On November 18, 2024, the Yale Society of Physics Students (SPS) hosted Helen Quinn from SLAC and Stanford University as the sixth guest of honor and speaker for the Howard L. Schultz Senior Prize Lecture. She delivered a talk entitled “Reminiscences on my career in physics, and the early days of the Standard Model”.
Physics undergraduate Max Watzky, the Prize Lecture Chair, said, “SPS was extremely honored to host Helen Quinn for this year’s Schultz prize lecture. Professor Quinn’s presentation was elucidating and inspiring. She spoke about her experiences in the 1960s and 70s as the Standard Model was taking shape, overcoming institutional barriers to make incredible contributions in the field. In addition to the prize lecture, Professor Quinn graciously offered her time to speak with students at meals, roundtables, and discussion panels. It was delightful to hear not only about Professor Quinn’s work as a physicist, but also in the field of education, developing new K-12 science standards that are now in use all across the country. It was truly a privilege to have her.”
The Howard L. Schultz Senior Prize Lecture is given each year by a distinguished physicist to the Yale physics community, the prize lecture serves to facilitate conversations between undergraduate students and the greater physics community.
Previous invited speakers for the Howard L. Schultz Senior Prize Lecture include Nobel Laureate F. Duncan M. Haldane from Princeton University, Professor Monika Schleier-Smith from Stanford University, Professor Nima Arkani-Hamed from the Institute for Advanced Study, Professor Kerstin Perez from Columbia University, and Roxanne Guenette, University of Manchester.