Jessica Esquivel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jessica Esquivel
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nationality | American, Mexican |
| Alma mater | St Mary's University, Texas, Syracuse University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Particle physics, neutrino physics, machine learning |
| Institutions | Fermilab |
| Thesis | Muon/Pion separation using Convolutional Neural Networks for the MicroBooNE Charged Current Inclusive Cross Section Measurement (2018) |
| Doctoral advisor | Mitchell Soderberg |
Jessica Esquivel is an amazing physicist and science communicator. She is Black, Mexican, and American. She works at Fermilab on a cool experiment called Muon g-2. Jessica also works hard to make science fair for everyone. She helps lead #BlackInPhysics, a group that celebrates Black physicists around the world. In 2019, she became an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador.
Contents
Jessica's Early Life
Jessica Esquivel loved science and engineering from a young age. She was inspired by science-fiction movies and learning about space exploration. As a child, she went to science camps. She studied at the Science Academy of South Texas for high school.
She earned her first degree from St. Mary's University, Texas in 2011. She studied both electrical engineering and applied physics.
Her Journey in Physics
Jessica earned her PhD in physics from Syracuse University in 2018. For her PhD, she used machine learning to understand data from physics experiments. Machine learning is like teaching computers to learn from information. She used special computer programs called convolutional neural networks. These helped her analyze data from MicroBooNE experiments, which study tiny particles called neutrinos.
During her PhD, she received special scholarships. These included the University Research Association Visiting Scholars Program Scholarship in 2016. She also got the Neutrino Physics Center Fellowship in 2017.
Working at Fermilab
In 2018, Jessica joined Fermilab. This is a famous particle physics lab. She works on the Muon g-2 project there. This experiment checks our current understanding of how particles work. It measures a tiny property of muon particles very, very carefully. This helps scientists test the Standard Model of particle physics.
Sharing Science and Helping Others
Jessica loves to share her passion for science. She has joined many science education programs. While studying for her PhD, she wrote blog posts about being a student. These were for a website called Interactions.org.
In 2018, she won an award from Fermilab Friends for Science Education. This was for her help with Fermilab's education programs for kids. She also represented Fermilab at Wakandacon in 2019. This event celebrated Afro-futurism, science, and Black culture. In 2021, she was on the TV show Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove on CBS.
Jessica also works to make science more fair and open to everyone. She wants to help women, gender minorities, LGBT+, and Black people in science. In 2019, she was one of 125 women chosen as an IF/THEN Ambassador. This was from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She also represented the US at a big meeting about women in physics in 2020.
In 2020, Jessica helped start #BlackInPhysics Week. She worked with Charles D. Brown II and Eileen Gonzales. This campaign celebrated the amazing work of Black physicists. It was inspired by other similar campaigns like Black Birders Week. Many science groups, like Physics World and Nature Physics, supported it. Jessica is also part of Change Now Physics. This group of Black physicists works for fairness at Fermilab.
Awards and Honors
- American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassadorship, 2019
