40: Hunting Ghost Particles with Particle Physicist Jessica Esquivel
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There\\u2019s lots to learn in this episode including:
- What makes neutrinos (the building blocks of the universe) so important and so elusive!
- What you can see in a particle vacuum- they pop in and out of existence- and Jessica is searching for new particles!
- How Jessica was inspired by watching sci-fi shows with her aunt, and how knew she wanted to become an astrophysicist at a very young age.
- And\\u2026 what is Wakandacon? https://wakandaconforever.com/
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At the end of the day, what Jessica wants YOU to realize, is that: \\u201canybody can do physics, and anybody can study space!\\xa0 There\\u2019s this mentality that you have to be Albert Einstein smart to study physics. Anybody can do it! Studying space or physics in general, is all about failure! When we think about it, it\\u2019s the scientific method! You come up with a hypothesis or theory, you test that theory and it may not hold up- then you go back to the drawing board and start again. So being comfortable with failure- taking it in stride- and full disclosure, I\\u2019m still working on that!\\u201d
About Jessica: http://jessicaesquivelphd.com/
Jessica Esquivel received her Bachelor of Science degree from St. Mary\\u2019s University in San Antonio, Texas where she double majored in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics.\\xa0 She went on to become the 2nd black female to receive a Ph.D. in physics from Syracuse University in 2018, and worked to study neutrinos. Jessica now works as a Fermilab Postdoc research associate on the Muon g-2 experiment, where an inconsistence between experiment and theory could point to new physics!
Jessica has recently been selected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science If/Then Ambassador!\\xa0 You can learn more about this impressive appointment here: http://ifthenshecan.org and AAAS - The American Association for the Advancement of Science
African American Women in Physics, Inc
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Learn more about Fermilab National Laboratory: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
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