Physics Career Day 2017

Physics Career Day 2017

Dear students,

On behalf of the University of Chicago Physics Department, I would like to invite you to our 1st Annual Physics Career Day on Friday, January 6, 2017. This event is targeted primarily towards undergraduate students majoring in physics.

Our evening will feature a panel of physics alumni from a variety of career paths and with different levels of experience. Your fellow students will moderate the discussion and take questions from the audience to learn from the panelists. After the panel, students will have a round table discussion with our panelists over a light dinner.

See further information below.  If you will be attending this event, please don't forget to fill out the form below to register. There are a limited number of seats available. Registration will close once we reach capacity.

Warm regards,
Young-Kee Kim
Chair, the Department of Physics

Date & Time: Friday, January 6, 2017 from 5:15-8:00 p.m.
Location: KPTC 106


Agenda

5:15 - 5:30 p.m. Badge pick-up and late registration (KPTC 106)
5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Alumni Panel Session (KPTC 106)
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Round-table Discussion (KPTC 206)
Light dinner provided for advanced registrants

Panelists

Michael Long, AB '75

Mr. Long is the Chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Premier Wireless, Inc., a provider of wireless audio, video, and data communications equipment for commercial, industrial, and broadcast use to clients in CCTV, military, and law enforcement. He also served as Vice President of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization until 2014. Prior to this, Mr. Long served as President of Dynatech Spectrum, Vice President of Engineering at Dynatech Microwave Technology, and President and CEO of American Microwave Technology. Mr. Long has completed graduate work at Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a trustee of the Mt. Wilson Institute, a board member of the University of Chicago’s Alumni Club of Los Angeles, and a member of the Adaptive Business Leaders Organization.

Jeffery J. Puschell, AB '75

Dr. Puschell is Principal Engineering Fellow at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, California. He is an internationally recognized expert in the system engineering of space-based imaging and remote sensing systems. The author or co-author of more than 100 papers on a variety of topics in astrophysics, space-based imaging and remote sensing and optical communication, he holds several patents for innovative passive and active remote sensors. He also chairs the Industrial Advisory Board for the Center for Metamaterials, headquartered at City University of New York, and is a member of the US Department of Commerce Emerging Technology and Research Advisory Committee. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing and Chair for the SPIE Remote Sensing System Engineering Conference. Dr. Puschell received his AB in Physics from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Minnesota. In addition to being a Raytheon Principal Fellow, he is a SPIE Fellow, and an Associate Fellow of the AIAA.

Arne Olson, AB '77

Mr. Olson has practiced intellectual property law for over 35 years, and is the Director of Olson & Cepuritis, Ltd., located in downtown Chicago. He has a degree in physics from the University of Chicago and a J.D. degree with honors from the DePaul University School of Law. He handles complex patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret litigation in the United States, and intellectual property litigation in foreign countries. He is also experienced in litigation involving protection of internet domain names, as well as licensing relating to a wide range of technologies.

Shannon Towey, AB '15

Shannon Towey is a Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory located in Pasadena, California. She interned in astronomical instrumentation at JPL as a student in 2014, and graduated from UChicago with a bachelor's in Physics in 2015. Immediately following graduation, Shannon spent one year at CERN, where she worked with the UChicago group supporting detector operations and testing for the ATLAS experiment.

As a full-time JPL employee, Shannon works on developing operations tools for the upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission, specifically supporting engineering analysis and spacecraft health and safety. She also works on the mission planning and sequencing team for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and assists in development of the Cassini Science Data archive.

Lauren Beitler, AB '05

Lauren Beitler is the founder of Chicago Free School, a democratic school in Hyde Park that serves students in grades PreK through 8 according to a student-centered philosophy. Before founding the Free School, Lauren worked as a math teacher in Chicago and in Albany, NY. Lauren graduated from UChicago with a bachelor's in Mathematics in 2005 and a Masters in Teaching in 2006.