Ian MacMillan

"Every time I work at a public outreach event, I am always asked: 'What objects make gravitational waves?' I always tell them that we usually see massive objects like black holes that are accelerating very fast. But I always make a point to tell them that all accelerating objects make gravitational waves. One time, after being told that, a little kid jumped and said, with a smile, 'Did I just make a gravitational wave?' -- that is my favorite gravitational wave event."

Ian MacMillan is an undergraduate student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. developing low-thermal-noise coatings at American University for the LIGO mirrors.  Ian is also active in science communication and outreach in the nation's capital.  On holidays, you can find Ian sailing or swimming back home in Rhode Island.