A joint Fermilab/SLAC publication

Particle people

Meet some of the people who make up the world of particle physics and astrophysics.

02/28/23

Kétévi Assamagan pays it forward

Kétévi Assamagan's contributions to physics go beyond his research at the Large Hadron Collider.

09/27/22

An unplanned trajectory

Cameo Lance spoke at an American Physical Society meeting about her winding path from an undergraduate degree in physics to the space industry.

08/02/22

6 views of working in particle physics without a PhD

Symmetry chats with scientists and engineers about doing important work in physics without a doctoral degree.

07/26/22

Ximena Cid builds community by cherishing her roots

Ximena Cid found her place in STEM by embracing her identity. Now she helps others do the same.

04/19/22

Hitoshi Murayama brings people together

Building international research communities is a cornerstone of Murayama’s physics career.

03/29/22

From small town student to international leader

Patty McBride was recently elected the next leader of an experiment at the LHC. But her proudest moments remain seeing her collaborators succeed. 

03/15/22

Building for science and society

The career of Elaine McCluskey, who most recently served as project manager constructing the future facility for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, has had a lasting impact.

02/08/22

Jim Gates gives back

National Medal of Science Recipient Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, Jr. has published multiple papers on theoretical physics with undergraduate and high school students.

01/27/22

The work of Elmer Imes

Physicist Elmer Imes’ careful work to capture the spectra of molecules made clear the worth of the theory of quantum mechanics.

11/16/21

Catherine Heymans shines as Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Heymans, the first woman to be appointed to the role, hopes to give kids and others the chance to appreciate the stars.

06/08/21

A strong force for inclusion

Elena Long’s search for community as a trans scientist put her at the forefront of LGBT+ advocacy in physics.

05/25/21

A champion of physics in South Africa

In recognition of his own past, Azwinndini Muronga has brought STEM enrichment opportunities to youth in remote, underserved towns and villages.

05/04/21

On the marvels of physics

Theoretical physicist Clifford Johnson answers Symmetry writer Brianna Barbu’s questions about his work in science and outreach, including advising on movies like Avengers: Endgame.

03/09/21

A Fermilab family legacy

Steve Tammes’ love of physics began with his grandfather’s tales about Fermilab.

11/03/20

The human side of science

Sal Wanying Fu knows there’s more to science than numbers.

08/04/20

Taking a risk on theoretical physics

Even world-famous theorist Juan Maldacena wasn’t sure at first whether he should pursue a PhD in physics.

02/25/20

Seven views of work at the LHC

Symmetry chats with scientists working at the Large Hadron Collider to hear about differences between seven different rungs on the academic career ladder.

02/18/20

Reina Reyes looks like science

Reina Reyes made headlines for her research at Princeton testing Einstein’s theory of general relativity; now she’s home in the Philippines, using her physics background to make her mark in different ways.

01/16/20

Drag racing and black hole physics

The first undergraduate on the Event Horizon Telescope to receive junior collaborator status thrives in the unknown.

01/14/20

The persevering physicist

To both understand the universe and improve equity, inclusion and diversity in physics, Brian Beckford looks to one word: respect.

01/07/20

Vera Rubin, giant of astronomy

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will be named for an influential astronomer who left the field better than she found it.

12/05/19

Humans of physics

Enormous scientific collaborations are made up of hundreds upon thousands of individuals, each with their own story.

11/26/19

Get to know 10 early-career experimentalists

Junior faculty in experimental particle physics and astrophysics talk about how they got into physics, their favorite parts of the experimental process and how they spend their time outside the lab.

09/30/19

A day in the life of a cosmic-ray ‘bookkeeper’

Early-career physicist Jonathan LeyVa is helping to build one of the world’s most sensitive dark matter detectors.

09/10/19

Finding happiness in hardware

Working on hardware doesn’t come easily to all physicists, but Francesca Ricci-Tam has learned that what matters most is a willingness to put in the practice.

08/27/19

Channeling Shuri as a physicist at Wakandacon

Fermilab scientist Jessica Esquivel donned a superhero costume to celebrate diversity in STEM, nerdiness and science at Wakandacon in Chicago.

08/15/19

Crossing fields

Karen Uhlenbeck’s pioneering work marries math with physics.

07/25/19

The thrill-seeking physicist

Chang Kee Jung almost lost his way as a risk-taking student, but after a university took a chance on him, he grew into a leader in physics.

07/18/19

A day in the life of a dark matter data wrangler

Maria Elena Monzani prepares an international team to search for clues to one of the biggest scientific mysteries.

07/16/19

Get to know 10 early-career theorists

Junior faculty in theoretical physics talk about what keeps them up at night, their favorite places to think and how they explain their jobs to nonscientists.

06/18/19

A day in the life of an accelerator designer

Physicist Tor Raubenheimer explores the world by climbing rocks and designing particle accelerators.

05/28/19

Brothers reunited on the ATLAS experiment

Two brothers with very different career paths land on the same project at CERN.

05/21/19

From physics to data science

Four physicists share their journeys through academia into industry and offer words of wisdom for those considering making a similar move.

04/25/19

It takes a village

Building a particle physics laboratory requires more than physicists.

04/02/19

Considering the whole student

Meet three scientists connected by the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program.

03/12/19

Decolonizing science through sci comm

Science writer Sibusiso Biyela aims to bring science back to South Africa’s Zulu communities.

02/05/19

Tenacious persistence

Fermilab’s Liz Sexton-Kennedy talks to Symmetry about her lifelong drive to learn and how it led to her current role as Chief Information Officer for Fermilab.

01/22/19

The farmer physicist

A graduate student looks for belonging inside and outside academia.

11/08/18

From GED to PhD

Physicist Kira Burt dropped out of school at 16. Now she teaches students that anyone can be a scientist.

09/04/18

Changing the game

Willie Rockward applied to college with pro football dreams, but a physics scholarship set him on a different path.

07/24/18

Accelerator excellence

Fermilab’s Lia Merminga talks to Symmetry about her early experiences in STEM and her drive to solve science’s unanswered questions.

07/31/18

The bike or the ride

Sometimes teenage rebellion means going for a degree in physics.

07/04/18

Higgs search alumni: Where are they now?

Meet four physicists who have found different ways to apply the skills they learned through their studies of the Higgs boson.

05/01/18

Q&A: SLAC’s archivist closes a chapter

Approaching retirement, Jean Deken describes what it’s like to preserve decades of collective scientific memory at a national lab.

03/06/18

Bring a folding chair

National Society of Black Physicists President Renée Horton talks with Symmetry about finding a place to belong in physics.

03/05/18

Q&A: Jogesh Rout

What's it like being a theoretical neutrino physicist working on the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility?

12/07/17

The PhD pioneers

Wenzhao Wei and Dan Rederth are the first to earn physics PhDs within the state of South Dakota.

11/09/17

Fermilab’s 11th employee

Fantastical designs elevate physics in works by Fermilab’s first artist.

11/07/17

Something borrowed

SLAC engineer Knut Skarpaas designs some of physics’ most challenging machines, finding inspiration in unexpected places.

10/26/17

CERN alumna turned deep-sea explorer

Grace C. Young is fascinated by fundamental questions about realms both quantum and undersea.

07/26/17

Angela Fava: studying neutrinos around the globe

This experimental physicist has followed the ICARUS neutrino detector from Gran Sasso to Geneva to Chicago.

03/21/17

High-energy visionary

Meet Hernán Quintana Godoy, a scientist who helped make Chile central to international astronomy.

 
10/15/15

From the lab to the classroom

Physicist Jennifer Gimmell shares her love of physics with her students.

08/20/15

Q&A: Marcelle Soares-Santos

Scientist Marcelle Soares-Santos talks about Brazil, neutron stars and a love of discovery.

08/12/15

Q&A: Underground machinist

What’s it like being the machinist at the deepest machine shop in the world?

06/18/15

Mathematician to know: Emmy Noether

Noether's theorem is a thread woven into the fabric of the science.

01/27/15

Of symmetries, the strong force and Helen Quinn

Scientist Helen Quinn has had a significant impact on the field of theoretical physics.

12/18/14

Physicist turned carbon-catcher

Particle physics inspires Arizona State University professor Klaus Lackner's work on climate change.

11/04/14

Fabiola Gianotti chosen as next head of CERN

The former head of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC will be the first female leader of Europe's largest particle physics laboratory.

10/13/14

Q&A: Katherine Freese

The new director of the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics talks neutrinos, women in science, and the hunt for dark matter.

08/19/14

A whole-Earth approach

Ecologist John Harte applies principles from his former life as a physicist to his work trying to save the planet.

07/08/14

A physicist in the neurobiology lab

After 10 years as a theoretical particle physicist, Larry Abbott discovered a new passion.

06/17/14

Science and nature

Although the view has changed, Lucy de Barbaro still looks at life through the lens of physics.

05/20/14

Physicist turned ‘rocket man’ looks to the sky with SpaceX

Sam Waldman uses skills gained through physics research to ensure safe travels for the Dragon spacecraft.

04/28/14

Meet the next director of TRIUMF

In July, Johns Hopkins University physicist Jonathan Bagger will begin a six-year term as director of TRIUMF laboratory in Vancouver.

02/20/14

Statistically significant

Michelangelo D’Agostino taps his physics ingenuity daily as a data scientist.

02/05/14

Couple's history intertwined with 60 years of CERN

A pair of scientists who have been at CERN since almost the very beginning still often find themselves in the laboratory’s cafeteria, arguing physics.

12/10/13

The scale of things

Geoffrey West applies his ‘physics way of thinking’ to biology and urban life.

11/13/13

Scientist detects danger with physics

Munir Muniruzzaman has used his physics know-how to help in hospitals and war zones alike.

08/13/13

Fundamental forces and medicinal molecules

Years of particle physics study helped shape immunologist Judy Lieberman’s unusual approach to protecting against devastating diseases.

08/07/13

Q&A with Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter

Perlmutter chats with Symmetry about the fate of the universe and a certain phone call from the Swedish Academy.

07/09/13

Detecting opportunity, in particle physics and beyond

Gunnar Maehlum is a businessman who retains the innovative and critical thinking he learned in particle physics. 

06/11/13

Former physicist nurtures innovation

Cherie Goodenough finds joy in seeing science research develop into products and applications.

05/21/13

Face of Fermilab

Former biology teacher Felicia Svoboda shows Fermilab visitors the ins and outs of doing science.

05/07/13

A knack for exploring

With a solid grounding in physics, Thomas Humphrey shares the fun of discovery at San Francisco’s Exploratorium.

04/09/13

Arturo Gomez: Life among the telescopes

Arturo Gomez has spent more than 40 years working with visiting astronomers at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

03/19/13

Programmed for success

Former particle physicist John Mansour still creates analytic solutions—these days, for retail clients.

12/07/12

‘Human calculator’ Wim Klein advanced physics, inspired others

Math whiz Wim Klein, born a century ago, moved physics forward with his calculations as computer developers worked to catch up with him.