THANK YOU!

Deliah Gates is a former undergraduate from the University of Maryland, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Harvard University.

Thomas A. Searles received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at Rice University in 2011. His thesis work primarily focused on the magneto-optical properties of carbon nanotubes. Upon his appointment in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Howard University, Thomas has established a new research program in applied and materials physics. During his career, Thomas has performed experiments at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, UCSB Free Electron Laser Facility, Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, National Institute of Materials Science (Tsukuba, JP) and Tohoku University (Sendai, JP). Furthermore, Thomas has completed Visiting Faculty Fellow appointments at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Thomas graduated from Morehouse College with a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics. He is a native of Albany, GA.

Siddhartha is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, pursuing a degree in Physics and Computer Science. He is also part of the Society of Physics Students at UMD and is currently doing research in supersymmetry and supergravity with Dr. James Sylvester Gates.

Sarah is pursuing a double degree in Physics and Computer Science at The University of Maryland. She is active with the Society of Physics Students on campus, currently serving as President, and well as being a member of The American Nuclear Society, and The Association of Women in Computing. Sarah wants to pursue a career in nuclear energy research and policy

Junellie is a junior double majoring in Astronomy and Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a member of the Society of Physics Students, the Astroterps and the Astronomy Gentleladies’ Network at UMD. As part of her undergraduate experience, she has done research on the Galactic Center at NASA GSFC, and exoplanets (astro-geophysics and astrophysics) both at Carnegie Institution for Science (DTM) and the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University.

Dr. Shawhan is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland who is working on a major project called LIGO (short for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) which is designed to detect gravitational waves coming from distant astrophysical objects such as black holes, neutron stars, cosmic strings, or the core of a massive star when it collapses and creates a supernova. Gravitational waves are distortions in the geometry of space-time which are predicted, by Einstein's general theory of relativity, to be emitted when massive bodies change their shape or orientation rapidly. Direct searches for gravitational waves began with Joe Weber here at the University of Maryland in the 1960s and have continued with increasingly sensitive detectors. In particular, the Advanced LIGO upgrade, completed in 2015, finally enabled the direct detection of gravitational waves!

Danya AbdelHameid is a senior at the College of William and Mary, where she is studying Physics and Geology. She is broadly interested in Geophysics, particularly Glaciology and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. Alongside her scientific interests, Danya has spent much time thinking about the experiences of underrepresented minority (URM) students in Physics, Geology, and broadly, STEM and advocating for inclusion and equity for URM in STEM.

Landry is a senior majoring in physics at the University of Maryland. He plans on going to graduate school to study the intersection of condensed matter and high energy density plasma physics. He currently does research with an experimental condensed matter physics group at UMD. He is also active in the Society of Physics Students. In addition to physics, Landry likes board games and is an avid runner.

Megan is a graduate student at the University of Maryland. Her research is focused on understanding angular momentum transport in black hole-accretion disk systems using very advanced simulations. She has been very involved in Women in Physics for many years, including coordinating the undergraduate mentoring program. She was also part of the local organizing committee for the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics.

My name is Stephanie Williams, and I am a 20-year-old graduate student in physics and astronomy at UMD. I am a sophomore currently, and am hoping to participate in research in cosmology, gravitational waves, or dark matter. I am very passionate about education, and scientific literacy in America. My long term goals are to either be a university professor at a research university such as the University of Maryland, so I can teach as well as conduct my own research, or to work with groups such as NASA and JPL to create programs that aim to increase access to scientific community and education for children in the country.

Emily Edwards is the Director of Communications and Outreach at the Joint Quantum Institute. Before becoming involved in science communication, Emily was a graduate student and postdoctoral researcher in experimental atomic physics and quantum information. She is specifically interested in using multimedia tools to improve public awareness and literacy as it relates to physics. Emily also enjoys outreach activities such as building physics demos and talking to kids about science.

Sergio graduated this May from Howard University, where he was the president of the HU Society of Physics Students, and he is joining the UMD Physics department this year as a graduate student. His main research interest is theoretical gravitational physics. He has done research with the JQI and with the Green Bank Observatory, as well as studying the fundamentals of quantum gravity with Howard's Dr. James Lindesay. He also has experience working with underrepresented youth to cultivate interest in STEM fields.

Oluchi earned her B.S. in Physics from the University of Maryland and is the Coordinator for Outreach and Inclusion in the Physics Department. Before joining the department, she studied particle physics as a member of the Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) collaboration where she worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).