Physics Undergraduate Students receive NSF GRFP Awards
Photo (L to R): Morgan Himes, Ben Sherwin, and Caeli Benyacko. Not pictured: Thiago Arnaud and Carlton Smith
Congratulations to UF Physics undergraduate students, Ben Sherwin, Caeli Benyacko, Thiago Arnaud, Carlton Smith, and Morgan Himes who received awards and honorable mention from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
The purpose of the NSF GRFP is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. A goal of the program is to broaden participation of the full spectrum of diverse talents in STEM. These fellowships provide the student with a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $16,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), as well as access to opportunities for professional development available to NSF-supported graduate students.
AWARD RECIPIENTS:
Ben Sherwin
NSF category: Physics and Astronomy – Astronomy and Astrophysics
Degree: BS Math, Physics, Astrophyiscs and Minor in Theatre
Research: Ben’s research has focused on theoretical cosmology with Dr. Zachary Slepian in the Department of Astronomy. Specifically, he have been studying how to use topological data analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the higher-order statistics we use to quantify galaxy clustering. Benwill be pursuing a Physics Ph.D. at Stanford University and intend to continue researching theoretical and computational cosmology.
Caeli Benyacko
NSF category: Materials Research – Physics of Materials
Degree: BS Physics – Nanoscience Specialization, BA Astronomy, Minor Materials Science
Research: Caeli has worked with Dr. Mark Meisel for the last 2.5 years studying the magnetic properties of various materials. Additionally, she participated in the Penn State Physics REU in 2023 with Dr. Zhiqiang Mao’s group learning bulk crystal growth and characterization techniques. Caeli will be attending the University of California, Santa Barbara for a Ph.D. in Materials where she will be working with Dr. Stephen Wilson to study quantum materials and develop new ways to grow bulk single crystals.
Thiago Arnaud
NSF category: Engineering – Materials Engineering
Degree: BS Physics
Research: Thiago has worked with Dr. Kyle C. Hartig’s research group in Optical science and Nonpoliferation (OSN) at the Nuclear Engineering department at the Materials, Science, and Engineering department at UF. During his two years with OSN, he initiated, helped develop, and utilized a new capability for the group by implementing an air suspended optical tweezer setup to investigate single micron-class particle interactions with nano and femtosecond pulsed lasers. Thiago will be enrolled in Vanderbilt University’s Interdisciplinary Material Science program to pursue a Ph.D. starting in Fall 2024. His plan for graduate school is to investigate the contribution of phonon polaritons, a photon-phonon coupled quasiparticle, in materials and nanoscale structures.
Carlton Smith
NSF category: Physics and Astronomy – Physics of Living Systems
Now at Yale biophysics
Degree: Graduated Spring 2022 with BS Physics, BA Mathematics
HONORABLE MENTION
Morgan Himes
NSF category: Physics and Astronomy – Astronomy and Astrophysics
Degree: BS Physics, BS Astrophysics, BS Mathematics
Research: Morgan has been collaborating with Dr. Adam Ginsburg in the Astronomy department on high-mass star formation. Her project involves fitting spectral energy distribution models to data from multiwavelength observations of young stellar objects in order to constrain their physical features (radius, mass, etc.) and learn more about the clusters in which they form. Morgan has committed to attending UCLA for graduate school, where she will pursue a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics, focusing on a project related to high-energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics.