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Jack Moody
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
APS Career Programs Intern
American Physical Society
Final presentation
When most physicists enter their freshman year of college, many believe they will go on to become tenured college professors. While this is a possibility, there are so many other amazing opportunities for budding physicists to pursue! My mission this summer was to show undergraduates the vast array of careers within their grasp and provide resources to both them and their advisors so they may reach their full potential. This presentation will go over the methodologies I used to reach undergraduates and their advisors to provide career tools.
I grew up in Ashaway, Rhode Island, and study physics with a minor in military science and certificate from the integrated concentration in science (iCons) program at UMass Amherst. I am a first-generation college student and am enrolled in Army ROTC with the goal of commissioning as a second lieutenant when I graduate in Spring 2021. My long term goal is to become a nuclear non-proliferation officer for the Army and to help bridge the communication gaps between the military and the physics community. I also plan to pursue a Ph.D. in nuclear physics along the way.
At UMass Amherst, I have been lucky to participate in many amazing opportunities. I have worked for Dr. Rory Miskimen since mid-freshman year conducting experimental nuclear physics research. Our group designs and builds both large and small scale Multi-Wire Proportional Chambers for Jefferson Lab Hall D. The goal of the experiment is to determine a precise measurement of the pion polarizability as a test of chiral perturbation theory and low energy Quantum Chromodynamics. I’m also a member of the iCons renewable energy program at UMass. My main focus is on designing large scale redox flow batteries as an accompanying energy storage system to the new renewable energy generation techniques being implemented across campus as UMass races to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
In addition, I’m grateful to be a part of the Forsythe Grange Mentorship Program at UMass, where I mentor three freshman first-generation math and physics majors on how to navigate college, practice self-advocacy, and foster professional development. I’m also a resident assistant at UMass Amherst and have been a teacher’s assistant for a couple of classes, including a graduate-level electronics course. Outside of academics, I love making music, reading, and am an avid fan of stand up comedy.