What do some our alumni say about their education at HMC?

Matt McAdams (’92)

TrackVia
I very frequently thank my good fortune in having gone to HMC. I managed to learn a whole bunch of physics despite my best efforts to the contrary. :-) When I got to grad school I realized how good my undergrad classes had been. I think the biggest selling point for your department is the opportunity to do research and write a senior thesis working one-on-one with a faculty member. At _ _ _ _ _ _ _, undergrads get pawned off on us grad students, who assign the undergrads some boring grunt work--like build this circuit or do this computer simulation. At Mudd the physics research opportunities are much more intimate and enriching. It's pretty good experience for doing research in any field.
Jan. 1, 1997

Joe Shanks (’79)

Photon Research Associates
My point is that the baseline skills for success in industry (I believe) are common sense, good communication skills, a reasonably broad background in science and decent computer skills. There will always be a market for bright people who satisfy these criteria, and a physics degree is a big plus for the applied science shops.
Jan. 1, 1997

George Conner (’74)

Teradyne
It turns out that Physics was a great intro for my particular job. I started as a digital electronics design engineer and the electronics part could be handled with the few courses HMC offered. The tough part was understanding the complex interrelationships of the functional blocks of the system. My physics background helped in this area although I did spend some intensive time reading electronics books. As time progressed, my job became more of an architectural endeavour and that was where physics really started to help: architecture involves understanding the big picture, not just the details of electronics but mechanical, thermal, software etc. At one time or another I have used almost every branch of technology. Only physics gives you enough understanding of theory to let you jump in and start swinging no matter where you land.
Jan. 1, 1997
Image of Scott N. Pace (’80)

Scott Pace (’80)

George Washington University

Physics majors can certainly go on to do all kinds of strange things, even public policy and international affairs:

https://elliott.gwu.edu/pace

Physics training has been an invaluable aid throughout my career despite my grade in quantum mechanics. : >

Sept. 1, 2012