Readers of Physics Buzz:
Let me introduce myself. I graduated a few short weeks ago from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with degrees in Physics, Astronomy and Journalism and as this year’s APS Science Writing Intern I’ll be bringing you frequent tales from the frontiers of physics. Since you’re already on a physics forum, I’ll assume that like me, you too are deranged enough to not quiver when you see a topic like stellar nucleosynthesis or quantum teleportation.
That said, I’ll try to keep it fun.
I remember countless undergraduate lectures on something exciting like how a star evolves reduced to derivations and radiation pressure gradients. I’ll avoid that at all costs. Fortunately, as a science writer I get to do the opposite of what your scary freshmen physics professor did, I get to take an abstract subject and make it accessible.
In my Physics Buzz posts, I’ll write about the latest physics research and trends, and I’ll do my best to have fun with it. All my favorite writing comes from compelling stories of people and places. And what cooler people are there than physicists and who else gets cooler toys? Honestly-space based observatories, lasers, nuclear reactors, multi-billion dollar particle accelerators (Ruben’s tube anyone?)-how could you not have fun?
Why Flash Modin? Well, in a very tricky formula, I took the name of my first pet (a basset hound named Flash) and then my mother’s maiden name (Modin) and voila my very own Physics Buzz nom de plume.
So, I’m thrilled to be bringing you stories from the wonderful world of physics. Stay tuned in the coming months for lots of physics excitement and feel free to chime in with comments and suggestions along the way.