Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2017 issue of The Rock
Hometown: Yorba Linda, CA Major: Physics (Mathematics and English minor)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: I work with Professor Seamus Lagan on research involving computational simulations of two-dimensional bubble rafts, a topic which can yield insights into the rheological properties of foams. We determined that the phi value (the fraction of the raft that is covered by bubbles) has a significant effect on the average stress on the bubbles for a particular strain rate. In addition, polydispersity (the distribution of bubble sizes in the raft) affects the relationship between strain and stress on the bubbles in the raft.
OFF-CAMPUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: At Whittier, I learned to write code in Python, IDL, Maple, Matlab, and LaTeX, which prepared me for outside research. I was involved in an REU project at UCLA on the characterization of quantum dots using reflectometry-based impedance measurements. I was able to build a reflectometry circuit at room temperature that could be implemented in a dilution refrigerator to detect the movement of a single electron onto or off of a quantum dot. I also spent a summer at the Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where I used IDL, Python, Matlab, and Strawberry Perl scripts to analyze DTI (diffusion tensor imaging) data. The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of radiation on the brain, particularly in children.
PLANS POST-GRADUATION: Earn a Ph.D. in Physics.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Sigma Pi Sigma (physics honor society) • Pi Mu Epsilon (math honor society) • Vice President Engineering Team • Physics Club • Math Club
