Move over, Click and Clack; not only can Physics Technician Ernie Provo talk nuts and bolts, he is equally at home discussing neutrons and electrons and tinkering with particle accelerators. His shop--wall-to-wall tools, test tubes, machinery, wires, pulleys, dials, and buttons--spans the basement of Shattuck Hall. Small aisles of shelving known as "caves," labeled "optics," "current," "electricity," and "heat," are filled from floor to ceiling with gizmos and gadgets dating back to the early days of the College. Nooks and crannies house everything from a computer station where students work on CAD (computer-assisted design) projects, often under Provo's watchful eye, to a particle accelerator (right).
Surrounded by the artifacts of his trade, Provo designs, fabricates, and repairs apparatus that help MHC students make quantum leaps toward understanding physics theory through seeing key concepts brought to life in the physical world. Provo is responsible for "demos," equipment employed by professors during lectures to demonstrate physics principles, as well as lab equipment used by students and faculty to perform experiments for classes, independent projects, and research. In addition to being a skilled machinist and mechanic who works with materials ranging from wood to sheet metal, Provo has learned a good deal about computers, mechanical engineering, physics, and chemistry during his career, the past seventeen years of which have been spent at Mount Holyoke.
"Ernie is the hands of the physics department," said Professor of Physics Howard Nicholson. "The technical activity of the department is centered around him. Not only is Ernie an extremely good technician, he also has abundant natural curiosity and becomes an expert on any piece of equipment he is working on." Provo imparts his knowledge to students during Techniques of Experimental Physics, a course he teaches that is a requirement for all physics majors, and by working with juniors and seniors individually. "Ernie is very knowledgeable and always has time to help students with their work. He is definitely an asset to the department because he has wide knowledge of the technical and mechanical. If someone asks for his help, he is willing to find out about things he might not know about," said Jill Testa '99.
Currently, Provo is immersed in building a hovercraft (a vehicle supported by a cushion of compressed air) with members of the Mount Holyoke chapter of the Society for Physics Students. The device will support up to 220 pounds for forty minutes on a cushion of air. Provo did research on design, evaluated materials, secured a special motor, built a base, and is wiring the hovercraft. Students will work on finishing touches and will use the hovercraft in a number of experiments focusing on physics principles.
Provo grew up on a dairy farm in Missouri, where he routinely fixed farm equipment. After completing one year of college, he spent seven years in the Air Force, during which he honed his mechanical and engineering skills. Later, he worked on projects for NASA and the military in private industry and built apparatus for the University of Massachusetts graduate astrophysics program.
"I've learned what I know about physics and engineering the hard way, by watching professors, by taking things apart and putting them back together again, and by teaching myself things," said Provo. "I enjoy helping Mount Holyoke students do it the easy way."
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