Jessica Esquivel is a Black Mexican and American physicist and science communicator, working at the Muon g-2 particle physics experiment at Fermilab. She is an advocate for gender and racial equity in science, and a lead organiser of #BlackInPhysics, a campaign to recognize and amplify the work of Black physicists worldwide. She was also selected as an

AAAS AAAS may refer to: * American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a learned society and center for policy research; the publisher of the journal ''Dædalus'' * American Association for the Advancement of Science, an organization that supports scientifi ...

IF/THEN Ambassador in 2019.

Early life and education

Esquivel was interested in science and engineering from a young age, inspired by science-fiction films and

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...

. She attended science camps as a child, and studied high school at the

Science Academy of South Texas South Texas ISD Science Academy (formerly known as The Science Academy of South Texas), also known as "SciTech", is a high school in Mercedes, Texas, United States, as part of the South Texas Independent School District. This campus is ranked a ...

. She obtained her Bachelor of Science from

St. Mary's University, Texas St. Mary's University is a private Roman Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas. Founded by the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1852, St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the American Southwest. With a student populati ...

in 2011, with a double major in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

and applied physics. Esquivel received a PhD in physics from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 2018, where her doctoral research focused on developing and applying machine learning methods to improve data analysis in particle physics experiments. Specifically, she used convolutional neural networks to analyze data from MicroBooNE neutrino detection experiments. She was awarded a University Research Association Visiting Scholars Program Scholarship (2016) and Neutrino Physics Center Fellowship (2017) during her PhD.

Research career

In 2018, Esquivel joined Fermilab, where she works on the Muon g-2 project. This experiment aims to test the current theories of the

Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetism, electromagnetic, weak interaction, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying a ...

of particle physics by measuring the anomalous magnetic dipole moment of

muon A muon ( ; from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 '' e'' and a spin of , but with a much greater mass. It is classified as a lepton. As wi ...

particles to a high degree of accuracy.

Outreach and advocacy

Throughout her doctoral studies and research career, Esquivel has participated in a variety of science education and outreach programs. During her PhD she published a series of blog posts about her experiences as a graduate student for the website ''Interactions.org''. In 2018, she received an award from the Fermilab Friends for Science Education, recognising her contributions to Fermilab's K-12 education and outreach program. She represented Fermilab at Wakandacon 2019, a three-day convention celebrating

Afro-futurism Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, and philosophy of science and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technocultu ...

, science, technology, and Black culture. In 2021, she was featured on the show ''Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove'' aired by CBS. Esquivel is also vocal advocate for increasing equity and diversity in science, and has worked to improve the experiences of women, gender minorities, LGBT+ and Black people in science. She was one of 125 women awarded an IF/THEN Ambassadorship by the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

in 2019. She was selected to represent the US delegation at the 2020 International Conference on Women in Physics, organised by International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. In 2020, Esquivel was one of the leaders of the inaugural #BlackInPhysics Week, along with

Charles D. Brown II Charles D. Brown II is an American physicist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, studying many-body physics of ultracold atoms in optical lattices. Brown is also a lead organiser of Black In Physics, #BlackInPhy ...

and Eileen Gonzales. The campaign, inspired by

Black Birders Week Black Birders Week is a week-long series of online events to highlight Black nature enthusiasts and to increase the visibility of Black birders, who face unique challenges and dangers when engaging in outdoor activities. The event was created as ...

and other #BlackInX initiatives, aimed to increase the celebrate the contributions of Black physicists and amplify their work. BIPW was widely reported on and supported by '' Physics World,

Nature Physics ''Nature Physics'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio. It was first published in October 2005 (volume 1, issue 1). The chief editor is Andrea Taroni, who is a full-time professional editor employed by this ...

,'' the American Institute of Physics. Esquivel is also a member of Change Now Physics, a team of Black physicists campaigning for racial equity at Fermilab.

Awards

IF/THEN Ambassadorship, 2019

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esquivel, Jessica 21st-century American physicists 21st-century American engineers 21st-century American women engineers 21st-century Mexican physicists African-American engineers Living people People associated with Fermilab St. Mary's University, Texas alumni Syracuse University alumni Mexican women engineers Mexican women physicists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American scientists