 20 years ex
perience in teaching core (basic) physics courses:
(i) Introductory physics at the undergraduate level in a liberal arts set-
up, in U.S.A;
and
(ii) Basic physics courses and elective theoretical physics courses at th
e graduate and post-graduate (masteras and beyond) level, in India.
a Research experience of over 30 years in Atomic and Molecular physics, in th
e fields of: many-electron problems, density functional theory, electron momentu
m distributions, mathematical physics, molecules and molecular nano-clusters: hy
dration of clusters, hydrogen bonding, clusters interacting with external fields
.
a Advising doctoral and masteras degree students; writing and obtaining grant
s for research projects.
Education: Doctoral (Ph.D.); Postdoctoral Research (---chiefly in U.S.A.).

CAREER OBJECTIVE
 a To educate; to elucidate; to bring out the excitement in learning physics.
To apply effectively the maxims of physics to diversified problems and phenomen
a. Invoke physical thought process in students. To ainstilla a holistic viewpo
int in studying physics.
a To demystify physics (most physics principles do not afall ina oneas lap se
rendipitously!). To add human element to teaching. Demonstrate what a theme is
about and also what it is not.
a To carry out research in the ever so exciting field of atomic, molecular an
d cluster physics: electronic structure; interactions with external influences;
density functional theory and mathematical physics.

Just SOME F-A-Qas and F-A-C-Ts!

WHY ME???

WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE RAJEEV PATHAK???

The following is a compilation of the questions that one would normally (and com
pletely understandably) tend to ask in order to gauge the potential of a teacher
aspirant. I have tried to answer the questions pre-emptively and candidly.
I would like to augment the following set of Tables to my application to help my
case adjudged in proper perspective!
1. Hey, this guy is an (East-) Indian who has had experience mainly in teaching
masteras level core physics courses in India and has done some undergraduate tea
ching in the United States. Will he be able to tune with, and reach the wide s
pectrum of undergraduate students (in the United States) coming from a diversifi
ed background? 1. My Tulane University, New Orleans, LA teaching experienc
e has been so overwhelmingly gratifying that I have started to dote on teaching
undergraduate physics courses (be it calculus-based or just algebra-based)! My
Student-evaluation will elaborate on this more completely.
aDiversified backgroundaaThere is no single country in the world that can match
the ethnic, social, linguistic, cultural plurality of India. I have experienced
the diversity in Tulane and I respect that! Education cuts through ethnic, ra
cial, religious barricades! Motley of diversified cultures is the end result.
I also respect the fact that The United States is NOT AT ALL xenophobic, a fact
that makes that Nation # 1 in the world!!!
2. EnglishaWould this person be proficient in English? We have a good reason t
o be skeptic here! Would he be able to communicate with the students effective
ly in American English?
2. YES!!! ALL THE WAY!!!! I HAVE HAD ALL MY EDUCATION RIGHT FROM KINDERGARTEN
THROUGH DOCTORATE IN ENGLISH!
Please read these excerpts from Ms. Amanias ( from the class of 2007 at Tulane)
: succinct E-mail, completely obliterating the apprehension or prejudice mentio
ned in the adjacent columna QUOTED VERBATIM:
E-mail messages received on 2007, JANUARY the 27th AND the 31st:
Hi Professor Pathak, aaYour classes are just fine-- we see that you are
really trying to make the material clear to us. I particularly liked when you ga
ve examples that were similar to problems in the book (that one with the echo on
the wall, for example) but that are not actually IN the bookaa
aa.I have to say, we are all incredibly impressed by your vocabulary, which is
probably the best of any professor I have ever heard lecture at Tulane!...a -
--Regards, Amani Jambhekar
Incidentally, in my hometown in India or even in the United States, when I start
to speak, they regard me as an American of East Indian origin! I guess I need
not elaborate any further!

3. Paperwork! Hiring this individual entails paperwork. Why go through the ha

ssle?
3. Gimme a break!!! Not much paperwork requiredathings are best handled by th
e International Center that every University has. Why go through the ahasslea (
it is not!). Try me and you will never regret; youad be glad you did the paperw
ork for this aguya!!!

4. This guy is OLD! Must be a burned-out. Would he have the energy to teach th
ree classes everyday?
4. NO!! THE CONTENTION IS NOT AT ALL TRUE!!! Besides the gratifying fact t
hat my personality defies my age (in a favorable way!), I proudly declare that
am more enthusiastic, more energetic, I work out daily more thanaan average pers
on in his/her mid-30as. Most of my Tulane students had estimated my age to be
~ 35 years whereas in point fact it was 51 years!
I taught (or shared the excitement with!) Undergraduate physics to three (3) d
ifferent sections in Tulane. No big dealaI could teach for several hours with u
ndiminished enthusiasm and energy and zeal to impart the right stuff! In Pune,
India, I have been teaching three classes everydayaa fact that should speak for
itself.

5. He already has a professor-level job. Would he accept an assistant profess

or level job?
Would his home institute grant him leave?
5. YES!!!! WITH UTMOST PLEASURE!!!! Fat Salary is NOT my objective!
Professor level joba.look at the EXPERIENCE!!! That is my asset! TRY ME!!! I
know exactly the common lacunas students have and exactly where students need to
be educated!
I do not want only to say aHire me and you will not regretaathat still reeks of
a rude and perhaps patronizing attitude! I would rather say ---aPlease give me
the opportunity to make undergraduate education an enjoyable experienceafor me
and for the students! Let us have a WIN-WIN situation!!!a
YES! LEAVEaNO PROBLEM AT ALL! I am entitled to FIVE YEARS of leave of absence:
1 year sabbatical, 1 year earned leave and a 3-year lien.
WHY ME??? Let me say, after all thisaJUST TRY ME!!!!
NOW, THE ACTUAL CV...!
(Please check- right below...)
Dr. Rajeev Kr
ishnarao Pathak
a Mailing Addresses
a Office : Department of Physics
University of Pune
Punea"411 007,Maharashtra,INDIA
Telephone No. (91)-20-25
69-9072
Extension-324
(Pune, India)
E-mail (Office) : path
ak@physics.unipune.ac.in
FAX : (91)-20-2569-168
4
NOTE: Indian Standard Time=GMT+5 hrs 30 mins
a Residence:E-17, Apt.205, Brahma Memories Apartments.
Bhosale Nagar, Pune-411 007; Maharashtra State, INDIA.
E-Mail (Personal): rpd142fc@westpost.net
TELEPHONIC CONTACT NUMBERS:
Land Line (Pune, India)
Telephone No. [011]-(91)-20-2556-0262
THE MOST PREFERRED ONES:
Cell phones: [011]-(91) 992 191 5235 ;
[011]-(91) 985 066 9498.
NOTE: Indian Standard Time=GMT+5 hrs 30 mins

a Academic Qualifications :
Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, on the problem aSome Investigations on Atoms and M
olecules within the Density Functional Formalisma(University of Poona, Pune, Ind
ia). Have worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Professor Dr. Robert G.
Parras Group, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, U.S.A. The Quantu
m Theory Group at the Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. in Profe
ssor Dr. Melvyn P. Levyas Group (with Professors Drs. Mel Levy and John Perdew)
, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada (Professor Dr. Ajit J. Thak
karas group); and subsequently, once again, in New Orleans, U.S.A, with Professo
rs Drs. Levy and Perdew.
a Academic Record

DEGREE, INSTITUTE , MARKS/OUT OF, (PER CENT( %)), PERCENTILE REMARKS

B.Sc. Physics, Fergusson College University of Poona
Pune, MH, India;
431 MARKS/OUT OF 500 (86. 20%)
PERCENTILE: 100%
REMARKS: Was awarded all the four prizes in Physics for Topping in Physic
s.
________________________
M.Sc. Physics
University of Pune
Pune, MH, India.
1626 MARKS/ OUT OF 2000 (81.30%)
PERCENTILE: 100%
Stood First at the University.
Was awarded the Physics Prize.

Ph.D. Physics
University of Pune
Pune, MH, India.
Thesis Title: aSome Investigations on Atoms and Molecules within the D
ensity Functional Formalisma Supervisors: The Late Professor Dr. P.V. Panat a
nd
Professor Dr. S.R. Gadre.
Theoretical Physics: Density Functional Theory
Ph.D.: 1982
Postdoctoral Assignments: In the U.S.A., chiefly (1982-1986, 1992, 1997)
______________
Postdoctoral: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, U.S.A. Professor
Dr. Robert G. Parr Group (Density Functional Theory)

Postdoctoral: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A.

Mentor: Professor Dr. Melvyn P. Levy
Co-Mentor: Professor Dr. John P. Perdew
(Density Functional Theory)

Postdoctoral: University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

Mentor: Professor Dr. Ajit J. Thakkar
(Atomic and Molecular Physics and Quantum Chemistry)

Postdoctoral: (once again) Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A. (ENCORE!)
Mentor: Professor Dr. Melvyn P. Levy
Co-Mentor: Professor Dr. John P. Perdew
(Density Functional Theory)

aResearch Experience :
* Engaged in research in theoretical Physics within the field a Density Fu
nctional Theorya, which offers an exact general formalism describing atoms,
molecules and solids. Have been engaged in formal developments as well as a
pplications of the theory. Have also worked on the problems : Electronic
exchange and correlation effects in atoms in both position and momentum
spaces. Intermolecular potential energy surfaces. Electron Momentum-Distributio
ns. Rigorous inequalities in atomic and molecular physics. Electrostatic
Potentials for molecules. Structure and properties of Density - Matr
ices in co-ordinate and momentum spaces. Critical. Exponents in High-Tc s
uperconductivity via a theoretical model. a Compton Defecta within the Kohn-S
ham approach. Positron-atom binding. Indirect paths for accurate atomic e
nergies. Ab initio studies on Water anionic clusters. Hydrogen-bonded clusters
and their response to external electric fields. Kindly refer to the list of res
earch publications enclosed as Appendix-A.
aTeaching Experience :
Graduate (Masteras) level:
Have been working as a Professor of Physics at the Department of Physics, Univer
sity of Pune, Pune, India. Have taught 4 (four) full courses in Quantum Mechanic
s at introductory, intermediate and advanced levels and a special course on Intr
oductory Quantum Electrodynamics. Further, have taught two full courses on Clas
sical Electrodynamics. Also, have conducted a large number of problem solving s
essions for Masteras Degree students for the subjects: Classical Mechanics, Quan
tum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics and Electrodynamics.
Have taught classical mechanics (calculus-based); electricity and magnetism, hea
t and thermodynamics, mathematics for physics, modern physics at the undergradua
te level.
Undergraduate level:
* Teaching carried out in the United States of America:
During the Spring Semester of 2007 (January-July, 2007) I was offered a visiting
professorship at the Department of Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Lou
isiana-70118, U.S.A. I taught undergraduate physics courses PHYSICS 122a"Sectio
n 01, PHYSICS 122a"Section 02, PHYSICS 122a"Section 03, an algebra-based non-cal
culus course to the above three classes (sections). The prescribed text was Cut
nell and Johnsonas Introductory Physics. The student community included a subst
antial contingent of pre-medical students.
* Teachersa Training Courses Conducted:
Have conducted several aRefresher Coursesa aimed at training College Teachers na
tionwide in India, sponsored by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, Ind
ia. Refresher Courses in Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Quantum Mechanic
s, Statistical Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Elementary Optics, Atomic and Molecula
r Physics, Quantum Chemistry and Mathematical Physics were conducted. These co
urses comprise revision of the concepts and wherever possible, experimental back
-up. Also, arranged two visits to the worldas largest functional Giant Meter-wa
ve Radio Telescope (GMRT) facility at Narayangaon, near Pune, India. Conducted
intensive problem-solving for college teachers in Classical Mechanics, Quantum M
echanics and Electrodynamics.
a- Student-Guidance:
Doctoral Level: 1. Dr. Rajendra R. Zope, currently at UTEP, El Paso, Texas, U.
S.A.
2. Dr. Dhurba Rai, now at the University of Tel Av
iv, Tel Aviv,
Israel.
Masteras Level: Mr. Mebratu Madebo (New Time-Energy Uncertainty Principle), Tr
ushant Majmudar (Neural Networks), Ms. Sarika Mahajani (Applications of Neural
Networks), Mr. Shivaji Sonawane( Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics), Mr. Salil Be
dkihal (Spin-3/2 systems: The Rarita-Schwinger Equation), Mr. Girish Nathan (App
lication of feed-forward Neunets to Atomic Physics); Mr. Tarak Thakore (Berrya
s Phase). Co-supervised aNeutrino oscillationsa by Mr. Maulik Naria.
Advising at Undergraduate Level: Ms. Carleigh Hebbard (On the Molecular Hamilto
nian, at Tulane, New Orleans); Conducted demonstrations for students on Brewster
as angle; Total-Internal-Reflection, Wave Motion (in India and in USA).
a- External Funding Sought: Have completed several research schemes: (i) UG
C, New Delhi: Compton aDefecta; (ii) UGC Career Award Scheme (Atomic Energies, P
ositron-States, Density Functional Theory) (iii) C-DAC Project (iv) University-
Potential-for-Excellence Award of a Research Scheme (on-going) for study of mole
cular nano-size clusters and their behavior in Electric Field

a Conferences Attended :
Had an opportunity to attend the NATO sponsored aInternational Conference on The
oretical Physics: The Density Functional Formalism for atoms, Molecules, Solids
and Nucleia in Alcabideche, Lisbon, Portugal, in September 1983. Also, participa
ted in the Mardi Gras conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. in February 1
984. Participated in the workshop for Atomic, Molecular and Solid State Physics
at the International Center for Theoretical Physics, at Trieste, Italy, during J
uly-August, 1991.Visited University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B., Canad
a during May 1992 to June,1992; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.,
U.S.A. and Tulane University, Louisiana, U.S.A.; Princeton University, Princeto
n, N.J., U.S.A.; Duke University, Durham, N.C., U.S.A.; the City University of N
ew York, New York, U.S.A. during June,1992 to August, 1992 for further research.
Attended and delivered a seminar in the CMT-XX (aCondensed Matter Theories-20a)
International conference hosted by our University in December 1996 (this was a
truly international conference, Dr. Eric Cornell, its participant won the Nobel
Prize later, for experimental demonstration of Bose-Einstein Condensation). Was
an invited speaker as well as a member of the International Advisory Board for t
he aSCCS a" 97a(i.e. Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems, 1997) International Confe
rence, which was attended during July-August 1997, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S
.A. Nanophysics conference/workshop at the International Center of Theoretical
Physics, Trieste, Italy, during May-June, 2004. The International Symposium on
Frontiers in Density Functional Theory: Fundamentals and Applications, ACS Confe
rence in honor of Professor Dr. Robert G. Parr's 85th Birthday, Atlanta, GA, USA
(March-April, 2006: Invited talk); the American Physical Society March 2008 Mee
ting at New Orleans, LA, USA (March, 2008:poster presentation); the American Phy
sical Society March 2009 Meeting at Pittsburgh, PA, USA (March, 2009:poster pres
entation). During May-June 2010, delivered a set of colloquia at Hunter College
, Queens College, Brooklyn College, and the Graduate Center of the City Universi
ty of New York, NY, U.S.A., under a visiting professorship award by the American
Physical Society.
a Miscellaneous :
* Worked as a joint secretary, Indian Physics Association, Poona Chapter, dur
ing 1979
1982; also, as Secretary (1989-1992) of a popular Science Club, viz. aJidn
yasaa
aimed at initiating science-awareness, especially amongst school and college stu
dents. Contributed some demonstration a" apparatuses to aExploratorya. During
the spring semester of 2007, at Tulane, developed some simple apparatuses bring
ing out the principles underlying various physical phenomena in sound wave propa
gation, electricity and magnetism for undergraduates.
* Actively participated in Athletics. Won the titles aMr. Fergusson Collegea
and aMr.
Poona (now: aPunea--) Universitya.
* Conducted and participated in several mountaineering expeditions in
the Western
Indian Region.
a Languages Known: Marathi (Mother Tongue), English, Hindi and to a feeble e
xtent, Sanskrit, and German.
a Foreign Countries Visited :
Long Stays
The United States of America : November1982- May 1985 ; subsequently during M
ay 1986 - September 1986 and June 1992-August 1992; July-August1997; M
arch-April,
2006; January-through-July, 2007, March, 2008; March, 2009; May-June, 2010.

(Hold a valid U.S. Social Security Number).

Canada : January-May1986; May1992 - June 1992.
Italy and Germany : July 1991-August 1991; May-June, 2004.
Short Stays : Portugal, The United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Luxemb(o)urg, T
he Netherlands, Germany
(Deutschland), Austria (-sterreich), Switzerland,
Norway, Italy, France, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Malaysia, Thail
and.
a Awards at the National level : Winner of the aCareer Awarda in Physics awarde
d
by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi,
India (award availed during 1995 - 1998).
a Recognitions and Awards at the International level:
* Membership of the
International Advisory Board
for the Internat
ional Conference SCCS-97
(Boston, MA, U.S.
A.: July 1997).
*American Physical
Society's Visiting Professor
Award under the In
do-US Science & Technology
Forum ( New York C
ity, USA: May-June, 2010)
a- Membership of Professional Bodies : The American Physical Society (Member
).

APPENDIX- A
Research Publications of Dr. Rajeev K. Pathak
I. Papers published/accepted for publication:
1. Direct and Reverse Transformations between Electron Density and Electron
Momentum Density
* S. R. Gadre and R. K. Pathak
Physical Review a" A (American Physical Society)
Volume A24, pages 2906-2912 (Year :1981).
2. Estimation of <p> and <1/p> from Atomic Electron Densities
*R. K. Pathak and S.R.Gadre
Journal of Chemical Physics (of the American Institute of Physics)
Volume 74, pages 5925-5926 ( Year : 1981).
3. On Representation of the Coulomb Integral by One-Electron Functional
* S. R. Gadre and R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics 75, 4740-4741 (1981).
4. Local Density Functional Model for Atoms in Momentum Space
*R. K. Pathak, P. V. Panat and S. R. Gadre
Physics Review a" A25, 3073-3077 (1982).
5. Lower Bounds to the Weizscker Correction
* S. R. Gadre and R.K. Pathak
Physical Review a" A25, 668-670 (1982).
6. Relationships between the Terms in the Gradient Expansion :Kinetic and Exchan
ge Energy Functionals
* R. K. Pathak and S. R. Gadre
Physical Review a" A25, 3426-3428 (1982).
7. Estimation of <p> and <1/p> from Atomic Electron Densities :
A. comment
* S. R. Gadre and R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics 77, 1073-1073 (1983).
8. On Monotonicity of the Atomic Electron Momentum Density and The Shell-
Structure Characteristics of the Radial Momentum Density
* S. R. Gadre, S.J. Charavorty and R.K.Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics, 78, 4581-4584 (1983).
9. Electron Density to Electron Momentum Density : The use of an Energy Constra
int
* S. R. Gadre, S. P. Gejji and R. K. Pathak
Physical Review a" A27, 3328-3331 (1983).
10. Electron Density to Electron Momentum Density: Connection with
the Locally Averaged Method.
* S. R. Gadre, S. P. Gejji and R. K. Pathak
Physical Review a" A28, 462-463 (1983).
11. Gradient-free Representation of the Weizscker term for Atoms.
* R. K. Pathak and S. R. Gadre
Physical Review a" A28, 1808-1809 (1983).
12. An Upper Bound to the Exchange Integral for Coulomb Interactions
* R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics 80, 583-584 (1984).
13. Bound Excited States within Density Functional Formalism: The Levy funct
ional.
* R. K.Pathak
Physical Review a" A29, 978-979 (1984).
14. From Molecular Electron Density to Electron Momentum Density
* R. K. Pathak, S. P. Gejji and S. R. Gadre
Physical Review a" A29, 3402- 3405 (1984).
15. Statistical Electron Angular Correlation Coefficients within the
Hohenberg - Kohn - Sham Theory, for Atomic Systems
* R. K. Pathak
Physical Review a" A31, 2806-2809 (1985).
16. Relationships among the Terms in the Gradient Expansion of the Kinetic
 and Exchange- Correlation Energy Functionals. II
* R.K. Pathak and L.J. Bartolotti
Physical Review a" A31, 3557-3564 (1985).
17. Approximate Relationships between Density Power Integrals,
Moments of the Momentum Density and Interelectronic Repulsions
in Diatomic Molecules
* R. K. Pathak, B. S. Sharma and A. J. Thakkar
Journal of Chemical Physics 85, 958-962 (1986).
18. Fourth- Order Gradient Expansion of the Fermion Kinetic Energy:
Extra Terms for Non-Analytic Densities
*J. P. Perdew, V. Sahni, M. Harbola and R.K. Pathak
Physical Review- B-34, 686-691 (1986).
19. Very Short a"range Interatiomic Potentials
* R. K. Pathak and A. J. Thakkar
Journal of Chemical Physics 87, 2186 a"2190 (1987).
20. Indirect-path Method for Atomic and Molecular Energies, and New
Koopmans Theorems
* M. Levy, R. K. Pathak, J.P. Perdew and S.Wei
Physical Review- A36, 2491 a"2494 (1987). (Rapid Communication)

21. Interconnections between Electron Densities in Position and

Momentum spaces
* S. R. Gadre and R. K. Pathak
In Lecture Notes in Chemistry series, by Springer-Verlag, Vienna
Volume 50 (1988), (18 pages).
22. Bounds to Electron-Repulsion Integrals (Invited Article)
* S. R. Gadre and R. K. Pathak
Proceedings of The Academy of Sciences-I
Vol.100, pp483-508 (1988).

23. Developments of Links between Electron Densities in

Complementary Spaces
* R. K. Pathak and S. R. Gadre
Portugalea Fisica Vol.19, pp 407-408 (1988).

24. Rigorous Bounds to Molecular Electron Repulsion and Electrostatic

Potential Integrals
* S. R. Gadre, S.A. Kulkarni and R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics, 91, 3596-3602 (1989).
25. Reduced First-order Density Matrices and aExchange-onlya
Correlation-Factors for some Closed-shell Atomic Systems.
* S. R. Gadre, S.A. Kulkarni and R.K. Pathak
Physical Review a" B41, 4749-4751 (1989).
26. Critical Indices for High a" Tc Superconductors
*R. K. Pathak and P. V.Panat
Physical Review- B41, 4749-4751 (1990).
27. Atomic and Molecular Diamagnetic Susceptibilities from Compton
Scattering Data
* S. R. Gadre and R.K. Pathak
Physical Review-A92, 4327-4330 (1990).
28. Momentum Space Atomic First-Order Density Matrices and
aExchange a"onlya Correlation Factors.
* R. K. Pathak, S. A. Kulkarni and S. R. Gadre
Physical Review a" A42, 2622-2626 (1990).
29. Maximal and Minimal Characteristics of Molecular Electrostatic
Potentials
* R. K. Pathak and S. R. Gadre
Journal of Chemical Physics, 93, 1770-1773 (1990).
30. Non-occurrence of Non-nuclear Strict Maxima in Molecular Electrostatic
Potentials (Invited Article)
* S. R. Gadre and R.K. Pathak
Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Vol.102,
pp.189-192 (1990).
31. Reply to the Comment on aMaximal and Minimal Characteristics of
Molecular Electrostatic Potentialsa : Some Further Extensions.
* S. R. Gadre, S. A. Kulkarni and R.K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics, 94, 8639-8639 (1991).

32 . Bounds to Atomic and Molecular Energy Functionals

* S. R. Gadre and R. K. Pathak
Advances in Quantum Chemistry, Vol.22, pp.211-300 (Academic Press,
U.S.A., 1991).
33. Topographical View of Molecular Electron Momentum Density
* S. A. Kulkarni, S. R. Gadre and R.K. Pathak
Physical Review-A42, 4399-4406 (1992).
34. Density-based Molecular Electron Localization Functions
* S. R. Gadre, S. A. Kulkarni and R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics, 98, 3574-3576 (1993).
35. Leading Corrections to the Atomic Impulse-approximation Comption
Profiles: A Density Functional Approach
* R. K. Pathak, A. Kshirsagar, R. Hoffmeyer and A. J. Thakkar
Physical Review-A48, 2946-2951 (1993).
36. A necessary Condition for Atom-Positron Bound State
* R. K. Pathak
Physical Review-A50, 2191-2196 (1994).
37. Positron Binding: A Positron-Density Viewpoint
* T. Baruah, R.R. Zope, A. Kshirsagar and R. K. Pathak
Physical Review- A50, 2191-2196 (1994).
38. Leading Corrections to Atomic Impulse Approximatin Compton
profiles: Second order Correction
* R. R. Zope, A. Kshirsagar and R. K. Pathak
Chemical Physics Letters (Elsevier, Amsterdam)
Volume a" 242, pp 555-559 (1995).
 39. Indirect path method: Accurate total atomic energies
* M. K. Harbola, R. R. Zope and R. K. Pathak
Physical Review a" A53, 3652-3656 (1996).
40. Density-Functional approach to positron-neutral atom bound states
* T. Baruah, R. K. Pathak, A. Kshirsagar
Physical Review A55, 1518-1521 (1997).
41. Atomic Compton Profiles Within different aexchange-onlya theories
* R. R. Zope, M. K. Harbola and R. K. Pathak
European Physical Journal D7, 151-155 (1999).

42. Ab initio Studies of anionic water pentamer clusters

* S. A. Kulkarni, L. J. Bartolotti and R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics 113, 2697-2700 (2000).
43. Ab initio investigations on neutral clusters of ammonia: (NH3)n (n=2-6)
* S. A. Kulkarni and R. K. Pathak
Chemical Physics Letters 336, 278-283 (2001).

44. Ab initio investigations on neutral Hydrogen Peroxide clusters: (H2O2)

n (n=2,4)
* S. A. Kulkarni, L. J. Bartolotti and R. K. Pathak
Chemical Physics Letters 372, 620-626 (2003).
45. Structures, energetics and vibrational Spectra of (H2O2)a(H2O2)n n = 1-6
: Ab
Initio quantum chemical investigations
*A.D. Kulkarni, R.K. Pathak and L.J. Bartolotti
Journal of Physical Chemistry (American Chemical Society)
109, 4583-4590 (2005).
46. Momentum-space properties from Co-ordinate-space electron density
*M.K. Harbola, R.R. Zope, A. Kshirsagar and R. K. Pathak
Journal of Chemical Physics 122, 204110 (1-5) (2005).
47. Effect of additional water on hydrated hydrogen peroxide: a quantum che
mical study
* A.D. Kulkarni, R.K. Pathak and L.J. Bartolotti
Journal of Chemical Physics 124, 214309(1-7) (2006).
48. Interaction of peroxyformic acid with water molecules: A first-principl
es study
* A.D. Kulkarni, D. Rai, L.J. Bartolotti, and R.K. Pathak
Journal of Physical Chemistry a"A 110 (42), 11855 -11861 (2006).
49. Electric field effects on aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons: A Densit
y-
Functional study
* D. Rai, H. Joshi, A.D. Kulkarni, S.P. Gejji, and R.K. Pathak
Journal of Physical Chemistry-A: 111 (37), 9111 -9121, 2007).
50. The Methyl-hydroperoxide dimer: a Novel Molecular Cluster
* A.D. Kulkarni, D. Rai, L.J. Bartolotti and R.K. Pathak
Journal of Molecular Physics THEOCHEM 824, 32-38 (2007).
51. Water clusters (H2O)n, n= 6-8 in external electric fields
* D. Rai, A. D. Kulkarni, S. P. Gejji, and R. K. Pathak
 Journal of Chemical Physics 128, 034310, (2008).
52. Is high electric field capable of selectively inducing a covalent-like
bond between polar and non-polar molecular species?
* D. Rai, A. D. Kulkarni, S. P. Gejji, and R. K. Pathak
Theoretical Chemistry Accounts (Springer): Chemical Physics
123, 501-511 (2009).
53. Microsolvation of Methyl Hydrogen Peroxide: Ab Initio Quantum
Chemical Approach
* A. D. Kulkarni, D. Rai, R. K. Pathak, and L.J. Bartolotti
Journal of Chemical Physics: 131(5), 054310 (2009).

II. Research Papers Communicated / Under preparation

* Zwitterionic to Normal transition in Glycine+ (H2O)2 induced by mi
grant water molecule
* A.D. Kulkarni, D. Rai, S.P. Gejji, L.J. Bartolotti and R.K. Pathak (Communicat
ed)

III. Studies in progress:

* Rigorous, co-ordinate free derivation of Electromagnetic Field Tran
sformations
under pure Lorentz boosts. * aExacta Exchange-Correlation within density functi
onal theory exclusively the coordinate electron density * Momentum-space signat
ure of an external electric field applied to a cluster. * Higher amino acids an
d their hydration.

A List of my Professional References Followsaa

(please refer to the NEXT page)--

IV. References :

1. Professor Dr. John P. Perdew

Department of Physics and
Astronomy
P. Stern Hall,
Tulane University,
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
U. S. A.
E-mail :perdew@tulane.edu
Tel: (504)-862-3180 ; USA
2. Professor Dr. Libero J. Bartolotti
Department of Chemistry,
East Carolina University
Science and Technology Building
Suite 300, Greenville,
 North Carolina 27858-4533
U. S. A.
E-mail: bartolottil@mail.ecu.edu
Tel: (252)-328-9762; USA

3. Professor Dr. Subhash V. Ghaisas

Department of Electronic Science
University of Pune ,
Pune 411 007,
Maharashtra State
INDIA.
E-mail :
svg@electronics.unipune.ernet.in
Tel: +91-20-2546-9064; INDIA
4. Professor Dr. James H. McGuire
Chair, Department of Physics and
Astronomy
2001 Percival Stern Hall,
Tulane University,
New Orleans, Louisiana-70118
U. S. A.
E-mail :mcguire@tulane.edu
Tel: (504)-862-3169 ; USA
and (504)-865-5520 ; USA
5. Professor Dr. Melvyn P. Levy
Department of Chemistry
P. Stern Hall
Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118,
U. S. A.
ML: now RETIRED from Tulane;
currently visiting faculty, Duke
University, NC. His contacts:
E-mail: mlevy@tulane.edu
Tel: (919) 660-1675
6. Professor Dr. Robert G. Parr
701, Kenmore Street
Chapel Hill,
North Carolina 27514
U. S. A.
E-mail: rgparr@email.unc.edu
Tel: (919)-962-1577 ; USA
(RGP: Retired from UNC now).
7. Professor Dr. Vivek Sharma,
Department of Physics ,
University of California at San Diego
5561 Mayer Hall, 9500 Gilman Drive,
La Jolla, CA 92093-0319
U.S.A.
Phone: UCSD: +858 534 1943 (off)
E-mail: vsharma@ucsd.edu
+858 353 4679 (mobile)
Phone: CERN: +41 22 76 74918 (off) +41 76 487 1855 (Mobile)
Web: http://vsharma.ucsd.edu
(Professor Dr. P.V. Panat (himself a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley) who had been my Ph.
D. advisor, unfortunately passed away on 2009 JAN 20).

Dr. Rajeev K. Pathak

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: MY STATEMENT
I would like to take the liberty of sharing my thoughts as a teacher:
I have chosen the vocation of a teacher because that I like best ... t
eaching is indeed a noble profession and a good teacher can shape the minds of h
er/his students by giving them the right stuff, during their formative years rig
ht at the undergraduate level, so that they would ever be better and better in a
ttaining higher levels. Thus goes a Sanskrit saying (translated--) aThe most co
ntented teacher is one whose disciple, some day, surpasses him and even adefeats
a her/him (i.e. defeats the preceptor or mentor) in academic wrangling!aasuch te
acher would be most contented! Thankfully, I am onea my erstwhile doctoral stud
ent (now a scientist faculty at UTEP) has attained the status of being recognize
d worldwide!

The Statement has a direct bearing on physics teaching: so let me put in

a nutshell the subjects that I have so far had an opportunity to teach (or, rat
her asharea), both at undergraduate as well as graduate levels.
SUBJECTS TAUGHT THUS FAR
Among the subjects I have had an experience in teaching hitherto are:
Undergraduate level:
(algebra-based (non-calculus)) Theory of Waves; Theory of Sound, Electro
statics; Magnetostatics; Magnetic Effect of Electric Current; Electromagnetic In
duction; Optics: Mirrors, Lenses, Applications of Optics: Optical Instruments su
ch as the Astronomical Telescope and the Compound Microscope; Wave-particle Dua
lity; The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle; basic tenets of Quantum Mechanics, R
adioactivity; the Bohr Atomic Model; Atomic Shells.
(calculus-based) Classical Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics, Electricity and
Magnetism, Heat and Thermodynamics, Quantum Mechanics (elementary as well as ad
vanced), Mathematical Physics, and some laboratory courses on mechanics.

Masteras and graduate levels: Non-relativistic as well as Relativistic Quantum

Mechanics, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Field Theory with an emphasis on
Quantum Electrodynamics, Classical Electrodynamics, Statistical Physics, Chemica
l Physics, and Mathematical Physics.
SOME IDEAS ON TEACHING AND STUDENT-RESEARCH
I believe in aNOT taking things for granteda during teaching. M
any a time, familiarity is often confused with understanding: I have found that
you have to give an initial impetus to the students by actually and fully workin
g out things to the nitty-gritty detail, for starters. If not, the studentsa mi
nds wander off, wondering how a particular formula has been derived, or applied.
Sometimes, what a thing really is and what it is not is also important to tell
, because there are pitfalls everywhere solely due to incorrect/inadequate inter
pretation. I trust, one must bring out, as a teacher, the concept and the theme
in the maze of the formulas and derivations in all branches of physics. Also,
this tones the minds of the students toward analytical thinking, making it less
aenigmatica. Being in academics has a unique privilege: academics offers to l
earn new things in physics as much as to teach physics to students.

In as much as possible, I make an endeavor to provide the students with

lecture notes to have their undivided attention. I have also have arranged for
a large number of in-class demonstrations and toy-type gadgets for hands-on exp
erience. For example, the Brachistochrone problem (this apparatus was made by t
he students: I just gave them the pointers) for calculus of variations; LASERs
to demonstrate diffraction to higher orders; adancing discsa and slowly falling
magnet to bring out the Faraday-Lenz law of electromagnetic induction; adynam
ica reaction by a platform onto a falling chain (this experiment demonstrates th
at a falling chain, during its fall under gravity actually exerts a force exact
ly three times its accumulated weight : students were pleasantly surprised to
note this and were excited to actually feel the force on their outstretched pal
ms!). Students were also encouraged to make quantification for these phenomena
wherever possible, with actual practical values. They themselves figured things
out, for example, what gauge copper wire would be employed for the experiment o
f dancing discs, about the reaction force associated with variable mass and thus
forth. They were made to think (and were not asked what to think upon), for e
xample about the Brachistochrone problem --the least time path in uniform gravi
ty for a mass point-- the least distance rectilinear path is not necessarily the
shortest time cycliodal pathabecause the motion is an accelerated one, the spee
d is not a constant! Further, if one replaced the mass by a light beam, what pa
th would it take --- they then realized that it would have to be a straight line
path. But thena did nothing change at all? Well, of course not a what changed
was the frequency of the light araya traversing the gravitational field. Of cou
rse, l gravitational blue/red shifts and general relativity were not alluded to,
yet, they sensed it!
I certainly love teaching the undergraduate classes, various physics co
urses. As regards classroom instruction, as a teacher, I have and will continue
to make an earnest endeavor to emulate the example of the Late Professor Dr. Ri
chard Feynman, Nobel Laureate. With him, incidentally, I had had a unique oppor
tunity to meet in person and talk at length on physics, free-lance, at his resid
ence in the summer of 1984, in Altadena. CA, USA. If I see the beaming faces of
my students, "that they have understood the stuff", I consider that "my day is
made!" The Tulane undergraduate-teaching experience, my most recent one, was ind
eed gratifying, there were some really motivated boys and girls at Tulane who vi
gorously interacted with me academically and the association proved mutually ver
y beneficial, because they occasionally asked me such thought-provoking question
s that I had to very carefully think and reaffirm the things before I came up wi
th a satisfactory answer! While I appreciate to usage of gadgets, I still valu
e the chalk-and-talk method, because the studentsa thoughts can be made to tune-
in ain phasea only with the blackboard; it has a human element tooathat boosts t
he confidence of the student and instills a desirable quality not to jump steps
and carry out everything systematically, stepwise.

I also believe that supplementary to the conventional classroom educat

ion, the students should be encouraged to hold informal discussion sessions and
also perform laboratory and computer experiments, undertake projects where they
have a free hand. However, too much computation with no trace of reality is als
o detrimental: after all, aLife is not a simulation!a RKP [!!!]. The dependenc
e on rote also has to be eliminatedathe following small story will elaborate on
what I mean---
Let me quote an incident from Feynmanas a Surely Youare Joking Mr. Feynma
n! a : In Brazil (where he was once visiting on a Sabbatical), students were per
forming experiments to demonstrate the Brewster phenomenon: that light could be
rendered into polarized light by shining it on a denser medium at a designated a
ngle making it reflect from it. The batch was very meticulously trying to perfor
m the experiment in accordance with the trite maxims given in the book: by mount
ing the polarizers, analyzer-prisms and thus forth, on an optical bench. Feynma
n simply asked them to look at the ocean basking in the springtime sun and to ro
tate their analyzer crystals and just keep looking through them, and lo-and-beho
ld, the field of view, at a particular crystal orientation, was mostly darkened!
It was the veritable Sun that was the asource of lighta, and The South Atlanti
c Ocean provided the adenser mediuma for the sunlight to get (by and large-) pol
arized. This true story is, for an aspirant as well as a veteran teacher, both
an eye-opener and a paradigm of what a true teacher should be likeaimparting kno
wledge through observation of the world around! I later tried in my class with
a simple observation through the analyzer, at the diffuse reflection of a tube-
light on the floor, for a particular orientation, almost disappeared! I made th
e entire Masteras degree class observe this phenomenon. Likewise, sprinkling ch
alk dust in a long beaker and shining laser light at an appropriate angle shows
a beautiful pattern of total internal reflection. The students were thrilledafo
r one reason that the phenomenon that they had learned could actually manifest;
secondly, they could relate what they were taught, to adown-to-eartha physics.
Another aglaringa example, where we tend to just ignore is that, the thin
crescent moon during a clear night shows a dim glow over its aothera segment, n
ot directly illuminated by the sun: the reason is aEarthshinea: Sunlight reflect
ed from the earth hits the moon and is re-reflected to reach the earth: many a s
mart student was unaware of this a it is the job of a teacher to inspire their y
oung minds!
The aslinkya, a remarkable toy, has also been used to demonstrate (especi
ally-) longitudinal wave phenomena, so also a long heavy chain, for transverse w
aves. For a demonstration that a wave being reflected at a denser medium suffer
s a phase shift of 180o, I brought a long heavy chain and let the students have
a hands-on experience: the exactly-out-of-phase ajerka at the point of wave-refl
ection gave it all. The same thing went for the observation: a leaf-spring bala
nce (for recording weights of neonatal), no matter how gently you stepped on, or
put the weights in the balance, and the initial akicka is at least twice the ac
tual weight! Quantifications came later simply by invoking conservation of ener
gy, but the feel -- the perception -- was more appealing!
Such a teacher truly becomes a friend, philosopher and guide to the students.
I shall always make maximal endeavor to be one!
On one occasion, I gushingly entered my aelectricity and magnetisma cla
ss (during my Tulane undergraduate teaching) and asked my students a question th
us: aHave you come across a gadget that absorbs ALL electromagnetic radiation?
--- Well, they have found such a novel material!a The students were a little p
erplexed --- a question coming from a teacher a" has got to be a tricky one ---
such was their mindset, and the cause of bewilderment. Nobody answered a When I
told them that a metal (or, for that matter, a conductor) absorbed EM radiation
, the entire class burst into laughter --- everybody realized that they were adu
peda! Then they realized why their cellos or transistor radios did not functio
n in trains or inside buses and they had to get closer to a window for their ope
rations. I could explain them the phenomenon on the basis of energy-bands in so
lids: the metal having its conduction band partially filled, thus always making
transition to the unoccupied levels (for RF, IR, optical wavelengths) possible.

I tried the same thing on my aadvanceda-level students in Puneathe effect was TH

E SAME!!!! On the basis of classical electrodynamics, I then taught them the sk
in effect la Jackson a" the class told me later that they would never forget th
e skin effect a" they might forget the derivation, but not the phenomenon! Li
kewise, despite the maximal sensitivity of the human eye to yellow color, why ar
e danger/caution/STOP signals in red color?...Because the red light scatters the
leastapierces through the longest. There is a lot of physics in our day-to-day
, seemingly innocuous experiences!
Yet another remarkable example: If two (grown up, adult-) friends are standing j
ust half a meter apart and if each of them has just one percent surplus electron
s in their bodies, the force of repulsion would be incredibly phenomenala ~ 1027
Newton, well enough to alifta about 100 earths in uniform aexternala gravity li
ke the terrestrial one. This statement, without proof, is made in Vol. 2 of the
Feynman Lectures on Physics! Whenever I derive this force from elementary cons
iderationsaeven the most ainerta student is aenticeda into liking electrodynamic
s!!!
As we all know the hierarchy goes as information a' knowledge a' wisdom,
and the role of a teacher is to set the minds of his/her students on this right
path. Given an opportunity to teach at your institute, I assure that I shall d
o my best to impart the maxims of physics to the students in a most palatable wa
y, without taking things for granted, so that they would always have a self-kind
led confidence in tackling problems in physics in particular and even in other w
alks of life, and they would ever excel in whatever vocation they choose. Pleas
e allow me just add that I resonate with teaching...it gives me a 100% satisfact
ion!
In my home country, India, there exists a host of diversities: cultural,
linguistic, ethnicalike probably in no other single nation in the world. I hon
or, cherish, and respect cultural diversitya with globalization; unification of
plurality is a worldwide phenomenon. Science is a great unifier: the principle
s of physics, for example, are impersonal and applicable uniformly all over in t
he universe (agravitationa a la Newton is auniversala gravitation, just to cite
an example).

MY COMMITMENT
The trio of information a' knowledge a' wisdom a" I assure you that I shall spar
e no effort to accomplish that, with concurrence a"a confluencea" of head, hand
and heart!!
STUDENT-RESPONSES
RESPONSES FROM UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:
PHYSICS 122-Dr. Pathak, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA:
Reproduced hereunder, verbatim, are some representative responses by students, w
ho attended classes regularly. Some anonymous responses were posted on the Clip
board. I really appreciate that the students took their time to respond, but al
l these superlativesa???? ..that is way too muchaafter all, I did try to convey
to them the stuff in the best manner I possibly could with diligence and dedicat
ion, but all I can say that these young undergrad boys and girls are yet to see
the wide world out there!
Listed below are a few excerpts from responses from students:

1. Anonymous responses on the ablackboard learning facilitya Clipboard:

aa.Please let us have Dr. Pathak teach all the physics coursesaa (Anonymous-1)
.
aaPhysics can indeed be fun. Dr. Pathak has, whenever possible, backed the stuf
f by demonstrating the principles of physics, I guess, however, that some of us
fell short of appreciating his enthusiasmaa (Anonymous-2).
2. Excerpts from actual responses AFTER the results were declared; signed by a
few students:
Dr. Pathak was nothing short of extremely accommodating and willing to help us l
earn the material. Not only does he keep office hours every Tuesday, but he nev
er asks anyone to leave, even when the hours are over, if the person still has q
uestions or does not quite grasp the material; the times I have come to office h
ours, there have usually been one or two other people there also. Besides
Dr. Pathakas office hours, he always stays after class to discuss questions, sev
eral times having to run and almost missing his bus to downtown in the evening (
Heas even helped me with chemistry concepts). When we asked Dr. Pathak to post
practice questions on Blackboard and to change his quiz format, he did, and in o
ur favor. While there sometimes exist cultural differences between Dr. Pathak a
nd the rest of us, he has always tried to adapt. He is an attentive, jubilant p
rofessor, and he makes me enjoy coming to class.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Carleigh F. Hebbard a09
To whomever it may concern,
Dr. Rajeev K. Pathak: Dr. Pathak has been a great professor this semester. His
lectures are thorough, organized, and well taught. He is very understanding and
considerate of his students' needs and concerns. Dr. Pathak is always enthusiast
ic when he comes to class even though we know that he is re-teaching the same ma
terial three times. I have enjoyed taking this class with Dr. Pathak and feel th
at I have gained a better understanding of the subject matter. Please take my le
tter into consideration. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Mediha Ahmad
Throughout the semester he has consistently presented his lectures with enthusia
sm. In fact, despite all the equations for all the different types of energy we
have been taught, there is none which can describe the energy that Dr. Pathak di
splays.
Thanks,
Steven Bright

I agree with you. I'd choose Pathak to teach me physics any day. I do think tha
t he may not have the worldas best system for homework, but teaching-wise, I've
really learned a lot from him.
- Sarah Gilbert

I do admit that Dr. Pathak does have aunusuala (quotes: mine (RKP)) teaching met
hods (he uses the blackboard and rarely other gadgets) and different opinions on
what, and how things should be tested. He has always been quite willing to list
en to the concerns of the students and adapt appropriately. In fact, after each
of our three tests he changed the format to suit the needs of the students. I
know few professors here at Tulane that would take such care. He was genuinely
interested in teaching physics and making sure that we learned the concepts, and
always made time to discuss things with us.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Jobe '07
Professor Pathak,
I just wanted to make sure that I put my homework and Quiz 1 questions in the ri
ght mailbox. Also, I wanted to let you know that I thought you are a very fair a
nd competent teacher. I have a much better appreciation for hard work now, espec
ially after that final. Again though, thank you so much for the opportunity give
n to all of us for making up homework assignments, and all of your time and effo
rt that you devoted to the class. Wherever your teaching takes you, I wish you t
he best. I will never forget Physics 122 at Tulane.
Regards,
Tyler Chapman
Never forget Physics 122 at Tulane (and RKP)????athe feeling is MUTUAL, Tyler! (
--RKP)

RESPONSES FROM GRADUATE (MASTERaS) STUDENTS

University of Pune, PUNE 411007, MH, INDIA:

University of Pune, India has an anonymous teacher-evaluation.

Dr. Pathak is aPerfection amplified!a (RKP: What is that supposed to meanayou a
in't seen the world out there, buddy????)
aaDr. Pathak gets as close to our image of a perfect teacher. He has all the ti
me for students and skips office-meetings to attend to our difficulties in quant
um mechanicsaa (Hey, wait a minuteaI have skipped very few faculty-metings and e
ngaged sessions to cater to students'difficulties, but NEVER shrugged away admin
istrative responsibilities)
aaQuantum Mechanics-I under Rajeev Pathak is the least difficult of all the cour
ses in this semesteraa (Among Mathematical Physics, Classical Mechanics, electr
onics and QM-I)
aaQuantum Mechanics-IV courses is very demanding and so is the teacher, Dr. R.K.
Pathak. We, however, were amazed, pleasantly so, to realize that he has put i
n so much of an effort to elucidate the concepts and illustrated, for example, t
he QED process fo Compton scattering with his hand-outs and with EACH-and-EVERY
step in that 38-page derivation of the Klein-Nishina formulaa:
This remark was made by the entire class of 2002.
aaWe sometimes feel that we must put in effort as much as Pathak Sir puts in to
teach the subjectaa
aaI, for the first time have realised why the total solid angle subtended by any
closed area at an interior point is four pi stereo-radians, after R.K. Pathak S
ir conclusively proved it in our ED-I (Electrodynamics-I) class aa
STUDEDNT-FEEDBACK:
Over the the years, feedback by the students by and large has endowed me the sta
tus of being an aoutstandinga teacher.
Recently, I taught the courses QUANTUM MECHANICS-I& II. Fifty-six (56) students
opted for evluation. The process is utterly confidential: the teacher is NOT p
ermitted even to aloitera in the vicinity of the Hall at the time of evaluation.

Distribution for the answer to the question aHow do you rate Dr. Pathak as a tea
cher?a is:
OUTSTANDING EXCELLENT AVERAGE POOR
49 6 1 ---

The answer to the question aDo you think his lectures were inspiring and motivat
ive?a had the break-up:
HIGHLY VERY MUCH SOMEWHAT NOT AT ALL
50 5 1 ---
The question: aDoes he handle student-difficulties with PRIORITY?a Had a unanimo
us aYESa from all the 56 students; so did the answers to the questions aIs he op
en to suggestion by the students?a and aDo you think he has tried his best to ma
ke the subject understandable?aaboth these had a perfect aYESa : 56/56.

An associate of mine presented the following to me.

There apparently exists a website (blog?) to rate university teachers (probably
confined to the United States. I am not sure of the authenticity of the arating
a process, but I am delighted that the students have acknowledged my earnest end
eavor toward sharing some exciting introductory physics in the course PHYS-122 w
ith all the three wonderful sections (totaling about 150 students, cumulative).
Some students seem to be sore about the grades they received, but then some ot
hers have written a arebuttala of sort, absolving the teacher (whew!) and pointi
ng out that the aculprita is the curving process.
Here it isa as receiveda
Rajeev Pathak's Scorecard: (Italicized emphasis below: mine).
a No. of Ratings: 7 (The sample space is admittedly too low for statistics to be
applied, stilla)
a Average Easiness: 4.7
a Average Helpfulness: 4.1
a Average Clarity: 4.7
a Hotness Total: 4
a Overall Quality: 4.4
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Class E
H C
RI
User Comments Professors add your rebuttal here
2/2/09 PHYS122 5 5 5 5
Hi Pre-Med, The fault isn't Dr. Pathak's. The culprit is the curving algorit
hm of the physics dept that puts class average at C. If your class did too well,
av hikes up; you arenat visible and are dumped. I expected A/A- got B+. Youad a
gree, all the same, we learned wonderful physics. Wish Dr. Pathak stayed more in
Tulane. I'd recommend him.
12/19/08 PHYS122 5 3 5 3
Dr. Pathak is wonderful person, but not so good with grading. After getting
above average on all the tests I received a mysterious C+ as my final grade. Thi
nking I was around the B+/A- range I was incredibly shocked. When I tried to con
tact Dr. Pathak after the final he was on his way back to India never to be hear
d from again... Irritated Pre-Med.
8/20/08 PHYS122 5 5 5 5
Enthusiasm, thy name is Pathak. A devoted teacher, very helpful. Attended to
all difficulties. Thnx, used the board not ppt. In tune with students. Changed
test formats per request. Gave useful HW hints. Classes were a treat. Cute guy f
rom India; expected everyone to be perfect. Highly recommend him. Has he left TU
? Guess I saw him Mar 08 (?)
8/18/08 phys122 5 5 5 5
I recount wonderful Physics 122-Spring '07 with Dr. Pathak. Always in tune w
ith the students, has inexorable enthusiasm, patience, energy. Never referred to
notes during teaching, elucidated physics with demos, waited after class for di
fficulties. Spoke gr8 English! I learned some genuine Physics, got A-, I'd never
dreamed of. Where is he now?
8/6/08 PHYS122 5 5 5 5
He consistently presented his lectures with unfazed enthusiasm. H