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Georgia is a second year PhD student studying experimental nuclear physics. Her research focuses on investigating the properties of nuclei beyond the neutron dripline. In her free time, Georgia enjoys exercising, spending time outdoors, and playing the trumpet!
Nicole is a fourth-year PhD student in applied mathematics at MSU. Her research interests lie in machine learning, particularly with applications in biology. She also has a background in mathematics education and is passionate about teaching and mentoring students. In her free time, Nicole enjoys cooking, trivia, and swimming.
Rachel is a second year PhD student in Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering studying topological data analysis and computational education with emphasis on social good. Outside of her research, Rachel enjoys working on DEI and STEM outreach, reading, swing dancing, relaxing by the lake, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
Amelia is going into her second year pursuing a PhD in experimental nuclear physics at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at MSU. Her research is focused on the radioactive decay of rare, unstable nuclides. Outside of work, her interests include her two cats, vegan cooking, and nature hikes.
Jessica J. Mencia (she/her/ella) is a PhD student at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She completed her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Public Policy and double minors in Latinx Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Jessica currently researches abortion accessibility and sexual-risk taking for young women and non-binary youth. She identifies as Honduran-American, queer, and manatee enthusiast.
Sarah is a Mathematics Education PhD candidate and Mathematics Masters student who is studying the impact of computation on undergraduate students' mathematical creativity and understanding. Outside of her research, Sarah loves to craft, spend time with her husband and cats, as well as go camping.
Emily is going into her third year as a PhD student in the Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (CMSE) Department working in computational education research. Outside of research, she enjoys participating in STEM outreach opportunities, crocheting, and reading.
Aubree is going into her third year in the Anthropology program at Michigan State University. With a focus in bioarchaeology, she is interested in the relationship between diet and social identity in the ancient Maya and how this relationship changes over time.
Samara is a third year PhD candidate in the department of Mathematics at MSU with a specialization in Control Theory. Being an international student from Lebanon, Samara has strong commitment to DEI. She has strong passion for leadership and enjoy working with students that are struggling academically. In her free time, Samara enjoys reading, writing, and visiting new places!
Carolyn is a second year PhD candidate in the plant biology and ecology, evolution, and behavior programs, studying the evolution of defense traits in the wild grape genus Vitis. Outside of her research, she loves to participate in public outreach about bat conservation and indulge her many nerdy hobbies.
Alyssa is a PhD student in the Integrative Biology Department and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) Program who studies the reproduction of Mormyrid electric fishes from Africa (which are the only known vertebrates that have sperm without tails!). Outside of research she is passionate about engagement in science outreach.
Gissell is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate studying Pharmacology at the University of Michigan. She is interested in the field of neuropharmacology, especially addiction research. Gissell is currently investigating opioid signaling pathways that increase the pain-relieving effects of opioids such as morphine without increasing adverse side effects. Gissell is Mexican-American from California, and her identity has inspired her to be involved in community outreach with groups that support DEI in academia and minority advancement in science.
Danika is a fourth year math PhD student studying equivariant homotopy theory. Danika enjoys spending time with her friends, family and two rabbits Mimi and Moomoo in her free time.
Ursula is a second year PhD student in the comparative medicine and integrative biology program. Her research focuses on understanding oleic acid's effect on adipose tissue metabolism in early postpartum dairy cows.
Emily is a Fisheries and Wildlife PhD candidate studying the statistics underpinning stock assessment models. Her work aims to find the best techniques to accurately and precisely estimate fish population abundances using fishery data.
Marzieh Ghiasi MSc (@marziehg) is an MD/PhD epidemiology trainee at Michigan State University studying clustering techniques and genetic epidemiology in chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis. Her background in research is in airborne infectious disease transmission and environmental health.
Isabela is a PhD student in the department of Integrative Biology at MSU. She studies how small and fragmented natural populations persist and interact with their environments.
Madison is a 2nd year PhD student studying experimental accelerator physics, with a focus on beam diagnostics. In her free time, Madison enjoys reading, baking, and being a cat mom to her two cats, Hannibal and Frannie.
Maria (she/her) is a first year PhD student studying Human Nutrition and Environmental Toxicology, where she is investigating the potential endocrine disrupting effects of maternal obesity and how it may impact offspring reproductive biomarkers and development. She is also actively involved in her department, where she is the Secretary for the Food Science and Human Nutrition Graduate Student Association (FSHN GSA) and the FSHN Representative on the Council of Graduate Students.
Carmen graduated from Florida Atlantic University’s Honors College in 2019 with a double major in Biology and Molecular Neuroscience. She began veterinary school the following Fall and officially joined Dr. Adam Moeser’s lab in January 2022. Her research primarily focuses on the role of androgens and the effects of neonatal castration on functional development of the gastrointestinal immune system. In her free time Carmen enjoys cooking, going to the gym, and flying down to visit family in Florida.
Erin is a Master's of Social Work (Organization and Community Leadership Focus) and M.S. in Global Health Candidate whose interests revolve around program development and promotion of holistic wellness. Erin has strong interest in community engagement, leadership development, and the intersectionality of social development and health.
Sara is currently a PhD candidate in the Integrative Biology department, also working towards a dual degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior as well as a specialization in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Her work mostly focuses on how anthropogenic change affects patterns of genetic diversity in Chinook Salmon. She currently serves as the President of the Council of Graduate Students.
Osama is a microbiology and molecular genetics PhD candidate studying microbes living in deep ocean hydrothermal systems and trying to understand what they can tell us about life beyond earth.
Antonia “Toni” Gordon is an Army Veteran and Political Science PhD student. Her research interests include Public Policy with an emphasis on education policy reform.
Samantha is a DVM candidate in the College of Veterinary Medicine pursuing small and exotic companion animal medicine, she's passionate about client education and cultivating positive workplace culture. She also enjoys the outdoors, weight lifting, singing in the MSU Choral Union, and spoiling her cats Chai and Banshee.
Macy is a PhD candidate in Dr. Shannon Manning's lab in the department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics. Macy studies the genomic diversity and stress-tolerance mechanisms of persistent Group B Streptococcus infections during pregnancy.
Rachael Pyram is a second-year doctoral student in Organizational Psychology at Michigan State University studying (a) group dynamics at work and (b) the future of work, specifically as it applies to the intersection of technology and DEI. When she's not tied to her laptop, Rachael enjoys reading, embroidering, and experimenting in the kitchen.
Zoe is a PhD candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program at MSU. Her research explores how foodborne infection impacts the human gut microbiome, and she is especially interested in potential consequences related to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Zoe is also the president of Graduate Women in Science Mid-Michigan, an organization dedicated to advocating for women in STEM spaces.
Arianna is a first year veterinary student at MSU college of veterinary medicine. She is interested in pursuing a career in small animal medicine. Her hobbies include practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, going to the gym, and doing jigsaw puzzles. You can follow her on Instagram: @veterin.ari
Grace (she/her) is a former high school Chemistry teacher and currently a PhD student in teacher education and education policy, with research interests in alternative science epistemologies and justice in science education and policy. She is an international student from Nigeria and resides in East Lansing with her husband and two teenage daughters.
Erin is an NSF GRFP recipient and a 4th year PhD candidate in Nuclear Astrophysics developing a single atom microscope to measure rare, low-yield nuclear reactions to aid in determining the origin of the elements that make up the universe. She also is a tour guide for the Facility of Rare Isotope Beams on campus and a member of the lab's outreach committee. Her hobbies include playing with and teaching tricks to her puppy, traveling, hiking, DIY projects, and creating artwork.
Kandace is a PhD student investigating how migrating sea lamprey use habitat features and chemical cues to avoid predators when moving through rivers. This information will allow us to create novel invasive species control methods based on manipulating and exploiting these movement tendencies.
Hazel is a 1st year Ph.D. student in Integrative Biology and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior researching large spatial patterns of plant biodiversity to improve conservation. She is also passionate about science communication/engagement and is the Assistant Coordinator for the MSU Science Festival, Communications Coordinator for Conservation Corridor, Science Policy Chair of MSU SciComm, and runs the MSU Covid Campus Coalition Instagram account.
Laurisa is a 4th year PhD candidate in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics researching the genetic regulation of IFNg-dependent MHCII expression on macrophages. She is also the founder and current director of the MSU Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team (GRIT), a graduate student group focused on equitable recruitment and retention of historically excluded people in STEM. Her hobbies include kayaking, sitting around a bonfire, and board game nights with her family.
Julie is a PhD candidate in Integrative Biology and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. Her research focuses on how livestock grazing practices influence spotted hyena foraging behavior and landscape ecology in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. In her free time, Julie enjoys playing the banjo, gardening, doing improv, and spending time with her partner and dogs. She is also am a co-organizer for Biology on Tap Lansing and a member of the Women in Nature Network.
Tracy is a 2nd year nuclear physics and radiochemistry PhD student. Her research is focused on harvesting isotopes for the purpose of medical applications. In her free time, Tracy enjoys binge watching crime shows, learning how to cook from YouTube videos and being a cat mom to Lilo and Stitch!
Amanda is a 1st year PhD student in the School of Criminal Justice. Her research interests include intimate partner violence (IPV), technology-facilitated abuse, and court policy and technology. In her free time, she collects houseplants, goes biking on local trails, and learns new recipes.
Bianca graduated from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Bianca is originally from San Jose, California, and also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from San Jose State University. As an undergraduate at UNM, Bianca was an NIH Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar and NSF Louis Stokes New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation (NM AMP) Scholar. Bianca's undergraduate research project focused on understanding plants' growth development, anatomical, and photosynthetic rates, Arabidopsis thaliana, in a microgravity environment, in Dr. David Hanson's laboratory. During her undergraduate degree at UNM, she did an internship in the Space Life Science Training Program at NASA Ames Research Center. Bianca is now a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Molecular Plant Sciences program. She is now a member of Dr. Thomas Sharkey's laboratory, where she studies the mechanism of the protective role of isoprene against ozone stress. In her free time, she is involved in the BMB Outreach program, Co-Outreach coordinator for MSU AMPSS, BMB Graduate Student DEI Representative, and on the Student Board for the American Society of Gravitational and Space Research.
Samridhi is a 3rd year Chemistry PhD candidate focusing on harvesting radionuclides from heavy-ion beam irradiated refractory metals. My hobbies include cooking Indian delicacies and binge-watching The Office.
Sarah is a 5th year PhD student in the department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering. Her research interests include applied and computational topology, time series analysis, and machine learning. Outside of math, she spends most of her time playing with her dog, Bella.
Jane is a 4th year PhD candidate studying nuclear many-body problems and ways machine learning can improve existing computational methods. On her free time, she likes to hike and crochet.
Karina is a 3rd year graduate student pursuing a PhD in Physics. She works at FRIB on applying bayesian analysis and modeling to heavy-ion collision research to gain a better understanding of quark-gluon plasma properties.
Sarah is a 3rd year PhD student in the department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (CMSE). Her current research interests involve applied topology and machine learning applications for graph structured data. Her non-math interests include running, crocheting, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Olivia is a 5th year PhD candidate studying predator effects on prey behavior in agroecosystems. She is currently working with American Kestrels (North America’s smallest falcon) in Michigan cherry crops.
Erik is a PhD candidate in Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (CMSE). His research focuses on bridging mathematics, x-rays, and plant biology. Raised in Guatemala, college-educated in Mexico, he moves north one country at a time. Whenever he is not cursing at his own non-working code, he enjoys cycling year-round throughout mid-Michigan.
Jen Fry is a PhD student in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at MSU. "The purpose of my research is to use the experiences of current and former Black female volleyball players who have played internationally to inform coaches, agents, parents, and staff who support pre-professional Black female volleyball players, and the Black female volleyball players themselves, who are currently playing collegiate volleyball and considering playing professionally on the experiences they are likely to have overseas. I will be situating my area of expertise within geography as it allows me to think boldly about how the intersection of race, gender, sport, and geography affects the experiences of Black female athletes, both domestically and internationally." In addition, she runs JenFryTalks, LLC, which is a social justice education firm that uses conversation to educate and empower those within athletics through an anti-racist lens on issues of race, inclusion, intersectionality, diversity, and equity. Learn more at https://www.jenfrytalks.com/
Chloe Lewis is a 4th year graduate student pursing a PhD in mathematics and a master’s degree in mathematics education. Her mathematical research focus is on algebraic topology where she studies spectral sequences for Real topological Hochschild homology. Her mathematics education research interests lie in quantitative literacy courses and the way that students think about quantitative arguments in news media. Chloe is a member of the MSU chapters of the Association for Women in Mathematics (@msu_awm) and Graduate Women in Science (@gwismidmi), and is the treasurer of the GEU, the labor union for graduate teaching assistants at Michigan State. She enjoys baking, especially cookies, and is a devoted NYT crossword solver!
Yoani is a Neuroscience PhD student at the University of Michigan's Medical School. She got her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from UMich, and is now studying synaptic and network mechanisms used by neural circuits in the auditory system for encoding sound and speech for her graduate studies.
Andrés is an incoming 4th year PhD student in the Department of Mathematics. His research broadly consist in how to best numerically approximate solutions for Partial Differential Equations that appear in Mathematical-Physics. He investigates both theory and computational algorithms. He is also an international student coming from Colombia and the president of Comunidad Latinoamericana at MSU (CLA), CLA is a student organization that promotes culture and community for international students from across Latin America. (@comunidadmsu on Facebook and Instagram, and the website is https://comunidadmsu.wixsite.com/comunidad-msu)
Artemis is responsible for updating the WaMPS website and keeping track of the email list for WaMPS, so she is the one to blame for any mistakes on this website :) She likes puzzles, biking and she loves her music. She is a second-year grad student in experimental low energy nuclear astrophysics, who focuses on a small group of proton-rich nuclei created through the p-process.
Katlyn Hettinger is a rising 5th year PhD student in the Department of Economics broadly studying health economics. Her research interests include the effects of Medicaid expansion on maternal health outcomes, and the effects of high-deductible health insurance on spending patterns.
Anna is a Ph.D. student in Horticulture studying plant abiotic stress response using computational genomics approaches. She is a first-generation student and alum of the McNair Scholars Program at the University of New Hampshire.
Dasmen Richards is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the K-12 Educational Administration Program at Michigan State University. Her general research interests are around Black girls and their positioning as learners within the classroom. Fun fact: she has traveled to every state on the east coast except for Connecticut and New Hampshire.
Camille is finishing up her second year as a PhD student in condensed matter physics researching hybrid quantum systems; particularly, transmon qubits and electrons on superfluid helium as a possible qubit platform. Beyond this, she enjoys knitting and hopping between the states of Michigan, Utah, and California as regularly as possible.
Aubrey is an accelerator physics PhD student studying beam diagnostics and instrumentation. Outside of research, she is an artist and electronics hobbyist.
Melinda Meiring is a third year Neuroscience PhD student studying how brain structure impacts brain health and cognition across the lifespan. She also serves as the recording secretary on the executive board for the Council of Graduate Students.
Gabbie is a Fisheries and Wildlife masters student in the Quantitative Fisheries Center researching predator-prey dynamics in Lake Huron. She is also a 2021-22 Fenske ‘Excellence in Fisheries Management’ Fellow where she will be working with MDNR to develop an updated lake whitefish stock assessment, a species that is currently declining across the Great Lakes.
Adrienne Bonar is a 2nd year Social Psychology PhD student at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. She studies how the body, brain, and life experiences shape the experience of emotion.
Lili is a 5th year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Michigan State University. She researches anxiety and self-regulation in youth and young adults from a psychological and neuroscientific perspective.
Diondra Straiton (she/her) is a rising 5th year student in the clinical science program in the psychology department at MSU. She studies methods to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices for autistic children in community settings, with an emphasis on lower-resourced settings.
Jessica Crawford is a recently graduated master's student in the Department of Community Sustainability at MSU. Her thesis focused on the social acceptance of renewable energy siting in Michigan. Additionally, she has done community-engaged research with the City of East Lansing on enhancing local resource recovery initiatives. When she's not studying decarbonization practices, she can be found spending time with her beloved cat Pumpkin.
Sydni is an incoming 3rd year medical student at MSUCOM currently studying for her Level 1/Step 1 board exams. She will begin her rotations at Garden City Hospital later this summer with interests in women's health and community medicine.
Currently Jillian Sterman is in her 1st year of her Master's degree at MSU in the department of Fisheries and Wildlife; her thesis focuses on the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, their road ecology and population dynamics in Michigan. She tracks individual rattlesnake's movement, estimates their space use and home range to determine if they occupy highway right-of-ways, and monitors their responses to road maintenance activities in highway rights-of-way.
Lauren Koenig's research investigates animal behavior and adaptive traits. I also freelance as a science journalist and promote science communication and diversity in STEM as Editor-in-Chief of the Scientista foundation: http://www.scientistafoundation.com/
Ahlam Soliman is a fourth year PhD student in the Neuroscience program at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on studying the pathological culprit of Alzheimer disease using experimental models.
Sarah McFall-Boegeman is a 4th year chemistry PhD student whose work is focused on the corrosion science of aluminum alloys in the aerospace industry. She also serves as the Recording Secretary for the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) at MSU, which more information about can be found at https://cogs.msu.edu/
Lin Li is a Ph.D. candidate in the Information and Media Program at MSU. She studies how individuals use information and communication technologies for interpersonal communication and for self-managing health and the associated social and psychological processes. She has published papers on international students’ social media use, and how older adults use wearable activity trackers for self-managing their health on a long-term basis.
Megan is a 4th year medical student at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine with the goal of pursuing a career in radiology. As someone interested in imaging modalities, she has authored several case reports concerning unique disease states and processes discovered through different imaging studies. One aspect of her research also raises the question of the stigmas surrounding mental illness and drug use, and their impact on the individual, group, community, and society.
Alyssa's research is in equine exercise physiology with a focus in how exercise can impact the bone and joint health of growing horses, racing horses, and competitive show horses. She strives to involve students in experiential learning and have frequent involvement in the equine industry in a professional capacity as a competitor and instructor. Alyssa also serves as the Treasurer on the executive board of COGS (Council of Graduate Students). More information about COGS and all the great resources and events they provide can be found at https://cogs.msu.edu
Rahul Jain is a 3rd-year physics grad student at MSU. His research is in the field of experimental nuclear astrophysics focused on understanding the properties of accreting neutron star crusts. They do so by performing and studying the very nuclear reactions that take place in those extreme environments in the laboratory involving very exotic neutron-rich isotopes. Along with physics, he is also pursuing a dual Ph.D. with the Computational Mathematics Science and Engineering (CMSE) department. Since we cannot study all the several thousands of isotopes in the laboratory due to technological limitations as well as limited resources, he is trying to apply modern machine learning techniques to reliably extrapolate the available experimental nuclear data for astrophysics simulations. Outside of physics, he is an (almost) professional squash player. He played for his college team and represented his home state once in the Indian National Squash Championships in 2015. Rahul is the mentoring co-chair for WaMPS and the student representative for the PA colloquium committee. He is also the student member on the steering committee for the International Research Network for Nuclear Astrophysics (IReNA). During the episode, we talk about the MSU Office for International Students and Scholars. More information can be found at https://oiss.isp.msu.edu/
Jessica Sydnor is a current second year grad student in the Physics & Astronomy department of West Virginia University. She works with Dr. Sarah Burke-Spolaor on localizing and understanding fast radio bursts (FRBs) as well as searching for the gravitational wave background using pulsar timing arrays.
Emily is a second year PhD student in the Department of Plant Biology and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program at MSU. Her research interests center on plant community dynamics broadly, and urban ecosystems and ecological restoration more specifically, using prairies as her focal community type. More information about the MSU Department of Plant Biology can be found here. Emily is participating in the MSU Science Festival School Programs, with her presentation titled Ask a Scientist: Nature in My Backyard where she will discuss her work with plant communities in urban ecosystems. You can learn more about her program and other STEAM related programs at https://sciencefestival.msu.edu/schools/virtual-school-programs. Emily is also presenting on this topic in a public presentation through the Science Festival on Thursday, April 1 at 7:35 pm. The MSU Science Festival is virtual this year and will have events all throughout the month of April. WaMPS is also participating in the virtual school programs. If you would like WaMPS to virtually visit your classroom, you can contact Bryan Stanley at the email posted below. At the festival, WaMPS will be doing a Physics of Sports presentation on Saturday, April 10, at 1:30 pm. On that same day, at 3:30 pm, Journeys of Scientists will be a part of the Sci-Files Podcast Panel on educational podcasting.
Emily is a second-year masters student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at MSU. She is a part of the Applied Behavioral Ecology Lab, researching behavioral and chemical ecology in the invasive Sea Lamprey, and how this can be applied to new ways of managing invasive species. To learn more about the Graduate Certification in Community Engagement, check out their website here.
Roy is a first year physics PhD student at MSU interested in experimental nuclear physics. He also serves at the 1st-year student liaison for WaMPS. Roy talks about how his first semester of graduate school went while everything is virtual, as well as what got him interested in physics and his academic career path.
Hannah is a second year PhD student at MSU in nuclear physics. After hearing about the SuN group during her masters at the University of Oslo, she decided to apply to MSU and moved to Michigan from Oslo, Norway. She studies beta decay, where she is looking at reactions important for nucleosynthesis, the formation of elements in the universe. Outside of physics she is currently working on her knitting skills during the pandemic.
Julia is a second-year physics graduate student at MSU. She is in experimental high energy working with the ATLAS Collaboration, and she is currently working on the measurement of the Drell-Yan process at high energies. Julia is also the Mentoring Co-Chair for WaMPS, one of the Lead TA's for DATA Lab, and an active marathon runner!
Christina Wark is a PhD student in chemical engineering. She recently joined the SCB group in ChEMS where, broadly, she will work with electrochemistry. Some of the work that she has been involved in so far includes building computational models of reaction kinetics in electrochemical reactions and observing the associated hydrogen evolution reaction. More information about the MSU Women in Engineering can be found at https://www.egr.msu.edu/wie/
Alex is a masters student in the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Having researched pesticide practices and associated health impacts on agriculture workers in Puerto Rico, studying prospective assessment of intrauterine ZIKA exposure in multiple hospitals, and teaching high school courses, Alex has had adventurous experiences that have led her to her current work studying the human and environemntal effects of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes! Her work consists of researching Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) within Michigan waters by evaluating the public health aspect (particularly possible vulnerable populations), as well as developing a communication campaign for targeted communities that live near the most forecasted HABs region. Harmful Algal Blooms can present indirect chronic health effects. The goal of the communication campaign is to enhance awareness and reduce negative health outcomes among vulnerable populations. The campaign will be developed in collaboration with the Hispanic Communications Network. The research will provide insight into environmental risk communication practices. More information about the MSU Graduate Certification in Community Engagement can be found here.
Brittany Ladson is a 3rd year medical student at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is currently rotating at Sparrow Hospital and is hoping to pursue a residency in emergency medicine and work for Doctors Without Borders. Her ultimate goal is to work in a resource-limited and Spanish speaking region and serve those in need. She is also the VP of Operations for MSUSciComm, Michigan State University's Science Communication Organization. You can learn more about MSU SciComm at https://www.msuscicomm.org/
Dan Salazar-Gallegos is a 3rd year physics grad student in high energy physics where he studies dark matter using cosmic gamma-rays + neutrinos with the HAWC +IceCube experiments. He is also the Vice President of WaMPS. Dan talks about his undergraduate involvement in both physics and sociology research labs, involvement with diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the many traveling adventures he has gone on!
Xandria Quichocho (she/her/hers) is a Black + Chamorro physicist recently graduated with a B.S. in Physics from Texas State University and is currently pursuing her Physics Ph.D. at Michigan State University. Her main undergraduate research focuses on how the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality interact with women of color and LGBTQ+ women’s identity as physicists. She spends much of her free time with her dog Facetiming her three sisters and mamma. In an effort to have “hobbies” outside of the classroom, she climbs rocks and rides her bike around San Marcos, Texas, continues to study and teach cello, and frequently performs “Rainbow Connection” to an empty room on her ukulele when spending late nights in the education lab.
Mejdi is a second year graduate student in the Chemistry department at MSU. He does nuclear chemistry in the NSCL/FRIB, blurring the lines of chemistry and physics. His work currently involves using the technique of Total Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS) to study how excited states in 73Ni are populated from the beta decay of 73Co. Listen to Mejdi's journeys which include choosing nuclear chemistry over economics, navigating community college, undergrad, and grad school, research lab experiences, and getting involved with Jiu-Jitsu.
Devyn Cantu am a sixth year physics graduate student at MSU working with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a detector designed to observe neutrinos from astrophysical sources within the universe. She searches for neutrino sources within our galaxy that extend a few degrees across the sky. Devyn also talks about some of her high adrenaline experiences and hobbies such as flying airplanes, riding motorcycles, and skydiving.
This week we are joined by Ariana Hernandez. She is a second year masters student in the entomology department at MSU studying spotted wind drosophila, a sister species of the common fruit fly. She is also a cohost of the BugTalk podcast, which is led by members in the MSU entomology department, so be sure to check that out! This is a really fun conversation. Enjoy! You can find Bug Talk on Twitter and Instagram @bugtalkpodcast or check out their website here.
Alison Peisker is a 5th year grad student studying particle astrophysics. She works on a gamma ray observatory, taking data from a neutrino observatory and looking for coincidences in gamma rays from already detected neutrinos. We’ll learn about Alison’s interests which include music and knitting. Alison will also talk about her experiences adapting and growing through grad school, and how that has influenced some of her career goals.
This week, we hear from Cristhian González Ortiz. Cristhian is a second-year physics grad student at MSU working on the first design of a storage ring, as an upgrade to FRIB (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams). They are looking at how this addition would further enhance the capacity of FRIB to perform nuclear experiments. Listen to Cristhian's many journeys, which include moving to Michigan from Colombia, getting involved with Comunidad Latinoamericana and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, pursuing physics and mechanical engineering, and finding a good work-life balance. Cristhian and Bryan talk about social events outside of physics, hobbies, and how not all physicists are bad at sports! In this episode, Cristhian talks about his involvement with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and Comunidad Latinoamericana (CLA). You can follow CLACS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @msuclacs or visit their website: https://clacs.isp.msu.edu/ You can follow CLA on Facebook, Instagram @comunidadmsu or visit their website: https://comunidadmsu.wixsite.com/comunidad-msu
Jessie Micallef is a fifth year graduate student in Physics and CMSE at MSU. Her research is with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory detecting a fundamental particle, called neutrinos, from the atmosphere and space. She works on using machine learning to improve their ability to measure neutrinos in their detector. Jessie also talks about her many hobbies, which include filmmaking, Jiu-Jitsu, comic cons, outreach, and more! Jessie is also starting a video project called Portrait of a Scientist that plans to highlight diversity in STEM! The project is a video montage that aims to deconstruct stereotypes about what a scientist looks and acts like and demystify who can be a scientist. It relies on community submitted videos and images that complete the phrase "I am a scientist and I also..." Ideally, there will be multiple montages posted on their YouTube channel highlighting specific categories, but this depends on participation!
Laura Wood is a fourth year grad student in the physics education research lab at MSU. She works in supporting and understanding the experiences of transfer students in natural science majors from two-year colleges to four-year colleges, specifically examining students' self-efficacy beliefs/experiences and the impacts of cohort programs. Listen to Laura's experiences growing up in Washington, attending a small undergraduate school in Seattle, and adjusting to a large graduate school in Michigan. Laura and Bryan also talk about overcoming struggles in grad school, finding communities to get involved with, and provide suggestions for those starting or thinking about pursuing graduate school. In the podcast, we mention another podcast, BugTalk, which is created by folks at the MSU Entomology Department. Bee sure to sure to give them a listen and follow @bugtalkpodcast on Instagram and Twitter.
Cami is a second-year graduate student in the Physics Education Research Lab at MSU. Her current research focus is on students of Color with transfer credits earning STEM degrees at MSU. Her previous research focus has been gender studies using statistical analysis. Listen to Cami's journeys which include switching from a life of biology to grad school for physics, living in Colombia, Florida, and not Michigan, and putting herself out there to meet new people and build relationships.

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