Jack Seger

 On any given day at Tennessee Tech University, you might find student Jack Seger of Hendersonville in a university lab manipulating complex simulations for an ion beam project or out on the field with the marching band, trombone in hand.

Seger is double majoring in physics and math, while minoring in music theory and composition.

“I've always felt I wanted to do something related to math or the sciences, but I wasn't set on a specific major until late in high school," Seger said. "In my junior year, I took an honors physics I class that I really enjoyed – shout out to Coach Gabe! – so I signed on to take AP Physics I the next semester."

He enjoyed the class so much that he decided to take AP Physics II and self-studied both AP Physics C exams before ultimately choosing it as his major when time came for college.

“I like the physics major because it provides a lot of options,” he said. “It provides you with a deep knowledge of the fundamental workings of the universe, but also gives you a tremendous problem-solving ability that translates to any number of careers – engineering, computer science, communications, education… on and on. I really like the flexibility the major provides, and I really enjoy learning how to solve technical problems.”

His love of music comes in part from his father, a 2000 graduate of Tech’s School of Music himself. When time came to choose a college, one of the reasons Seger picked Tech was because of its closeness to home, which enables him to not only visit on the weekends whenever he wants, but also enables his family to come see his concert performances. Seger plays in the marching band, the jazz band and the concert band, is an officer in the club Trombones at Tech, and also leads a brass trio.

“I have to credit the music department for doing some great outreach,” he said. “Throughout high school I would come to Tech for their honor band clinic and instrumental symposium, so when the time came for me to seriously consider colleges, I already had a good relationship with the music department here.”

Seger was also impressed with the physics program at Tech.

“It’s pretty small, but you still have access to a high-quality physics degree with plenty of undergraduate research opportunities. The small size just means we’re all pretty close, and the professors can get to know you really well,” he said.

One of the benefits of having a close-knit department has been the ease at which Seger has been able to get hands-on experience in his major through research projects. Recently, Mustafa Rajabali, an associate professor of physics, helped set him up with a research internship to work on setting up an ion beam lab in the university’s Lab Science Commons building using components from an old project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“I learned a lot in the process, and we should be able to test it out for real pretty soon,” he said.

The scholarships Seger earned helped lighten the financial load of his education and were another reason that he ultimately chose Tennessee Tech as his university.

“I managed to come out of high school as a National Merit Scholar with a 36 ACT score, which got me some pretty good scholarship offers across the board, but Tech’s offer was impressive,” he said. “It was definitely one of, if not the, biggest factors that led to me choosing Tech. My family probably could have helped pay for a college education had I not gotten those scholarships, but having the whole paid for on Tech’s end plus extra is really incredible.”

In addition to helping him navigate his academic and career goals, Seger’s time at Tech has also contributed to his personal growth. He has learned about himself and how to better connect with others through various social events, especially ones through the Physics Club, and learned how to fit in his many musical commitments with his academic workload.

“Balancing music with the physics/math major has been challenging, but I’m so glad I’m able to do both at Tech,” he said.