Dr. Julie Kalk Cultivates BSC Students’
Confidence While Cultivating Their
Appreciation for High Energy Physics

(Bluefield)—As she introduces students to the world of high energy physics each semester, Dr. Julie Kalk brings a very appropriate perspective to the classroom.  An assistant professor of physics at Bluefield State College, Kalk has conducted research at the world’s highest energy physics laboratory.  She was also a first generation college student who surmounted some significant financial challenges to earn a pair of bachelor’s degrees and later, a doctorate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

“Like many of the students at Bluefield State College, I know what it’s like to make your own way,” she observed.  “We grew up poor, but I was always encouraged to believe that I could achieve.  Now, I want to build that same confidence in my students.”

Her academic preparation includes two undergraduate degrees—in physics and English—a rare combination.  “Some professors have a solid knowledge of their subject, but they have difficulty in explaining it,” she added.  “A teacher must be able to communicate and my English training has proven very beneficial in this regard.”

Prior to joining the BSC faculty, Kalk had worked at Fermilab (near Chicago), site of one of the world’s two high energy colliders.  The laboratory advances the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy by providing leadership and resources for qualified researchers to conduct basic research at the frontiers of high energy physics and related disciplines.

”The study of high energy physics is important not only because we don't fully understand how the universe works, but because it generates state-of-the-art technology,” she observed.  “The greatest example of this is the World Wide Web.  High energy physics invented the www.”

There are abundant practical applications for research involving high energy physics, according to Kalk.  “In addition to the scientific benefits of this research, we also enjoy the by-products,” she said.  “The ‘spin-offs’ often have industrial applications because, when the high energy physics community appropriates a technology, it makes that technology faster and better.  High energy physics experiments have, for example, used and improved solid-state imaging since its invention in the 1960s. The best detectors we use at Fermilab are akin to a 35 Megapixel digital cameral with a 396 nanosecond latency—that is, it can take 2.2 million images a second.  The potential applications involve everything from medical imaging to the speed of computing, and some of this technology may one day end up in the consumer models of digital cameras.”

She hopes to encourage students to become actively involved in their education.  “I enjoy helping my students become engaged learners,” she added.  “I want them to be well-rounded, understanding that they can and should have multiple interests.”

A member of the BSC Speaker’s Bureau, Dr. Kalk invites the opportunity to speak to educational, civic, and industrial groups about high energy physics.  She can be contacted by e-mail (jkalk@bluefieldstate.edu) or by telephone (304-327-4100).
 
February 7, 2008

School of Arts and Sciences