September 2025: Brian Bennett

About Brian

I always enjoyed math in school, but my interest in a STEM career was further enhanced by the opportunity to complete science fair projects and, as a senior, take the only physics class offered by my high school. I heard MIT was an excellent school, but I was shocked when I saw the cost. My parents and I didn't really understand financial aid, and I learned that ROTC could pay my way through college. As a result, I ended up with an Air Force ROTC scholarship at MIT, where I received S.B. and S.M. degrees in Geophysics. I then completed my four-year active duty commitment working in an Air Force lab. I really enjoyed the research, but realized that I would not be able to continue with a research career if I remained an Air Force officer. Instead, I returned to MIT and earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in Electronic Materials.

Following my graduation, I accepted a postdoctoral position at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. My plan was to secure a university position after completing my postdoctoral work. I also received a university offer, as well as an offer for a permanent position at the NRL. It was a difficult decision, but in the end, I wasn’t sure I wanted to undertake the combination of research, teaching, and fundraising that would be expected at a university. Instead, I accepted the NRL offer, which allowed me to focus on research. I eventually headed the Nanotechnology Section, but was still able to spend the bulk of my time on research. In my last few years with the federal government, I worked at the Office of Naval Research, where I funded basic research, primarily at universities, including overseas institutions and HBCUs/MSIs in the U.S. I was able to combine my interest in history with my day job by developing a seminar about the history of science in the Navy. I enjoyed delivering it whenever I visited universities.

One of my earliest papers [Soref and Bennett, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics 23, 123 (1987)] has been cited over 3500 times and is often considered the seminal paper that started the field of silicon photonics, which is now a multi-billion dollar industry with applications in data centers, AI, medical devices, and other areas. I was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in recognition of "pioneering contributions to the epitaxial growth, characterization, and design of narrow-bandgap semiconductor heterostructures."

About seven years ago, I was helping one of my daughters with her physics and math homework. I remember enjoying it and saying to myself, "Not everyone thinks physics is fun. Maybe I should find a way to share my passion for science with others." I also realized that in two years, I would be eligible to retire from the federal government. I completed a one-semester evening/weekend career-switcher class with Shenandoah University and was certified to teach physics, math, engineering, and earth science. I retired in 2020 and immediately began teaching science at Washington-Liberty High School. For the first six months, I was teaching from my basement during the pandemic. I enjoy teaching IB and AP Physics classes to students who plan to pursue careers in STEM and other fields. It is especially gratifying when some of my students become the first in their families to attend college.

In my previous research career, I attended over 100 national and international conferences, giving contributed, invited, and plenary talks. Although I had participated in several teacher workshops since making my career change, I did not have the opportunity to attend a conference until the 2025 summer AAPT meeting. Attending AAPT made me realize that I had missed the inspiration that comes from scientific conferences.

I think a strength I bring to my teaching is the ability to connect the physics students are learning to applications in physics, materials science, and electrical engineering. I hope to effectively utilize my research background to engage with other AAPT members regarding the applications of physics, careers in physics, and related fields. I also tell my students that the great advances in physics during the 20th Century are not so far removed from them: I met three of the scientists featured in the Oppenheimer movie (Philip Morrison, Edward Teller, and Luis Alvarez), and was one of the first to hear Dr. Alvarez explain his theory of mass extinction from an asteroid which struck Earth 65 million years ago.

I have no regrets about choosing a non-academic research path or about leaving it 26 years later to become a high school physics teacher. Both decisions gave me the chance to pursue meaningful work—first in research and later in teaching—at different stages of my life.