Blake Mincey grew up in Adairsville, Georgia, and wanted to understand how the world works. In high school, physics and chemistry gave him concrete answers, and he questioned teachers about electrons, protons, and neutrons. A teacher encouraged his interest by giving him The Elegant Universe, which led him to keep reading popular physics books for years. After high school, he joined the Army and served 4½ years in the infantry, including a deployment to Iraq in 2006 and 15 months overseas. After leaving the service, he used the GI Bill to train as a drummer, then spent about 12 years playing professionally. At 39, he is finishing a Harvard College bachelor’s degree in physics and preparing for what comes next.
"“As a kid, I wanted to know why things were the way they were,” he said. “And in high school, physics and chemistry really fascinated me, because I started finally getting real concrete answers for all this curiosity that I had.”"
"Mincey grew up in Adairsville, a small town in northern Georgia. He spent his high school career prodding teachers about electrons, protons, and neutrons. Impressed by his curiosity, a teacher bought him a copy of “The Elegant Universe” by theoretical physicist Brian Greene. “Of course, I didn't understand any of it at the time, but I found it fascinating. So it kicked off this thing where for the rest of my life, I would just read all of these different trade books by like Sean Carroll or Neil deGrasse Tyson, or just physics books written for the general population,” he said."
"After graduation Mincey decided to join the Army, where he did 4½ years in the infantry. He deployed to Iraq in 2006 and spent 15 months overseas. During that period, he ended up spending a lot of time in Hawaii and California - and he developed a taste for a more adventurous and transient lifestyle. When he got out of the service, he used the GI Bill to train as a drummer at the Atlanta Institute of Music."
"“I'm a drummer and spent about 12 years after that playing”"
Read at Harvard Gazette
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