Alumni profile: Robert Myers
Physics grad impressed by Robert Myers (BSc ’82) loves the kind of challenge that physics brings to the table.
I took all the science and math courses in high school, but I saw physics as the most stimulating,” he says.
After attending a mathematics summer camp for high school students at the University of Waterloo, Myers knew the institution would be a good fit for his undergraduate studies.
There were lots of interesting people at University of Waterloo and I thought this should be the place where I end up,” he says.
Myers believes he received a great education in the physics program.
I was a co-op student, so I had a lot of hand-on jobs and got to conduct a lot of practical experiments,” he says. “I learned an exceptional amount.
Today, Myers is an adjunct professor in University of Waterloo’s department of physics and astronomy and a researcher in string theory at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. He has also taught courses and supervised research projects for the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) program. In partnership with the University and Perimeter, the PSI program is a concentrated master’s level course for exceptional students who wish to become researchers in theoretical physics.
It was a lot of fun to work with the students, especially on their research projects,” Myers says. “It was great to see the students take what they’ve learned in class to push boundaries and take their own research angle.
Myers is impressed by the resilience of the PSI students.
This is a very intense program and they are bombarded with new stuff all the time,” he says. “But they are very talented kids who I know will do very well in the future.
