Student Profiles - Spring 2023 Graduates

Ravin Chowdhury

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his 

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students? 

I think I have realized in my last few years in my undergraduate degree that it is important to experiment with classes pertaining to subjects different from one's own major. Along with this, it is very worthwhile to meet people from many majors - you never know when these connections might be important to your career and life in the future! 

What kind of research have you done?

I worked at Dr. Noel Clark's liquid crystal physics research group for over three years, during which one of my most important research projects was related to topological defects - points where a vector field is discontinuous - and how they interact in a particular liquid crystal phase called the smectic-C. While the research might seem very niche, it allows for one to investigate these defects in a real system, unlike other fields where they are studies (like cosmology). 

Nicholas Entin

Degree:  Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students? 

I urge everybody to not only do what makes you happy, but also surround yourself with those who make you happy. For me, participating in research was one of the most rewarding experiences in college, so I would recommend that everybody strongly considers doing that. Although my research and classes were wonderful experiences, some of my best memories are from the communities I was a part of. My best piece of advice is to prioritize being a part of a community that will both give you a sense of belonging and support you through every challenge that college throws at you.  

What was your proudest accomplishment during undergrad? 

Honestly, one of my proudest moments during my undergrad was when I impressed my research group by picking a lock to a filing cabinet that contained essential cryostat components they had been trying to access for weeks.  

Where are you headed after graduation? 

I am going to continue to pursue my interest in physics as a graduate student at Stanford University. There are some wonderfully kind people there doing some incredible research that I am excited to be a part of. 

Gabriela Galarraga

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter? 

When I first started out at CU, I was originally a business major, but when the COVID-19 pandemic had us switch to remote learning, I decided to follow my love of math and science and become a physics major. I was always interested in physics, but from the outside looking in, it felt like an unattainable goal that I wasn't smart enough for and a community that I wouldn’t belong to. However, reflecting on the joy and curiosity that I experienced exploring physics in my free time, I came to realize that knowledge is boundless and that there isn't anything that I can't learn. As I continue onwards to the next chapter, what I take with me is the persistence, determination, and most importantly, the willingness to try, that I have cultivated through my years at CU.  

What was your proudest accomplishment during undergrad? 

My proudest accomplishment is my involvement in COSMOS, the Community of Support for Marginalized Students in Physics, Astrophysics, and Engineering Physics. At it's inception I was an active member, but it was difficult to facilitate over Zoom and it slowly faded out of existence. As we transitioned to a hybrid environment and then fully in-person, I decided to try and restart it. Over the past two semesters, we have met regularly and have had steady participation all of our events. I used to feel that physics, and university life in general, could be very isolating, especially because we are thrown into a new environment. I’m excited to see how COSMOS has helped to foster a community and create a sense of belonging. I hope that COSMOS becomes a legacy that continues to grow and make everyone feel like they can conquer math and science. 

Skylar Gale

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Degree:  Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics 

From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter? 

Studying physics at CU has been invaluable to my growth as a researcher, student, and friend. The experiences I had between classes, long problem sets, research projects, and living in Boulder have been amazing and critical to determining my next steps. Not only did my time at CU show me the potential impacts of scientific research, but also independence, making connections, and being open to new experiences. 

Why did you choose to study physics? 

I chose to study physics I’ve always been fascinated by the science and math of nature. Physics served as the connection between my curiosity and Earth, giving me the tools to conduct research about critical climate science issues such as sea level rise. 

Where are you headed after graduation? 

After graduation, I will be attending University of Washington in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, studying the physics, modelling, and sea ice interactions behind the natural phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. 

Shannen Graham-Howard

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his 

Degree:  Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter? 

The thing I have gained the most at CU is easily the friendships and connections I have made along the way. The environment here has been perfect for me to find supportive and wonderful people to talk with about math and physics, go on hikes and adventures with, and generally share my time here with. The community I have joined in my time here has been incredibly supportive, challenging, and fun, and has led me to become a better student and person, and will last me a lifetime.  

Why did you choose to study physics? 

I have engaged in two research projects. The largest one is studying deep inelastic electron scattering. This involves scattering an electron off of a proton to infer information about its internal structure. The other project was an REU with the mathematics department studying Topological Data Analysis. Essentially, this entails using a field of math called Topology to find how many holes, spherical voids, and higher dimensional holes there are in large data sets. 

Where are you headed after graduation? 

Once I graduate, I will be headed on to grad school. Currently I have been accepted into the University of New Mexico for the physics PhD program, and will likely attend there, but I am still waiting to hear back from a few schools so this is still to some degree up in the air. 

Keith Hedlund

Preferred Pronouns:  he/him 

Degree:  Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students? 

Getting involved with research in your field as early as possible is one of the most important keys to success at CU. Especially in Physics, getting a preview of what it's like to work in a research environment can help you connect topics you're learning about in class, and help you better plan for what to do after college. 

What was your proudest moment of your undergraduate career? 

I don't know if it's my proudest moment, but one of my favorite and most memorable experiences was flying to Baltimore to present at an international research conference as part of my research experience. The amount that I learned and the connections that I made were just incredible. 

What kind of research have you done?

I work with the Liquid Crystal Group, and specialize in the movement of fluids in 2 dimensions. We work with materials that closely resemble soap films, which let's us study a lot of phenomena that are too complicated to study in 3 dimensions sych as how droplets coalesce or how electric fields affect fluid flow. 

Morgan Knuesel

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students? 

Don’t be afraid to seek and take advantage of opportunities! The best things I’ve done in my time at CU have been things I was terrified of. But I’ve found that an open mind and a little bit of courage that I didn’t know I had in me have gone a long way. 

What was your proudest accomplishment during undergrad? 

In the Summer of 2022, I was selected for the prestigious U.S. ATLAS Summer Undergraduate Program for Exceptional Researchers (SUPER) grant to fund my research studying the modifications of particle jets in a quark-gluon plasma created in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. The summer-long program culminated in a symposium in which all ten students who received the award gave talks on their research in front of dozens of ATLAS Collaboration scientists. There, I earned the “best presentation” prize – an invitation to a week-long tour of the LHC facilities! 

Where are you headed after graduation? 

I will be continuing to work on ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions and quark-gluon plasma physics at Yale, where I plan to get my Ph.D. 

Sanjay Kumar Keshava

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his 

Degree:  Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics 

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students? 

CU has some incredible educational opportunities, so take advantage of them. Be nice to people and make friends. Spend some time exploring the outdoors. Enjoy whatever you are doing! 

Why did you choose to study physics? 

My interest in physics began when my high school teacher gifted me a book on quantum mechanics. The quantum world was strange and fascinating. I simply had to know more! 

Where are you headed after graduation?  

I will be attending physics graduate school at Princeton University! 

Marissa McMaster

Degree:  Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

What will you carry into your next chapter? 

Before attending CU, I was well aware of the inequalities that exist in STEM and in society more generally, but completing my sociology minor helped me to learn why these inequalities arose and how they continue to be perpetuated. As a result, I developed an even-greater appreciation for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in STEM and realized that I want to commit to doing what I can to make my future departments and workplaces more welcoming and supportive for people with backgrounds which are underrepresented in physics such as myself. As I move on to graduate school, I want to be more involved in outreach and community-building initiatives to encourage more students to pursue STEM and to make the field more inclusive by the time they do. 

Where are you heading after graduation? 

I'm planning to attend the University of Maryland to continue atomic physics and quantum information research and pursue a PhD in physics. 

What kind of research have you done?

My primary research has focused on prototyping, assembling, and testing laser systems for use in trapped-atom quantum computing devices. More recently, I've been modeling the dynamics of a proposed alternative to a currently-popular qubit measurement technique using numerical methods. 

Sophie Redd

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Degree:  Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

Piece of advice for new students 

Take breaks and learn to rest, no matter how much you love what you do you need to take breaks. 

Where are you headed after graduation? 

I am going to the University of Wisconsin Madison to get a PhD in nuclear engineering and engineering physics. Their main focus is on fission and fusion science, in order to find more sustainable and safe energy sources. Their motto, “save the planet, explore the rest,” fits with my personal beliefs. I have a research position with Dr. Stephanie Diem working on the Pegasus spherical tokamak. 

What kind of research have you done? 

I was lucky enough to get a summer undergraduate laboratory internship at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. This DOE laboratory seeks to investigate fusion as an energy source. I worked on the lithium tokamak experiment by helping design a plasma diagnostic tool, which looks at the temperature and density of the plasma and will allow the scientists to learn more about the effects lithium has on plasma confinement. 

Jo Robbins

Preferred Pronouns: they/them 

Degree:  Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter? 

Over the course of my college career, I learned how to talk to people. This might seem counterintuitive as I spent over a year in a cramped college apartment staring at my computer screen, but I valued the time I had with other people. Just the act of talking doesn’t cover what I learned at CU. What I will carry with me is the ability to converse with anyone, recognize what they are saying, and engage with them at a deeper level. I believe that many problems in our current society stem from miscommunication, so the ability to listen and understand others is vital.  

Where are you headed after graduation?

After graduation, I am going back to CU to complete a master program in STEM education. The program’s focus is on science teaching for equity and justice and teaches students how to design equitable learning spaces and how to foster students’ identities around science. The program also provides students with a teaching license, so I will teach for a bit afterwards. I plan on returning to school to learn about education research and reform and dedicating my life to improving science education for everyone. 

What kind of research have you done?

I started doing research in my junior year with the Physics Education Research group here at CU. I helped design and test an innovative exam design for Classical Mechanics. Over the summer, I worked at a high-energy lab at Virginia Tech, studying the internal structure of the proton using an unusual type of scattering. My last research project, which took place during my senior year, was self-led for my honors thesis. I investigated the role that education plays in an individual’s ability to reconcile the tentativeness and trustworthiness of science. I created a survey for students and professors to take and determined statistically significant relationships between a participant’s response and different demographic slices, which included educational experience. 

Arlee Shelby

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Physics

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?

College is truly a marathon. Be sure to take care of yourself at every stage along the way. And, don’t worry if things don’t go the way you planned, there is plenty of time and opportunity to adjust your path. Be sure to take the courses that excite and inspire you, even if they are hard. This will help you stay engaged and motivated. 

Why did you choose to study physics?

In high school, I had taken a very general physics course. We mostly watched cool videos and demos, but it got me excited about physics at the college level. In my first physics course at CU, I was amazed at all the connections between everyday phenomena and physics! I remember the course being very hard, but it was a good kind of challenge. A challenge I wanted to overcome. Each course after did not get easier. But over time, I learned how to learn physics. And, the physics was totally awesome, which is the biggest reason why I chose to be a physics major. 

What was your proudest accomplishment during undergrad?

There are many things that I am very proud I accomplished over the course of my undergraduate degree. A big thing, I will be graduating with honors after writing and defending my thesis in High-Energy physics. But on the smaller side, in the Junior Lab course, I designed and built a photoelectric AM radio transmitter and receiver with an analouge circuit. It felt difficult to build. It took a lot of time and fiddling with the design and physical components to make it work. I was really proud when it finally worked in the intended way, a testament to all the physics I have learned throughout my undergraduate.

Konrad Ziegler

Preferred Pronouns:  he/him 

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Physics 

From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter? 

In the pursuit of anything I do, I will be thankful and appreciative. Throughout undergrad, I have been so fortunate to meet such wonderful people and create friendships. It is through these friendships, that I found care and support to seek further academic and scientific opportunities by exploring Latin Honors and researching at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It is not without their help, that I would have achieved anything worthwhile. In all my future endeavors, I will work hard to requite these friends, mentors, and teachers. I feel so humbled to have been given such a gift, and will keep it close in my mind for the rest of my life.