What Physicists Do
Physics 123, Spring 2023
(Weeks 2-6) Fridays, 6a (3:30-4:30), Olin 141
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is pleased to announce this year’s Physics 123 Line-up. “What Physicists Do” is our annual series of five lectures by invited speakers, many of whom are Carleton Physics alumni. It is intended to introduce students to a broad range of real-world physics and to give some perspective on the kinds of work done by people with a physics background. The course is open to all interested students who have taken PHYS 151; those considering a major in physics are particularly encouraged to enroll.
The presentations are in Olin 141 on Fridays during 6th period (3:30-4:30pm). The only requirement, beyond attending five talks, is to read an assigned article beforehand and then to submit a short (one page) typed essay afterwards commenting on both the talk and the reading. Even if you aren’t registered for credit, you can still come listen to the talk! Speakers will be available for informal discussions over refreshments afterward. Questions: Arjendu Pattanayak, Olin 237, x7166, arjendu@carleton.edu
“From neutrinos to ice sheets to atmospheric rivers: One physicist’s long
journey to climate science”
Similar to the Earth’s climate response to warming temperatures, one’s career path can often be non-linear. During my tenure at Carleton College and after graduation, it took many different scientific interests, various occupations, and graduate programs before I discovered my passion for atmospheric science. The journey to my current career as a Professor at the University of Michigan was long – both in time (I started my current job more than 20 years after graduating from Carleton) and in distance (my career journey included traveling to and working on both the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets). In this talk, I will outline my career path and illustrate some of the awesome opportunities I was afforded as an engineer and a scientist. I will also talk about going back to graduate school later in life (spoiler alert – it was awesome!), and making the decision to transition from a research scientist to a professor. Finally, I will highlight recent work from our research group. Featured work will focus on the impacts of atmospheric rivers on cloud and snowfall processes in the winter season and in the high-latitude regions.