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Physics students present results at American Physical Society

The annual meeting focuses on the fields of gravitational physics, astrophysics, and nuclear and particle physics.

Posted in: Physics, Science and Technology, Students

physics students at APS conference
Matthew Karlson, Kevin Chen, and Lita de la Cruz at American Physical Society Conference

Undergraduate and graduate students presented their research on gravitational-waves at the April 2018 meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) in Columbus, Ohio. Attendees from Montclair State included graduating physics seniors Kevin Chen and Lita de la Cruz, mathematics master’s student (and former physics undergraduate) Matthew Karlson, and Prof. Marc Favata. Chen, de la Cruz, and Karlson all gave poster presentations on the research they carried out over the past year working with Favata. Also in attendance was Montclair State physics alumni Blake Moore, who is pursuing a PhD in gravitational-wave physics at Montana State University.

This meeting’s theme was “From Quarks to the Cosmos” and focused on new developments in general relativity, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. Plenary speakers included recent winners of the Noble Prize in Physics, Rainer Weiss and Barry Barish, who were recognized for the first detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO project (of which Montclair State is a member).

The annual APS meetings are among the highest profile gatherings of the US physics community. They are regularly attended by scientists and journalists from around the world. In addition to providing a venue to disseminate research results and insights, these meetings provide a valuable opportunity for young scientists to network and learn about the scientific process.