Bonnie Fleming (Physics PhD) Associate Professor of Physics Yale University–New Haven, CT

2. Bonnie Fleming (Physics PhD) Associate Professor of Physics Yale University–New Haven, CT Michael Marsland/Yale University Bonnie is one high-energy individual. Much like a neutrino, between teaching, research, and raising a family, she rarely ever stands still! After receiving her PhD, Bonnie worked on the MiniBooNE experiment—a collaboration designed to search for certain behaviors of tiny particles called neutrinos. These particles are an important puzzle for physicists: “In studying neutrinos, we hope to address the fundamental question of why we see more matter than anti-matter in the universe.” In addition to teaching and research, Bonnie organizes a program at Yale called Girl’s Science Investigations (GSI), to expose young women to the excitement of doing scientific research: “It just takes one person to give you the inspiration and encouragement to go on. I hope that’s what we provide for these girls.”

3. Neutrinos: what’s the big deal? Neutrinos are interesting because their behavior is still not clearly understood. They are similar to electrons, but with zero electric charge (this is why they are able to streak through much of the universe unfazed!). Yale University At any given moment, a neutrino will be one of three types: electron, muon, or tau. t Bonnie examines a detector at FermiLab But not for long! Neutrinos actually change from one type to another as they fly. These shifts are called oscillations. e m Boo… t WhooHoo! Meh… Bonnie’s research involves searching for these neutrino oscillations. If observed, the results will shed light on our understanding of matteritself—a pretty “substantial” thought!

4. Think Physics PhDs Only Research & Teach? Interpersonal and Management Skills Regularly Used by New Physics PhDs, 2013 and 2014 combined In 2013 - 2014, around 70%of PhDs in potentially permanent positions worked in the private sector. Nearly all reported working on a team, project management, and technical writing as skills they used frequently. Physics careers for PhDs develop a variety of job skills other than research. Percentages represent the proportion of physics PhDs who chose "daily", "weekly", or "monthly" on a four-point scale that included "never" or "rarely". AIP Statistical Research Center

5. The Vector is a monthly email for undergraduate members of APS, and includes helpful topics such as: • Career advice • Resume writing techniques • Tips for applying to graduate school • …and much more! Undergrad students at the 2012 APS March Meeting The Vector also highlights information about opportunities and resources specifically for undergraduate physics students. Learn more: www.aps.org Keyword:UNDERGRAD

6. Deborah Berebichez (Physics PhD) Financial Risk Analyst Wall Street – New York, NY Debbie is an advocate for students, especially female students, to get involved in STEM fields: “I would love to become a female role model for those girls who love science but somehow feel trapped, like they can’t achieve their dreams.” Not only does she want students to get their minds thinking about science, but she also wants students to think about branching out into different careers that use science skills. After earning her PhD and doing two post-docs in physics, Debbie decided that she wanted a life outside of academia and research. As a financial risk analyst, she trains her clients in using math models to assess financial risk. Even though she works on Wall Street and not in a lab, Debbie hasn’t forgotten science: “I have worked my whole life to acquire the knowledge and skills to communicate science in a fun and relevant way. I want to become the new ‘Oprah’ of science!”

7. Doing the Neutron (Star) Dance B.P. Abbott et al Recently and for the first time, scientists have seen gravitational waves using a sophisticated detector, known as LIGO. As very massive objects (such as black holes) move around, they create disruptions in space itself, known as gravitational waves. Scientists can tell from the shape of the signal received at Earth what kind of event occurred – and even which types of objects were involved. First gravitational wave signal observed - a black hole merger called GW150914 In August 2017, scientists found evidence of a merger between two neutron stars – exotic objects which are more massive than our sun, but are only a few miles across! APS/Alan Stonebraker Studying signals from neutron star mergers will allow scientists to learn a lot of new information about these mysterious objects. A depiction of the merger between two neutron stars, which ends with a gamma ray “burst” Learn more! Visit: physics.aps.org/articles/v10/114

8. Kathy McCormick (Physics PhD) Subject Matter Expert, Customs and Border Protection US Department of Homeland Security – Washington, DC Why Physics? Kathy always loved science, but it was a high school physics class that changed Kathy’s college plans to physics. “Physics seemed to be the most fundamental of the sciences that I had studied. [Physics gives] you insights into many different fields.” Now, Kathy is a subject matter expert for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). She defines regulations and tests the sensitivity and functionality of new equipment which will be deployed to field sites. This equipment is used to guarantee the security of cargo entering the United States, a process which includes scanning for illegal radioactive material. “During my thesis research, I had the opportunity to work on many different types of radiation detection equipment and perform analysis on my data,” says Kathy. “I use those skills a lot today.”

9. Radiation Detection One type of radiation detector is the Geiger-Müller counter, commonly called a Geiger counter. These devices detect ionizing radiation – radiation with enough energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. Geiger counters consist of a display, power source, and a tube containing an anode, a cathode, and a gas mixture such as neon and halogen. When an electron is removed from a gas atom in the tube, the atom becomes positively charged and goes to the negative cathode. The ejected electron goes to the positively-charged anode, creating a small current. This current is measured and displayed as a radiation “event.” Kathy works with many types of detection systems to identify radiation sources in her job with US Customs and Border Protection. Imagesco

10. 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: careers.aps.org

11. Appliance Science The automatic dishwasher cycle can save energy by ending when the dishes are done. But how does a dishwasher “know” that the dishes are clean? Dishwashers work by spraying water over the dishes, collecting and filtering that water, and spraying it over the dishes again. If the dishes are still dirty, small particles of food debris will wash off into the water. When dishes are clean, then the water will be too. A special device called a “turbidity sensor” uses a laser to detect when the food particles are filtered out. The sensor aims a laser beam at a detector through the water. If the water is dirty, the laser is deflected by the particles—so when the beam makes it across to the detector, it means the water is clear and the dishes are finished! Detector Detector Laser Laser Clean water: dishes done! Dirty water: keep washing! Inside a turbidity sensor

12. 2016 SPS Intern, Tabitha Colter Physics Junior Furman University – Greenville, SC An online search for non-research internships led Tabitha to the SPS internship program. For a physics major interested in government, the AIP Mather Policy internship seemed like a great fit. Tabitha leapt in with both feet, working for the Energy and Commerce Committee. She attended briefings, wrote memos, and even prepared questions for Congress members to ask during hearings! 2016 SPS Interns “I’ve managed to score some very valuable and amazing insight into the professional world that blends science and policy together.” Tabitha shows the other interns around the Capital Learn more: www.spsnational.org/internships

13. APS Professional Guidebook • Interested in learning how to … • Assess your skills? • Learn about different career paths? • Build your network? • Write an effective resume? The APS Professional Guidebook contains information on these subjects and others, as well as helpful links and targeted “webinette” clips from our webinars. Get a head start by preparing for your career search today! Visit: www.aps.org/careers/guidance

14. Physics Gives you Major Skills! Roughly one-third of 2013 and 2014 physics graduates found initial employment in the private sector in Engineering, Computer Science fields, or Information Technology. Of these, nearly 100% stated that the problem solving abilities they gained as a physics student were useful in their jobs. Other useful skills included technical writing, programming, and teamwork. So, a physics training gives you skills that are applicable to a variety of career paths.