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May 21, 2007 'Teaching science to kids gives me perspective on what I learn in the classroom,' says Miyake, 'and the kids often remind me how exciting and fun science can be.'
Student profile: Hiro Miyake
Major: Physics and mathematics Why did you choose Cornell?
The areas of study at Cornell are extremely diverse, attracting students from all over the world. I wanted to be in an environment where I could meet people with different interests and backgrounds, so Cornell was a natural choice for me. I also like the small-town feel of Ithaca. Main Cornell extracurricular activity -- why is this important to you?
Through the Society of Physics Students, I've been involved in outreach activities at area schools. This has involved activities such as making electric motors, playing with bubbles and freezing things with liquid nitrogen. Teaching science to kids gives me perspective on what I learn in the classroom, and the kids often remind me how exciting and fun science can be. We were awarded the Blake Lilly Prize by the National Society of Physics Students in 2006 in recognition of our outreach efforts. While at Cornell, what other accomplishments/activities are you most proud of?
Being awarded a National Institutes of Standards and Technology Precision Measurement Grant jointly with professor of physics Seamus Davis, for a project to conduct precision measurements of gravitational forces at the submicron-length scale. Many recent theories, mostly in high-energy particle physics, claim that there may be small extra dimensions hidden from our view that may produce effects similar to that of gravity at short distances. The goal of this experiment is to detect gravitational effects down to the 1 micron-length scale and test such theories. The grant will support our current research project up to three years. Did you change direction in any of your beliefs or interests during your time at Cornell?
Despite my initial interest in theoretical physics, after working on experimental physics for much of my undergraduate career, I've come to appreciate the excitement of experimental physics, of actually measuring and observing physical phenomena. What are your plans for next year and beyond?
I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in physics studying cold atom physics -- more specifically, bosons in optical lattices -- under the supervision of Wolfgang Ketterle at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
