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This week we are highlighting Ben Braun, a senior physics student set to graduate this May! 

Ben has always been drawn to physics, having many relatives with backgrounds in physics; his grandfather worked at Los Alamos in nuclear physics, his uncle is a professor at ETH Zurich, and his father has a master’s in physics. Being surrounded by many conversations about physics growing up, he frequently was exposed to and able to engage in the world of fusion and plasma physics.

Ben cemented his love for physics when he led a project measuring the kinematics and energy transfer of stomp rockets in his high school physics class. He learned and applied kinematics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics in this process.

Early in his college career, he dove into plasma physics research working on the plasma accelerator at the CU Wakefield Acceleration and Radiation Generation (WARG) lab run by Professor Michael Litos. Here he co-designed and constructed the probe laser for the system, helped with optical alignment, and analyzed extensive amounts of data from the accelerator. 

Ben was drawn to join Quantum Scholars due to the wide plethora of opportunities provided by the organization, ranging from lab tours, distinguished speakers, and the amazing community of highly motivated students. His favorite parts of Quantum Scholars have been planning the Research Expo this semester and learning from speakers about insights into the quantum industry. 

After graduating, he will be pursuing his PhD in physics; he is interested in either continuing work alongside the Wakefield Accelerator or diving into fundamental laser research. He ultimately hopes to one day be a professor in physics like his relatives. 

Outside of classes and research, Ben is President of SPS, where he has connected with and led many fellow physics peers. He’s also the drummer for the CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Buff Band, which plays at basketball and volleyball games. Ben is also an avid skier and triathlete.