Benjamin D. Smith
Hello! I want to tell you about three interrelated and indivisible aspects of my life. In myriads of ways, these components inform and enrich each others:
Physics
I first learned to appreciate science from my parents. My mother taught me to ask questions and to keep trying. My father showed me how to overcome challenges and gave me a sense of wonder for the universe; I have many fond memories of looking at the stars together. What drew me to physics was the questions. I love questions! Some of the most interesting and thought-provoking questions in physics remain unanswered 1. As a teenager, my interest in physics was captured by a longstanding and ongoing mystery 2: how does a collapsing air bubble in water transform sound waves into a bright flash of light?
As an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University, I was fascinated by my courses in optics (the behavior of light) and quantum mechanics (the behavior of matter on atom-sized scales) - but I had so many more questions! Therefore, I am grateful for the privilege to study atomic physics (how light and atoms interact) at the University of Alberta. I am proud to work and study under the supervision of Professor Lindsay J. LeBlanc.
Family
I love my family. I am married to an incredible woman, and together we have three wonderful children. They give my life immense meaning and purpose. I also love my parents, siblings, and my ancestors - those on whose strong shoulders I stand. I cannot look back on my ancestors without feeling gratitude for their lives, stories, and legacies. I also feel grateful for the places they lived, for the people who have called those lands home, and for the opportunities I have been given to live, work, and continue on where I am. I feel honored to claim ancestral heritage from the following places:
| United States (37%) | Sweden (26%) |
| United Kingdom (17%) | Denmark (11%) |
| Canada (4%) | Ireland, Scotland, & the Netherlands (5%) |
Faith
Finally, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I find hope, encouragement, and healing in His restored Gospel. I want to be like Him. My faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ is founded on what I have learned for myself. My living faith distills from the choice I make to “let God prevail” in my life 3. As a member and former full-time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I strive to love and serve all others as my neighbors (Luke 10:25-37). I am a work in progress, and I am grateful for opportunities to try again when I fail. While I experience fears and challenges, I strive to accept life with joy and abundance.
Contact
I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
-
Wikipedia, List of unsolved problems in physics ↩︎
-
Barber, Bradley P., Robert A. Hiller, Ritva Löfstedt, Seth J. Putterman, and Keith R. Weninger. “Defining the unknowns of sonoluminescence.” Physics Reports 281, no. 2 (1997): 65-143. ↩︎
-
Nelson, Russell M., “Let God Prevail,” October 2020 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ↩︎