秘色视频

Ryan Bonk鈥檚 dreams aren鈥檛 just big; they鈥檙e out of this world.

A physics major with a concentration in engineering, Bonk 鈥�16 plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering after his graduation and then to go to work in the aerospace industry, designing equipment that can be used to study the universe. He recently completed an internship in the lab of Christopher Bass, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics, through the College鈥檚 McDevitt Center. One of his primary tasks was to design and construct a dark box, which is tightly sealed so as not to allow light in or out of it. He then used the box to test photomultiplier tubes, which capture small amounts of light and convert them into measurable electrical signals.

The overall goal of the project was to build a neutron detector capable of use in underground labs in the search for dark matter.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to just flick switches and push buttons to run tests, but it鈥檚 another to understand the physics behind what is occurring during the test and what the results truly mean,鈥� Bonk said. 鈥淭he two physics lab courses I have taken so far at 秘色视频 have probably helped me the most of all 鈥� I learned how to use much of the equipment found in a physics lab setting, so acclimating to the physics research lab was much easier.鈥�

Bonk said that the most rewarding part of his time in the lab was seeing the results of his own hard work being used in part of the search for dark matter, which he calls 鈥渁n exciting area on the frontier of physics research.鈥� Conversely, he said the most challenging aspect of his work was 鈥済rasping all the new information thrown my way in the course of my research.鈥�

Still, he said it was 鈥渁 welcome challenge鈥� that allowed him to immerse himself in a subject about which he is extremely passionate.

鈥淭hroughout my experience (in the lab), I have seen my knowledge in physics grow, especially in the realm of nuclear physics, around which our research is focused,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have become much better at working and communicating within a research team. I am much more comfortable in a lab setting than I was when I began, which means I can work more efficiently and problem solve more effectively.鈥�