Email: Michael.Orr@gcccd.edu
Office: See me before or after class or in the Math Study Center.
Office Hours: By Appointment Only. Give me a call; I'll be glad to help.
Course Website
Section 8800
Course Website
Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering - Purdue University, West Lafayette IN - May 1987
Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering - Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN - Dec 1989
PhD (ABD) in Radiation Therapy (Nuclear Engineering) - The Ohio State University, Columbus OH. (PhD Candidate having completed all except 2 chapters of my dissertation)
I used to design nuclear reactors for Navy submarines. I worked at Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Schenectady, NY in the Advanced Reactors Projects section. A reactor design that I first started working on in 1991 is now being built for the Navy in the Virginia Class of submarines. I worked in the Nuclear Design group building and analyzing computer models of the nuclear reactor core and its behavior throughout the core life. I then moved to the Core Mechanical Design group where I was involved in analyzing the structural behavior of various reactor core components using finite element modeling (FEM).
After 6 1/2 years at the laboratory, I became bored. I wanted to use my background in nuclear physics and radiation in the medical field - in the treatment of tumors and cancers. So I left the lab and went to The Ohio State University (OSU) to pursue a PhD in a type of radiation therapy (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy - BNCT) for an inoperable brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme). I left OSU in August 2001 to be with my now wife who lives here in the San Diego area.
While at OSU, I became interested in the Somatics field. Somatics is the study of the body and movement. Also related to that is different healing modalities that are available to treat different ailments/conditions in the body including healing from injuries. I studied Anatomy (3 semesters - including a cadaver lab) and Physiology (also 3 semesters), along with several Movement/Somatics classes.
Right now, I love teaching math, helping students to enjoy the learning process while at the same time they discover that math really isn't that difficult no matter what their background.
I am a Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher. I have been practicing/studying yoga since April 1994 and have been teaching since August 1996. For more information about my classes, contact me via e-mail (listed above) or my cell (also listed above).
I am also a CranioSacral Therapist. CranioSacral Therapy is a type of subtle, hands-on healing that releases restrictions in the body. I've completed CranioSacral Therapy (CS) Levels I & II, and SomatoEmotional Release (SER) Levels I & II through the Upledger Institute. Beyond those courses, I've studied with Cathy Pliscof who used to be the director of the Intensive Program at the Upledger Institute. Cathy has developed a type of CS therapy that allows the practitioner to work at a deeper and more profound level than CS therapy as taught through the Upledger Institute.
I have also studied massage at the International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) in Pacific Beach. I have taught Mathematics for Bodyworker, Physiology/Pathology A & B, and Pathology at IPSB for the massage students seeking their Associate of Arts degree.
Awakening Dynamics is a type of Energy Balancing and Healing using concepts of ancient wisdom. The work of Brent Phillips has a basis in the Theta Healing work of Vianna Stobal. For more information, just ask me.
My wife, Mary, is an acupuncturist. We help people in their healing through acupuncture, yoga, nutrition, craniosacral therapy, and food supplements.
RiSoTriene and 7 Essentials are the best things I've ever done for my health!