Sohang Gandhi is an undergraduate physics major at the University of Central Florida. He plans to move on to graduate study in the area of theoretical elementary particle physics/ mathematical physics with an eye toward developing a career in academia. He is currently conducting research in mathematical physics under the supervision of Dr. Costas Efthimiou. He has a publication in the European Journal of Physics-The Ascending Double Cone: A Closer Look at a Familiar Demonstration, S.C. Gandhi and C.J. Efthimiou-and one under review of EJP-Inversion of Gamow's Formula and Inverse Scattering, S.G. Gandhi and C.J. Efthimiou. He is currently working on obtaining topological generalizations of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Relations. S.G. is President of his SPS chapter, President of his Campus Freethought Alliance Chapter, and Secretary of his Sigma Pi Sigma Chapter. He has recently been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

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I am a senior mathematics and physics major at the University of Louisville. I have just finished my terms as president of the UofL SPS chapter and Associate Zone 8 Councilor. This year I will serve as a co-Outreach Coordinator for our chapter - which is very exciting since Outreach is one of my favorite parts of SPS. In addition to my SPS activities, I tutorphysics and TA one of the labs. Since my freshman year I have been working in the high energy physics lab on campus under Dr. David Brown. I have also participated in two summer REU programs (one at Mississippi State University in math and another through CalTech at LIGO Hanford). My future plans include spending the summer catching up on the reading I've put off during the year and doing research (not necessarily in that order). Farther in the future I plan to go to graduate school in applied physics and ultimately conduct research in medical applications of physics.

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I am from Huntsville, Al originally. I enjoyed growing up in a space-centered city. It definitely helped stimulate my interest in science. In my first semester at the University of Alabama, I took an astronomy class and fell in love! Since then, I have had four research positions in astronomy, as well as several assistant teaching positions.

I have been president of the local SPS chapter for three years, revitalizing the program. I have also served for two years as an Associate Zone Councilor for zone 6. I am currently serving on the Executive Committee for the National SPS Office. I enjoy encouraging and promoting physics! I hope to continue this work for the rest of my life.

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My name is Heather Lunn and I am a double physics and math major at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Currently I am a senior and am taking as many physics and math courses as I possibly can. This coming fall, I will be the president of the SPS chapter in River Falls and I am very excited to hold this position. Who wouldn't be excited to be president?? Recently, my advisor and I went to two schools and showed the students fun physics experiments, which I enjoyed tremendously. I am also looking forward to Science Day at our University so I can lead other tours and experiments. I will spend a total of 5 1/2 years at UWRF because of my double major, my 3.947 GPA (so far), and having to work 30-35 hours per week. After I graduate from UW-River Falls, I plan to go to grad school, maybe at University of Minnesota or MIT. My very ambitious plan is to obtain a Ph.D in physics, but I do have to get through undergraduate school first! In my meager spare time, I like to knit, play with my 12 1/2 year-old dog, help my boyfriend fix his cars, and go rollerblading and swimming. I eventually want an exciting job in physics with an environmental, engineering, or teaching emphasis.

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I am a non-traditional student at a community college, currently eagerly awaiting news of my applications to transfer to a four year university to complete my Bachelor's. I eventually want to get my PhD in astrophysics. I returned to school after a successful career in information technology ended with the dot com bust of a few years ago, and decided that that was a good time to complete my education. I'd like to teach, do research, and join or run NASA someday, and would love to join the astronaut corps and see the curvature of the Earth from space. My research interests are primarily in extra-solar planets and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, although I'm also very interested in particle astrophysics, the origins of the universe, and the cause of the Big Bang. In my spare time I like to work out, roller blade and hang at the beach, play with my four star-crossed cats: Andromeda, Virgo, Pegasus and Cassiopeia, crochet, watch Notre Dame football, enjoy wine tasting and time with friends. I'll be representing the American Astronomical Society at Congressional Visits Day in May, and have been accepted for a summer undergraduate research position at Arecibo Observatory.

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I am a physics major at the University of Florida. The UF physics department is a great place to study physics, and I am glad to be involved in the undergraduate program. I have spent a lot of time with the UF chapter of SPS and UP News, our monthly undergraduate physics newsletter that is run by students, for students. In addition to my studies and activities, I am doing research under the guidance of a faculty member, Prof. Selman Hershfield, in the condensed matter theory group. After completing the undergraduate program in spring 2006, I plan to attend graduate school. Eventually, I hope to conduct research in physics and teach at the university level. Finally, I'd like to thank SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma contributors for making this scholarship possible. Your encouragement and generosity are deeply appreciated.

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My name is Dmitri Gurkins, I am a senior at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. I was born in Latvia, and came to the United States in 1999. I graduated from Newberg High School in Oregon. The highlight of my high school experiences was my involvement in Robotics program. I just loved being a part of the large project that required effort of the entire team. Everyone made their contributions and we all felt that we were like tiny sprockets in a large complex mechanism - it runs as long as we put our maximum effort to reach our goal. I took this attitude and went to Lewis & Clark College to study physics and math. Even then I was very interested in engineering, but, as one of my professors once said, every engineer must be an excellent physicist, and every physicist must be a mathematician.

"When I grow up," I want to be involved in research and development while working in industry. I want to be in charge, managing large projects, generating ideas, making decisions, waking up in the middle of the night to jot down the ideas on a napkin, predicting consequences of each adjustment... My robotics experience gave me a taste of that, and ever since then in college, I was managing to come up with crazy projects that take up my entire free time. At the moment I am taking the summer off and starting a Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering at Princeton University in September. My field of study will involve understanding dynamical systems and applying control theory to make better and smarter machines.

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Hi, I'm a junior who will be graduating in May 2006 with a physics major and mathematics minor. I attend Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. On campus, I am involved in physics club, math club, Mortar Board, Leadership, and tutoring. My biggest hobby is running, and I am a member of Coe's cross country and track teams. I have also participated in research the past two summers. The first summer I studied glass science here at Coe, and last summer I learned about earth science at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. I enjoyed those 2 summers and am getting an internship this summer in Cedar Rapids. My favorite activity as a member of SPS has been the 2004 Quadrennial Congress in Albuquerque, NM. A classmate and I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Carl Wieman, a Nobel Prize winner! After graduation, I may attend graduate school (possibly engineering) or find a job.

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Adam Hinkle is an undergraduate student at Marquette University. He is a senior physics major, pursing a concentration in mathematics. Adam is a member of both the physics honor society, Sigma Pi Sigma, and the mathematics honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon. He has strong interests in Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics. His current research projects involve studying the properties of nuclei using the techniques of Moessbauer Spectroscopy. Adam's future plans include graduate study in physics with research interests in physics beyond the standard model, in particular, the quest for a quantum theory of gravity.

During the summer of 2005 he will be an undergraduate research participant at Cornell University. There, in the Newman Laboratory for Elementary Particle Physics, he will be involved in some of the most precise tests of the Standard Model. The goal of this research is to probe our understanding of the most fundamental laws of nature. Adam is also the Vice President of Marquette's SPS chapter and works as a teaching assistant for the introductory physics laboratories. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. J

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My name is Colleen and I'm a rising senior at Davidson College in Davidson, NC. I'm originally from Knoxville, TN. In addition to being involved in SPS, I also volunteer at a women's shelter in Charlotte.

I enjoy live music, reading, and outdoor activities. After graduating, I plan to go into the Peace Corps or Teach for America, then I will return to graduate school to get my PhD in physics.

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I am currently a senior at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. I am majoring in physics with a minor in math. My career aspirations include pursuing a graduate degree in either astrophysics or astrobiology then continuing on to do research either at a university, with a private organization or with NASA. I have played the flute for ten years and the string bass for four and continue to do so actively by taking lessons and playing in my college orchestra. I also enjoy fencing, knitting and biking.

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I am a senior from India majoring in physics and mathematics at Coe College. I plan to graduate in May 2006 and go to graduate school in nanotechnology. I will be doing summer research in the solution method approach for making borate glasses. I have spent the last couple of summers working on alkali borates using this method. I went to Japan last summer to work with the professor who devised this method.

This year, I will be attending the Borate Conference in Italy along with 4 other students. I will also be spending a semester in Oak Ridge National Lab for the Oak Ridge Science Semester with 9 students from other schools around the US. I have been involved in the Physics Club as the corresponding secretary of the Club. I was a part of several of the big events that was hosted by the Club including the "Playground of Science" Night where 550 kids attended from all over Iowa.

I am involved in other activities on campus such as the Math Club, Student Senate, Judicial Board, Amnesty International, International Club, and Rugcutters Swing Dance Club where I've held executive positions. I've been a Resident Assistant in one of the residential buildings on campus where I learnt how to deal with tough situations. It was a wonderful experience. I also tutor in math and physics. My plans for next year is to enjoy the Oak Ridge Science Semester while gaining experience doing research, writing my honors thesis, and searching for graduate schools.

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My name is Layla Goli Booshehri and I am an undergraduate physics major at the University of Florida. I have been very involved with the Society of Physics Students since my freshman year and this past year I was president of SPS. Currently, I am the undergraduate coordinator of the Female Physics Forum, an organization that focuses on networking the female undergraduate, graduate, post-doc, and faculty. The FPForum brings together women studying and working in science and discusses issues specific to being a female in science.

I also have been very involved with undergraduate research. Since my freshman year at UF, I have been working under the guidance of Dr. David Tanner in experimental condensed matter. Last summer, I attended an REU at Cornell University researching charge density wave and this summer I will be attending Rice University for an REU at the Rice Quantum Institute. It is my goal to continue my studies at graduate school and receive my doctorate in physics. I hope to then pursue a career in research and academia.

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I am a senior at Kent State University. I am currently finishing my senior thesis in nuclear physics. This summer, I plan work here at Kent, moving into the theoretical Biophysics realm. I am also involved in many other activities on campus. I play intramural softball and broomball, I am in the Golden Key International Honor Society, I am president of the Kent State Chess Club, and I'm involved in several community service activities such as the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Upon graduation, I hope to attend graduate school in experimental Biophysics.

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I am currently a senior pursuing a physics research degree at Eastern Michigan University. I am the vice president of my university's Society of Physics students chapter and I have been elected as president for the coming academic year. I am running for the associate zone councilor position in my SPS zone and I am working to increase communication between the national and local levels of SPS, as well as to discuss ideas with other chapters to make physics more accessible and interesting to students of other disciplines, such as engineering, mathematics, and chemistry. I have been accepted to spend the coming summer at the University of California, Davis doing research in surface science as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. I am extremely interested in experimental physics research, especially plasma physics, which I learned about through another REU program last summer at UCLA. I plan to pursue further plasma research with a faculty member at my own university during the 2005-2006 academic year. I will graduate at the end of next year and I plan to attend graduate school with the goal of earning a PhD in experimental physics.

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I am currently attending Austin Peay State University with a major in Physics and minors in Chemistry and Astronomy. My favorite class has been quantum mechanics. I enjoy outreach with the local community and have been involved locally for three years. I have been the SPS chapter president for the past two years and this coming year I have been elected to Associate Zone Councilor for Zone 8. I am very excited to serve my zone. This summer I am involved in summer research at NCSU where I am studying different aspects of nanotechnology and molecular torsion rotors. I am currently a senior and will graduate this coming May. After that I plan to attend graduate school in physics studying nanotechnology or something with quantum mechanics and theoretical physics.

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My name is Cassandra Renee Stuckey. I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1983. My family moved to Pittsburg, Kansas in 1987. I attended St. Mary's School from Kindergarten through ninth grade. In second grade I started Girl Scouts, of which I am still an active member. Through Girl Scouts I earned by Gold Award, Silver Award, Community Service Bars and Leadership Pins. In fifth grade I joined the Japan Karate Federation. Through karate I have achieved many awards, earned the rank of Shodan (first degree black belt), and met many prominent people in the martial arts and movie industry. In tenth grade I transferred to Pittsburg High School. It was here that I learned about diversity and I became interested in technology, engineering, science, and mathematics. I graduated in 2002 in the top three percent of my class.

I began college at Pittsburg State University in the fall of 2002 with a double major in physics and electronics engineering. In the summer of 2003, I dropped my major in electronics. In the summer of 2005, I declared a second major in mathematics. I have participated in many organizations, some of which I am currently in are Kappa Mu Epsilon (mathematics honor society), Sigma Pi Sigma (physics honor society), Omicron Delta Kappa (junior/senior honor society), Phi Kappa Phi, Presidential Emerging Leaders, the Dean's Advisory Committee, Karate Club, Girl Scouts and I recently applied for membership in Crimson Club. I have accumulated over 750 hours of community service thus far in my education. I have participated in several research projects: Composition Analysis of Meteorites Using Visible and Infrared Spectroscopy (summer 2003) funded by the National Science Foundation, Visualization in Abstract Algebra (fall 2004 - spring 2005) funded by the Nation Science Foundation, and Crystal Oscillation Acceleration Sensitivity Testing (fall 2003 - present) for NASA Wallops Flight Facility funded by grants from the Society of Physics Students and the Kansas Space Grant Consortium. This project has also been selected to fly on the C-9 micro-gravity plane this summer. I was a recipient of the Golden Gorilla Award this spring.

I will be attending the NASA Academy this summer. I plan on graduating in the spring of 2006 with degrees in physics and mathematics. After graduation I plan on obtaining a doctorate in astrophysics and then being a researcher for NASA. My ultimate goal is to become an astronaut (mission specialist).

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This fall, Jackie Haynicz will be starting her senior year at Drew University where she plans to complete a major in physics and minors in mathematics and sociology. Jackie will spend the summer at Kansas State University, working on a project in physics education research. At Drew, she has served as editor of her chapter's newsletter The Dilated Times and next year will serve as the chapter's president. Jackie is a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, Pi Mu Epsilon (of which she is a co-chair), and Phi Beta Kappa; she also works in the Drew Observatory and an introductory physics tutor and laboratory teaching assistant.

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Patricia Engel is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame. She currently works in the Nuclear Structure Laboratory with Dr. Collon, and plans to spend her summer participating in the REU program at SRI's Molecular Physics Laboratory.

This past year she was President of the Notre Dame Chapter of SPS and was nominated for induction into Sigma Pi Sigma. In the fall she will apply to graduate programs in Physics and intends on pursuing a PhD.

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I am a sophomore student at the University of North Alabama pursuing a degree in Professional Physics, with a minor in Mathematics. During High-School I had several physics classes which I enjoyed so much that I knew long before I went to college that I would want to study physics.

I was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1983 and moved to Alabama in 2003 after I completed High-School and a one year draft in Germany. After my undergraduate degree in physics I plan to extend my education with a Masters Program and PhD at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. If I am not working in the physics lab I am most likely on a driving range or golf course practicing my swing to lower my score below bogey golf.

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I will be graduating from Coe College in either the fall or spring semester of 2006, after completing a summer of research in the physics department.

Graduate school will immediately follow graduation, but I have not decided where yet. I am interested in pursuing an advanced degree in Materials Science & Engineering.

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I am a junior physics and philosophy major at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA where I spent the past two summers researching the structure of silicate glasses. Last May I went with my professor and another student to Fudan University in Shanghai, China to study the non-linear properties of glass. I am looking forward to spending this summer doing an internship (through SPS) with the American Association of Physics Teachers in Washington, D.C.

My favorite physics club event of the year was last fall when over 500 kids and their parents came to Coe to learn by seeing demos done by physics, chemistry and biology students and professors. After being historian this year, I will continue my involvement as vice-president next year. This spring I had the honor of becoming part of Coe's Sigma Pi Sigma chapter.

I also work in our writing center, hold offices with several other organizations and run on the cross country team. Presenting at conferences for philosophy and for the writing center has been exciting. Now an Eagle Scout, the boy scouts have been an important part of my life for about 15 years. My goal in life is to help other people, and I currently plan to become a high school physics teacher.

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I am currently studying Physics at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. Along with classes, I am involved with the local chapter of the Society of Physics Students, the Juniata Jazz Ensemble, United Spiritual Council, and All Ways of Loving. Our chapter of SPS holds two annual outreach events: Mall Physics, where demonstrations are done for the public at a local mall, and Physics Phun Night, where demonstrations are performed for the campus and general public. I am very active in SPS, I was the President this past year and will be serving as Vice President this coming year. I have done research on campus, both for credit and for an internship. Last summer I participated in the Von Liebig Post-Doctoral Summer Research Student Fellowship where I designed, built, and tested a Laser Doppler Velocimeter for future uses of the institution and this past semester I worked with surface analysis using a Burleigh Instructional Scanning Tunnel Microscope. I am planning on continuing my physics experiences by attending graduate school and obtaining a higher degree.

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Brandon Dearman is currently a senior at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. He will graduate in May 2005 with a B.S. in Biological Physics. After graduation, Brandon intends to finish taking the prerequisite courses required for admittance to medical school, and would like to enter medical school in the Fall of 2006. He would like to apply his background in physics to a career in Physiatry or Radiology. Brandon is an active tutor, spending more than 20 hours of his week each week tutoring students of all ages. He is a member of ODK, BBB, and SPS honor societies, and is also an active volunteer in his community.

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I spent my early years on a storm-tossed island in British Columbia, and moved many times along the coastline until settling in Santa Barbara. I'm in the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara, and I love the program's flexibility. I've been able to balance my physics coursework with getting involved in a cosmology research lab, leading a student colloquium on the science in scifi movies, and reviving the decades-dormant local chapter of SPS. I'm a dedicated stargazer and an unrepentant scifi junkie.

I learned to bake a pie and lay concrete during the same week, but I always thought making cookies was more fun. I doodle constantly. I get around mostly on roller blades, but I've been known to waltz between classes on particularly giddy days. I'm catching a red-eye flight on the night of graduation so I can get to DC in time to start the SPS policy and outreach internship. In the fall I will begin my graduate studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, modeling the stability of hotspots in Martian volcanoes.

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My name is Kibrom Tewolde, also known as KB. I'm currently pursuing a dual degree in Physics and Electrical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University. I recently graduated with my Physics degree this May and frankly, it was a feat to accomplish! I never thought I was going to make it in Quantum Physics!

I am currently looking at two options after I graduate. I plan to either get a job in Communications Systems-Electrical Engineering or to pursue a masters and a PhD in Medical Physics. I've been particularly immersed in the Medical Physics field in recent months, especially after learning that it's a growing field. I like to read novels, watch movies and just chill with friends during my free time. I recently learned that I'm a Social person and chilling with friends is what I do best.

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I have been involved with SPS for the past two years as well as Sigma Pi Sigma, and have participated in many of the activities. Over the years I have been involved with Bethel's Student Orientation group as well as playing guitar for various musical teams and leading a team this past year. Senior year will include a position as an officer of the SPS chapter for Bethel.

I have really enjoyed my role as a teaching assistant for the past five semesters in various physics classes, and this partially led me to my decision to teach at the high school level. I sincerely enjoy seeing people understand the subject and look forward to teaching as a career.

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