For Jessica, studying particles invisible to the human eye brought her future into sharper focus.

Jessica Campbell has undertaken some particularly intensive research work at Saint Mary’s in her quest to expand her knowledge. A third-year Honours Physics student, she is developing and designing an electron detection and tracking system. Her research partner, grad student Jason Sharpe, explains further, “We are constructing a scintillating fibre tracker to be used in a particle accelerator detector package to determine the momentum of incoming particles in order to see how quarks behave.”

Luckily, you don’t need to understand the science to understand the benefit to Jessica.

She says part of the allure of this work is that she can put theory into practice. “Working in a physics lab has given me a great appreciation of the underlying science that I have studied.” She was also pleasantly surprised by the benefits of her intimate classrooms. “It was so easy to meet the professors who conduct their own research.”

The most visible result of her microscopic work? “I feel like this experience will provide me with many career options.” Well said.