Professor Raymond "Chip" Brock is involved in some of the most complicated particle physics projects around the world. At MSU, he likes to take it down a few notches and teach an introductory course about the relation between science and art.
Brock currently works at Fermilab, the world's highest-energy physics laboratory, located in Batavia, Ill., and he teaches some of the most advanced graduate courses on physics at MSU.
When Brock stepped down as chairman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, he designed ISP 213H.
It is a course that combines his expertise in science with his interest in the world of art.
"I began to realize that it was more than just a nice clue to what was going on; it also served an interesting role to help pinpoint what people were thinking about in the world and how views of the world were influencing science and the arts," Brock said.
"Both processes of abstraction, physics and art, are similar in the way artists and physicists try to describe the world."
Brock, while living and breathing physics these days, was indecisive about what profession he wanted to go into in college. He started out with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering.
With more experience, Brock eventually made the decision.
"Like with many people, it just became apparent to me that it was something I had to do," Brock said. "There wasn't really any thinking about it once I crossed that threshold."
