Big questions, tiny particles: Sask. researcher receives Vanier scholarship for work in physics
CTV
A researcher based in Regina has received a prestigious scholarship to aid her work in unravelling mysteries at the subatomic level.
A researcher based in Regina has received a prestigious scholarship to aid her work in unravelling mysteries at the subatomic level.
Alicia Postuma is a PhD candidate at the University of Regina (U of R) whose research delves into the behaviour of subatomic particles and the fundamental forces that govern their interactions.
“Honestly, it's just interesting,” she said, when asked about what attracted her to physics in the first place. “Physics really tackles a lot of the big questions. Like my research is, ‘What is everything made of?’ So the very smallest scales, but physics also deals with the very largest scales. With cosmology, “How did the universe start? How are galaxies formed?’”
“The questions are so interesting that I'm really happy I get to follow them,” she added.
Postuma’s unbound curiosity and interest in those big questions has landed her one of the most prestigious educational awards in all of Canada – the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Vanier Scholarship.
“I didn't get anything else done for the rest of the day,” she laughed, referring to when she found out she won. “I was essentially just running around telling anyone who would listen.”
Postuma’s research sees her analyze data from the particle accelerator located at the Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia.
