Spotlight: The Making of a Particle Physicist

Name: Steven Blusk
Job Title: Assistant Professor of Physics, Syracuse University

Educational Background:
High School: Smithtown West High School, Long Island, NY

B.A. Math and Physics, SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam, NY

M.S. Physics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Ph.D. Physics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

How long have you been working in the field of high energy physics? 11 years since my Ph.D.

Why did you choose high energy physics as a career path? I enjoy very much understanding nature at its most fundamental level. Particle physics is challenging and exciting. It integrates many aspects of physics, such as Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Electronics, as well as Computation and Data Analysis.

Were there any barriers that you had to overcome in order to pursue high energy physics as a career? No, it just required commitment and hard work.

Before coming to SU, what other types of experience in this field did you have? As a graduate student I work with the fixed target experiment at Fermilab (E706), which is a small experiment with about 40 collaborators. This is where I established my base of knowledge in Particle Physics (1990-1995). Also, as a postdoc, I worked on the Collider Experiment (CDF) at Fermilab on proton-antiproton collisions, each having 900GeV of energy. I also played an integral role in measurements of the top quarks' mass.

Was there any person or event that inspired you to follow this career path? One of my advisors at Pittsburgh, Professor Eugene Engels was a great inspiration. He provided a very positive learning environment. He rarely, if ever, would answer directly my questions, rather he would respond with more probing questions. In this way he really forced me to think out and solve my own problems. This was a great lesson.

Is there any advice you may have for today's high school students regarding a career in the sciences? Physics is an extremely exciting field. It attempts to describe all of nature from the most fundamental level. To succeed requires perseverance and dedication. However, the rewards that this comes with are well worth the journey. You will look at the world, and the things in it, a whole new way. Basic science "feed" technology, and at the heart of basic sciences is physics. Admittedly, it is not an "easy path" in terms of your academics, but I do believe it is the most rewarding. I hope you eventually see that as well.