Bisrat (Bis) Kassahun

Hometown: Merritt Island, FL

Three favorite Physics courses and why:

• Ph 12a (this was my first physics course beyond introductory classes, and it was where I first learned the meaning of all nighters and dreaming of set problems).
• Ph 7 (this is my all time favorite course here at Caltech; I found it so cool to conduct fundamental modern physics experiments in lab and see the same results for myself as the ones that I had read about in textbooks for classes prior).
• HPS/PI 125 (while not explicitly listed as a physics course, my homework for Philosophy of Quantum Physics involved completing the same sort of problems as Ph 125; this class was an amazing complement to Ph 125 and taught me more about the uneasy questions that arise when trying to grasp the physics).

Labs or projects you have worked in/on during your time at Caltech: Starting freshman year winter term, I had the opportunity to work in LIGO Caltech as an electronics engineer intern. I learned hands on skills with working on chassis, printed circuit boards, cleanroom equipment, and so much more. It also gave me confidence to tackle other projects, as I knew I could pick things up in a lab quickly and learn the lay of the land. Doing a SURF freshman year further gave me research experience, working in Prof. Linda Ye's group. I thought it was awesome that a freshman could conduct work like that, and I had a great time picking up lab skills.

Hobbies outside of academics: Love playing Catan, surfing, and (recently) picked up snowboarding

Favorite study spot/s on campus: 4th Floor Lauritsen Lounge, SFL Basement

What drew you to Physics as an option? Growing up next to Kennedy Space Center afforded me the opportunity to see rockets blast off towards space, and I gravitated to Physics so I could learn more about the principles behind these feats of engineering and realize my sci-fiesque vision of a space-faring civilization.