On October 27th, The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and the Graduate School Alumni Association (GSAA) co-hosted a discussion for Yale graduate students, faculty, and alumni featuring Wright Lab alum Charles D. Brown II, ‘19 Ph.D. (Physics), currently a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ultracold Atomic Physics Group in the Department of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Brown is also co-founder and co-lead organizer of #Black in Physics week, a week dedicated to celebrating the historical contributions of Black physicists. The discussion, which coincided with #BlackinPhysics week 2021, was led by Jia Chen, ‘00 Ph.D. (Physics), Vice Chair of the Graduate School Alumni Board and Matthew Tanico, ‘17 Ph.D. (Renaissance Studies and Spanish and Portuguese), Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life.
The event, the first in a series called Perspectives: Conversations with Alumni, is meant to bridge the Graduate School alumni and student communities, sharing alumni experiences and insights as both models for success and opening opportunities for alumni and students to connect.
Brown spoke about his passion for physics, his research on light and motion, and his experiences on seeking community and belonging, which culminated with Brown co-founding the Yale League of Black Scientists during his time as a graduate student. The conversation touched on the importance of mentorship, which Brown said he found by “being authentic and asking for help,” as well as the importance of representation in the academy.
A recording of the event can be found on You Tube here.
This article is adapted from a Yale GSAS news article.