Not yet in his senior year, StFX physics student Warren Ferguson has just published his second paper in a top tier physics journal.
Warren Ferguson
The article, Ordered phases in a bilayer system of dipolar fermions, authored with StFX physics professor Dr. Brandon van Zyl appears in the highly respected Physical Review journal series, one of the highest impact journals for physics in the world.
"It is rare for an undergraduate student to publish a paper in a world class, refereed journal, with two papers in consecutive years being truly exceptional," Dr. van Zyl says.
Under Dr. van Zyl's supervision, Mr. Ferguson, a graduate of Colonel By Secondary School in Ottawa, ON, extended the earlier paper beyond a single layer of dipolar fermions. This paper, which is theoretical in nature, will have implications in the understanding of interacting particles at the quantum level.
"It's been tremendously informative and tremendously fun. It's fundamental science research and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this, and participate in such an undertaking," says Mr. Ferguson, who has worked as a research assistant in Dr. van Zyl's lab for the past three summers.
For the last two, he has been funded through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada's Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) program.
Mr. Ferguson plans to use his two papers as the core of his honours thesis.
"I truly enjoyed being a part of the process. Now I know what it takes to be a researcher and to contribute to knowledge," he says.
"It hasn't been easy. It's very tough stuff, very challenging. It pushes students to their limits academically. It pushes the boundaries of their abilities and knowledge, and if nothing else, that's been a great experience."
He says his undergraduate years at StFX have given him a significant advantage, making him competitive for whatever future he chooses to pursue.
"I know I've had opportunities here I would not have had anywhere else," Mr. Ferguson says.
"The experiences have been crucial for me to decide what I enjoy about physics and what I want to pursue in the future. It's been a fantastic experience."
He says it's been great too to work with outstanding people, including fellow StFX student researchers and professors who will do as much as they can to help you as a research assistant.
Both Mr. Ferguson and Prof. van Zyl would like to acknowledge the support of NSERC and the resources provided by the StFX Physics Department.
