Jessica Baumgaertel
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What she does:
- Jessica works as a graduate student in the Astrophysical Sciences Department, Program in Plasma Physics.
Math on the job:
- Math is beautifully used to describe plasmas, which are very complicated systems of charged particles. Plasmas can be described by particle distribution functions, or by modeling them as fluids with electromagnetic interations.
Jessica's background:
- Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Mathematics - Standard Option and Physics, in Winter, 2006.
- Jessica's parents home schooled her through high school, which allowed for unique learning experiences. When her father introduced her to trigonometry and calculus at age twelve, it gave her something to strive toward. Similar occasions, and her mother's hands-on science classes for home educated students, ingrained in her a deep appreciation for discovery of the physical world around her.
- She was drawn to mathematics by its beautiful order and logic. She entered UW with an AAS degree earned as a Running Start student, and planned on majoring in mathematics. After a fascinating summer internship in plasma physics research, she decided to add a physics degree.
- Jessica's BS in Mathematics is the perfect compliment to and foundation for her BS in Physics, and integral in her decision to pursue computational and/or theoretical research with a plasma physics PhD.
Advice for students:
- Jessica recommends students take both pure theory math courses and applied ones. She wishes she had taken more applied math, as it would have been more directly applicable to her current work, however the theoretical courses gave her a good appreciation for logic and proofs.