PHYSICIST PROFILE
Kate Kirby (Chemical Physics PhD)
Ken Cole
Chief Executive Officer
American Physical Society – College Park, MD
Though Kate’s first interest in science was directed towards medicine, she
discovered in college that she loved math and physics—so she became a
chemistry and physics major.
“I was intrigued by mathematical models [being able to
describe] scientific problems.”
Kate faced some challenges after receiving her PhD, as a single mom looking for a postdoc position.
However she began doing research at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), eventually
becoming an associate director there. At CfA, she was able to bring together her love of Chemistry and
Physics in the field of atomic and molecular astrophysics.
Today, in her work as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Physical Society, Kate
oversees the day to day operations of one of the largest physics societies in the world.
“The opportunity to have a position with a broad perspective over all of physics was
irresistible” she says. “[It is] very energizing to do something completely different.”
PHYSICS AT WORK
Scientists learn about distant objects (such as stars or interstellar gas) by looking at the object’s
light, broken down into its component wavelengths (similar to when light passes through a prism).
Light viewed in this way is called a spectrum.
Blackbody Source The photon information carried in
these spectra can give clues about the
object’s temperature, composition,
ionization state, and velocity.
Hot Gas (e.g. nebula) Emission Spectrum
At CfA, Kate studied atomic and
molecular processes which are
important in astrophysics.
Star (blackbody + gas Absorption Spectrum
Her theoretical work is useful for
atmosphere) interpreting astronomical
observations and for constructing
astrophysical models—such as
the chemistry of the early
universe!
DID YOU KNOW?
Physics BS Scores Highly on the MCAT
For many years, physics majors
have been out-performing other
majors (including pre-med) on
all three sections of the MCAT.
Physics majors also account for
less than 1% of individuals
taking the exam…
These factors make physics
majors stand out compared
to other applicants to
medical school!
GETTING INTO PHYSICS!
Interested in Catching the Latest in Physics Research?
Check out Physics for online-only news and commentary about important and
interesting papers published through the APS Journal collection!
NASA/ESA/D. Berry (STScl)
Browse free online articles, highlighting research
A. McPherson/Univ. of California Irvine
from areas such as:
•Astrophysics •Materials Science
•Biological •Optics
Physics •Photonics
•Cosmology •Quantum
A depiction of the disk of debris
falling into a supermassive black hole
•Electronics Information Atomic force microsope view of
tobacco mosaic virus
•Geophysics •Superconductivity
Physics is written to be accessible to students and non-experts—so click over today and learn about the
newest and most exciting physics discoveries!
Learn more at: [Link]
PHYSICIST PROFILE
Middy Tilghman (Physics BA)
Co-Founder and Program Director
Lageri Amerikoii–Tajikstan
Four years ago, after working in other outdoor education
programs in the region, Middy co-founded a program of
summer camps for children in rural Tajikstan.
“The camps provide a fun week of sports, classes, or
activities for kids who don’t normally have access to
such things.”
As director of the program, Middy says his job includes everything from grant writing, to managing
staff, to logistics and accounting. He attributes his versatile skill set to his physics training:
“Physics taught me a rigorous, analytical way of thinking that helps me whenever
I need to think through a challenging problem. [It] gave me a great set of
foundational tools which I can use to learn other necessary skills.”
25 SECONDS OF PHYSICS
Let’s Get Glowing!
Many animals are bioluminescent – they produce and emit
light. But few animals are as efficient at producing light as
the firefly.
Scientists have discovered that the firefly’s abdomen (aka “lantern”)
is not smooth like a traditional light bulb or organic light-emitting
diode (OLED). Instead, the surface has sloping microstructures that
improve light emission and transmission.
Firefly (Photinus pyralis)
Nano Lett., 2016, 16 (5)
By modelling the surface of an OLED after the firefly
lantern, scientists were able to produce a 60%
improvement in brightness over conventional
OLEDs! Talk about a “bright idea.”
PHYSICIST PROFILE
Keivan Stassun (Physics PhD)
Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Vanderbilt University—Nashville, TN
Why Physics?
Growing up in Southern California with a single mother, who
immigrated from Mexico, Keivan dreamed of being an astronaut when
he grew up.
Later on, Keivan decided that he could still explore the universe—but
with both feet on the ground—by studying astronomy.
After completing his PhD in astronomy from UC Berkeley, and spending two years as a
Hubble Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Keivan now works on a multitude of programs
at Vanderbilt to encourage minorities in the sciences:
“We are trying to solve the problem of under representation of minorities…in
astronomy and space science.”
PHYSICS AT WORK
Keivan’s research topics include binary stars, which are star The Orion Nebula
pairs that revolve around one another.
Astronomers have always thought that certain binary star pairs
formed simultaneously, and were identical…
…however recently,
observations of a star pair in
the Orion nebula revealed a
NASA-JPL/HST
significant difference in the
stars’ brightness, temperature
and age!
Not-so-identical “twins”,
appearing as a single bright
“The Crew”—Keivan’s research team spot
This discovery is causing theorists to re-examine
star formation models, and previous age
estimates, for many other stars.
GETTING INTO PHYSICS!
Want to get started on your Physics Career?
Visit the APS Online Job Center!
Positions for physics graduates are available on our website right now!
Job Seekers can:
• Search for jobs on the Job Center (totally free)!
• Search for positions by location, physics field, job sector, and more!
• Store your resume, cover letters, and other materials in your profile on the site.
• Apply for positions directly through the Job Center.
Don’t wait for all the great opportunities to find you. Take the
initiative and start your physics job search today!
Visit: [Link]
25 SECONDS OF PHYSICS
The Physics of Yoga
Many people associate physics with complex technologies and far-out discoveries—but did you know
physics is also an essential principle in yoga?
For every object, there is a point in space where you can imagine all of its mass is concentrated. This point
is called the “center of mass” of the object.
Yogi’s Center of Mass
In order for a yoga pose to be stable, the yogi’s center of mass must sit directly
above the yogi’s point of contact with the ground—as though it was a heavy ball
sitting on a support.
Witold Fitz-Simon
As a person moves, their center of mass shifts around in space.
So, mastering a pose involves carefully shifting one’s
position so that their center of mass is balanced over
their point of support—and that takes physics!
PHYSICIST PROFILE
2015 SPS Intern, Rachel Odessey
Physics Junior
Scripps College – Claremont, CA
A physics major interested in astrophysics and optics, Rachel pursued an
internship with the hope of learning more about working as a scientist after
college. Her SPS Internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center allowed her
to work side by side with a team of NASA scientists.
Rachel worked to develop the detector and
modulator used to measure the polarization of the
cosmic microwave background. She designed,
performed, and analyzed tests on the existing
laboratory devices.
Rachel and the interns at the
National Building Museum 2015 SPS Interns
“I feel like I’ve learned so much this summer—about astronomy, about the way the
science world works, how the relatively small group that is the physics community makes
its case to the rest of the world.”
Learn more: [Link]/internships
GETTING INTO PHYSICS!
Join the APS National Mentoring Community
The National Mentoring Community (NMC) is a mentorship
program aimed at supporting underrepresented minority students
during their undergraduate physics career.
Participants in the NMC receive:
• Career advice from a physicist in their field
• One-year free student membership in APS
• Information on resources and opportunities
• And much more!
The NMC Bringing Emergency Aid to Mentees (BEAM) fund will also provide
up to $1500 to NMC Mentees who face an economic hardship that could
hinder their physics studies.
Learn more: [Link]/nmcbeam
DID YOU KNOW?
A Physics BS Really Pays!
In 2011 and 2012, over half of physics
bachelors who went to work were in
private sector jobs.
The majority of these were in STEM
areas—making between $40 - $60K!
These bachelors were also working
primarily in engineering and computer
science jobs.
So, a physics BS gives
you access to high-paying
technology jobs!