Graduates

Jonathon Halferty is the 2023 Dean's Scholar for our department. His pursued the Astrophysics Concentration within his physics major, and used that to go to graduate school in physics at George Mason University.

While he was here, Jonathon was active in all aspects of his education. He was a member of the year-long Arctic Geophysics research experience in 2021-2022. Jonathon is pictured here at night in Utqiagvik, Alaska, experiencing the unimaginable splendor of the Northern Lights, our sun's deadly radiation rendered harmless and beautiful by its iteraction with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. He presented his self-designed and -built project on ice seismicity at the 2022 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, and his work was well-received by the other scientists at this world-wide meeting.

Jonthon also helped his fellow students by working as a tutor at the Harvey Knowledge Center, and by working as a Resident Assistant. He was on the Dean's List every semester while he was here.  

Jonathon was an active officer in the Radford University Society of Physics, as well as in the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society. When asked what he really liked about physics, Jonathon said,

"I really like most things about physics, I am very math oriented, so the equations are just fun to do. If I had to pick a course that really sold it to me then I would have to say either introduction to astrophysics or Galactic Astronomy." 

He also participated in Course-Based Research Experiences while here, stating, 

"I did research with the Arctic Geophysics group in Alaska studying icequakes (right), and my Thermodynamics class did a class research project about surfaces and thermal emission."

Sami Reitz was our 2022 Physics Dean's Scholar. She originally come to us from St. Louis, MO, as a highly recruited collegiate volleyball player. 

Sami always liked to be busy. She was on the Dean’s List for all 4 years while here. She was a Laboratory Teaching Assistant for the Department; a Summer Bridge mentor (twice); a REALISE Student Mentor; VP of the Society of Physics Students; a member of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society; participated in an REU at Virginia Tech in the summer of 2021; and helped with a number of outreach events with the SPS to area high schools. She also added a second major in Chemistry while here! 

Sami is currently attending Northwestern University for a PhD in Chemistry with a concentration in Physical Chemistry, which is the intersection of both physics and chemistry. 

When asked about why she picked physics, and what her original college plans were, Sami said, 

"At first, I thought I wanted to do engineering, so I wanted to major in physics. At the end of my second year, I realized I didn’t want to do engineering and I wanted to pick up another science major (chemistry). From there I realized I really liked how chemistry and physics related to each other, which is why I chose the physical chemistry concentration for Northwestern."

When she was asked what she really liked about physics, and why, she said, 

"All the physics professors are amazing, which is something I definitely liked about the physics courses. Also, physics is like a puzzle, it takes a while to figure out how everything fits together, but the feeling when you do figure it out is amazing and that’s why I like it as much as I do."

Sami also took advantage of various research projects including the Alaska research: 

"I was a part of the Alaska 2022 trip. The trip was part of the Geophysics Field Research class, offered every two years, and during the class I planned and built a sensor to quantify the light transmission coefficient to study the light transmission through both the arctic air and sea ice. It was a 10-day expedition, including travel, where we were able to deploy our sensors on the arctic ice." 

And remember, she did this as a 4-year member of the Radford University Women's Volleyball Team, earning Big South Player of the Week Honors along the way! 

And finally, when asked what kind of advice she had for your freshman self or others who are interested in Physics as a major/minor, she said, 

"As a freshman, I think it’s important especially as a physics major/minor to build relationships with professors and classmates. Physics is a hard subject, so you will need to have people to lean on throughout your years at Radford. The SPS (Society of Physics Students) is a great place to meet other physics students and to go through the struggle together."

Teagan Eaker joined us from Chesapeake, Virginia  RU was originally a back-up choice for Teagan until she learned about the Dual Degree Program in which she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Radford University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Virginia Tech.  With two degrees under her belt in only five years, Teagan and her fellow Dual Degree students are very attractive to future employers.

“RU Physics gave me the confidence to continue on to VT with my head held high and knowing that I could hold my own in both the physics and engineering curricula…”  During her time with us, Teagan interned at Lifenet Health and Coastal Podiatry.  Some of her research centered on analyzing “…the effects of pre-cycling tendons that are commonly used in ACL grafts before pulling them to failure in a tension test.”  If she were able to spend more time here she would have liked to study General Relativity or Quantum Mechanics, upper level physics classes in which she would have excelled.

Armed with two degrees, Teagan was able to accept a “…job as a mechanical engineer at the Norfolk Naval Ship Yard…” where she will be working on U.S. submarines.  Her five year plan has her staying with the defense industry or possibly “…getting into the biomedical field…” which she originally planned to pursue.  Encouraging words for future freshmen Physics students is to “Get to know as many people as you can while you are there because these people will be there for you throughout your whole time in college…Everyone wants you to succeed…”  Teagan certainly lived her advice and we are confident that she will continue to succeed!

Hailing from Virginia Beach, Alden Ewell earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physics with a minor in Math. He originally signed up for the dual degree program with Virginia Tech but eventually “…developed a passion for Physics, here at Radford.” Alden thanks his professors here at Radford University for “…bringing their enthusiasm to the classroom every day…” With their love of the subject, Alden was able to explore several areas of Physics. One area that he would have loved to spend more time with is Astronomy. “…the subject matter is so interesting and the astronomy professors at Radford are amazing.” Using his Physics degree Alden is looking forward to exploring different career paths. We are confident that Alden will find a place to use his degree and further his passion of Physics!

Michael Hess came to Radford University from Roanoke, Virginia. He Majored in Physics and Minored in Astronomy. Between these two disciplines, Michael worked hard to earn the title of Dean’s Scholar for Spring 2019. He is also a member of the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma, as well as, being a TA (Teaching Assistant). In between all of the work and activity, Michael was able to assist Dr. Herman in “…designing and testing a homemade micro-resistivity array which uses electrical signals to look into the ground.” This data gathering equipment was taken to Utqiagvik (ne' Barrow), Alaska in 2018 and will be refined and used again during future research trips. Being a key design engineer for leading-edge technology is only part of the exciting things that Michael has been able to participate in while at RU. Research that he has been doing since he arrived in the Physics program allowed him to travel to the American Geophysical Union’s Fall meeting in Washington D.C. International physicists were able to see Michael’s work and appreciate the “…extreme emphasis [on] the real world applications to everything we learned…” Looking forward to becoming “…an active part of the Astronomy community,” Michael is ready to use everything he has learned at Radford. Equipping our students to succeed in their studies, as well as life after school, is a personal goal of everyone who works at Radford University. One life skill that Michael will take with him is this: “The most important thing I learned about Physics is that it is a skill that requires practice. It is not something that some people can do and others just can’t. Solving problems in Physics should be treated the same as playing an instrument. It will require practice and will be difficult. " His main advice for new Physics majors is, "Stay on top of any work your professors assign. Falling behind in work is the biggest problem I have seen new Physics majors have."

From Alexandria, Virginia, Conner Parks came to Radford University with a desire to pursue a Physics degree.  While here, he minored in Mathematics, served as President of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Club and was an Academic Coach in the Harvey Center.  

High school teachers can make so much difference in a student’s life as Conner came to know during his time there.  His teachers created a love of Physics in Conner that he eventually decided to pass on to others.  Research opportunities afforded Conner the chance to “…join Dr. Herman and other students on a research trip to Utqiagvik (ne’ Barrow), Alaska, where we did various research projects out on the Arctic sea ice.”  In addition to the projects themselves, Radford students are given the chance to present their research data on a national and international stage.  Conner was able to attend and present at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference which gained him valuable experience speaking to and interacting with Physicists across the country.

After his hard earned Bachelor’s degree, Conner resolved to help others learn to love learning.  He enrolled in Radford University’s Master of Education program and is currently in a high school classroom sharing his love of physics with his students.