Physics and Engineering Majors Wrap up an Amazing Year

The Randolph College Society of Physics Students (SPS) recently wrapped up what probably was their most active year yet. This past year, the group was awarded two national awards and one from the College. Those awards were the Blake Lilly Prize, an Outstanding Chapter Award, and the College’s Best Philanthropic Event Award.

Contributing to the SPS success were activities for all students such as field trips to the amusement park and Smithsonian, a photo contest, a project to design and build a t-shirt gun, and a Wii tournament. In addition, four physics majors received travel grants from SPS National to attend and present research at the American Physical Society National Meeting. SPS President Wai Sze Cheung, with the help of SPS, coached a group of children in the FIRST Robotics tournament. Our SPS group ran the Lynchburg area’s first Science Festival, and our signature event, Science Day, attracted about 300 children, teachers, and their families. To cap off the year, we hosted the Society of Physics Students’ Zone 4 Meeting, which was a regional student physics conference.

And this summer, Randolph College and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College physics majors are going places!

Our four 2009 graduates have big plans: Stephanie Lyons will be beginning her Ph.D. in physics at Notre Dame. Wai Sze Cheung is planning to work for a year, and will then attend graduate school in engineering. Tiffany Paonessa is planning to work in scientific research in one of her two majors (biology or physics.) Katrina Wiechmann is currently applying to a very unique graduate program in Experimental Archaeology.

From the class of 2010, Iva Gerasimenko will be doing a NASA internship in physics, and Cheridan Harris will be doing an Astrophysics REU (the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates) at Baylor University.

Have a great summer!