At its annual dinner, the Yale Science and Engineering Association announced its Seniors of Distinction awards. The award recognizes Yale College seniors who demonstrate excellence in academics, service, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities in Science, Applied Science, and Engineering majors. This year, three physics majors received the honor: Nathan Apfel, Timothy Atkeson, and Adrian Hall. See brief biographies below.
Nathan Apfel
Nathan Apfel (PC 2025) majored in mathematics and physics. He studies the theory of superfluid vortex vibrations in the Nir Navon lab and will most likely continue working under Professor Navon next year. In the past, he has also worked with the Schmitz lab at the School of the Environment and Gerald Miller at the University of Washington. Outside of class and research, Nathan chaired for Yale Model United Nations (YMUN), graded several math classes (115, 222, 225, 255), helped organize the vertebrate paleontology collection at the Peabody, and oversaw illustration for Yale’s only sci-fi publication, the Cortex Collective. He is also a member of Sigma Pi Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa.
Apfel commented, “I’m incredibly honored to be recognized by YSEA and the physics department. I owe a lot to my PIs, Professors Navon and Miller, and my advisors, Professors Demers and Moncrief. They’ve given me so many opportunities to grow as a scientist, and I absolutely could not have done it without them.”
Timothy Atkeson
Timothy Atkeson (YC 25) is a Physics (Int.) major from Westchester, NY. In 2024, he joined Professor Hong Tang’s lab in the Electrical Engineering department and, as part of his senior requirement, worked on a project to perform phase-locking in a squeezed light setup. During the 2025 spring semester, he worked as a ULA for Phys 441. Next year, he is thrilled to be an intern at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.
Atkeson commented, “I am honored to have been awarded the YSEA Senior of Distinction Award and am grateful for all the support I have had along the way, from my friends, family, TAs, and professors. I am especially grateful for Professor Tang for his patience, support, and willingness to help me grow as a researcher.”
Adrian Hall
Adrian Hall majored in physics with interests in biophysics, statistical physics, and computational modeling. He is currently working with Joe Howard on understanding the mechanisms of microtubule-binding proteins. He has previously worked with the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association on the liquid rocket engine project and with the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna on atomic force microscopy studies of protein conformational dynamics.
Hall commented, “I’m honored to be a recipient of the YSEA Senior of Distinction Award. Studying physics at Yale has been challenging but very rewarding, and I’ve grown so much due to the help and advice provided by faculty and graduate students in the department. I’d also like to congratulate all the other recipients on their achievements over the past four years.”