Subject Matter Expert, Customs and Border Protection

2. 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.”

3. 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

4. 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.

5. SPS Summer Internships Are you: • A sophomore, junior, or senior physics major? • Interested in broadening your education and advancing your career? The 2016 SPS Interns • Looking for an opportunity to spend a summer working and living near Washington, D.C.? Then check out SPS Summer Internships! SPS Internships are 9 ½ week long summer programs which provide opportunities for students in areas like: Program benefits include: • A stipend of $5,000 • Housing in (and transportation to/from) downtown D.C. • Scientific Outreach • Policy • Professional development from some of the country’s leading physics institutions • Science Research Find out more:www.spsnational.org/programs/internships

6. 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

7. Wikimedia Commons Jellyfish Lasers Bioluminescence is the process that allows fireflies to flicker and gives jellyfish their glow. The crystal jelly, found off the west coast of North America, uses a protein to produce bioluminescent light. Recently, physicists have been able to extract this protein and grow it in E. coli cells in the lab. They created a very thin film – 1000 times thinner than a human hair – and placed the film between mirrors. The physicists were then able to shine a blue light on the film, producing a laser beam! Earlier versions of these lasers had to be operated very cold – but the protein lasers are able to operate at room temperature, opening the door to new uses, such as detecting cancer cells in patients. Pretty enlightened stuff! Bioluminescent dinoflagellates in breaking waves

8. Brent Wouters (Physics BS) Executive Vice PresidentIO Data Centers – Phoenix, AZ Growing up in Iowa, Brent felt that math and science always came easily to him. Once in college, he chose to major in physics because of its versatility: “[Physics] would provide a technical foundation that would allow me to pursue whatever I wanted,” he says. After graduating, Brent got his MS in Aerospace Engineering and embarked on quite a journey, working as an aircraft engineer at Lockheed Martin, earning an MBA, and eventually becoming CFO and CEO of Cirrus Aircraft, a company that builds planes. Today, as Executive Vice President of IO Data Centers, a corporation that manages computer data centers for companies all around the world, Brent attributes his success in so many different areas to his physics training: “You’ve got to recognize that your career will take you in a host of directions,” he says. “Physics [will open] a tremendous number of doors.”

9. Uplifting Concepts: The Physics of Flight Wikimedia Commons At Lockheed Martin, Brent worked on designingand engineering aircraft. Planes are able to fly thanks to a principle known as “lift”—which is essentially fluid dynamics (since air is a fluid). The typical wing shape(known as an “airfoil”) will cause air moving over the top of it to travel faster than the air moving under it. Faster air = lower pressure“sucking” the wing upward The “Canadian Snowbirds” in formation LIFT! According to Bernoulli’s Law, this faster moving air on the top has a lower pressure than the air on the bottom. Due to this pressure difference, the wing is pushed upward—or “lifted”—against gravity. Slower air = higher pressure, “pushing” the wing upward All of the other parts that control a plane’s motion—stabilizers, elevators, rudders, and ailerons—also work using similar physics principles. So, a good understanding of physics is all you need to understand the basic mechanics of flight—which is a pretty uplifting thought!

10. APS Webinars! • Want help… • Choosing a graduate program? • Learning about industry careers? • Acing the physics GRE? Sign up for APS Webinars today! Previous webinar guest experts & speakers Webinars are monthly online panels of physics & career experts, answering students’ questions on career-related topics. Online broadcasts are free and open to the public. Learn more: www.aps.org/careers/guidance/webinars

11. Whew! So hot! • Out of This World Electronics Exploring our solar system and the universe beyond presents unique challenges. One such challenge is building electronic devices that will survive outside of Earth’s cozy atmosphere. Venus (NASA) For example, on Venus the temperature can soar to 460°C and the atmospheric pressure is 100 times what is experienced on Earth. Electronic circuits cannot survive long in these conditions. Scientists at NASA are working on new circuits made from silicon carbide – a very tough material. Silicon carbide grains are used in bulletproof vests and the crystalline form is used in electronics that operate at high temperatures. By using silicon carbide in electronic circuits on future Venus landing missions, scientists hope to extend the length of those missions from a few hours to up to 40 days! Silicon carbide circuits before (top) and after (bottom) testing at Venus-like conditions

12. Lynett Rock (Physics MS) • Science and Physical Education Department Chair • Connors State College – Warner, OK Why Physics? Lynett was interested in science and math, but a Minority Scholarship from APS encouraged her to major in physics. After her first physics class in college, she knew she had made the right choice. “Everybody has something that they get to be very good at, and physics just happens to be my area.”  After she earned her master’s degree in physics, Lynett taught high school physics. She soon accepted a position teaching at the Connors State College, in her home town. Lynett now chairs the Science Department, but she still teaches physics and math classes. “I believe teaching the next generation has a huge impact on the future,” she says.

13. Interested in Catching the Latest in Physics Research? Check out Physics, an online-only news and commentary about the most important and interesting papers published through the APS Journal collection! Browse free online articles, highlighting research from areas such as: NASA/ESA/D. Berry (STScl) • Astrophysics • Biological Physics • Cosmology • Electronics • Geophysics • Materials Science • Optics • Photonics • Quantum Information • Superconductivity A depiction of the disk of debris falling into a supermassive black hole 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! A. McPherson/Univ. of California Irvine Atomic force microsope view of tobacco mosaic virus Learn more at: physics.aps.org

14. 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