Career Choices...

Hello Dr. Syphers,
Was there a time when you didn't want to be a physicist as your career or have you always had that being your primary interest?

~Amanda


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Hi Amanda,

I think I became interested in science at a very young age -- probably around 6 or 7 years old. It was during the 1960's, and the "space race" was on. I became very interested in the stars and planets, and started learning to recognize constellations, etc., and looking at Jupiter's moons through binoculars, and stuff like that. I didn't even know what physics was until I was a Junior in high school -- but when I saw the book I saw the chapter on "Gravity" and I was hooked!! And I've been studying, practicing, and teaching physics ever since.

Other things I was interested in during my teens, and briefly considered studying for a career, were drafting, architecture, and journalism. But science was always there, calling me back...

Thanks for your question!

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Right now we are learning about wavelengths and frequencies for light and sound. We are applying it to mirrors and reflection and refraction.

We understand that you work for Fermilab. What does your job entail?

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Hi,

I'm an accelerator scientist at the lab. I work on the design, operation, and troubleshooting of large particle accelerators. I've been in the business for a while now, so I do quite a bit of administrative work (meetings, writing reports, etc.), but I'm still able to work on real science once in a while, too! I probably do more calculations and computer work than hands-on experimentation, but I always try to do a little of each.

Are there more specific things you'd like to know about my job?

Thanks for your question,
-Mike

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Dear Dr. Syphers,

Hello, my name is Myles F. Thank you for participating in the adopt a physicist program. My group looks forward to talking with you and researching you for furhter information. I guess the best question to start off with is, how and when did you fall in love with physics?

Thank You,

Myles F.


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Hi Myles, et al.:

I became very interested in science at a young age -- probably around 6 or 7. I was fascinated by the stars and planets (the Apollo space program was going on around then) and read everything I could about them. My parents bought me a small (and cheap!) telescope back then, and I used it all the time to look at the moon, jupiter, etc. I learned all the constellations visible to me, and the names of the brightest stars, and so forth. So, that's really when it all started.

I took biology as a freshman in high school, and chemistry as a sophomore. The next science class to take was something called "physics," though I didn't know what that was. When I saw the book and saw that one of the chapters was called "Gravity and Planetary Motion," then I REALLY got interested in physics. I took two years of physics in high school and never looked back.

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Hello,
Our group is making a powerpoint on you. I was wondering if you have anything in particular you think we should add into our powerpoint. So far we are putting in backround information about your life and education. We also have slides about the SSC and the Fermilab. Do you suggest we talk about the Higgs particle? (missing link)
Thanks,
Ryan

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Thanks for all of the help. We really appreciate it. It sounds like you have a fun job and you enjoy what you are doing. Also we are celtics fans so we are quite jealous you got to go to that game!

We were wondering if you knew that you wanted to work with physics when you were a senior in High School like us? And what traits are required in a person that wants to go into your field?

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Hi,

Yes, I pretty much knew. I was interested mostly in astrophysics, and started out in college pursuing that area, which combined my early childhood interests in astronomy with what I had learned in my physics classes in high school. I later switched to a straight physics major because at that time there weren't that many jobs in astronomy/astrophysics; there are many more these days. (And, there are astronomers and astrophysicists at Fermilab, so I get to study that stuff after all, whenever I want! Sweet!)

I think the main traits are inquisitiveness, persistence, and some natural talent in logic and mathematics is certainly VERY helpful! I also think that the best scientists are people who are very well rounded -- they play sports, play instruments, sing, dance, travel, read novels, write blogs, climb mountains, etc. (OK, maybe not ALL of that stuff, but you get the drift). The more things you do and experience, the better you can think about the details of the world. My best advice, I think, for young students is just to find yourself, have fun and do meaningful things that make you happy. The rest will follow...

-Mike

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Hello Mr. Michael Syphers

I am excited to find out about your life and more about physics. Thank you for allowing us to adopt you.

Dan T.

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Hello,
I was reading on the internet about the particle accelerator called Cern. How does that compare to the fermilab you work at? And also, what type of results are you hoping for when you have a full on collision between particles?
Thanks,
Ryan D

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I look forward to learning all about your career as a physicist and I hope you will be able to help us with our physics project. Thank you for participating and letting us adopt you as our physicist.

Chris Z

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How long have you specialized in "accelerator physics"?

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Hi,

I've been working in the accerator field for 29 years. I got my PhD (some may say, that's when you become a "real" scientist) 22 years ago.

Thanks for your question,
-Mike
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Hi Dan,

Fermilab may not be the highest energy accelerator lab when the LHC turns on, but it will still have a very important role in high energy physics for many years to come. We are constantly looking at new ways to improve our operation here, and studying new accelerators that we could build that could be complementary to the LHC, using different particles (electrons for instance, rather than protons), and performing studies with more intense beams, not just more energetic beams. So there will be lots to do for a long time.

Cheers,
-Mike