Breese Quinn with his Symmy Award
OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi senior physicist Breese Quinn is not an actor, but his brief on-camera monologue explaining why the tiny bits of matter that make up everything in the universe are worth studying is most definitely a winner.
Quinn’s one-minute video bested dozens of others made by his peers in Symmetry magazine’s communication-outreach project. The competition began three weeks ago following an international conference where 700 particle physicists met to plan the next 20 years of the field. There, dozens of participants made minute-long videos discussing why they think particle physics matters. The number of views/likes received by each YouTube video factored into determining which videos were included in the contest.
“It has been a lot of fun, and it is great to have this chance to share some of the wonder and beauty of creation with everyone who makes the work we do possible,” Quinn said of winning the very first Symmetry “Excellence in Science Communications” award (affectionately nicknamed the “Symmy”).
Quinn said the contest made him take a step back and look at the big picture to put into words what makes him so passionate about particle physics. “It’s the excitement of learning something new about the world that nobody’s ever known before.”
To view Quinn’s prize-winning video, go to http://youtu.be/lb_7b0HeMNk
Earlier this year, Quinn’s photo and brief bio on the nature of his research appeared on the “Faces and Places of Great Science and Innovation in the U.S.” poster, which was displayed at the National User Facility Organization Science Exhibition, hosted by U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) in his Science and National Lab Caucus in Washington, D.C.
An Arkansas native, Quinn had a good idea from about sixth grade on that he wanted to be a physicist. But what solidified that decision was being chosen during his senior year of high school to participate in a program that brought one student from each state to the Department of Energy’s Fermilab for two weeks of classes and activities.
“It was just mesmerizing,” he said.
These days, Quinn tries to share that same wonder with students by giving physics presentations to classes ranging from preschool to high school. The demonstration that works for audiences of all ages is one in which he lies on a bed of nails and has another demonstrator whack a cinder block balanced on his stomach with a sledgehammer. Beyond looking impressive, the smashing display helps him teach about inertia, the conservation of energy and the way pressure is related to force and area.
Quinn said he especially enjoys the reactions from students learning particle physics concepts for the first time.
“You get more of the ‘Oh wow!’ reaction,” he said. “They’re just blown away by it.”
Quinn has been involved in research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermilab for more than 20 years, since he was a graduate student at the University of Chicago. Recently, his Ole Miss group was part of the analysis team that reported the first evidence for the Higgs particle. One of the first recipients of Fermilab’s new Intensity Frontier Fellowship, Quinn is on sabbatical from the university this semester, helping design a new Fermilab experiment that should help elucidate the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe.
Once he returns to the university, though, Quinn said he will find a good place in his office to display his Symmy trophy.
“I think it will go on my shelf amongst some gargoyle figures I have from the University of Chicago and Notre Dame Cathedral,” Quinn said.