ORNL is proud of its role in fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers. We bring in talented young researchers, team them with accomplished staff members, and put them to work at the lab’s one-of-a-kind facilities. The result is research that makes us proud and prepares them for distinguished careers.
We asked some of these young researchers why they chose a career in science, what they are working on at ORNL, and where they would like to go with their careers.
Michelle Gervais
Graduate student, Physics Division
Ph.D. student, Nuclear Physics, University of Kentucky
Hometown: Hamburg, Wisconsin
What are you working on at ORNL?
I am working with the "neutron a and b" collaboration at ORNL. We are studying free neutron decay to get a precision measurement of the "little-a" and "little-b" terms in the standard model.
What would you like to do in your career?
I haven’t fully decided where I want to go when I graduate, whether academia or industry. I have several years left with research, so I’m going to decide the traits of my research that I enjoy the most and find a job that emphasizes those things.
Why did you choose a career in science?
I originally decided to study physics because I really enjoyed solving problems in my math classes, and I loved the tangible, real-world uses physics had to offer. I also double-majored in art in undergrad, so I enjoyed turning sometimes hard-to-comprehend physics ideas into paintings that can get people who normally avoid science.
