Nguyen Thi Thao Nguyen, 2008 salutatorian and double major in physics and math, has been named a finalist for the LeRoy Apker Award. The award is given annually by the American Physical Society for outstanding research accomplishments in physics by an undergraduate. Two categories are recognized, one for an undergraduate at an institution that grants Ph.D. degrees, and the other for an undergraduate at an institution that does not grant the Ph.D. Normally, there are three finalists in each category, with one of those the eventual winner.
In September Nguyen will travel to Washington, D.C., to give a 20-minute presentation about her research, followed by a question and answer period. The winner will be decided based on the students' performances. As a finalist Nguyen has won a cash award of $2000 and the Hamilton Physics Department has been awarded $1000 to support undergraduate research. The winner's prize is $5000 with an additional $5000 for the nominating department.
In September Nguyen will travel to Washington, D.C., to give a 20-minute presentation about her research, followed by a question and answer period. The winner will be decided based on the students' performances. As a finalist Nguyen has won a cash award of $2000 and the Hamilton Physics Department has been awarded $1000 to support undergraduate research. The winner's prize is $5000 with an additional $5000 for the nominating department.
Nguen's research was performed in the lab of Professor Ann Silversmith. She spent two summers working on the project and continued the investigation for her senior project. The title of her senior thesis was "The role of Aluminum in Rare Earth Soped Sol-Gel Silicate Glasses." Some of the work was presented at the Dynamic Processes Conference during the summer of 2007, and Nguyen has co-authored three publications which have appeared in the Journal of Luminescence and the Journal of Noncrystalline Solids.
