Student & Graduates Profiles

• Helen Smith, second year student in our Talented Student Program.
• Luke Ryves, Ph.D. student.
• Bryan Gaensler, the 1999 Young Australian of the Year.
• Jock McOrist, who has a BSc in Physics.
• Ilana Klamer, who is studying a PhD in astrophysics.
• Kirsten Hogg, who has a PhD in Physics Education.
• Tanya Monro, a PhD in Optical Physics and winner of the Bragg Medal.

Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a second year student in our Talented Student Program.

Why did you choose Physics?

It was a process of elimination. I like finding out how things work, and the way that Physics is structured, you can get to the answer via a logical method. I also like the experimental side; you can get in and get your hands on things.

What’s it like doing Physics at University of Sydney?

I’ve enjoyed taking it to the next level from High School; for instance the astrophysics, and all the applications in the quantum physics course were good too. I think the big difference from school is learning how to study. The way they teach the course encourages you to broaden your knowledge and look up extra material. The lecturers are approachable too. I’ve had heaps and heaps of opportunities. I did a great TSP project on solar energy, linking physics and photosynthesis. It was really exciting, and I feel it was really worthwhile for society.

Where will you go from here?

I want to major in physics and biology. Very few people in biology have the analytical skills you get from physics. There are lots of fascinating areas, such as optics in polychaete worms or the way beetles in the desert collect water on their abdomens. Mathematical modelling of things such as locust swarms could be interesting too.

Luke Ryves

Physics Ph.D. student Luke Ryves tells us about studying Physics at USYD.

Why did you choose Physics?

At school mathematics, physics and chemistry were easy for me and I found these interesting too. I thought that I wanted to do engineering, but I didn't like the idea of choosing a stream (chemical/mechanical/aeronautical) before first year as I had no idea which to do.

Why did you choose the University of Sydney?

My UAI allowed me to enter the advanced science courses at other universities but I decided on the University of Sydney. My Dad (who has no tertiary education) said that I should go to Sydney because I could sit on the grass and talk about changing the world.

What was studying for a degree in Science like?

In the first year studying Science I could do four subjects and then whittle away one each year. Starting Honours I had to decide to go to physics or chemistry - it was never a decision that I liked physics more than chemistry, it was a choice of particular research projects offered to me. In the end, based on research projects done as an undergraduate, I decided that I enjoyed the day-to-day work in a plasma lab (pulling apart machines and putting them back together again) better than in a polymer chemistry lab.

What are you studying/researching?

My project has been about studying materials with features on the nanometre (billionth of a metre) scale. I've been helping develop a system that is capable of reliably depositing less than a single layer of atoms at a time, enabling us to grow multilayered materials with almost atomic layer precision. Such multilayers can have improved strength over single layer materials. I've also been involved in using an optical technique to study the growth of very thin layers, which have very different properties to bulk materials.

What would be your ultimate career?

I see a traditional career (one job/company for 30 years) as being neither an attractive nor realistic future for someone of my generation. I’m about to move to the US to work for a biomedical startup company, which will be a great adventure. Only a small percentage of startups succeed, but if we manage to develop and sell some useful technology I might not ever have to work again, making it my ultimate (as in last) job. More likely I’ll go on to another job, maybe to a post doc, maybe something else. I like having my options open.

Bryan Gaensler

Bryan Gaensler was born and raised in Sydney, and graduated from The University of Sydney in 1995 with First Class Honours in Physics. His final mark of 100%, the highest ever awarded in the Faculty of Science, saw him awarded the University Medal in Physics.

As part of his PhD research in radio astronomy, Bryan set out to understand why the remnants from exploding stars form particular patterns rather than just scatter off in random directions. He surprised the astronomical world by showing that these remnants all line up with the Galaxy's magnetic field like giant compasses.

For this and other work, Bryan received his doctorate from The University of Sydney in 1999. He then took up a prestigious Hubble Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, where he became involved in X-ray studies of the Milky Way using the newly-launched Chandra X-ray Observatory. After three years at MIT, Bryan moved to the Smithsonian Institution as a Clay Fellow, and then spent several years teaching in the astronomy department at Harvard University. As an Associate Professor at Harvard, Bryan built the world's leading research group for studying neutron stars and supernova remnants, and also coordinated the astronomy major for undergraduate students.

Bryan was the 1999 Young Australian of the Year, gave the 2001 Australia Day Address to the nation, was a 2005 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, and was the recipient of the 2006 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize, awarded by the American Astronomical Society "for outstanding achievement in observational astronomical research". He has authored over 130 scientific papers, and has written dozens of popular articles on science and astronomy. In recognition of his achievements, Bryan was awarded a prestigious Federation Fellowship by the Australian Research Council, which in 2006 saw him return to The University of Sydney as Professor of Physics.

Bryan and his research group at Sydney are now focusing their work on the origin of magnetism in the Universe, and on the demography of neutron stars and black holes in our Milky Way. Bryan also holds the position of International Project Scientist for the Square Kilometre Array, a next-generation radio telescope. In addition to his studies, Bryan is an avid fan of rugby league, baseball and cricket. He lives in Sydney with his wife, Laura, and son, Finn.

Jock McOrist

Why did you do Physics?

I've always had a strong interest in the physics and mathematics side of science. Physics appealed to me over doing maths in that I could see a direct application of the work I'm doing. It has a physical "feel" to it. The physics department here at the University of Sydney are world leaders in various fields, and studying here allows me to work with some of the best researchers in Australia, at the cutting edge of science.

Why the University of Sydney?

After completing high school in Coffs Harbour I wanted to learn in one of, if not the best academic instuition possible. Also, I wanted to go somewhere where there was plenty of extra-curricular activies, like sport and a social atmosphere. The University of Sydney offered the best combination of these. The history and culture of the place was the icing on the cake.

What are you studying?

I'm doing Honours in theoretical physics.

What else do you like doing?

Outside of studying I like playing sport, though my ability leaves a bit to be desired. I've played Australian Rules Football with the university for the past four years, and occasionally dabble in tennis and cricket.

What is the weirdest physics you have done?

At the end of first year I did some experiments with focussing laser light to a point far beyond what conventional lens allow. To do this I was using a device of which there are only a handful in the world, let alone in Australia.

What are you doing in physics?

For my honours thesis I'm looking at the behaviour of an electron in extreme types of media. For example in the early universe there is a soup of very hot electrons, positrons and photons. This causes weird stuff to happen to the electron: its mass and energy change, particles pop in and out of existance etc. We also think that there may be a new type of particle similiar to the electron, called a plasmino. I'm trying to figure out whether the plasmino is plausible, as well as work out what the characteristics of electrons and positrons in such an environment.

What are you combining with physics?

I've done a fair bit of maths in my first three years of undergraduate study. Last year I finished my pass degree with a double major in maths and physics. In first year I did a bit of chemistry and computer science.

What is the best thing about physics?

Physics offers something other theoretical subjects cannot — you can see real life applications of it directly. For example, electronic devices would not exist if it were not for quantum mehcanics - which was developed by physicsts.

Ilana Klamer

Why did you do Physics?

My Year 12 physics teacher would go out of his way to inspire us with small anecdotes and stories about all these weird and wonderful theories. He told us we would learn about them in detail later on at uni. I stayed with it because there really is a lot of interesting stuff to learn.

Why the University of Sydney?

I began my degree elsewhere but transferred to Sydney Uni because of their reputation for astronomy which was my primary interest. In terms of the physics, there is a broad range of material to study which makes the course interesting for the individual. The atmosphere at Sydney Uni is great — you can always find a nice big patch of green grass to have lunch on with a bunch of friends.

What are you studying?

I have just started a PhD in astrophysics. My research project is to learn more about the first stars and galaxies to form in the very distant universe.

What else do you like doing?

Running, travelling to new places, cooking and reading the newspapers on Saturday morning at the beach.

What is the weirdest physics you have done?

Learning that when you look up at the sky at night and see all the stars, and some galaxies, you are looking through a timeline into the past. If you use a telescope to look up at the same patch of sky, you can see back through billions of years — right to the beginning of the universe.

What are you doing in physics?

I am using our understanding of the properties of electromagnetic radiation (which is basically light at different wavelengths) to study the environment of galaxies which existed billions of years ago and billions of light years away.

What are you combining with physics?

A little chemistry, a little maths and a little imagination!

What is the best thing about physics?

Physics is a very broad area of science and it has very useful applications for the real world. For example, most new technology these days is based on semi-conductors and optical fibres. As a physicist, you learn about the fundamentals of how such technologies work and what their limitations are. It is amazing to learn how most things in life can be described extremely well by only a handful of the laws of physics.

Ilana completed her PhD in astrophysics in 2006, and moved to a postdoctoral research position at the Australia Telescope National Facility, a part of CSIRO.

Kirsten Hogg

Kirsten Hogg was pursuing her love of science when she moved from Bateman's Bay to commence a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Sydney.

Kirsten had only been to Sydney four times in her life before she moved into the Women's College on campus but she knew Sydney was where she wanted to study.

"I got to uni and joined every club I could. Along the way I found friends who enjoyed science just as much as I did and that's what made it so much fun."

After completing her Bachelor of Science degree in 1995 and doing honours in physics, Kirsten began a PhD in 1996. Kirsten's research focuses on how university students learn physics and in particular how they approach a subject called physical optics.

"Physical optics is a rather abstract field that students often find hard to learn. Students come to university with a very basic idea of the subject but there is often a big gap between what they know and what they are required to know at the University level." Her research involves interviewing many students about their experiences in second year physics, and she also observes lecturers in action.

Kirsten says the aim of her research is to pinpoint areas where students have problems in Physical optics, which will ultimately improve teaching and learning within the School of Physics. Another important aspect of her research is discovering how computers are used to teach specific aspects of physics.

Kirsten's research area is a fairly new area in Australia and is certainly not an area in which you would expect a physicist to be involved. "Most people think of astrophysics when they think of studying physics at University but that is only a small part of what is offered here. The diversity of subjects is something that really attracted me to the University of Sydney."

Kirsten says that the training physics students get at Sydney make them some of the most employable science graduates. "Friends of mine have great jobs in banks and engineering firms as well as in research positions because of the diversity of our undergraduate training. The fact that we have knowledge of computers, statistics and other scientific issues makes physics graduates highly sort after."

Kirsten believes if you show interest in your classes, that there is always an opportunity to get involved with new projects. "There are scholarships and work experience opportunities available to anyone who is keen. If you show the lecturers you are interested in a particular subject, they go out of their way to help you."

Kirsten was awarded her PhD in 2000 and moved to a job overseas.

Tanya Monro

After I finished my HSC I received scholarship offers at two different universities. I had to choose which one I would take up. I finally made my decision by ringing up the co-ordinators of each course and asking them about the different options available, what they taught and what they could offer. I chose the University of Sydney because they offer advanced classes. This meant I could take options that would extend me.

The advanced options and Talented Student Program in Science are great. I participated in the Talented Student program in my second year, and we had the opportunity to design a physics experiment for the first year lab. We thought up the idea, made the equipment and then tried to work out how best to teach the students. In my third year I undertook a research project which involved computer modelling.

I didn't find it difficult to make friends when I got to Uni because in the Science practicals, students have to interact with other students in order to complete their experiments. The practicals are usually around 3 hours long. An undergraduate science degree has quite a lot of contact hours, around 20-24 hours a week. I was lucky to obtain a scholarship from Comalco for my undergraduate degree — they offer eight scholarships a year to women studying science or engineering.

I went on to complete a PhD which encompassed theoretical, computational and experimental aspects. I was supported by three scholarships: an Australian Postgraduate Award, an ATERB scholarship, and the Australian Photonics CRC Women's scholarship. My project involved investigating the idea of using a beam of light to self-write a permanent waveguide inside a piece of glass. As well as being an interesting research problem, which has not been previously studied, I hoped that this work might lead to some useful applications in the telecommunications industry. Because self-writing is such a new area of research, it has been possible to make significant progress both theoretically and experimentally, which makes it an exciting and rewarding field.

Tanya was awarded her BSc in 1995 and PhD in 1998. She went to a research position in the UK.

In late 1999 she returned briefly to the University to be awarded the 1998 Bragg Gold Medal for "the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in physics at an Australian institution in 1998", by the Australian Institute of Physics. Professor John Pilbrow, President of the AIP, said during the ceremony that Dr Monro's thesis "was the best written thesis I've read in recent years", a sentiment reflected in the comments of the Bragg Medal judges, who commended Tanya on the clarity of her work. Tanya scored a double first with this award — she is the first person in NSW and the first woman to be awarded the Bragg Gold Medal since its inception in 1992.

In 2005 Tanya returned to Australia to take up a position as DSTO Professor in Photonics at the University of Adelaide.