SEDInsights

Atoms, once thought indivisible, are intricate worlds of smaller entities. At their heart lies the nucleus, a dense core of protons and neutrons. Protons carry a positive charge and are made of three quarks; two up, one down; bound by the strong nuclear force. Neutrons, neutral in charge, also contain three quarks; one up, two down. These nucleons are held together by gluons, massless particles that weave the strong force like threads in a cosmic tapestry. Surrounding the nucleus, electrons orbit in quantized energy levels. Electrons are fundamental particles with negative charge and no known internal structure. Their behavior is governed by quantum mechanics, where position and momentum blur into probability. Beyond these, the quarks themselves come in six “flavors”: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. They never exist alone, confined within larger particles. Gluons, the carriers of the strong force, constantly exchange between quarks, ensuring confinement. Other subatomic acto...

Physicists at the University of Rochester have generated a "spacetime bubble"—a localized distortion in reality that allowed information to transmit at 1.4 times light speed. The crucial detail: the light waves themselves obeyed Einstein's rules. What moved faster was the framework containing them. It's the same principle that allows distant galaxies to recede faster than light through cosmic expansion. Einstein's relativity forbids matter from accelerating through space faster than light, but says nothing about space itself moving. The Rochester team compressed this cosmic phenomenon into a laboratory apparatus for mere nanoseconds, proving we can engineer spacetime geometry in miniature."—a localized distortion in reality that allowed information to transmit at 1.4 times light speed. The crucial detail: the light waves themselves obeyed Einstein's rules. What moved faster was the framework containing them. It's the same principle that allows distant...

In the opening lecture of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴, delivered at 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 during the 1961–62 academic year, Richard Feynman posed a striking question to his introductory physics students. He asked what single sentence would preserve the greatest amount of scientific knowledge if all learning were destroyed and only one statement could be passed on to future generations. Feynman’s answer was what he called the atomic hypothesis: “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴—𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.” With this single sentence, Feynman distilled the essence of modern science, showing how the vast complexity of nature emerges from the motion and interaction of atoms ...

The Sun will eventually grow so large that it will consume Earth. This will happen when the Sun enters its Red Giant stage. So, where is the Sun today?  It’s just a tiny speck known as a “Yellow Dwarf.”  At present, it burns hydrogen into helium — a process that has been ongoing for about 4.6 billion years. But this calm won't last forever.  In approximately 5 billion years, the Sun will exhaust its hydrogen fuel and begin expanding into a Red Giant, growing so massive that it will likely engulf Mercury, Venus — and Earth. As it swells, the Sun’s outer layers will cool and redden, but its core will contract and heat up, igniting new fusion reactions. Eventually, the Sun will shed its outer layers, forming a stunning planetary nebula. What remains will be a dense, Earth-sized White Dwarf — the Sun’s final act.  This stellar life cycle isn’t just about cosmic drama; understanding it gives scientists insight into the fate of solar systems, the future of Earth, and the l...

study physics. not for grades. not for a job. not for prestige. study it because it rewires your brain into a precision instrument. you learn how the world actually works, not how you wish it worked. forces, energy, momentum, fields, signals, feedback, invariants. the core patterns that everything else in engineering copies. you stop thinking in vibes and start thinking in constraints. you stop thinking in opinions and start thinking in equations. you stop thinking in stories and start thinking in systems. physics becomes the mental operating system that lets you handle robotics, hardware, batteries, control, materials, electronics, dynamics, and every “hard” domain without fear. study physics.  it gives you the one advantage nobody can fake:  reality-based thinking.

An American physicist who shaped much of 20th-century physics, John Archibald Wheeler was one of Albert Einstein’s last collaborators and a central figure in modern general relativity. He worked with Niels Bohr on nuclear fission, helped develop the Breit–Wheeler process, and gave the world the term “black hole.” Wheeler introduced ideas like wormholes, quantum foam, “it from bit,” and the one-electron universe, reshaping how physicists think about spacetime and reality itself. A legendary mentor to figures such as Richard Feynman, he believed universities exist so students can teach professors. Stephen Hawking called him “the hero of the black hole story.” 📸 Wheeler (left) and his students working at a blackboard in Princeton in 1970.

Past, present, and future may all exist at once.  Here’s why your experience of “now” might be a mental glitch. What if time doesn’t actually move? Philosopher Adrian Bardon proposes that our sense of time “flowing” is just a mental glitch—a cognitive construction rather than a feature of the universe itself.  In his latest book, Bardon draws on physics and neuroscience to argue that our perception of time is not about time itself, but how our brains interpret change. Much like we don’t see infrared light or hear ultrasound, we don’t perceive time directly—we manufacture the experience internally. This idea aligns with modern physics. Einstein’s theory of relativity shattered the concept of an absolute present, showing that time is relative depending on your speed and position.  Today, physicists often describe the universe as a four-dimensional “block” where past, present, and future all coexist. In that model, nothing actually flows; instead, we experience d...

As Assistant Secretary of the Satellite Ground Station, I play a pivotal role in facilitating seamless satellite operations. My responsibilities include: - *Station Keeping*: Ensuring satellites remain in their designated orbits and perform optimally. - *Probe Protection*: Safeguarding satellites from potential hazards and interference. Beyond my technical duties, I'm passionate about sharing knowledge with the next generation. I regularly engage in: - *Training and Mentorship*: Educating students and young enthusiasts on the fundamentals of satellite communications and space technology, inspiring them to pursue careers in STEM fields. Eba Sampson Eba Assistant manager  SC&O