{"599585":{"#nid":"599585","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Greg Richards, Ph.D. in Physics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGregory T. Richards applied to Georgia Tech for graduate school because of Tech\u0026rsquo;s academic reputation. But what sealed the decision was Tech\u0026rsquo;s proximity to his hometown \u0026ndash; Birmingham, Alabama. \u0026ldquo;Having the ability to head home any weekend to visit friends or family provided a certain comfort in the knowledge that I could get away for a few days if necessary,\u0026rdquo; Greg says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter completing his B.S. in Physics at Birmingham Southern College, in Alabama, Greg did not immediately go to graduate school. \u0026ldquo;I took about three years off from academics before coming to Tech,\u0026rdquo; he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In the year prior to starting my graduate studies, I worked as a pharmacy technician at a Walgreens Pharmacy,\u0026rdquo; Greg recalls. \u0026ldquo;That job proved to be educational, despite not having much to do with physics. It gave me perspective of what life is like working outside of academics.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGreg is graduating with a Ph.D. in Physics. His next stop is a postdoctoral stint at the University of Delaware.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most important thing you learned at Georgia Tech? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI did not have specific expectations when I entered graduate school, except that the first-year coursework at Tech would be challenging. That was an accurate prediction.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProbably the most important thing I learned was the general process of doing science. I had excellent guidance from my thesis advisor and from other members of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/veritas.sao.arizona.edu\/index.php\u0022\u003EVERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System)\u003C\/a\u003E Collaboration, who reviewed my work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich professor(s) or class(es) made a big impact on you?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy Ph.D. supervisor, Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/nepomuk-otte\u0022\u003EA. Nepomuk Otte\u003C\/a\u003E, was a brand-new faculty member when I became the first member of his research group. He funded my research assistantship for many semesters. In addition, he funded my attendance to a few conferences and meetings overseas. This experience was extra-special for me, because before graduate school, I had never been on an airplane.\u0026nbsp; Through overseas travel, I was able to network with many scientists in my subfield from all over the world.\u0026nbsp; Thanks to my Ph.D. supervisor, I can confirm that spending time abroad immensely broadens one\u0026#39;s horizons.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/simon-dr-sven\u0022\u003ESven Simon\u003C\/a\u003E taught one of my elective courses, EAS 8803 Advanced Space Physics. He was the clearest and most effective lecturer I had at Georgia Tech, which is saying something given that the quality of teaching at Tech, in my experience, is generally high.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your most vivid memory of Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/499161\u0022\u003Efirst ever detection of a gravitational wave was announced in February 2016\u003C\/a\u003E, during my fifth year at Tech. It was a particularly exciting time for the School of Physics, because some members of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cra.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Relativistic Astrophysics\u003C\/a\u003E belong to the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ligo.org\/\u0022\u003ELIGO Scientific Collaboration\u003C\/a\u003E, the worldwide group of scientists responsible for the detection. The discovery prompted an on-campus watch party for the announcement, in addition to several interesting talks on campus by Georgia Tech faculty. We also had an off-campus party one night that week in celebration. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat was the most valuable outcome of your participation in experiential learning activities? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy graduate research focused on gamma-ray astrophysics from the experimental and observational side. In 2012, I joined the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ligo.org\/\u0022\u003EVERITAS Collaboration\u003C\/a\u003E, which comprises scientists who work on the VERITAS array of four very-high-energy gamma-ray telescopes located in southern Arizona.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the collaboration requirements is traveling to Arizona at least once a year to take data from sunset to sunrise for about two weeks. These observing shifts are staffed by three or so collaboration members, who spend a good deal of quality time together in the telescope control room. During my observing shifts, I learned how to properly operate the array. In addition, I learned a tremendous amount about all facets of our brand of science from the senior members of the collaboration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to incoming graduate students at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDon\u0026#39;t bite off more than you can chew.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDon\u0026#39;t be afraid to take advantage of the mental health support offered by Tech; don\u0026#39;t be afraid to complain if you think the mental health support you\u0026rsquo;re getting is not enough.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EWhen selecting a research advisor, have an honest conversation about their expectations for the number of hours they want you putting in per week; look at other research groups if you don\u0026#39;t think you can meet those expectations while taking care to stay mentally and physically healthy.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EPrepare a few humorous remarks to deliver during conference talks; humor helps you stand out.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere are you headed after graduation? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI have accepted an offer from the University of Delaware for a postdoctoral research position to continue working in gamma-ray astrophysics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Advice to new students: Don\u2019t be afraid to take advantage of the mental health support offered by Georgia Tech"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGregory T. Richards applied to Georgia Tech for graduate school because of Tech\u0026rsquo;s academic reputation. But what sealed the decision was Tech\u0026rsquo;s proximity to his hometown \u0026ndash; Birmingham, Alabama\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Gregory T. Richards applied to Georgia Tech for graduate school because of Tech\u2019s academic reputation. "}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2017-12-05 22:09:18","changed_gmt":"2017-12-05 22:09:18","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-12-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2017-12-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"599584":{"id":"599584","type":"image","title":"Greg Richards, Ph.D. in Physics, Fall 2017","body":null,"created":"1512510321","gmt_created":"2017-12-05 21:45:21","changed":"1512511337","gmt_changed":"2017-12-05 22:02:17","alt":"","file":{"fid":"228584","name":"GregoryRichards.square.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/GregoryRichards.square.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/GregoryRichards.square.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":107993,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/GregoryRichards.square.jpg?itok=p05DRNYz"}}},"media_ids":["599584"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"42911","name":"Education"}],"keywords":[{"id":"176345","name":"Fall 2017 Graduates"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"176423","name":"Gregory Richards"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}