Q: What are your physics/science interests?

My interest in physics is in the field of experimental nuclear and particle physics, and more specifically in the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. This summer I worked with Dr. Jason Detwiler for the LEGEND experiment which aims to observe this rare nuclear process at extremely low background rates.

Q: What are your other interests?

Other things that interest me are playing video games with friends and also outdoor activities like hiking and backpacking. I was in the Boy Scouts, so I love all sorts of high adventure activities!

Q: What would you like to do after college?

After college, I intend to go to graduate school and pursue a PhD in nuclear physics. After obtaining a PhD, my goal is to become a university professor!

Q: Tell us one strange but interesting fact about yourself.

I used to collect rocks, minerals, and fossils from every place I went to when I was little. Geology, chemistry, and the sciences have been really interesting to me since childhood.

Q: What first sparked your interest in Physics?

I first became interested in physics by spending lots of time with science books as a kid. Later, school science fairs and projects let me explore what I liked most. I specifically remember a science fair project I did with my dad where we found the Curie point of different magnets by heating them. I really liked this experiment because things like the magnetic force seemed so arcane to me! I then decided to pursue physics after high school because of all the sciences, physics is concerned with the most fundamental aspects of reality. In my lifetime I hope to see a new paradigm emerge in the field of physics, akin to how relativity and quantum mechanics revolutionized our understanding of the universe.

Q: If you could have any pet, what would it be?

My favorite pet is the African spurred tortoise because they are so large and live so long!

Q: If you had a free month and unlimited funds, how would you spend your time?

With a month of unlimited funds, I would fully fund students' research (a la Tony Stark), then visit cool physics laboratories around the world.