Department ofPhysics and Astronomy

Adi Advani '24 (he/him)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, contact me at aadvani [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Physics- Engineering and condensed matter (Soft matter or analog/mesoscopic electronics)- I build systems to test physics concepts.

Math- Graph theory and combinatorics- I mostly apply combinatorial techniques in unsolved graph related problems.

I also enjoy painting and acoustic guitar on occasion.

Academic Pathway

Double Major- Physics (experimental condensed matter) + Mathematics (focussed on graph theory and combinatorics)

Research

Squishlab (Brzinski Group)- Acoustics of Failure (Density of Modes). Worked on- analog electronics + experimental design of a system for field work used to predict geohazard events in granular matter.

This project is a collaboration between Squishlab (headed by Dr. Ted Brzinski) at Haverford College, DanielsLab (headed by Dr. Karen Daniels) at NCSU and Scripps Tectonorockphysics Lab (headed by Dr. Vashan Wright) at UCSD. The object of this research is to measure the Density of Modes (DoM) of granular materials and find a way to use the results to predict failure in geophysical systems.

My work at Squishlab involves designing and prototyping systems and techniques to measure the Density of Modes. The plan is to disturb granular materials by supplying a driving frequency using a vibrating shaker or a stack of piezoelectric cells, and then measure the response using a piezoelectric ceramic sensor. A piezoelectric ceramic provides us with a charge proportional to the force applied to it, so I worked to design a circuit and some code that converts this miniscule charge output into a reading of the Density of Modes of the material. We then used a feature of the DoM (the boson peak) to predict failure in granular matter.

I also helped design a device (with Leo Anderman '25) that can collect granular samples without disturbing them, so they can be easily attached to a vibration system and a piezoelectric ceramic in the field to measure the Density of Modes on the fly.

Work summary and posters for the KINSC (2022 and 2023)- https://www.adityaadvani.com/squishlab

Post-Grad Plans

PhD in experimental condensed matter physics.

Advice

1. Experimentalists should defintely do Advanced Lab.
2. Horowitz and Hill (1980) 3rd edition has all the answers to all the questions you might have about anything in life. (My favorite book in case you couldn't tell)

Aidan Bannon '24 (he/him)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or about anything (in particular, on-campus research or study abroad), contact me at abannon [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

I'm a physics major intersted in going into Engineering. Outside academics, I'm in the ice hockey, ultimate frisbee, and badminton clubs. I also mountain bike, and I'm in Chamber Singers and the Vocal Studies programs.

Academic Pathway

Traditional Major

Research

I work in Professor Kane's lab where we are studying the locomotion of robots.

Post-Grad Plans

Gap year(s), then engineering graduate program

Advice

Get into the major as soon as you can; the physics major is very front-loaded towards the first and second years, so the earlier you start, the easier it will be on you later!

Lydia Guertin '24 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or about research (both at Haverford and externally, especially people that want to get involved early!), contact me at lguertin [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

I'm a double Physics and Astronomy major, but I'm also interested in and passionate about religion and peace and conflict studies, which is why I chose to minor and concentrate along with my double major. Outside of classes, my main "thing" is research: I've worked extensively on millisecond pulsars and pulsar timing arrays since the fall of my freshman year, and have since presented at multiple conferences and successfully applied for time on two international telescopes, all of which I could never have done without the amazing faculty (i.e. Andrea and Natalia, among everyone else) in the Astro department :) I'm also currently the American Physical Society Student Ambassador on campus. Non-academically, I am an avid soccer player on the women's club team (join us!) and a co-manager of my a cappella group, the Outskirts, as well as being involved in public observing, which is my personal favorite. I'm also a student manager at the Coop and work as a TA and grader inside the Physics department.

Academic Pathway

I'm a double Physics and Astronomy major with a concentration in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights and a minor in Religion. Along the way, I've switched from a traditional Physics major to an Interdisciplinary major (as I didn't want to take Advanced Lab, which is apparently not an issue anymore).

Research

I am currently in three research groups, one of which is Andrea's group here at Haverford. My other groups are Dr. Lewandowska's lab (currently at Swarthmore), and the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) under the Noise Budget Working Group, Student Research Teams, and the Pulsar Search Collaboratory as a mentor for high school students as they scour archival data to uncover new pulsars. In layman's terms, I work with groups that are trying to detect low-frequency gravitational waves by extremely precise timing of stable clocks known as millisecond pulsars. My work specifically focuses on unconstrained noise, or errors, in our timing models that inhibit our ability to detect these spatial correlations in residuals that could be attributed to gravitational waves. As part of my work, I will be observing using the Effelsberg Radio Telescope (Germany) and the Low-Frequency Array (The Netherlands). I have also worked at Los Alamos National Lab, if that is of interest to anyone :)

Post-Grad Plans

I will be going straight to graduate school (sans a possible gap year working at an observatory. TBD)

Advice

Get into research as soon as possible if that's what you're interested in! Just reach out to professors and see what happens next. I started in the fall of my freshman year, and nothing has made me feel more fulfilled that working on my research. That being said, there is a lot of pressure in the department here to go straight to grad school or be a research-focused physicist, and I would just caution everyone to really consider if that is what they want, or just what they are made to feel makes a successful physicist.

Will Haresch '24 (he/him)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or about REU applications, contact me at wharesch [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

In physics I've been able to pursue my interests by doing research over the past two summers both on- and off-campus, in the areas of cosmology and ultra-cold atoms respectively. Outside of physics, I spend most of my time in music groups, including a cappella, chamber singers, percussion ensemble, and orchestra on-campus, and an additional choir off-campus.

Academic Pathway

I followed the traditional physics major, with astronomy and music minors.

Research

I am currently in an off-campus research group based at Temple University, focused on increasing the flow speed of liquid suspensions like melted chocolate and crude oil using electric and magnetic fields. I just joined the group at the start of the semester and am excited to get started!

Post-Grad Plans

I plan to go into either an engineering master's program or an industry job in engineering.

Advice

If you can do algebra, you can do 90% of physics.

Sophia Lanava BMC '24 (she/they)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or about majoring at Haverford as a Bryn Mawr student, contact me at slanava [at] brynmawr.edu!

Interests

I am majoring in astrophysics and minoring in math, but I am also interested in geology and Earth science! I have been conducting research with Prof. Karen Masters since the beginning of my junior year into the neutral atomic Hydrogen (HI) content of galaxies with star formation driven gas outflows. Besides galaxies, I am interested in exoplanets, astronomical imaging, and observational astronomy. Outside of academics, I frequently volunteer at the observatory's public observing nights and I am the secretary of Bryn Mawr's Society of Physics Students chapter.

Academic Pathway

I am a traditional astrophysics major with a minor in math. I came into college knowing that I definitely wanted to major in astronomy or astrophysics, so I began taking physics courses in my first semester. Despite being a Bryn Mawr student, I have spent a good amount of time at Haverford fulfilling my astronomy requirements and conducting research. However, many of my physics requirements were able to be taken at Bryn Mawr, so I didn't have to spend too much time off of my home campus.

Research

I have been conducting research with Prof. Karen Masters since the beginning of my junior year. Broadly, our group works on topics relating to galaxies, radio observing, and citizen science. Doing on campus research is a great way to test the waters and figure out if research is the correct path for you.

Post-Grad Plans

I will be applying to graduate programs in astrophysics. I hope to study exoplanet direct imaging!

Advice

Get involved in department events and don't be scared to reach out to professors if you are interested in research!

Rachel McQueen '25 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or if you have any questions about applying for or participating in summer research, contact me at rmcqueen [at] haverford.edu! I check my email often and would be happy to answer any questions!

Interests

I'm on the softball team, in a bi-co tap dance group called Bi-Co Noise Complaint (I'm on the e-board as the PR Manager), and I'm a part of the Oxford Blues, one of the women's a cappella groups at Haverford. I also work in Quaker Special Collections in the library. Outside of Haverford, I like playing video games (mainly RPGs), art (I draw and paint), I LOVE baking, and creative writing!

Academic Pathway

I followed the traditional path for the physics major. I don't officially have a minor or concentration yet, but I'm working on either a scientific computing, computer science, or an education concentration.

Research

In the Summer of 2023 I am participating in an REU for LIGO SURF, a program based out of Caltech in Richland, Washington. I'm working designing and improving a component in a device that measures gravitational waves that pass through it called LIGO.

Post-Grad Plans

Grad school!

Advice

The major can feel really daunting at times, especially getting the early course credits like the math track and the first two physics courses, but I didn't take my first physics course until my second semester at Haverford, yet I'm still on track! The courses have changed in recent years to accommodate late starters like me who don't actually get started until their late freshman or even sophomore year, so don't worry if you feel like you're behind!

Mick '25 (they/them)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or if you have any questions about double majoring, off-campus research, REUs, or navigating being a marginalized gender in physics, contact me at nmayer [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Within physics, I'm really interested in science communication and promoting diversity, and I'm a co-head for Genders Underrepresented in Astronomy and Physics (GUAP) on campus. Outside of academics, I sew late Victorian and Edwardian garments, spin yarn, and collect/preserve animal remains!

Academic Pathway

I'm a Physics and Astronomy double major and a Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology minor.

Research

I'm doing part on-campus, part remote research. On campus, I work in Karen Masters's research group on a project analyzing the stellar metallicity gradients of MaNGA survey galaxies. Basically, I'm trying to show how the abundance of elements other than hydrogen and helium in stars varies depending on the distance from a galaxy's center. My off-campus research is a continuation of work I did at the Carnegie Science Earth and Planets Laboratory during the summer after my sophomore year. I'm working with Dr. Shubham Kanodia to model the spectra of M dwarfs, a class of low-temperature stars, and obtain metallicity values for them.

Post-Grad Plans

After graduating, I'm going to bake myself a pie and then hopefully get a PhD in astronomy or astrophysics.

Advice

Show up to office hours, ask questions, get to know your peers, be respectful of each other, and be organized (both with your major plan and your coursework).

Deep Patel '25 (he/him)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this or about applying to research opportunities, contact me at dcpatel [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

Academic Interests: Biophysics (specifically Biomechanics) and Environmental Science. I get to pursue these interests at Haverford through classes, research, and my major/ minor.

Non-academic interests: Sports, arts, and media! I get to pursue these at Haverford through all of the free club sports, free arts activities, sometimes classes, and just being able to chat with people with a similar range of interests. Recently I have gotten into making cold-process soap!

Academic Pathway

Note: The distinction between the two majors no longer exists (I think), but I would have followed the Interdiscplinary major pathway. I am an Environmental Studies minor, but I am also thinking about adding a Biology minor.

Research

Professor Suzanne Amador Kane's Research Group: This past summer, I was able to gain my first research experience. I spent most of the summer working on creating an experimental testbed for our Petoi Bittle robot dog. My project ultimately aims to analyze frictional interactions between different robot feet and different substrates. Other groups worked on tracking spider legs using computers, understanding the biomechanics of sand-specialist lizard feet as they run across sand, and how spotted lanternfly's jump and land. Research involved learning new techniques, applying what I learned in my physics lab courses and doing some reading. It was a lot of fun!

Advice

Physics is tough, challenging, and not always accessible. However, our department does as much as possible to make sure everyone who wants to be a physics major, will become one. The struggle is real, but we struggle through it together! You will make it!

Tessa Pearlstein '25 (she/her)

If you’d like to chat with me about any of this, about the astro and physics department, or about doing summer research on campus, contact me at tpearlstei [at] haverford.edu!

Interests

I am interested in physics and astronomy, and I am an Astrophysics Major with a concentration in scientific computing. I am also in an a capella group called the Looney Tunes, and the Haverford Varsity Softball team.

Academic Pathway

Traditional

Post-Grad Plans

I would like to go to grad school and eventually earn a masters/PhD

Advice

It's easy to feel overwhelmed in physics spaces - the imposter syndrome is real. Just remember that you belong here!