Cassandra Phillips

Cassandra Phillips is a physics doctoral student from Reno, NV

Hometown: Reno, NV

Year: Expected graduation: 2025

What did you want to be when you were growing up? Are you pursuing that as a major, or have you taken another path?
A kid. I honestly never really wanted to grow up, but for a while I wanted to be a mathematician. In high school, I took a physics course and that made me want to be a physicist, which is what I'm pursuing.

What is your major (and/or minor) and why did you decide on this course of study?
I am pursuing my Ph.D. in physics. A lot of physics just makes sense to me, which sounds so pretentious, but I'm able to really visualize what's happening in my head. That of course makes the connection to the math harder, but I just really like the problem-solving aspect.

What has been something you have found pleasantly surprising about your experience at NIU?
The fact that we have a bouldering wall! It's brand new (spring 2021), but it was really exciting that I could be a part of expanding the resources for the wall and start the Climbing Club.

How have you connected with other students to study for classes, meet new people or form new friendships?
In October 2022, I formed the NIU Climbing Club. Outdoor Adventures had a sign-in to see how many people were using the bouldering room, and I noticed that a lot of people were using the wall, but not climbing with others. I wanted to have a specific time that people knew there was going to be at least one other person in the room to climb with. It's been a great opportunity and has been a ton of fun expanding in the last year!

Are you involved in any student organizations, mentoring programs or extra-curricular activities? If so, which ones? How have they added to your experience as a Huskie?
It has really added to my community of diverse friends from all majors and all years of school. It's a great experience to set routes, climb with each other and set up events outside of NIU. Our events include going to larger rock-climbing gyms, usually Vertical Endeavors, and climbing outside at Devil's Lake and Mississippi Palisades.

What NIU offices, departments or resources have helped you succeed? And how?
Outdoor Adventures has really helped the Climbing Club succeed by allocating some of the budget to buying more holds for the wall and giving us a resource for any and all items and help that we have needed.

Who has been one of your favorite instructors/professors and why? What course did they teach?
Philippe Piot has been great, as he is my research professor. He has connections to Argonne National Lab, so I'm able to go there to perform experiments.

How have you benefited by attending class regularly?
The program is difficult, so there's no passing if you don't attend class.

Where is your favorite spot on campus or in the community? Why are you drawn to it?
My apartment. It is at the temperature I want it to be and has whatever food I want without needing to transport and heat it up on campus.

What advice would you give to a student who is researching colleges to apply to?
Look at what research the physics department is doing and discuss with the graduate students how much they make, as universities may or may not cover all expenses that they should.

Why is a college education important to you?
I want to work for Argonne National Lab, and a Ph.D. is generally needed for a career in physics research.

How do you stay informed about events and services that are available on campus?
I check Facebook and the flyers around campus.

What do you do to relax or recharge?
I like to read, play video games and climb.

Please tell us about your job and hobbies.
Mainly just climbing, reading, video games and art.