"I have always been fascinated with Indian culture ... I also wanted to study physics in a non-western country and India appealed partially because the Fulbright did not require me to speak one of the languages," said Cabot.
In her Fulbright proposal, Cabot pointed out that India is one of the few countries that are very active in the field of theoretical physics, but whose world view is not Western and not dominated by a non-Judeo-Christian religion. "I think the opportunity to study there would let me reach past my worldview for a deeper understanding of physics," Cabot wrote in her proposal.
"As well as straight physics, I also want to explore the impact of a non-western world view on the research and teaching of physics by talking to physicists and taking religion classes," said Cabot, who plans to eventually attend graduate school to study theoretical physics.
The prospect of spending nine months in a foreign country is daunting, but Cabot is ready for the challenge. "I'm very nervous about it. I've never lived in a big city for any length of time, not to mention one whose native language is not English," said Cabot. She plans to study Tamil over the summer.
Cabot, who comes from Wenham, Mass., said she was interested in physics before she came to the College, though she was "far from setting [her] heart on it."
"I had a great high school physics teacher, and also really loved math, but I was also interested in history and fine arts," said Cabot. She gives credit to her advisor, Assistant Professor of Physics William Loinaz, as well as Professors of Physics Larry Hunter and Kannan Jagannathan, and Assistant Professor of Physics David Hall for influencing her decision to become a physics major and encouraging her to apply for the fellowship.
Tackling her thesis
Cabot kept busy during her senior year with a thesis on particle physics, entitled "The Two Higgs Doublet Model."
Cabot's advisor praised her dedication and ability to comprehend a challenging subject. "For her thesis, she grappled with quantum gauge field theory, a notoriously abstruse subject even for theoretical physicists. She started with the basic building blocks of the theory, solving the simplest models different ways until she had wrapped her head around them then put them together in increasingly sophisticated combinations," said Loinaz. "She was focused, relentless and really very insightful and in the end she put together quite a nice piece of theory," he continued.
Women in Physics
In addition to her work in the classroom, Cabot rowed crew for three and a half years, sang in the women's chorus and concert choir for a year each and co-founded Women in Physics (WIP) with close friend Lindsay Clarke '03.
Cabot said that she and Clarke were inspired to start the group when they noticed a trend in the Amherst physics department: the more women physics majors in a class, the less attrition from the major. "There seems to be some critical mass that needs to be attained," said Cabot. "We created Women in Physics to create a core group of women that would not fluctuate as wildly as it does with individual classes, and therefore encourage more women to stay in physics."
Clarke echoed Cabot's sentiments about the founding of Women in Physics and said that WIP wouldn't have happened without Cabot.
"We found that working on problem sets together as a group really helped us get through them faster and understand them better. We wanted to help create the same kind of support system and promote group study habits for the majors in the classes below us," said Clarke. "Anna and I really enjoyed getting to know the underclassmen/women and it has also been incredibly rewarding to reflect on our experiences as women in physics. She has been so helpful and supportive of me as I tried to sort out my own thought and feelings towards physics this year, and she always buys good cookies for the meetings."
Clarke also gave heartfelt praise of Cabot's qualities as one of her best friends. "The thing I love most about Anna is that she has a really down-to-earth sense of herself. I think that if there is an opposite of superficial, that's her," said Clarke. "She also has a wicked sense of humor and a beautiful smile."