The Jazz of Physics with Prof. Stephon Alexander, President of NSBP
“I hope that the new generation of thinkers and scientists are truly rewarded for their innovations and not held back because they may think different or look different or talk different,” says @stephstem on #IntoTheImpossible. Watch the full episode here.
Stephon Alexander — physics professor, jazz musician, and author — is this week’s guest on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast. Stephon is a good friend, our shared history goes back to our grad school days, and having him on the show was equal parts a trip down memory lane and learning new insights thanks to the interview format.
Mixed in with our recollections from younger days we touched on topics that our regular viewers and listeners will recognize, including experimental versus theoretical physics and creativity’s role in science. And the virtual book tour continues, as we discuss Stephon’s popular book, “The Jazz of Physics.”
Stephon achieved a great feat with his book, expertly blending memoir and science. No good memoir is just recounting facts, and no compelling science text is strictly academic. There is no science without human experience, and no human who hasn’t been touched by science.
Stephon’s book is also personal to m because it inspired me to write my own book, “Losing the Nobel Prize.” His inspiration to write was to share lessons for his younger self, which he revealed even before I could prompt him with those “Final Five” questions I ask all the authors that come on INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE. This reasoning resonates with me, as I consider my book an ethical will of sorts, lessons for the next generation.
I loved hearing Stephon’s story about trying to impress our old professor Leon Cooper once Stephon became a professor at our alma mater. Cooper is a man who can (and doesn’t hesitate to) start sentences with “Einstein once told me…” Stephon describes getting tenure and various awards, brushing those achievements off with an indifferent, “Whatever.” Stephon just didn’t obsess over those benchmarks we in academia are checking off and aspiring to and working tirelessly for. But he did want to impress our old professor.
Stephon has always had that bit of zen about him. His music and his writing provide a balance to his academic life that is paramount to creativity and longevity in this field. Whether that’s a hobby or some other pursuit, if it gives your mind a break, either through stimulation or distraction, finding that is crucial.
As Stephon puts it, “My hack is I’ve managed to engage in things that I’m naturally attuned to, attracted to and figured out a way to weave them into each other in a way that if you cut one of those links, they all fall apart.”
And while I’ve said before that I don’t necessarily want creativity from other professionals in my life — namely my doctors — I acknowledge that it’s good for everyone to have that balance. To be fair, my hobby is flying planes and people probably don’t want creativity from their pilots!
Stephon is the president of the National Society of Black Physicists. He doesn’t just have high hopes for diversity in our field, he is working to make that future a reality. Everyone on the planet suffers when great minds aren’t encouraged and supported in pursuit of realizing their potential.
I’m proud to be a member of NSBP and you can join and support the National Society of Black Physicists too: https://nsbp.org/support-nsbp/support-us
He says, “One of the things I dream of doing and we’re trying to do is to create new platforms for our young emerging scientists…Like having people in a very exciting and natural and organic way talk about their science, talk about their lives and have interesting conversations.”
I know Stephon will continue to achieve greatness in his many fields of interest. When asked what he’s working on now, he lists myriad complicated projects and then follows that up with, “Other than that I’m pretty confused and directionless.” We’ll have to get him back on the podcast to update us, maybe then he’ll realize just how accomplished he really is!
Stephon achieved a great feat with his book, expertly blending memoir and science. No good memoir is just recounting facts, and no compelling science text is strictly academic. There is no science without human experience, and no human who hasn’t been touched by science.
Stephon’s book is also noteworthy because it inspired me to write my own book, “Losing the Nobel Prize.” His inspiration to write was to share lessons for his younger self, which he revealed even before I could prompt him with those “Final Five” questions I ask all the authors that come on INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE. This reasoning resonates with me, as I consider my book an ethical will of sorts, lessons for the next generation.
I loved hearing Stephon’s story about trying to impress our old professor Leon Cooper once Stephon became a professor at our alma mater. Cooper is a man who can (and doesn’t hesitate to) start sentences with “Einstein once told me…” Stephon describes getting tenure and various awards, brushing those achievements off with an indifferent, “Whatever.” Stephon just didn’t obsess over those benchmarks we in academia are checking off and aspiring to and working tirelessly for. But he did want to impress our old professor.
Stephon has always had that bit of zen about him. His music and his writing provide a balance to his academic life that is paramount to creativity and longevity in this field. Whether that’s a hobby or some other pursuit, if it gives your mind a break, either through stimulation or distraction, finding that is crucial.
As Stephon puts it, “My hack is I’ve managed to engage in things that I’m naturally attuned to, attracted to and figured out a way to weave them into each other in a way that if you cut one of those links, they all fall apart.”
And while I’ve said before that I don’t necessarily want creativity from other professionals in my life — namely my doctors — I acknowledge that it’s good for everyone to have that balance. To be fair, my hobby is flying planes and people probably don’t want creativity from their pilots!
Stephon is the president of the National Society of Black Physicists. He doesn’t just have high hopes for diversity in our field, he is working to make that future a reality. Everyone on the planet suffers when great minds aren’t encouraged and supported in pursuit of realizing their potential.
Support the National Society of Black Physicists: https://nsbp.org/support-nsbp/support-us
He says, “One of the things I dream of doing and we’re trying to do is to create new platforms for our young emerging scientists…Like having people in a very exciting and natural and organic way talk about their science, talk about their lives and have interesting conversations.”
I know Stephon will continue to achieve greatness in his many fields of interest. When asked what he’s working on now, he lists myriad complicated projects and then follows that up with, “Other than that I’m pretty confused and directionless.” We’ll have to get him back on the podcast to update us, maybe then he’ll realize just how accomplished he really is!
Buy Stephon Alexander’s book “The Jazz of Physics”
Watch Alexander’s Tedx Talk.
Support the National Society of Black Physicists.
Watch Alexander on NOVA’s documentary series The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers.
Find Stephon Alexander on Twitter @stephstem
Find Brian Keating on Twitter @DrBrianKeating and YouTube
Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Stephon’s book: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-impossible/id1169885840?mt=2
Stephon Alexander is a physics professor at Brown University, which is where he earned his Ph.D. He is President of the National Society of Black Physicists and a National Geographic Explorer. He served as a scientific consultant on the 2018 movie A Wrinkle in Time.
