Category: Physics

Amherst College Science Center

Interview with Peter Klisiwecz ’25: Introducing the Senior Thesis and Reflecting on Amherst Life

Peter Klisiwecz ’25 was a physics major at Amherst who graduated last month. For his senior thesis with Professor Nick Holschuh in the geology department, he developed a method to infer glacial crystal orientation fabric from decades of existing radio data taken at different times and directions, instead of having to conduct another survey. Peter…

Senior Thesis Spotlight: Lillia Hammond ‘25 Shoots for the Stars

Lillia Hammond graduated from Amherst last month with a double major in physics and art history, and she is studying toward a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering through Dartmouth College’s five-year Engineering Exchange Program. For her senior thesis, she worked with Dartmouth professor Kristina Lynch on the GNEISS mission, a nationwide collaboration that aims to…

Dr. Claudia Avalos on Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers and a Future of Spin Polarization 

By Belaine Mamo At 4pm on Tuesday March 4th, the Physics and Astronomy Department welcomed Professor of Chemistry Claudia Avalos where she spoke about her research at New York University in a presentation entitled “Spin Exchange Interactions and Spin Polarization in Pentacene-Radical Dyads” for their weekly colloquium.  After completing her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at…

Team Dust or Team Plasma: What Is Causing this Dimming?

By Fernanda Morais Cover image credit: NASA Astrobiology On February 25, Dr. Mark Popinchalk, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History, visited the Amherst Physics & Astronomy Department for its weekly colloquium. Dr. Popinchalk is a member of the Brown Dwarfs in New York City (BDNYC) research group. Brown dwarfs are objects…

Exploring the Mass Space: A Conversation with Mark Giovinazzi on Astronomy, Life, and the Future of Science

Last semester, the Physics and Astronomy Department welcomed a new postdoc, Dr. Mark Giovinazzi. In this article, we explore Mark’s research expertise on low-mass stars and exoplanets and learn more about his personal life at Amherst! His journey involves diverse research experiences and the continuous mission to elevate underrepresented students in the field. …

My Experience at the American Physical Society Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics

A group of students sit arund a rectangular white table. Sun filters through windows in the background.

By Fernanda On January 19, twelve Amherst College students (including myself!) hopped in a car to Boston for the American Physical Society Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (APS CUWiP). CUWiPs are three-day regional conferences for undergraduate physics majors who identify as women or a gender minority, with the goal of helping them continue in physics…

Professor Alex Sushkov’s Odyssey Into Dark Matter and Precision Measurement

The Bullet Cluster. Splotches of blue and magenta against a black background.

Cover image courtesy of ESA: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2007/07/The_Bullet_Cluster2 Article by Olivia Fann and Fernanda On October 17, 2023, the bottom floor of the Science Center was filled with professors and students enjoying refreshments and conversation. It was time for the weekly Physics Colloquium, a public talk given by a visiting scholar on a topic relevant to their…

Eli Luberoff, CEO of Desmos, Visits Amherst

A screen grab of Desmos graphing online with an oblong 3D shape shaded red.

By Ryogo Katahira On October 6, a man in his thirties wearing a hoodie and jeans entered a mechanics course classroom in the Science Center. He glanced at the blackboard with its simple energy diagrams while students and professors filed in. His demeanor was entirely casual, but he was the subject of the highly anticipated…

A Master of Physics: An Interview with Professor Vasquez

Article by Amy Zheng Juan C. Vasquez Carmona is a visiting assistant professor of physics. He is the current Chair of the New England section of the American Physical Society and a full-time member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. This academic year is his first time instructing physics at Amherst College. This…