Department News
Congratulations to our 2024 Graduate School Award Winners!
The department is delighted to share the news that two of our graduate students have won awards in the annual competition for Graduate School Awards.
Yichul Choi working with Shu-Heng Shao and Zohar Komargodski is one of the winner's of the President's Award to Distinguished Doctoral Students for his work on Generalized Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and Particle Physics.
Waltraut Knop working with Leonardo Rastelli is the winner of the John Marburger III Fellowship for Science, Engineering and Mathematics for her work exploring theories of Quantum Gravity. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Waltraut for her enormous and ongoing service contributions to the department!
Both of these awards will be presented at the Graduate Awards Ceremony on May 13.
Please join us in congratulating both of these outstanding students!
Catherine Feldman Wins First Place in 2024 3MT Competition!
Catherine Feldman, advised by Dr. Alan Calder, won first place in the 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition!
Catherine Feldman (second from left) along with the other competition winners.
The need for effective science communication is stronger than ever, especially when conveying complex ideas to audiences of varied backgrounds. The 3MT competition is designed to test one's skill at just that, and is held in over 200 universities around the world. On March 8, 2024, Stony Brook University held its own competition, and our department is proud to have a student claim first place!
Feldman, through her presentation "FLASH Photography: Exploding Stars on Computers," sought to describe how simulating reactions that occur in stars has important implications on real-world challenges.
“I loved the practice sessions and really looked forward to sharing each new draft because I knew that it would be even better afterwards. For me, 3MT turned into a larger challenge of explaining why basic science research is so important.”
- Catherine Feldman
Feldman joins a list of 3MT laureates from our department, including Derek Pope (advised by Angela Kelly) in 2022, Sonali Gera (advised by Eden Figueroa) in 2020, and Zoya Vallari (advised by Chang Kee Jung) in 2017.
Feldman will continue to the regional 3MT competition at the University of New Hampshire on April 26 as our university's representative. She will defend her thesis in May before beginning her post-doctoral work at MIT.
Congratulations Catherine on this significant achievement!
Read more about the event here.
In Memoriam, Robert (Bob) Segnini
With deep sorrow, we announce that Bob Segnini, who served the department exceptionally as the Director of Laboratories for many years, passed away last Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
Robert's life was a testament to hard work and perseverance. His career in robotics was distinguished by groundbreaking achievements, including the development of the first robotic vision sensors used in the Trident nuclear submarine for the US Navy. His innovative spirit led to numerous patents and a position on the Board of Directors. Later in his career, he served as the Laboratory Director of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, where his leadership and expertise continues to positively impact those he worked with.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Robert was known for his resilience and kind hearted traits, that endeared him to all those who knew him. His toughness was matched by his compassion, making him a respected and beloved figure in both his personal and professional circles.
Bob was a consummate professional with a kind heart and dedication to serve the department. He was willing to do anything to help faculty research, helping many with various aspect of experiment design. He cared about everything he did, was respected by the people who worked with him and was loved by all. We will miss him greatly.