Physics professor studies neutron stars, plays in bluegrass band

Saint Louis University physics professor, Greg Comer, has some advice for “geeks” everywhere.

“When you are in science and engineering, you are, by default, a geek,” Comer said, admittedly. “So, if you want to do at all well with the girls, you have to play guitar—in bars. Otherwise, you will grow old and unmarried.”

Comer, the lead guitarist of his band Chop Shop, exhibits the connection between two seemingly distinct fields: science and art. Comer said that engineering involves “moments when you have a real act of creation.”

“You put several things together and have this new thing that comes out,” Comer said. “I think there is a level of creativity that goes along with the rigid mathematics and structure.”

Comer said he first realized his passion for science at age 6 when a visit to his grandparents provided the opportunity to witness the launch of the Apollo 8 space shuttle, an experience which he said left a lasting impression. In addition, Comer said he had always been interested in science and science fiction.

Comer said he took a Physics class during his senior year of high school, and that it was then that he fell in love with the subject.

Upon receiving his doctorate, Comer spent two years in Jerusalem for post-doctoral research and another year in Paris. In 1993, he moved to St. Louis and joined the SLU community.

Comer currently teaches Introduction to Physics, a course for freshmen physics majors, and Einstein’s Universe, a physics course for non-science majors. In addition to teaching, Comer said that researching also occupies much of his time. He mainly studies neutron stars, the aftermath of dying stars, a form of matter that cannot be created on Earth.

Paralleling his progressing interest in science is Comer’s relationship with his music. From early childhood, Comer said he was exposed to music and that everyone on his mother’s side of the family played an instrument.

He grew up in Bristol, Va., located in the heart of Appalachia and the birthplace of the first country music recordings. Comer said he picked up his first guitar at age 10. He took lessons, but most of his skill can be attributed to self-teaching. By age 15, Comer was practicing up to eight hours daily and had added the banjo to his repertoire.

“I convinced myself that if you work really hard, then you can do things that are hard,” Comer said. “So the music built up my confidence and let me know that if I am patient, stick with it, work hard, I could probably do this.”

Throughout college and graduate school, Comer said he played with whatever musicians he met along the way, expanding from bluegrass to the rock and folk genres.

In St. Louis, Comer met other bluegrass musicians, and some became future band mates. Along with Comer’s electric guitar, which he nicknamed “Earl” after the legendary banjo player Earl Scruggs, he established the band Chop Shop. For Comer, music is just as formulaic as science.

“Music has some nice rules, and if you are mathematically-minded, there’s something very appealing about that,” Comer said.