Robert R. Richardson
Patent Attorney, Black Lowe & Graham
Seattle, WA

“I may be a ‘hidden physicist,’ but my education in physics has helped me throughout a career around the periphery of physics and as a father. After receiving a BS from the US Naval Academy, I went through the Naval Nuclear Power Program and served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer. A back-ground in physics helped put reactor theory into practice. I am now a patent attorney. Again, a background in physics makes it easier to understand inventions in areas like semiconductors and ultrasound. But, most importantly, an education in physics helps me explain to my children such critical concepts as conser-vation of angular momentum while spinning around on a kitchen stool or predicting the trajectory of a model rocket.

“Here’s one suggestion for uncovering ‘hidden physicists.’ How about a Sigma Pi Sigma bumper sticker: ‘I’m a member of the National Physics Honor Society—and I vote!”

—Radiations Magazine, Spring 2002

Lynn Young
Staff Scientist, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

“I received my B.S. in physics from Centenary College of Louisiana and my M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from Purdue University. My thesis work was in computational biophysics, and I noticed I enjoyed the computational aspect the most. Thus, my transition to bioinformatics was a natural one, and the National Institutes of Health has proved to be an excellent training ground for this exciting field. Studying physics satisfied my curiosity about the natural world and instilled in me a type of mental discipline toward problem-solving which I did not have.”

—Radiations Magazine, Fall 2002

Elliot Fischer
General Dynamics
Whippany, NJ

“I received a BS in physics and math and a PhD in applied math with a thesis in general relativity. I have spent all of my career (24 years) developing algorithms and systems for the military. These have included target detection and identification algorithms and adaptive algorithms for active control systems.

My knowledge of physics has been instrumental in understanding the sources of noise that I have dealt with, as well as how these sources propagate in various mediums. While I usually do not have a direct hands-on experience with hardware, my physics background allows me to understand how certain pieces of hardware work and what their limitations are. In addition, we tend to do a lot of what is called Systems Engineering and Analysis, and again I have found that a general physics background is very beneficial. More recently, we are getting into fiber optic transmission systems, and a background in physics there allows me to quickly pick up new concepts. In summary, I have found that the physics I learned as an undergrad has provided me with a great background to assimilate new material throughout my career.”

—Radiations Magazine, Spring 2001