A Conversation With...
Dr. M. K. Balasubramanya

Q: Where did you grow up and how did you get here, (A&M-CC)?

A: I was born and raised in India. I came to the United States in 1985 as a graduate student. I received an integrated Master of Science degree in Physics. I then received my PhD in Physics from Iowa State University (ISU). After graduate school I had two visiting faculty positions, the first at Carleton College, Minnesota and the second at Hamilton College, New York. I assumed my present position here in 1994, where I had the challenging task of initiating a new physics program. I am married with one daughter. My wife is currently a visiting assistant professor of Computer Science at TAMUCC. We moved to Corpus in 1994, and have been here ever since.

Q: What motivates you and has helped you become who you are today?

A: I like discovery and application. I have a desire to know things. How do things work? Why are things the way they are? What can we do to make things better?

Q: What makes you passionate about your field and teaching students?

A: The natural world around us is truly beautiful. Behind this beauty there is order and harmony, even in the most outwardly disorderly and chaotic processes. Learning about principles that bring order to our understanding of the world is what I am passionate about. Physics is about the discovery of this beauty in nature. I try to channel this passion to my students, so they too feel motivated to examine the natural world in this light.

Q: What course(s) are your favorite to teach?

A: I like them all, it is hard to pick a favorite. If I had to choose it might be the first of the two introductory physics courses. That is where I get to introduce students to this field, it’s something they haven’t seen before. Most students are unfamiliar with physics. In the first class I ask students to name absolutely anything that comes to their mind, and I show how that is related to physics.

Q: What co-curricular activities are you involved in, and how can students become involved with you in those activities?

A: I have students working with me on physics research projects. One project that students outside the sciences have worked with me is on alternative energy sources. We know that fossil fuels - gasoline, diesel, natural gas and coal - are all environmentally harmful, and only last for a short time. We have to relearn how to live with less energy and find alternative renewable energy sources. I am also the faculty advisor for the India Student Association. If any of this interests you just email me and we can meet.

Q: Outside of TAMUCC, what extracurricular activities are you involved in; what do you do for fun?

A: I have done presentations on physics for various high schools in the area. I used to edit a community newsletter for the Coastal Bend India Association. I do gardening whenever time permits. We have a two year old now and both my wife and I have a full plate.

Q: Who inspired you the most or had the greatest impact during your collegiate experience which directed you to your field of study?

A: It works a little differently in my country. By the time you graduate from high school you should have decided what you plan to major in college. I knew in high school that physics was what I wanted to do. My parents were a great source of inspiration during this period. I certainly credit my college professors for sustaining my interest in physics, and for showing all the right doors into higher physics.

Q: What is your greatest achievement and whom do you attribute this to?

A: I don’t think I have really achieved anything great. I have tried to set goals for myself based on my interests, and I have tried to achieve them. I have worked hard to set up the physics program here. I would credit my colleagues' support for it, and my wife who has put up with my long hours at work. The world is a very big place and we are all small players, really. If my students felt they learned something valuable from me that would be a matter of satisfaction. As for achievements in general, it is mostly a result of hard work. Success is about 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration!

Q: What question does the study of Physics attempt to answer?

A: Physics seeks to discover the most basic laws of the universe; it tries to explain why things are the way they are at the most fundamental level. It is the foundation upon which the other physical sciences - astronomy, chemistry, geology - are based. How did our universe originate? Is that a meaningful question? What are things made up of at the smallest level? What is space? What is time? How do things move and why? Why is ice a solid, but water is not? Those are the sorts of questions physics attempts to answer within the framework of its theories.

Q: Wouldn’t be caught dead wearing?

A: Nothing!