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Physicists
are in the business of understanding the universe and everything
in it. Needless to say, this is a very big job and far
from being completed. Experimental
physicists approach this task by carefully examining the way
the world actually works, while theorists devise mathematical
models that can explain known phenomena and predict new ones.
The results within physics are new instruments, materials,
devices and phenomena as well as theoretical models for explaining
everything from the mundane (the trajectory of a baseball)
to the exotic (subatomic particles and black holes).
Exploring these models and making them work in the real world
is the domain of physicists and engineers.
With a physics education, a student learns how to analyze
and test the behavior of physical systems based on an understanding
of the fundamental laws of nature. This type of scientific
insight is not only useful for exploring the frontiers of
human understanding, but also leads to a better understanding
of much of high technology. From a practical point of view,
a physics student acquires a set of skills for analyzing
the world:
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adapting mathematics to real world situations
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using instrumentation and statistics to compare conceptual
models to reality
o
using computers to handle both of these tasks efficiently
As a bonus one
is exposed to some of natures most exotic and implausible
creations, such as quantum waves that let an object act like
it is in two places at once, space-time that can curve and
collapse to form black holes, quarks which can never be seen
individually, superconductors that can carry current with
no loss, antimatter, nanotubes, ... . Many of these
entities can only be brought into clear focus through a physics
education. Other phenomena, such as the behavior of electrons
in solids or the interaction between light and matter, form
the basis for the multi-billion dollar semicondcutor and communication
industries.
For a student who enjoys mathematics, computers, and electrical
or mechanical devices, a physics B.S. education is an entry
into a life where these can be constant companions in a
productive career. Because of the wide range of research
opportunities available to undergraduates, Maryland is a
great place to be for someone who wants to go beyond the
textbook and begin exploring what the world is really doing.
- Adeena
Mignogna, Physics alumna. "I
got my current job by signing up for the interview...,
walking into the [room] and my (now) supervisor
telling me he'd like to hire me based on the
résumé. He was pretty
impressed about what I knew about satellites,
ACE, SAMPEX, etc."
As a physics major, Mignogna helped the Space
Physics Group to build the Ultra Low Energy
Isotope Spectrometer that is now flying on the
Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite.
"I was on the mechanical design team," she says.
"That means that I drew a lot of drawings for
the parts of the instrument in Auto-CAD." She
is currently analyzing spacecraft for Allied
Signal, as a member of the Small Explorers Flight
Operations Team at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight
Center.
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Adeena Mignogna, UM Physics graduate.
Photograph: Tom L. James
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