Physics Research with Professor Oakley - Hayden Hubert

Physics Research with Professor Oakley

Hayden Hubert

 This semester, I have had the privilege of conducting research with Professor Oakley. Conducting research and interacting more with the Physics department has truly affirmed me in continuing with my Physics major. I recently dropped the Dual Degree Engineering Program, which was a conflicted decision for me because I still aspire to be an engineer, but the program didn't serve all of my needs. Conducting research has allowed me to explore more branches of physics than my current curriculum would allow me. Furthermore, meeting more faculty and physics majors has been a point of enjoyment, also because it has helped me to build community. Being a physics major is not easy, and with the department being fairly small, I occasionally found that there weren't many people I could reach out to for help--- but by conducting research, I found that this is not the case! In fact, the physics department has come to feel less like a ghost town and more like a family. Everyone within the department enjoys physics (so in that way, it is encouraging), and everyone in the department is also willing to help or give advice. Overall, this research experience has allowed me to explore the physics department both by interacting with new physics material and interacting with new people within physics.