Christopher Chirdon

Systems Analyst

Office
3600 Cathedral of Learning

Phone
412-624-6883

Fax
412-624-6885

Christopher Chirdon formally maintains and supports the student group Web server, all computers in the Honors College, and builds new ones to suit. Additionally, he does his best to provide technical support to any student who asks. In the past he’s recovered seemingly lost term papers and entire partitions from failing hard drives. Please ask him for assistance before you assume recovery is impossible.

Chirdon can also be found conducting information sessions for prospective students and their families on Mondays and Fridays. Students have described him as the go-to guy for nearly anything computer related. And when something electronic or mechanical breaks he’s usually the first (and hopefully the last) stop to have it fixed.

Another of his side projects has been the rehabilitation of the Laurel Ridge Airglow Observatory. Along with Alec Stewart and numerous helpful student volunteers, they have turned a broken-glass strewn, rodent haven into a clean and operational location for weekend student retreats, amateur astronomy excursions, and a base of operations with first-class 1.5 KW 2-30 MHz shortwave radio installation with DSP capabilities. Chirdon’s certification to work in the Physics Machine Shop comes in handy when custom metalwork is needed.

Chirdon is delighted when student groups approach him with unusual projects and happily points out his construction of an eight-by-twelve-foot board for chalk art on the William Pitt Union lawn. He also talks about locating, preparing, and towing a wrecked car to be displayed as art for Collision magazine. The more bizarre the project, the better the chances are that Chirdon would like to help out.

Chirdon earned his BS in biology and has completed the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education Professional Year Program. He is currently working on his master’s degree in education, secondary science in biology and physics.

Outside of work, Chirdon commutes as much as he can to Pitt from Shaler, Pa, by bike; a round-trip of about 15 miles a day. He is also a juggler and, as such, fully endorses the Campus Fools. In his spare time he can usually be found renovating his house, playing with his children Christine and Ethan, finishing his greywater storage and distribution system, or thinking of some way to use the creek behind his house for hydroelectric power.