Maria Vishnevskiy ’10
Physics major
F08-S09 D-plan: R-R-L

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: Most of the professors and staff I have met in the department are really great, chill people who are truly interested in their subject – it shows when they are teaching it! Taking the math required for physics can get a little confusing though. There is a variety of intro math classes that are considered equivalent when it comes to prerequisites, but they do not always cover what you need to know for a physics class in a timely manner, especially if you are taking them concurrently.

Important info for potential majors: Take some time to plan out when you will take your physics and math classes so you don’t find yourself trying to squeeze them all in one term or missing a prerequisite.

Talk to me if: You are trying to decide between the 13/14 and 15/16 sequence.

Most valuable academic information learned: Work with other students from your class to do problem sets and study for tests. You will cover more material if you discuss concepts together, and you will understand the concepts better if you teach them to somebody else. Studying and doing problem sets also takes a lot of time, so it is more fun in a group!

Favorite class and professor: Physics 15 with Barrett Rogers was a great overview of mechanics and my first experience with special relativity, which was really cool. Professor Rogers is hilarious – I especially loved his cartoons of electrons when he taught about the cathode ray tube experiment!

Major classes taken: PHYS 15, 16, 24; MATH 8, 13, 23

Major journey: I came in wanting to be a biology major, but I realized that I liked science that involved a little more math. You can use the math to get a precise answer that you can check and use the physics to relate it to something tangible. (Scarily enough, both my parents were physics majors as undergraduates..)

Thesis status: Thinking about it!

Other activities: DMC, Active Minds, EDPA

Internship experience: I worked in a radiology lab through WISP in the Dartmouth Medical School with Benjamin Williams during my freshman and some of sophomore year doing electron paramagnetic resonance research and some MATLAB work.

Ian Boneysteele ’10
Physics major with Math and Economics Minors
F08-S09 D-plan: O-R-R

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: I love the small size of the department and the plethora of research opportunities. The one thing I don’t love about the department is its rather low profile in the college and the seeming lack of funding that the department experiences.

Important info for potential majors: You have to be ready to work and grapple with complicated and confusing concepts. If you’re ready to do that, physics is a mind-blowing field and I wouldn’t do anything else.

Talk to me if: you have no idea what you want to do with your life or with your major. Talk to me if you’re struggling to balance athletics and studies.

Most valuable academic information learned: Learning that the professors are willing to help you and that sometimes you need to go and ask for their help.

Favorite class and professor: Professor Blencowe in Physics 44. A fun and interesting class.

Major classes taken: Physics 15, 16, 24, 42, 44, 47; Math 12, 22, 23; Economics, 1, 10, 21, 26.

Major journey: I chose my major because I was inspired by the complexity of quantum mechanics and I wanted to learn more about the general systems in the universe.

Major specific activities: Study group leader for Econ 1 and I’m doing research with Prof. Smith in the Particle Physics group.

Thesis status: I intend on doing a thesis, but I have no idea what on.

Other activities: Varsity Lightweight Crew; Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Off Campus Program: Physics Classes at University College London, 08F

Internship experience: Northwestern Mutual Life, Intern, 07X, Walnut Creek, CA – I worked as a salesman and assistant. UC Berkeley Thermal Hydraulics Lab, Research Asst, 07X, Berkeley CA – I worked on a project studying the forces needed to insert control rods in a new reactor design.