Meet Kaitlin Salyer! This talented Kansas native was selected to intern with CERN in Geneva Switzerland for Spring 2017. She’s worked on physics reserach at both Notre Dame and Texas A&M, and was even chosen to present her research at a prestigious conference in Vancouver! When she’s not holed up in Nieuwland, you can usually find her rocking out to Blink -182 or engaging in feminist discussions with friends. Read more to find out about this fierce physicist Pyro!
Name: Kaitlin Salyer
Dorm: Pasquerilla East
Majors: Physics and French
Year: 2018
Dining Hall: North or South?
Probably South, because it affords me a little more opportunity to be creative, which is necessary for survival as a vegetarian on this campus.
Extracurricular Activities
 I am secretary of the Society of Physics Students and I work for the physics section of Scientia Journal for Undergraduate research. I am also a member of Le Cercle French club, and when I find the time, I practice my bagpipes.
Three adjectives that describe you
I asked for help on this one. Confident, insightful, and reflective are the responses I got. Those are probably good answers for someone who’s spending their college career solving problems.Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?
I’ve been told before that Emma Stone would play me in a movie, which I take as a great compliment. So Emma Stone.
You were selected to go study abroad in Geneva and work at CERN! How are you feeling about that? Can you describe some of the things you’ll be doing?
Geneva is going to be fantastic! I can’t wait to explore Switzerland, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity. While I’m there, I will be taking two physics classes, (taught in French), and interning at CERN. All of that is amazing because I already do research at Notre Dame for CERN, so the program caters to everything I love.
What would be your dream job in ten years?
Ten years? I’ll probably just be getting out of grad school! I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do, but at this moment I’m leaning towards an industry job in software development or something similar.What’s one area of physics you’re interested in?
Well, I do research at Notre Dame in the High Energy group, but I did a research program this summer in nuclear, which I really enjoyed. In general, I’m interested in the physics of the very small, but I’m still working on what specialization I’ll choose in grad school.
What’s the most challenging thing about being a Physics major at Notre Dame? What’s the most rewarding?
The most challenging thing about being a physics major is that you sometimes have to sacrifice things you want for the sake of making sure you get your work done. I pretty much only get breaks on Saturdays. On the other hand, studying with my friends is a blast, and I would never trade the sense of accomplishment physics gives me for any other major.
You were selected to present your research in Vancouver. Can you tell us a bit about your research?
I will be going to Vancouver to present my summer research at a national conference. I worked at the Cyclotron at Texas A&M on a project concerning scintillators, which are materials that fluoresce when struck by particles with a lot of kinetic energy. I tested Cesium Iodide (CsI) scintillators for surface uniformity: we wanted to know if certain parts of the CsI were better than others, and how big of an effect that made on our final data. I also worked with other materials and wrote a computer program for determining what kind of particle hit the scintillator.As your roommate, Im well aware of you’re a vocal feminist. What’s one issue that grinds your gears?
Well, I’d like to see more women in science! I believe the national average for women in physics is about 18 or 19%, which is entirely too low. Diversity of all kinds is important in every field.
How would you describe gender relations on campus? How would you address them?
I’m not really sure, because I’m more involved in physics-related groups than any of the gender resources we have on campus. From the outside looking in though, it seems to me that they do a lot to educate our community on the biggest issues. I think that that’s really key to starting change of any kind: educating people so that they speak from a place of knowledge rather than one of assumption. To me, they seem approachable and certainly want the best for every student. I think they would do anything to help someone who needed it.
What’s the best thing about ND?
Best thing about ND is that it is has made me the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m learning so much, I’m always meeting interesting people, I have fascinating discussions on societal issues, and I’m constantly pushed to make myself better in some way.
Favorite Place on Campus?
I really like North Quad: you have a beautiful view of the Dome, Basilica, and Stonehenge.
What’s one quote you live by?
What would life be without some of Winston Churchill’s eloquence? “Courage isn’t what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Images provided by interviewee
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