Mason Scientist to Meet Nobel Laureate
By Jessica Lafferty
Broadside Staff Writer

This summer, Mason graduate student Seth Milder will attend the 51st meeting of the Nobel laureates in Lindau, Germany. There he will have the opportunity to meet and work with some of the top scientists in the world. Milder and other participants on the trip, offered July 26 Š July 30, will hear lectures every morning and participate in informal meetings and discussions with the Nobel laureates throughout the remainder of the day. Students will also have the opportunity to work with researchers from around the world.

Milder stated that heÕs not quite sure what to expect from the trip as of yet, but he feels it will be quite an experience to be in the presence of greatness. "There are basically two types of scientists in the world those who are geniuses and those who just work hard," Milder said. "I have no doubt that I am in the second category, and I think it will be fascinating and humbling to hang out with a bunch of people from the first," he said.

A student with the School of Computational Sciences at Mason, MilderÕs scientific work and research combines the physical sciences with computational science. Milder works with computer technology and programming in order to develop new tools that can be used in conjunction with scientific theories. These tools are then used to apply physics to everyday problems. As Milder puts it, "Before you could build a house, someone had to invent the hammer." Milder and other colleagues in his field create a unique group of physicists.

"In the real world, thereÕs physicists that canÕt write code and thereÕs computer scientists that donÕt know physics," Milder said. By combining the two, this unique group of scientists is able to mesh both the blueprints and the tools in applying physics to everyday life situations. "I think Mason has really carved a niche for itself because there arenÕt many places in the country that can do that," Milder said.

Milder has a unique story on how he came to focus on his program of Computational Fluid Dynamics. Initially, upon entering Mason as an undergraduate, Milder decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and study physics. However, by the time he received his undergraduate degree, research funding in his field of study had been cut so severely that it almost didnÕt seem logical to continue his graduate studies in the field.

"There were post-doctorates driving cabs," he said. But a unique blend of circumstances gave Milder the opportunity to participate in a doctoral program not offered by many other schools in the country. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Milder accepted a job offer as the Systems Administrator in the Physics department. According to Milder, the former Systems Administrator had suddenly quit and he was "the least worst person for the job."

Through this, Milder discovered that he thoroughly enjoyed working with computers and applied for a doctoral fellowship that would allow him to combine computer science with physics. The fellowship, sponsored by the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), gives Milder the opportunity to study and complete research here at Mason during the fall and spring semesters.