Carlos Horcasitas

Hi, I’m Carlos Horcasitas, and I am Dr. Grace’s YREP research assistant for the 2025-26 school year. As a Ransom Everglades Student, I participated in YREP for three years, with a focus on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). During my time in YREP, I presented a research poster at the APS March Meeting in 2024 and a research talk at the APS Global Physics Summit in 2025. I was selected as a Simons Scholar for the summer of 2024, where I pursued a research project in Stony Brook University’s Laser Teaching Center under the guidance of Dr. Eric Jones and Dr. Harold “Hal” Metcalf. I was accepted to Brown University’s Class of 2030, where I will study physics and play on the rugby team.

Through my time as a member of YREP, I discovered my passion for optics and my love of physics research. Moreover, I’ve become a stronger leader and a better collaborator. I can’t wait to encourage YREP’s members to pursue research as passionately as I did and discover what research areas they're interested in.

Outside of the lab, I love playing jazz on my baritone saxophone and playing rugby for the Key Biscayne Rugby Club, which I’ve been a member of since I was 10 years old. I am also an avid baker and a huge nerd about rap music and sports statistics. I’m a fan of all of Miami’s sports teams, as well as Liverpool FC, El Tri, and Williams F1 Team.

Education

Brown University (Accepted)
Will attend — August 2026

Ransom Everglades School
High School Diploma — May 2025

Cum Laude Society

President of Science National Honor Society

Research

Research Projects: Past and Present

I have had the privilege of working on several optical physics research projects, with applications from environmental conservation to American History. Below is a summary of my ongoing and past research efforts:

YREP: Lasers (2025–Present)

Research Assistant | Ransom Everglades School

I assist Dr. Grace in leading an interdisciplinary high school research initiative that empowers students to engage in authentic, publishable research using lasers and optical instrumentation. Projects include cost-effective optical tweezers, LIBS-based elemental analysis of marine and urban samples, and fluid dynamics studies of mangrove ecosystems. This work emphasizes mentorship, hands-on learning, and professional scientific dissemination.

YREP: Lasers (2022–2025)

Student Researcher | Ransom Everglades School

I participated in YREP from my sophomore to my senior year at Ransom Everglades, using LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) and pythonic algorithms to analyze the composition of pennies throughout American history and detect potentially harmful heavy metals in Brownfield soil samples.

Laser Teaching Center

Simons Scholar | Stony Brook University

Under the supervision of Dr. Eric Jones, I built a scanning white light interferometer with the ultimate goal of using it to scan the surface of chirped mirrors and other optical lenses. As part of the Simons Summer Research Program, I presented my work as a research poster in the Simons Symposium.

Talks

“Dirty Physics: Applications of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in Soil Sample Analysis”
APS Global Summit, Anaheim, CA — March 2025

Posters

“Constructing a Scanning White Light Interferometer for the Imaging of Optical Components”
Simons Summer Research Program Symposium – August 2024
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
“Integrated Machine Learning and Laser Spectral Analysis of Penny Composition Across the 20th Century”
APS March Meeting – March 2024
Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN

Athletic & Musical Accomplishments

Some of my activities & accomplishments outside of the lab:

Tri-M Music Honor Society (2025)
RE Combo (2024-25)
Blue Note Combo (2022-24)
Rock 4 Relief (2022-25)
District 20 Honor Band (2022-25)
Key Biscayne Rugby Club — 3x Consecutive State Champion in 2022, 2023, & 2024 (2018-Current)
Florida Jaguares (2022 , 2024)
Varsity Football — Florida All-Academic Team (2025)
JV & Varsity Lacrosse (2022-2024)

Page updated

Report abuse