Physics Education Research Laboratory - PERL

Congrats to PERL Professor Vashti Sawtelle on being the recipient of the Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year award!

‘The highest dedication’ -- MSU’s Sawtelle earns Distinguished Professor of the Year Award “Her contributions and expertise are assets to MSU, to the field of physics and physics education, and to higher education writ large.”

PERL grad student Bryan Stanley and MSU physicist Prof. Huey-Wen Lin have teamed up to create a new podcast called My Journey as a Physicist!

What is life as a physicist is like? It is a little bit different for everyone. On each episode, a different physicist discusses their research, what go them interested in physics, obstacles they overcame, and what a typical day as a physicist looks like. They also provide tips and suggestions for students who may be interested in studying physics and becoming physicists. Physicists are people with lives outside of the lab too! Guests share about their interests and hobbies outside of research. Be sure to listen if you are interested in becoming a physicist too!

The first episode is with Prof. Christopher Aubin (he/him/his), an Associate Professor of Physics at Fordham University. He is the "Cooking in LQCD — Flavor physics on the lattice" Instructor for the INT Summer School on Problem Solving in Lattice QCD.
"I am a gay physicist who loves (rescue) dogs and boardgames. A lot of my work is focused on analyzing systematic errors associated with lattice calculations as well as getting undergraduates involved in this research. I enjoy the ability to add to the body of knowledge in the world to assist even in the smallest way to understanding this universe just a little bit more. By teaching virtually I was able to spend six weeks with my family during the spring (the peak of the outbreak in NYC) during a difficult time when otherwise I couldn't have done so — while still not a great time, it was better because of COVID."

Be sure to listen to My Journey as a Physicist at https://anchor.fm/myjourneyasaphysicist, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever else you get podcasts!