Physics, Thirty-Four Years on
I had a most pleasant surprise in the Fermilab cafeteria this week.
As is often the case, the lab was hosting a workshop, so hungry visitors were mingling with hungry employees. Standing in the sandwich line, I glanced at a passing name badge-- from attending hundreds of conventions, I have well-honed badge-reading reflexes-- and was startled to recognize a name. So I looked at the face above it.
It belonged to Deborah Roudebush! We were in grad school together at Michigan State University's physics department. I hadn't seen her in 34 years.
She's now an award-winning physics teacher at Oakton High School in Herndon, Virginia. Deborah was in town for a Quarknet workshop. This is a project that gives high-school teachers a chance to work with experimental particle physics equipment and data, and to bring such physics into their curricula.
Deborah is one of the instructors in the workshop. We've been able to meet at lunchtime a couple of times. She travels quite a bit-- this work has even brought her to CERN. She's also involved in a committee that's revising the nationwide Advanced Placement physics tests that allow high-school students to earn college credit. I'm impressed, but not really surprised.
She is married to a mysterious man who values his privacy, so I will not discuss him on the Web. But he will probably read this, so hi, D***!
And she has always been fun. It was great to see her.
As is often the case, the lab was hosting a workshop, so hungry visitors were mingling with hungry employees. Standing in the sandwich line, I glanced at a passing name badge-- from attending hundreds of conventions, I have well-honed badge-reading reflexes-- and was startled to recognize a name. So I looked at the face above it.
It belonged to Deborah Roudebush! We were in grad school together at Michigan State University's physics department. I hadn't seen her in 34 years.
She's now an award-winning physics teacher at Oakton High School in Herndon, Virginia. Deborah was in town for a Quarknet workshop. This is a project that gives high-school teachers a chance to work with experimental particle physics equipment and data, and to bring such physics into their curricula.
Deborah is one of the instructors in the workshop. We've been able to meet at lunchtime a couple of times. She travels quite a bit-- this work has even brought her to CERN. She's also involved in a committee that's revising the nationwide Advanced Placement physics tests that allow high-school students to earn college credit. I'm impressed, but not really surprised.
She is married to a mysterious man who values his privacy, so I will not discuss him on the Web. But he will probably read this, so hi, D***!
And she has always been fun. It was great to see her.