Zoe Brisson-Tsavoussis is a graduate student at the Laboratory for Extreme Multi-messenger Astrophysics (LEMMA) at Queen’s University. She works with Prof. Nahee Park to develop a fiber optic module (FOM) for IceCube-Gen2, a different type of light collector that can be used to detect light in the ice. She also works on an analysis for neutrinos from extreme blazars in the southern sky using IceCube cascade data. These sources are a type of supermassive black hole that has a relativistic jet pointed towards the observer, and the emission peaks at very high energies. She chose to work on IceCube because the research “tapped all of my little buttons: a little bit of analysis, a little hardware,” she says.
Zoe is very passionate about sharing her science, saying she’s been “digging the science communication and outreach.” Through the McDonald Institute at Queen’s, she’s been able to share her science and get the public interested in astroparticle physics. She gives talks at pubs and cafes and has participated in an observatory open house to talk about neutrino physics. She and a colleague have even developed a science magic show for kids as part of a “Science Rendezvous” stage show!
“It tapped all of my little buttons – a little bit of analysis, a little hardware.”
Zoe Brisson-Tsavoussis
When talking about why she chose to do physics, she says “it was more just about being happy and finding stuff out that I was curious about,” rather than aiming for a specific career path. Zoe came back to physics grad school after being in the workforce, and she highlights the importance of her scientific mentors who are strong supportive women in physics. “Representation is really important,” she says, and these mentors helped to put her on her path in physics.
Her advice to students just starting out in physics is to “stop hyperventilating about your grades.” Although grades are important, stress can be destructive for students’ mental health.“You are a good and whole person, even if you get a B,” she emphasizes.