Spotlight: The Making of a Particle Physicist

Name:Marina Artuso
Job Title: Professor of Physics, Syracuse University

Educational Background:
High School: Milan Italy

Engineering Laurea (roughly equivalent to a Master's Degree) Politecnico, Milan Italy, 1979

Ph.D. in Physics, Northwestern University, 1986

How long have you been working in the field of high energy physics? I have worked in High Energy Physics since 1979, initially focusing on instrumental work, later combing physics analysis with detector construction.

Why did you choose high energy physics as a career path? I have always been fascinated by the quest to understand the innermost structure of matter. Also, I like to build things and I like to solve very abstract puzzles. This job allows me to combine these two passions.

Were there any barriers that you had to overcome in order to pursue high energy physics as a career? When I was pursuing my K-12 education in Italy, my interest in experimental physics was seen as odd. Occasionally, when I went shopping for components for my experiments, I was asked whether this was an appropriate activity for a girl. And my whole high school senior class found the news that I was planning to pursue a degree in engineering quite hilarious. But this just strengthened my determination.

Before coming to SU, what other types of experience in this field did you have? After my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University working in two different experiments.

Was there any person or event that inspired you to follow this career path? When I was a kid I was deeply inspired by the biography of Marie Curie, who embodies several qualities that I admired: the passionate dedication to her work, the strong root on experimental work, the quest to understand the subatomic world.
During my first year of engineering studies, I was inspired in pursuing a more physics-oriented concentration by my first physics teacher. The intriguing questions that he was posing, his sense of humor and the depth of understanding amazed me and motivated me in trying to follow his path. This was my first encounter with a professor merging topics drawn from his research work into the classroom. A great experience!

Is there any advice you may have for today's high school students regarding a career in the sciences? Try to find a way to visit research scientists either in a nearby university or a research laboratory. You may surf the web and find the name of a professor at a nearby university, ask your teacher for some recommendation, drive to a research university nearby. Even better, you may try to get an internship over the summer or during the school year if your schedule allows for it. It is difficult to figure out what a career in physics will encompass by studying introductory physics in a traditional textbook. Physics is a subject that has many fascinating questions still open to our inquiry. In addition, it allows us to contribute to several problems that our society needs to face, such as global warming, nuclear non-proliferation, alternative energy sources, just to name a few.