1<!DOCTYPE html> 2<html lang="en"> 3<head> 4 <title>About Jason W. Hinson - PhysicsGuy.com</title> 5 <meta charset="UTF-8"> 6 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> 7
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11 12 <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="assets/css/style.css"> 13</head> 14<body> 15 <div id="nebula"></div> 16 <canvas id="starfield" class="default-starfield" style="display: none;"></canvas> 17 18 <div class="page-container"> 19 <header class="page-header"> 20 <div class="name-banner"> 21 <div class="top-line">The official webpage of</div> 22 <div class="main-line">Jason W. Hinson</div> 23 <div class="bottom-line">(whoever he is)</div> 24 </div> 25 <div class="branding"> 26 <a href="/">PhysicsGuy.com</a> 27 </div> 28 <nav> 29 <a href="/">Home</a> 30 <a href="/star-trek/">Physics and Star Trek</a> 31 <a href="/news/">News</a> 32 <a href="/archive/">Archive</a> 33 <a href="/donate/">Donate</a> 34 </nav> 35 </header> 36 37 <main> 38 <!-- Banner section (replaces the banner.gif) --> 39 <!-- <section class="banner-section"> 40 <div class="name-banner"> 41 <div class="top-line">The official webpage of</div> 42 <div class="main-line">Jason W. Hinson</div> 43 <div class="bottom-line">(whoever he is)</div> 44 </div> 45 </section> --> 46 47 <!-- Welcome --> 48 <section class="welcome-banner"> 49 <h2>Welcome to my web page!</h2> 50 </section> 51 52 <!-- Intro card with image and links --> 53 <section class="intro-card section-content-grid"> 54 <div class="intro-image"> 55 <img src="assets/images/me.jpg" alt="A picture of Jason W. Hinson" width="230" height="306"> 56 </div> 57 <div class="intro-links"> 58 <h3>Pick a link to jump to more information:</h3> 59 <ul> 60 <li><a href="#aboutme">A bit about me</a></li> 61 <li><a href="#aboutleidos">Leidos (formally SAIC) â where I work</a></li> 62 <li><a href="#aboutcnac">The CNA Corporation (where I used to work)</a></li> 63 <li><a href="#aboutphd">Particle physics and my Ph.D. research</a></li> 64 <li><a href="#trek">Physics and Star Trek (one of my pastimes)</a></li> 65 <li><a href="#poll">Take a quick poll about the purpose of government in the U.S.</a></li> 66 </ul> 67 </div> 68 </section> 69 70 <!-- A Bit About Me --> 71 <section class="content-section" id="aboutme"> 72 <div class="section-header"> 73 <h2>A Bit About Me</h2> 74 </div> 75 76 <div class="section-content-grid"> 77 <div class="section-title"> 78 <h3>Academic/Professional:</h3> 79 </div> 80 <div class="section-text"> 81 <p>In the summer of 2001 I finished my Ph.D. in <a href="https://particleadventure.org/">particle 82 physics</a> from <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University</a>; though I performed my research 83 stationed at Cornell University's particle accelerator facility (see <a href="#cleo">below</a>). After a 84 temporary postdoc position, I accepted a job as a Research Analyst at <a href="http://www.cna.org/">The 85 CNA Corporation</a> in November of 2001, moving to the Washington, D.C. area.</p> 86 87 <p>In June of 2004, CNA sent me on a much-desired field assignment (typically two to three years in 88 duration) at Eglin Air Force Base. The family and I moved to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, putting us much 89 closer to "home" (Mobile, AL).</p> 90 91 <p>At Eglin, I worked for a United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) organization known as the Joint
92 Combat Identification Evaluation Team (JCIET). In 2005, that organization merged with another to form 93 the Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team (JFIIT--pronounced "Jay-Fit"). With the 94 disestablishment of USJFCOM in 2011, JFIIT transitioned to become a new, leaner organization called the 95 Joint Deployable Analysis Team (JDAT), a division under the Joint Staff J6's Deputy Director, Command, 96 Control, Communications, Computers, and Cyber Integration (DD C5I). In 2020, JDAT absorbed branches from 97 sister J6 DD C5I divisions and became the Joint Assessment Division (JAD).</p> 98 99 <p>While I thoroughly enjoyed working for CNAC, my family and I wanted to stay in the Fort Walton Beach 100 area on a more permanent basis. Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC) made me a 101 generous offer that allowed me to keep working at JFIIT doing the same kind of work, sitting at the same 102 desk, but in a long-term position. In October of 2005, I accepted their offer and became a Senior 103 Systems Integration Analyst for SAIC. In 2013, SAIC split into two companies with its national security, 104 health, and engineering expertise forming a new company named Leidos, for whom I currently work as the 105 contract Lead Analyst for JAD.</p> 106 107 <p>To find out more about the place I work and what I do, see the <a href="#aboutleidos">Leidos 108 section</a> and the <a href="#aboutjad">JAD information</a> provided below. In case anyone is interested 109 in CNAC, I left in a <a href="#aboutcnac">section about it</a>. More information concerning my thesis 110 research can also be found <a href="#aboutphd">below</a>, and if you like, you can read <a 111 href="assets/documents/cv.html">my (old!) curriculum vita</a>.</p> 112 </div> 113 </div> 114 115 <div class="section-content-grid"> 116 <div class="section-title"> 117 <h3>On a Personal Note:</h3> 118 </div> 119 <div class="section-text"> 120 <p>It is only fitting for me to note that in everything I do, I must first consider myself a Christian. 121 That is my underlying identity. In conjunction, I am (among other things) a husband, a father, an 122 American, and a physicist. For a very short bio, you can read <a href="assets/documents/vita.html">my 123 personal vita</a>.</p> 124 </div> 125 </div> 126 127 <div class="section-content-grid"> 128 <div class="section-title"> 129 <h3>Wife and Kids:</h3> 130 </div> 131 <div class="section-text"> 132 <p>I'm married to a wonderful, beautiful woman, Tabitha L. Hinson, and on September 29, 2000 we finally 133 had our first child, a precious little girl we named <a href="hannah/">Hannah Louise Hinson</a>. (Note: 134 Hannah's web page is still limited to pictures surrounding her birth... Maybe one day I'll find the time 135 to include a family album and update her pictures.)</p> 136 137 <p>On November 4, 2002 we were blessed with the birth of our second child, William Lee Hinson, who is 138 named after grandfathers on both sides of our family. My apologies for not even having a web page set up 139 for him yet, but you know how it goes.</p> 140 </div> 141 </div> 142 143 <div class="section-content-grid"> 144 <div class="section-title"> 145 <h3>Contact info:</h3> 146 </div> 147 <div class="section-text"> 148 <div class="contact-info-grid"> 149 <div>Address:</div> 150 <div>Joint Assessment Division (JAD)<br>104 Biscayne Rd., Bldg. 638<br>Eglin AFB, FL 32542-5310</div> 151 <div>Voice:</div> 152 <div>850-882-9546</div> 153 <div>Fax:</div> 154 <div>850-882-8467</div> 155 <div>
155Email:</div> 156 <div> 157 <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> (work)<br> 158 <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> (personal) 159 </div> 160 </div> 161 </div> 162 </div> 163 </section> 164 165 <!-- Where I Work --> 166 <section class="content-section" id="aboutleidos"> 167 <div class="section-header"> 168 <h2>Where I Work</h2> 169 </div> 170 171 <div class="section-content-grid"> 172 <div class="section-title"> 173 <h3>What is Leidos:</h3> 174 </div> 175 <div class="section-text"> 176 <p>In 2013, Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC) split into two companies with its 177 national security, health, and engineering expertise forming a new company named Leidos.</p> 178 179 <p>As stated on our website:</p> 180 <blockquote> 181 <p>For more than 40 years we have been tackling some of the biggest problems that face our nation 182 and our world.</p> 183 <p>A FORTUNE 500® company, we bring a mix of innovative technology and sector expertise to customers 184 in national security, engineering, and health.</p> 185 <p>Our approach is holistic, looking at all the interconnected complexities of a problem. Our brand 186 of science is collaborative, with knowledge shared across disciplines. And our focus is always on 187 making the real world better.</p> 188 </blockquote> 189 190 <p>For me, Leidos (as SAIC) was the right company at the right place and at the right time. They offered 191 me just the position I needed when I needed it, for which I am very grateful. My fellow Leidos 192 colleagues working at JAD (<a href="#aboutjad">see below</a>) are a dedicated, hard-working bunch and a 193 pleasure to work with. Specifically, we work for Leidos's Technology Services company, which provides 194 JAD with the majority of its contract work.</p> 195 196 <p>For more information about Leidos, check out <a href="http://www.leidos.com">our website</a>.</p> 197 </div> 198 </div> 199 200 <div class="section-content-grid"> 201 <div class="section-title"> 202 <h3><a id="aboutjad">What is JAD:</a></h3> 203 </div> 204 <div class="section-text"> 205 <p>For more specific information about the Joint Assessment Division (JAD), check out this <a 206 href="https://www.eglin.af.mil/Units/Joint-Assessment-Division/">JAD information page</a>.</p> 207 </div> 208 </div> 209 210 <div class="section-content-grid"> 211 <div class="section-title"> 212 <h3>What About Physics:</h3> 213 </div> 214 <div class="section-text"> 215 <p>You may be asking why I'm working outside of the field of particle physics (in which I received my <a 216 href="#aboutphd">Ph.D</a>). First, let me note that I'm <strong>very</strong> happy I chose to study in 217 the field of High Energy Physics. I wouldn't have had it any other way, and I'll always be a physicist 218 at heart! There are still some interesting uncovered pieces to research in particle physics; however, 219 for reasons I won't get into here, the day-to-day study of the field has lost a little something for me. 220 I can't help but think that the field is ripe for some major unrealized discovery or some totally new 221 way of looking at things, but I can't hang my hat on wishful thinking. In the end, I wanted to move on 222 to something more part of the "real" world.</p> 223 224 <p>SO, while I was offered a position that would have let me work at both <a 225 href="http://www.fnal.gov">Fermi National Lab</a> and <a href="https://home.cern">CERN</a>, I instead 226 decided to accept a position outside of the field where I felt I could have some actual impact on the 227 real world (not to mention providing a better standard of living for my growing family).</p> 228 229 <p>Just to let you know, many people in particle physics do end up leaving the field to work in a wide 230 variety of jobs, from medical imaging to financial analysis. The research you do in physics provides you 231 with a lot of skills and basic know-how, and many companies have come to realize that physics Ph.D.'s 232 have a <strong>lot</strong> to offer.</p> 233 </div> 234 </div> 235 </section> 236 237 <!-- Where I Used To Work --> 238 <section class="content-section" id="aboutcnac"> 239 <div class="section-header"> 240 <h2>Where I Used To Work</h2> 241 </div> 242 243 <div class="section-content-grid"> 244 <div class="section-title"> 245 <h3>Why a CNAC Section:</h3> 246 </div> 247 <div class="section-text"> 248 <p>As I noted above, I enjoyed my time with CNAC, and since I noticed a few people coming to my site 249 after specifically searching for CNAC information, I thought I'd leave in a section about it for anyone 250 who is interested. So, here ya go...</p> 251 </div> 252 </div> 253 254 <div class="section-content-grid"> 255 <div class="section-title"> 256 <h3>What is CNAC:</h3> 257 </div> 258 <div class="section-text"> 259 <p>The CNA Corporation (CNAC) is basically a government sponsored think-tank named for the larger of its 260 two divisions, the Center for Naval Analysis (its other division being the Institute for Public 261 Research). The Center for Naval Analysis is, specifically, a Federally Funded Research and Development 262 Center (FFRDC) that's been providing the US Navy and Marine Corp with vital, independent, full-service 263 research and analysis since its creation in 1942. Through the Institute for Public Re
263search, CNAC 264 provides services for civil and international clients outside of the corporation's military 265 contracts.</p> 266 267 <p>For more specific information about what they do, check out <a href="https://www.cna.org/">CNAC's 268 website</a>.</p> 269 </div> 270 </div> 271 272 <div class="section-content-grid"> 273 <div class="section-title"> 274 <h3>Why work at CNAC:</h3> 275 </div> 276 <div class="section-text"> 277 <p>CNAC offers a wide range of research opportunities and a stimulating work environment. In 2001 it was 278 chosen as one of the top 50 places to work in the Washington, D.C. region. Almost all the analysts CNAC 279 hires have advanced degrees, and two-thirds hold Ph.D.'s. Basically, they value people who can think and 280 reason through complicated research and analysis problems, and they provide a place where your work can 281 actually make a difference.</p> 282 283 <p>CNAC also believes strongly in the importance of field work. Most analysts at CNAC eventually take a 284 field billet where they are usually stationed at a Navy or Marine base for two to three years (or some 285 deploy with a carrier strike group for 6 months). CNAC's people are on Navy ships and with US Marines 286 during many operations they undertake.</p> 287 288 <p>I worked for CNAC for nearly four years. During that time I did interesting analytical work for the 289 FAA, the (then) INS, the Navy, and Joint Forces Command. In one exercise I spent several thrilling days 290 on the U.S.S. Nimitz nuclear aircraft carrier, and in another I took a flight in a Huey helicopter to 291 survey parts of the south-west border. The work itself was interesting and analytically challenging.</p> 292 293 <p>In short, I really loved my time at CNAC and recommend it for anyone qualified and interested in that 294 line of work.</p> 295 </div> 296 </div> 297 </section> 298 299 <!-- About My Ph.D. Research --> 300 <section class="content-section" id="aboutphd"> 301 <div class="section-header"> 302 <h2>About My Ph.D. Research</h2> 303 </div> 304 305 <div class="section-content-grid"> 306 <div class="section-title"> 307 <h3>General:</h3> 308 </div> 309 <div class="section-text"> 310 <p>My area of study for my Ph.D. was high energy physics (a.k.a. <a 311 href="https://particleadventure.org">particle physics</a>). As written in my thesis: high energy physics 312 is the field of science dedicated to studying the most fundamental building blocks of matter and their 313 interactions. It is framed on the postulate that all matter in the physical universe consists of 314 elementary particles, and that these particles can be categorized according to their physical 315 properties. By deducing a relatively small number of particle types and understanding the basic ways 316 they interact with one another, particle physics endeavors to produce an elementary framework that 317 describes the intricacy and scope of the physical universe we experience.</p> 318 </div> 319 </div> 320 321 <div class="section-content-grid"> 322 <div class="section-title"> 323 <h3>An Adventure:</h3> 324 </div> 325 <div class="section-text"> 326 <p>To learn more about particle physics at a basic level, check out <a 327 href="https://particleadventure.org">The Particle Adventure</a> (hosted by <a 328 href="https://www.energy.gov">The U.S. Department of Energy</a> and <a href="https://www.nsf.gov">The 329 National Science Foundation</a>).</p> 330 </div> 331 </div> 332 333 <div class="section-content-grid"> 334 <div class="section-title"> 335 <h3><a id="cleo">CESR/CLEO:</a></h3> 336 </div> 337 <div class="section-text"> 338 <p>My research was possible due to the work done at the <a 339 href="https://www.classe.cornell.edu/Research/CESR/WebHome.html">Cornell Electron Storage Ring</a> 340 (CESR--pronounced "Caesar"), a circular electron/positron collider located on the campus of <a 341 href="http://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>. The particle detector used to collect the data I 342 worked with is known as <a href="https://www.classe.cornell.edu/Research/CLEO/">CLEO</a> (it's not an 343 acronym, its short for Cleopatra--a suitable companion for CESR). Check out their web sites for more 344 info.</p> 345 </div> 346 </div> 347 348 <div class="section-content-grid"> 349 <div class="section-title"> 350 <h3>My Thesis:</h3> 351 </div> 352 <div class="section-text"> 353 <p>My thesis research studied the decay of the tau lepton into three charged pions (one type of 354 quark-antiquark state--such states are collectively called mesons) and a tau neutrino.</p> 355 356 <p>One of the most interesting aspects of the work was that it allowed me to place a measured limit on 357 the average mass of the up and down quarks (those are the quarks that make up protons and neutrons). 358 These are the least-well measured of the quark masses, and the measurement produced some interesting and 359 somewhat controversial results.</p> 360 361 <p>If you would like to read over my thesis, I've made it available in two different formats. Just click 362 on a link below (but be warned, it's somewhat long with about 275 pages in total):</p> 363 364 <ul> 365 <li><a href="assets/documents/mythesis.pdf">PDF (11.8 MB)</a>: Read with the free <a 366 href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> (for Mac, Windows, UNIX, etc)</li> 367 <li><a href="assets/documents/mythesis.ps">Postscript (8.9 MB)</a>: Ready to be printed on most 368 PostScript-ready printers (laser printers)</li> 369 </ul> 370 </div> 371 </div> 372 373 <div class="section-content-grid"> 374 <div class="section-title"> 375 <h3>Publications:</h3> 376 </div> 377 <div class="section-text"> 378 <p>My full publications list is available <a href="assets/documents/mypubs.pdf">here</a> in PDF format.</p> 379 </div> 380 </div> 381 </section> 382
383 <!-- Physics and Star Trek --> 384 <section class="content-section" id="trek"> 385 <div class="section-header"> 386 <h2>Physics and Star Trek</h2> 387 </div> 388 389 <div class="section-content-grid"> 390 <div class="section-title"> 391 <h3>Treknobabble or what?</h3> 392 </div> 393 <div class="section-text"> 394 <p>No, this isn't a link to everything you wanted to know about the technobabble on Star Trek. What I 395 have done is taken bits of what we know about physics today and applied it to some concepts used in 396 science fiction (mainly Star Trek). This is simply a pastime that I delved into a few years back, and I 397 provide a link here for anyone interested.</p> 398 </div> 399 </div> 400 401 <div class="section-content-grid"> 402 <div class="section-title"> 403 <h3>The link and info:</h3> 404 </div> 405 <div class="section-text"> 406 <p>I'll let you jump to <a href="/star-trek/index.html" style="text-align: center; display: block; 407 font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 600; margin: 1rem 0;">My Physics and Star Trek Page</a> to read more 408 about its purpose, but I do want to mention one thing here. One of the two documents you will find links 409 to there is almost a complete "What is Relativity--for the lay-person" book (though its ultimate purpose 410 is to discuss faster than light travel with relativity in mind). I have gotten many compliments 411 concerning how easy it is to read and follow (including a number of suggestions that I write a book on 412 the subject--since I have practically done so already), so I am quite proud of it. :-)</p> 413 </div> 414 </div> 415 </section> 416 417 <!-- Physics and Star Trek --> 418 <section class="content-section" id="poll"> 419 <div class="section-header"> 420 <h2>Take a quick poll</h2> 421 </div> 422 423 <div class="section-content-grid"> 424 <div class="section-title"> 425 <h3>What do you think?</h3> 426 </div> 427 <div class="section-text"> 428 <p> 429 Iâve updated this page with a new web-based polling service. Because this replaces my previous 430 provider, <strong>voting has been reset as of 2026</strong>. 431 </p> 432 <p> 433 Iâm curious to hear your thoughts on the <b><em>proper</em></b> role of government in the U.S. Please take 434 a moment to cast your vote and share your insights in the comments section on the results page. 435 </p> 436 437 <div class="strawpoll-embed poll" id="strawpoll_LVyK24mj6Z0"> 438 <iframe 439 title="StrawPoll Embed" id="strawpoll_iframe_LVyK24mj6Z0" src="https://strawpoll.com/embed/LVyK24mj6Z0" 440 style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; width: 100%; flex-grow: 1;" frameborder="0" 441 allowfullscreen allowtransparency>Loading...</iframe> 442
442<script async src="https://cdn.strawpoll.com/dist/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
442 443 </div> 444 445 <!-- <p> I decided to try out a free service that lets you design a poll for the web. My original webpage 446 used a different, older service, so the poll below restarted the voting in 2026. I decided to ask 447 what people think the <b>proper</b> roll of government should be in the U.S.--just 448 to see what sort of responses I might get from people visiting my web page. Feel free to take the poll 449 and/or make comments on the results page.</p> 450 <div class="poll" style="display: none;"> 451
451<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="javaScript" SRC="http://hinson.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/polls/001/poll.js"> 452 </SCRIPT>
452 453 </div> --> 454 455 </div> 456 457 </div> 458 459 </section> 460 461 </main> 462 463 <footer> 464 <p>© 2025 PhysicsGuy.com</p> 465 <p class="signature">A website by Jason W. Hinson</p> 466 </footer> 467 </div> 468</body> 469</html>
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