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Name : Jacob Jackson

Concentration : Mathematical Physics 

What was your favorite part about being a student at Brown?

Being able to chart my own course through my undergraduate education both within and beyond the classroom.

What was your favorite part about being a student in the Brown Physics Department?

Being with other people who valued community within the department.

What was the most surprising part about your research experience?

I first worked in a Dark Matter detection lab, then went to CERN, and finally landed at the Santa Fe Institute researching Cities. I certainly never expected I'd be researching cities by my senior year. I've also been surprised at how informal and chill almost all physics environments are. It can seem intimidating but almost everyone is just there because they have fun doing physics.

Do you have any advice for new physics students?

Don't lock yourself in to anything early. Take time to explore within and outside physics. Most importantly don't listen to the explicit and implicit pressure to move toward physics academia in the department; there are many options that a physics education opens up. And there are many ways to complete the physics degree itself; don't feel like you have to be in a lab by sophomore year and have a paper published before you graduate, or take graduate courses your freshman year... That is NOT what it means to be a good physics student. Take things at your own pace and make the most out of every part of your experience at Brown and in the department.

Who or what influenced you the most in your life so far?

The Santa Fe Institute showed me an endless amount of possibilities for what I could do with my physics degree outside of physics itself. Doing an REU there also gave me a perfect experience with great people with which to grow and learn about myself. To any curious undergrad reading this: APPLY FOR THE SFI REU!

What is your signature phrase or quote that you live by?

"Follow your fears." If there's something you're thinking of doing that is gnawing at the back of your mind yet it seems daunting, take the leap.

What are you planning/looking forward to doing after you graduate?

This summer and fall I'll be the Political Technology Specialist on a Democratic US Congressional campaign in a competitive district. After that I hope to join a teacher residency such as Teach for America to teach high school math and physics for at least a few years. After that, I might want to return to academia to continue the kind of sociophysics/econophysics research I've been doing for the past year. I also may continue in politics and/or education. I'm taking it ~2-3 years at a time right now!

What was your favorite Physics course and why?

E&M 2 with Professor Pober was a great course. He was a really great teacher, guiding us through the material with real efforts to train us not just to know the material but to think about it critically as physicists. I really appreciated that experience.

Favorite memory at Brown?

Everything we've done with the Physics DUG since my freshman year certainly is near the top of the list. It's hard to choose a single memory, but all the Jos nights, the Band trips, the time spent chilling in dorm lounges, etc. were great memories.

Read more Class of 2020 Student Spotlights