Lu Lu, Assistant Professor of Physics, WIPAC
Hometown: planet Earth (world-citizen)
Educational/professional background: Ph.D. in Astroparticle Physics (University of Leeds, United Kingdom)
Previous position: Postdoc, Chiba University (Japan)
How did you get into your field of research?
I was fascinated by the idea to study the smallest fundamental particles in the largest scale – the Universe. Astroparticle physics allows us to probe particle physics at energies beyond what human technologies can reach.
What attracted you to UW-Madison?
It’s the headquarters of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. There are great physicists here to work with.
What was your first visit to campus like?
It was during an IceCube collaboration meeting and I was really impressed by the local ice cream!
What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with?
Critical thinking.
Is there a way your field of study can help the world endure and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the health, finances and lifestyle of so many?
Not directly. But I co-developed an augmented reality (AR) app which can receive IceCube real-time neutrino alerts and see the events in your living room as holograms. It’s a new way of doing outreach, especially when face-to-face is difficult. [Android download | iOS download]
Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea?
Physics provides reasons behind phenomena in nature – it teaches one to think logically and truthfully. In society today when information is preserved mainly through non peer-reviewed or non editor-vetted channels it is extremely important to not make decisions based on ill claims.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter during video chats (and eventually parties)?
Neutrinos are passing through our bodies all the time – while you are reading this sentence, around a half trillion of them just went through the tip of your toe (assuming it took you five seconds to read the sentence)
Hobbies/other interests:
Augmented reality