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Isaac Alhuseini, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you?
The love of learning new models that has been driving my learning experience at CU and the appreciation of how physics is expanding our knowledge and technological frontiers.
What is your best advice for future students?
Don't be afraid to ask your professor/instructor any questions, no matter how intuitive they might sound.
Where are you headed after graduation?
Graduate School at University of Maryland College Park
Jacob Beckey, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you?
Phenomenal friendships and a personal and professional network that I will lean on for decades to come.
What does completing graduate school mean to you?
Graduating with my PhD represents the exciting start of what I have wanted to do for the past ten years: teach and mentor students. As a first-generation college student, I wouldn't be here without phenomenal teachers and mentors, so I am particularly eager to play a similar role in students' lives.
Where are you headed after graduation?
In September, I will start a post-doc fellowship in the math department at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where I will do research and teach for up to 3 years.
Daniel Carlson, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
Why did you decide to study physics?
I chose to pursue physics because I often wasn't satisfied with where explanations ended in my undergraduate chemistry courses. I deeply enjoy problem-solving and creative thinking, and physics is a wonderful opportunity to develop these skills while learning more about the world around us.
What was your research focus?
I developed next-generation tabletop-scale coherent x-ray light sources and explored the enabling laser technology required to achieve that goal.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I have accepted a postdoctoral position at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories, where I will be continuing my passion for ultrafast science and tabletop x-ray light source development.
Megan Finnigan, Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you?
I have learned a lot about the values of community and teaching (in both formal and informal capacities). I have no doubt that I will continue to seek meaningful communities and practice patient, intentional teaching in my interactions with others, especially as I enter this next chapter in my life. And, of course, I will carry my love for the Buffs wherever I go!
What is your best advice for future students?
Reflect on your values and do what you can to spend your time accordingly. Being intentional about who you are and which paths you want to explore more deeply will help guide you throughout your academic journey. Even when life inevitably gets hectic, this mindset will help you prioritize what matters and find a balance that keeps you afloat.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I’ll be pursuing a master’s degree in technology and public policy at MIT!
Alex Fix, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
What is your best piece of advice for future students?
It'll be difficult at first, but experiment to find the right balance between trying lots of new things and saying no when you're too busy. I've met a lot of incredible people and learned a great deal of science by taking interesting electives, joining clubs, applying for different jobs, and going on adventures with my friends. Doing too much will leave you too exhausted, so recognize your limits and refuse some opportunities.
Why did you decide to study physics?
I love to learn new things about the world and share them with other people. New discoveries are made in every branch of physics all the time, so there are few better fields for learning and communicating things that perhaps no one else has realized. I also want to contribute something to help the world with science, and many areas of physics research can aid in advancing renewable energy production to lead us to a more sustainable future.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I'll be continuing at CU Boulder for a PhD in Physics! After graduate school I'm hoping to work at a national lab doing energy-related research.
Eleanor Gentry, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
What is your best piece of advice for future students?
Work hard but rest harder - you won't actually remember anything you do on no sleep or when you're so stressed you can't focus. If you stay on top of resting then you won't struggle to get things done.
What was your research focus?
I did research with Professor Nagle and Professor Perepelitsa studying the quark-gluon plasma. I worked on simulating the quark gluon plasma produced at sPHENIX, as well as hardware construction and testing for sPHENIX's event plane detector.
Why did you decide to study physics?
I have spent my life wondering why things work the way they do. I always wanted to see inside of a car or the stars up close. Physics not only taught me the answers to some of those questions but also taught me how to interact with the world in a way where I'm always getting the answers before I even ask.
Aman Kumar, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you?
At CU Boulder, I honed my resilience, deepened my astrophysics and physics knowledge, and cultivated meaningful relationships that have prepared me for rigorous academic and professional challenges ahead.
What does graduating from college mean to you?
Graduating as an international student and the first in my family to complete college symbolizes breaking barriers and fulfilling dreams. It represents hard-earned success, opportunities for a brighter future, and the power of education to transform lives.
Why did you decide to study physics?
I chose astrophysics and physics due to a fascination with the universe’s mysteries and a desire to understand fundamental physical principles. These fields merge my curiosity about celestial phenomena with rigorous scientific methods, fueling my passion for discovery and innovation.
Giorgio Matessi, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you?
Over my time at CU Boulder, I found myself challenged by the amount of work I had which forced me to learn time-management, planning, and prioritization skills. I will certainly bring this with me into my future career.
Why did you decide to study physics?
I chose physics as I was very interested in the field and the research that it offered. While I am now pursuing a career in computer science, the field offers so much more than just learning physics. From programming to logical skills physics has helped me grow intellectually and presented me with opportunities within and outside of the field.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I am working as a software engineer at Capital One in Washington D.C.
Drew Morrill, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
What is your best piece of advice for future students?
Try to always seek happiness, and help others to do the same. Measures of success in life seem to change with our changing life circumstances – but I believe that one will always be constant.
What was your research focus?
My PhD research was in the field of experimental ultrafast laser science and nonlinear optics. I worked with a team at JILA to develop a highly-specialized light source that produces a laser-like beam of soft X-ray light. Laser-like, or coherent, soft X-ray light is useful for probing materials and biological systems on the shortest time and length scales – helping to unlock the mysteries of how things work on the smallest scales.
Where are you headed after graduation?
In January, after successfully defending my thesis, I started a research faculty position at CU Boulder. I am the Assistant Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer at a National Science Foundation sponsored Science and Technology Center called STROBE.
Yifei Ni, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
Why did you decide to study physics?
Physics is a way of comprehending the world.
What was your research focus?
I worked with Professor Gang Cao on the discovery of new materials and control of their physical properties.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I will be working in the semiconductor industry, conducting solar R&D.
Steven Oakes, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
Why did you decide to study physics?
I have always viewed physics as a powerful tool for establishing order. Physicists often develop tools to control the most fundamental and hard-to-reach systems. As I progressed through undergrad, however, I noticed that biology could greatly benefit from the principles of physics. Diseases are often manifestations of our lack of control at the biological level. Uncontrolled cell growth can lead to cancer, unregulated protein aggregation can lead to neurodegeneration, and unrestrained genetic mutations can lead to developmental disorders. What better way to gain control over these complicated systems than by using the principles of physics? Physics has historically had a monumental impact on our understanding of biology and medicine. I intend to continue the tradition of utilizing physics principles to advance human health.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I'll pursue my PhD at the joint Harvard-MIT program in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics.
Curtis Peterson, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
What does completing graduate school mean to you?
For me, it represents a degree of persistence that I'm lucky to have picked up somewhere along my life. I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and I only started to get treatment in my second year of graduate school. Before then, I had a hard time understanding why I never performed well on tests and evaluations despite studying intensely. Yet, I kept pushing for better or for worse. Of course, having the privilege and support that I've had throughout my life from family, friends, and mentors has helped considerably; I'm extremely fortunate in that regard.
Why did you decide to study physics?
It's all that I've wanted to do since I took chemistry as a sophomore in high school. I wasn't good at it (physics) and, to this day, I still don't think that I am; at least, I can't say that I "think like a physicist", whatever that means. Yet, I've somehow managed to be able to spend almost a decade of my life doing just that.
Claire Savard, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
What is your best piece of advice for future students?
Live where you love! I would not have been as happy throughout graduate school if it were not for the mountains I could escape into on the weekends when I needed a break.
What was your research focus?
I applied machine learning techniques to high energy physics. These applications helped out in a search for dark matter and in reconstructing proton-proton collision events. I also re-optimized Fermilab's computing center for machine learning processing.
Where are you headed after graduation?
Not certain yet, but I want to find a research position where I can continue to mentor students. It has been one of my favorite parts of my PhD!
William Solorio Hernandez, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
What does graduating from college mean to you?
Graduating from college is a monumental achievement that represents all of the hard work my family and I have done to suceed in America. My parents moved to Colorado from Mexico before I was born and never got to pursue a higher education, and yet they were able to make a living in Colorado. Their dedication and grit inspired me to pursue a degree in physics, and I would not have made it this far if it was not for their support.
What was your research focus?
I worked in Professor Heather Lewandowski's cold molecules lab where we investigated the collisions between ultracold rubidium atoms and cold OH molecules in a dual electromagnetic trap.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I will attend MIT for graduate school to earn a PhD in physics. My goal is to be able to do AMO (ultracold atom/molecule) physics research.
Reuben Wang, Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
Why did you decide to study physics?
I came from an undergraduate degree in engineering, so pursuing graduate physics was certainly influenced by my incredible academic mentors. They fostered a deep passion for the field in me and continue to inspire me till this day. I would not be so committed to physics research without them.
What was your research focus?
I studied the quantum properties of atoms and molecules when they bump into each other at extremely cold temperatures, and the consequences this can have on an entire collection of these constituents.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I’ll be going to Harvard to continue physics research as an ITAMP fellow.