I am an undergraduate entering my final semester at Syracuse University, majoring in physics, math, and astronomy, and minoring in psychology. I am currently conducting R&D work with the Experimental High Energy Physics Group in the Physics Department, under Professor Raymond Mountain. My work is focused on thermal characterization of materials for use in the replacement for the UT Detector, the UP, for Upgrade II at the LHCb Experiment at CERN.
From the summer onward, I will continue to conduct research under Professor Mountain with the goal of building a thermal conductivity measurement device with enough precision to determine quantities of epoxies loaded with various fillers, both before and after irradiation. During this time, I will also be preparing for and completing applications for a PhD in Astrophysics/Physics. Adjacently, I will be studying for the GRE Physics subject test and completing the application for the NSF GRFP. During my last semester of college, I will take courses on general relativity, cosmology, nuclear physics, probability, and proof-based linear algebra.
I am interested in the intersection of high energy astrophysical phenomena, such as the question of the neutron star equation-of-state, and instrumentation, like x-ray detector development. In graduate school, I will use my experience from research in high energy particle physics, and knowledge from academic courses such as general relativity, to accelerate my abilities in other aspects of the physics profession.