Congratulations Graduates: Class of 2020!
 Lukas Baker Benjamin Franklin College |
Major(s): Mathematics & Physics |
 Sam Borden Morse College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.); Mathematics Advisor: David Moore Research Project: Towards an Empirical Model of Electronegative Impurities for nEXO Plans: I will be pursuing my Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics at the University of Washington starting this fall. Memorable or Interesting Moment: I really enjoyed my time working in Wright Lab -- it was especially fun learning how to use the water jet cutter! |
 Bryce Crawford Benjamin Franklin College |
Major(s): Physics; Mathematics Advisor: Ronald Coifman Research Project: Underwater Acoustics & Sound Propagation Paths Plans: I am commissioning into the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer. Immediately following graduation I will be moving to Charleston, SC to begin Nuclear Power School. Memorable or Interesting Moment: Napping in the 3rd floor undergraduate lounge, and occasionally stepping out of the window to look at the view when bored (oops!). |
 Samuel Day-Weiss Saybrook College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Laura Newburgh Research Project: Development and Distribution of Thermometry Hardware for the Simons Observatory Plans: I will be taking a post-graduate research position at Princeton, after which I will hopefully go to Santiago, Chile to work on the Simons Observatory for about a year. I plan to enter graduate school in the class of 2021 or 2022 (still deciding). Please reach out to me if you will be near Princeton (or Chile)! Memorable or Interesting Moment: My most memorable moment in Yale physics was when I began to realize that my work actually meant something to the Simons Observatory collaboration. I love my lab, and feeling like I was not only an undergraduate but also a colleague was a truly amazing and gratifying experience. |
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Brian Dolan Grace Hopper College |
Major(s): Physics; Education Studies Advisor: Mark Brandon Research Project: Toward an Augmented Reality Demonstration of Orographic Precipitation Plans: Next year I'll be in Russia on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship! After that I am not sure, but I'm fine taking it slowly. Memorable or Interesting Moment: Most memorable about Yale Physics is the care and attention I've received from each of my professors. While I was in their classes I appreciated the sacrifices they made to provide in-person help for so many late night study halls, and in the years since, I've cherished my relationships with them, even if it's just been a smile and a wave as we pass each other in SPL or Watson. |
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Mrinal Dursun Ezra Stiles College |
Major(s): Mathematics (Int.); Physics |
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Rodrigo Ferreira da Rosa Jonathan Edwards College |
Major(s): Mathematics (Int.); Physics (Int.) |
 Tim Foldy-Porto Benjamin Franklin College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Various Research Project: Design and Production of Ventilator Technology for Use in COVID-19 Crisis Plans: I'm going to work at a startup making hardware for virtual reality. Memorable or Interesting Moment: Learning the secrets of the universe. |
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Sean Hackett Grace Hopper College |
Major(s): Computer Science; Physics |
 Ella Henry Silliman College |
Major(s): Physics; Mathematics Advisor: Dr. Shelly Lesher Research Project: Characterizing 0+ States of Deformed Nuclei Plans: I will be continuing to work with Dr. Lesher on her research on nuclear structure this summer. Afterwards, I plan on pursuing a post-bac pre-med program in order to apply to medical school. Memorable or Interesting Moment: I loved the Advanced Physics Lab! I really enjoyed getting to work with different professors and with my lab partner, learning about optical tweezers, nuclear fusion, and the Ising model, and of course writing up the reports. I'll always remember when Overleaf crashed a few hours before our final reports were due. |
 Michael Holmes Pierson College |
Major(s): Physics Advisor: David Moore Research Project: Scintillation and ionization yields of alpha particle interactions in liquid xenon Plans: I'm planning on pursuing science writing and journalism after graduation. Memorable or Interesting Moment: Researching and writing a feature about Yale's quantum computing work for my journalism seminar (or the time I spilled liquid nitrogen on my pants). |
 George Iskander Grace Hopper College |
Major(s): Mathematics & Physics Advisor: Keith Baker Research Project: Thermal Radiation and Entanglement in Antineutrino Scattering from Nuclei Plans: This fall, I will be starting a PhD in physics at the University of Chicago! Memorable or Interesting Moment: I think my most memorable moments (there's not just one) for me were the events that the Yale SPS held. Our Tinsley and Schultz lecture series have brought wonderful speakers to campus and it's always been so rewarding to see students interact with our speakers by asking them deep and insightful questions. |
 Tony Liu Saybrook College |
Major(s): Physics Advisor: Dr. James Jeanne (Dept of Neuroscience) Research Project: Voltage imaging of in vivo neural populations responding to naturalistic olfactory stimuli Plans: PhD in Bioengineering at Stanford Memorable or Interesting Moment: The friends made along the way working on PSETs late into the night and getting through tough classes :) |
 Emma Longhurst Berkeley College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Mary-Louise Timmermans Research Project: Machine Learning Methods on ITP Data to Characterize Layering and Double Diffusive Convection in the Arctic Ocean Plans: I will be working as a data analyst for the federal government. Memorable or Interesting Moment: My favorite memories of physics at Yale all involve the wonderful group that is Women in Physics, but I particularly enjoyed being a part of hosting the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics earlier this year. |
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Ryan Montesi Silliman College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) |
 Stuart Nicholls Morse College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Meng Cheng Research Project: Studying the Time-evolution of a Closed Quantum System with a Generic Hamiltonian Plans: Was hoping to study in China for a year Memorable or Interesting Moment: Completing Physics 420! |
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Blake Norwick Morse College |
Major(s): Physics |
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James Nydam Grace Hopper College |
Major(s): Physics |
 Liz Ruddy Berkeley College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Reina Maruyama Research Project: Developing a Simulation to Model Cosmogenic Activation in NaI Crystals Plans: I will be pursuing my Physics Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Boulder, working on a quantum metrology project for dark matter searches. Memorable or Interesting Moment: My favorite memory was the Women in Physics Christmas party for all the laughs and the food. But the most memorable moment of my Yale Physics experience was when Emma Longhurst and I watched horrified as our 206 Energy Conservation experiment spontaneously combust. |
 Isaac Shelanski Davenport College |
Major(s): Physics; Philosophy Advisor: Professor Schiffer, Nicholas Bingham Research Project: Avalanche Behavior in Artificial Spin Ice Plans: I will be working for the Boston Consulting Group in Washington, D.C next year. Memorable or Interesting Moment: My best memories of physics at Yale all revolve around the friendships I made with the people in my class while working on psets late into the night. The bonds forged in mutual suffering are unlike any others. |
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Trevor Shim Benjamin Franklin College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) |
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PJ Tuckman Trumbull College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Corey O'Hern and Nir Navon Research Project: 1. Evaporative Cooling in a Flat Trap and 2. Contact Changes in Ordered and Disordered Packings Plans: PhD in climate science at MIT Memorable or Interesting Moment: Getting a physics sweatshirt |
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Mojique Tyler Ezra Stiles College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) |
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Sam Warren Davenport College |
Major(s): Chemistry (Int.); Physics Advisor: Victor Batista Research Project: Iterative Power Algorithm Plans: Attending the University of Chicago for a Phd in theoretical chemistry. Memorable or Interesting Moment: The study halls for Physics 401 and 402 were always a ton of fun and I won't forget those. |
 Natalie Wright Branford College |
Major(s): Physics (Int.) Advisor: Bonnie Fleming Research Project: Assessing Neutron Energy Loss in the Short Baseline Near Detector (SBND) Plans: I will be working in a post-graduate research position at MIT before applying to graduate school next fall. Memorable or Interesting Moment: I worked on the same collaboration at Fermilab for two years, and it was so rewarding to grow over that time and to see how my work contributed to the group's larger goals. I also loved being a peer tutor! |
 Cidam Yuksel Silliman College |
Major(s): Physics; Economics Advisor: Dr. Shelly Lesher Research Project: Characterizing 0+ States of Deformed Nuclei Plans: I'll be a research assistant at the Yale Department of Economics, working on projects related to education and the importance of non-cognitive skills. Memorable or Interesting Moment: My most memorable time in Yale Physics was my semester of Advanced Lab. I felt like I got an in-depth exposure to different fields, worked really closely with professors, and had an amazing semester doing it. |