Maggie '22 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or general advice on course scheduling, expectations, etc., contact me at mdoubman [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Physics major and physics TA, Greek minor, Nerd House resident, involved with the D&D club, I also volunteer outside of Haverford

Academic Pathway

Currently I'm a traditional major with a minor in Greek.

Research

Walter’s lab, working on measuring the electrical conductivity of DNA in different environmental conditions

Advice

Make friends/acquaintances with your fellow majors in your cohort. (213/214 is a great time to do this because it's mostly just your class, and most nonmajors will likely not take those classes.) When you're in upper-level classes, being able to support and help each other is very crucial and will make your experience of the major so much better.

Turner '22 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, please contact me at tejohnson [at] haverford.edu! I could specifically give advice on switching between fields of research or giving presentations.

Interests

art (take art classes, also do art in free time), hockey (co-head for Lame Ducks Intramural Hockey), environmental studies (minoring), sewing/hanging out in maker space

Academic Pathway

interdisciplinary with environmental studies

Research

In a group with Bigelow Lab for Ocean Sciences, since doing an REU summer of 2020. This year I'm conducting in-person research (in Maine) to learn more about the currents in Portland Harbor and nitrogen pollution from an upstream water treatment plant. I also have some experience in astrophysics, working with Dan Grin and Andrew Benson (Carnegie Observatories) on refining a model for dark matter halo concentration.

Post-Grad Plans

(gap year? then) graduate school in physical oceanography.

Advice

Make sure you have a group of peers you feel you can reach out to for help/also provide help to if necessary. This kind of weekly/daily support helped me work through problem sets more than anything else.

Frankie '22 (they/them)

If you’d like to chat with me about studying physics with other subjects/double majoring and interdisciplinary work, please contact me at rsilvers [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

I have been involved in student labor organizing (SWOL), mutual aid organizing (BCMA), and SALT (students for abolition, liberation, and transformation), and I'm on the Sneetches ultimate frisbee team. I'm a volunteer/organizer with the Coalition for Black Trans Economic Liberation in Philadelphia, and have also volunteered for community fridges in the city! I also am a student supervisor in the DC, a student worker at the Arboretum, and a physics TA.

Academic Pathway

I'm an interdisciplinary physics major, an astronomy minor, and a history double major!

Research

I'm in Dan Grin's research group in theoretical astrophysics and mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). I'm currently exploring effects of beam (light pattern) measurements of the CMB and what that might change about fundamental observations of particle physics (such as the number of neutrinos in the universe!). I am mirroring this physics research with my history research in military mapping technologies in the Cold War and how physics and astronomy work has been impacted by militarism and imperialism.

Post-Grad Plans

Many ideas, no plans :)

Advice

I have felt for most of my time as a major like I am bad at physics. Usually, when you don't know what's going on you're doing it right!

Jack Crump '23 (he/him/his)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, please contact me at jcrump [at] haverford.edu! I could specifically give advice on questions related to how I complete my minors (math and German) with a physics major or about balancing athletics and academics.

Interests

I'm a physics major so I take a lot of physics classes each semester obviously. I am also minoring in math and German which usually fill out the rest of my schedule each semester. I am also a peer tutor in the OAR for various math and physics classes so reach out there if you need help! Outside academics, I walked on to the varsity men's fencing team after taking a PE class my first semester and am now an epee fencer on the team.

Academic Pathway

I came to Haverford with AP Calculus BC so I was able to place out of math 105 and 118 which really helped. My first year I took math 215 and 216 (linear algebra and multivariable calc) and physics 105 and 106 so the very "traditional" starting path. My sophomore year I took physics 213 (which included 211 because of COVID), 214, 301, and 104. I highly recommend 104 if you don't have any programming experience coming to Haverford like me. I am currently declared as a traditional physics major and am planning to take all four of the 300 level core electives (302, 303, 308, and 309) as well as advanced lab (326). I will also probably take whatever other physics electives interest me and fit in my schedule my last two years. For my math and German minors I have so far just taken one class in each department each semester and plan to continue that through my junior year. Each minor requires 6 credits so this would have me completing both by the end of my junior year.

Research

I am also doing research/will have done research the summer of 2021 with Professor Andrea Lommen on her research to use millisecond pulsars to detect gravitational waves.

Post-Grad Plans

My plan now is to go to graduate school and get my PhD in physics.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask professors or majors for help and advice. We really like to talk to you and help in any way we can!

Emmy Wisz '23 (she/her)

I don't know where yet though If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, please contact me at ewisz [at] brynmawr.edu! I could specifically give advice on study abroad and double majoring.

Interests

I am a Physics and Astro double major (Phys at BMC and Astro at HC)-- I spend most of my time at BMC bc this is my primary institution. At BMC, I am on the varsity swim team, I am Vice President of the Society for Physics students, and I have been active on DLT in the past. At HC, I primarily focus on my Astro major and I love going to use the observatory both for classes that I have taken at HC and during the open observing nights.

Academic Pathway

I am an Astronomy and Physics double major so I guess traditional.. I started taking major courses as a freshman and never really looked back! I have explored some other departments while fulfilling my college-wide requirements at BMC but nothing has inspired me the way that Physics/Astro does.

Research

I have done the Summer Science Research program at Bryn Mawr where I was on a research team with a professor (David Schaffner), 2 graduate students, and 2 other undergrads working in the plasma physics lab at Bryn Mawr. We all worked sort of worked on individual projects for the duration of the internship; I mainly focused on learning Python and working on making the PlasmaPy platform and database more accessible to incoming people in the plasma physics field.

Post-Grad Plans

Grad school for astrophysics or engineering!

Advice

Don't be afraid to reach out to any and all professors with questions or ideas!

Eva White '23 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, please contact me at ewhite3 [at] haverford.edu! I could specifically give advice on interdisciplinary majors and being a woman in physics.

Interests

I'm interested in Environmental Engineering, specifically renewable energy since it combines technical physics knowledge and science with an impactful, real world application that is important to me and can make a difference in people's lives. The intersection of physics and other life sciences like biology or the environment is most interesting to me. Outside of school, I love to do anything outside and cook and bake with friends and family!

Academic Pathway

I'm doing an Interdisciplinary major with Environmental Studies, which I'm minoring in; I'm also a Global Asian Studies minor.

Post-Grad Plans

At the moment, I'm hoping to enter the renewable energy industry in either the government or private sector.

Advice

Make sure to work with other people on homework! It helps a lot and hopefully you'll make some friends too :)

Sam Tan '23 (he/him)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, contact me at stan1 [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Physics/Computer Science/Math, Ultimate Frisbee/Soccer/Tech for social good/Wawa

Academic Pathway

Interdisciplinary physics major, Double major in Physics and Computer Science, Minor in Math

Research

Mathieson Lab (Algorithms for Population Genetics) @ Haverford College and Coudron Lab (Quantum Computing) @ University of Maryland

Post-Grad Plans

Grad school in Quantum Computing.

Advice

Don't be afraid to use office hours to learn more about the subject matter covered in class! Reach out to professors to learn about their research!

Seamus '23 (he/him)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, please contact me at smflannery [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Environmental studies, fine arts (minoring), I also enjoy playing piano

Academic Pathway

Interdisciplinary Major

Research

I've worked for a couple of different research groups, experimental cosmologists, radio astronomers, and even arborists! Most recently, I spent time analyzing radio bursts from radio-emitting magnetars, a very rare (only ~5 known radio magnetars!!) stellar remnant.

Post-Grad Plans

I would like to go to grad school for something engineering related; I only have a vague notion of what that is at the moment.

Advice

Get your language and other miscellaneous requirements out of the way early! It will allow you to have a lot more fun and flexibility with your class choices later on, when you can take higher-level courses and know more of what interests you in college!

Dhruv '23 (he/him)

Please contact me at dmehrotra [at] haverford.edu if you want to talk to someone about physics or anything in general and I will try my best to help you!

Interests

Physics, basketball. I am on the varsity team at Haverford and have been blessed with an amazing group of guys!

Academic Pathway

Interdisciplinary

August '23 (she/her/hers)

If you’d like to chat with me about off-campus research or physics DEI at Haverford, please contact me at armuller [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Academic interests: high energy particle physics, astrophysics, engineering, robotics; non-academic interests: piano, visual art. At Haverford I'm part of the Women in STEM board, Jolt science magazine, and Active Minds (a mental health advocacy group), and am working on starting a robotics club.

Academic Pathway

Interdisciplinary physics major, astronomy minor.

Research

Beamline for Schools project: researching how scintillators (crystals which emit light when hit by a high energy particle) perform over different particle energies for electrons and positrons. I helped collect data at the DESY particle accelerator in Hamburg, Germany and am now working on analysis as well as planning publications.

University of Washington - Bothell REU project: analysis of simulated data for the upcoming LISA gravitational wave detector, be a series of 3 satellites in orbit around the sun to be launched in the 2030s. I'm working with the UW Bothell gravitational wave group to create programs to understand the results of the LISA experiment once it turns on. *note: both projects are off-campus

Post-Grad Plans

Graduate school

Advice

Make a full major plan early!

Danika Rasmussen '23 (they/them)

If you’d like to chat with me about double majoring (particularly in very opposing majors), finding space as a marginalized gender in Physics and Astronomy, please contact me at drasmussen [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Outside of my majors, some of my other academic and extracurricular interests include: Dance! I've been dancing for 17 years, and have been a member of /Shift/ Dance Company every semester I've been at Haverford. I have also been on the /Shift/ board for every semester but my first! I also take classes each semester through the Bryn Mawr Dance Department. Animals! I ADORE animals (dogs in particular!), and I will go out of my way to spot, pet, etc. any animal that comes on or around this campus (within reason...).

Accessibility! One of my major academic interests, which is less obviously related to my majors, is Accessibility and Diversity rights and history! I experience a personal connection to many of these topics, so I find learning about them to be especially enjoyable.

Amongst other things, I also enjoy learning foreign languages, sociology and anthropology, and programming. In my free time I enjoy reading, watching animated movies, biking, hiking, horseback riding, and sewing/crocheting!

Academic Pathway

I am an Astrophysics and Fine Arts double major. So, within the physics and astronomy department I decided to follow the Astrophysics track specifically due to my personal interests. I love physics, so it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to take the astro-leaning route, but I was also advised that the Astronomy major alone does not provide you with enough physics. I chose to double major because my interest in art is equal to my interest in astrophysics, and I wanted to equally explore both fields at Haverford.

Research

I'm doing research in Andrea Lommen's lab at Haverford, where we're working with data being taken in by the NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) instrument onboard the ISS. The mission works in the soft x-ray emission range, and detects photon emission counts from various pulsars so we can study their period, size, structure, and emission spectra. We're hoping to answer questions concerning the inner workings of pulsars and how they emit! Most of our work is programming based in Python or Bash, where we build scripts and code to analyze and plot the data taken in by NICER for a particular pulsar.

Advice

There are so many routes you can take with a physics major, particularly with a combination of astronomy and physics, here at Haverford, so it's a great idea to learn about the different paths and which suits you best. The department is also super cool (including both Profs and peers), so definitely try to make some friends and get involved! You'll be thankful for it come time for problem sets :)

August Muller '23 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about anything, including scientific computing, the 4+1 program, off-campus summer research (domestic or international), or being a woman in physics, please contact me at armuller [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

I'm interested in particle physics, astronomy, and engineering. At Haverford I'm a section editor for Jolt science magazine, co blog manager for Active Minds (a mental health awareness club), and on treasurer for Womxn in STEM. I also help run public observing nights. In my free time I also read, draw/paint, and play piano.

Academic Pathway

I'm an interdisciplinary physics major, astronomy minor, and have a scientific computing concentration. (I may also get a German minor.) I'm applying to the robotics 4+1 program.

Research

I do research for the University of Washington, Bothell Gravitational Wave Astronomy group. My research is in writing programs to detect Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (basically a supermassive black hole and a stellar-mass black hole orbiting each other) through gravitational waves. I work with simulated data, in order to prepare for the upcoming LISA mission, which will be the first space-based gravitational wave detector and will be launched in the 2030s. I started this project through an NSF REU at UW Bothell.

In summer 2022, I will be performing research onsite at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ashley '23 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about getting involved with research at Haverford or pursuing a physics major with a sophomore start, please contact me at aschefler [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Academically, I am interested in applying physics to the Earth and environmental sciences. I like interdisciplinary studies and have dipped my toe into just about every STEM subject there is, including physics, biology, math, chemistry, geology, and environmental studies! I also love literature and enjoy taking English (or English-adjacent) classes to balance out my STEMy schedule.

Outside of academics, I am in The Throng (an improv comedy group on campus), and I enjoy playing board games and Dungeons and Dragons and going to Nerd House events and consuming lots of sci-fi and fantasy media. I also love teaching and am a peer tutor!

Academic Pathway

Interdisciplinary major with biophysics concentration and environmental studies minor

Research

This past summer, I did research in Ted's lab, and if you're interested in learning more about that, I've done a write-up about it on the "Student Perspectives on Faculty Research" page! I'm currently working in the lab of Helen White, an oceanographer and professor in the chemistry and ENVS departments. We're studying plastic pollution in the ocean by taking density and hardness measurements of samples collected from the shores of India and Alaska.

Post-Grad Plans

I am hoping to get a PhD in the Earth sciences and would love to become a professor someday.

Tony Deng '23

If you’d like to chat with me about anything, including but not limited to: you need a teammate in your Ghost Recon, please contact me at ydeng1 [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Physics/Assassin's Creed/Ghost Recon Wildlanders/Being educated about Physics. I pursue my interests by getting a physics major, play all of the Assassin's creed games, and ask around whenever I have questions about physics.

Academic Pathway

Traditional physics major.

Post-Grad Plans

PhD in physics.

Advice

Run, either away or towards physics. No in betweens. Want to study 4 hardcore 300 level physics at the same time during a semester? Go for it. The worst is getting a 2.7.