Ken is a staff member at Fermilab.
He works on optical followup of gravitational wave events, and helps out with various computing operations tasks.
We asked Ken a few more questions, here’s what he had to say…
What is your favorite part about being a scientist?
Being able to unlock some of the innermost workings of Nature. I also enjoy having to be very creative to solve new.
What do you think has been the most exciting advance in physics / astronomy in the last 10 years?
That’s a tough one. There is the Higgs Boson discovery, as well as GW170817. I am highly biased since I worked on both (Higgs at the Tevatron) at various points. I really can’t decide between them as far as my own excitement.
Thinking back to when you were an undergrad in physics, was there anything you were taught then that is not taught now?
The Higgs Boson was still theoretical back then, and the tau neutrino had only just been confirmed.
Any other fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share with our public audience.
I played percussion in various scholastic bands through school, play golf poorly, and enjoy all things related to aviation.
Any advice for aspiring scientists?
Don’t give up if you hit something you don’t understand. It happens to all of us. Take a deep breath, and work the problem one piece at a time. You’ll get there!