What our graduating physics Buffs want you to know
We asked our graduating physics and engineering physics students what advice they had for other students, what's next after CU, and what they will carry with them into their next chapter.
Benjamin Braun (Phys'26)
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
The best piece of advice I can give to other students is telling them to say yes to as much as they can! Take advantage of as many opportunities as possible now and don't look back.
What was your research focus?
My undergraduate thesis focused on using a laser to measure incredibly thin plasmas to help make particle accelerators smaller.
What's next for you and how did CU help you prepare?
Following graduation from CU, I will be pursuing a PhD in Physics at Princeton University. CU helped me prepare for this by providing the opportunity to get involved in research early and by supporting me in various leBadership roles. Those leadership roles included being a Learning Assistant in physics for 5 semesters, President of the Society of Physics Students, Founder & Director of the Colorado Undergraduate Physics Conference, and much more!
Aqua Chung (Phys'26)
What does graduating from college represent for you?
As an aspiring theorist, it feels one step closer to making an impact in the physics (and the math) community and in inspiring future students I hope to lecture one day.
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
It’s not about being smart, it’s about grit and the appreciation in the beauty of physics.
What's next for you?
I will be working at the Air Force Research Lab for 4 years as a commissioned Air Force Physicist!Ìý
Tess Ekblad (EngrPhys'26)
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
Stay curious and push yourself outside your comfort zone when it comes to your passions!
Why did you choose to study engineering physics?
I love discovering how and why things work, and I love applying what I know to solve new problems in physics.
What was your research focus?
I worked on a novel application of fiber optics to distribute optical coherence between remote receivers at CU Physics and CU Engineering to perform very-long-baseline-interferometry (VLBI) at optical wavelengths.Ìý
Mason Hergert (Phys'26)
What does graduating from college represent for you?
It represents a long time of overcoming a topic incredibly challenging and yet irresistibly fascinating. I have grown a ton as a person and as a thinker, and I'm incredibly grateful fro the opportunity to have spent my time here getting this bachelor's degree.
What's next for you and how did CU help you prepare?
I am looking at getting into Intellectual Property (IP) law. CU gave me the tools in analytical and precise thinking, as well as the connections in finding my way into this career path.
What was your research focus?
I worked on theoretical quantum chemistry, working to find more efficient routes of computing complicated systems.
Aidan Janney (Phys'26)
Why did you choose to study physics?
Physics is such an intriguing puzzle and exploration of the building blocks and principles that power our world, and I wanted to give it a try even though I sucked at physics in high school. I'm so glad I did!
What was your research focus?
I worked on machine learning models to support and accelerate regional ocean modeling.Ìý
What's next for you?
I will be working at NCAR after graduation on modeling oceans.
Ashton Kozloski (Phys'26)
What does graduating from college represent for you?
A major triumph in life and a first step towards pursuing my passion in the future.
What was your research focus?
We studied how very cold molecules interact with each other. By using a laser to give the molecules extra energy, we can learn about fundamental parameters that control how they interact with one another.
What's next for you and how did CU help you prepare?
I am hoping to go on to graduate school and continue in physics. CU has been critical in establishing myself in research and learning, things that I will continue to pursue in graduate school.
Kristin Oliver (PhDPhys'26)
What does graduating from graduate school represent for you?
This represents becoming a qualified researcher who can help improve the teaching and learning of physics for future students!Ìý
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
Having a solid support system is the thing that will get you through the hard parts of graduate school (of which there will be many). Surround yourself with people who will support and love you even when you’re struggling!Ìý
What was your research focus?
I studied how students think about projects in upper-division lab courses and how the skills they gained in those courses change their perceptions of their future career options, particularly in quantum.Ìý
Ìý
Joelle Pospisil (Phys'26)
Why did you choose to study physics?
I am fascinated by how physics seeks to understand the universe at its most fundamental level. I also appreciate its precision and the constancy of the laws of physics that always hold true no matter how strange things might appear when dealing with bizarre quantum effects or strongly curved space-times.Ìý
What was your research focus?
At CU I researched neutrinos, the lightest known particles in the universe that still have mass. My work involved designing machine learning algorithms that could sort out different types of particles within one of the prototype detectors of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment at Fermilab.Ìý
What's next for you and how did CU help you prepare?
I’ll be spending the next six years working towards a PhD in physics at Ohio State University. CU helped me prepare for grad school by offering a wide range of physics courses, and most importantly offering numerous research opportunities with supportive research advisors.
Timothy Suxe (Phys'26)
What does graduating from college represent for you?
It represents to me a turning point where I determine the professional I want to be in the following years. However, after all the efforts and lessons, no matter what path, I know I will be ready to face the challenges that will appear.
Why did you choose to study physics?
Since very early, I had particular interest in learning new things. I love figuring how internal mechanisms work and in what ways I can apply this knowledge to create new things and solve problems. When I learned that the universe is infinite and physicists seek to understand it, I knew that my fun for learning would never stop if I took this path.
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
Good things come with time. Some problems will seem unsolvable, but there is always a way. Trust the process and look for the right angle. Never try the same thing twice.Ìý
Tien Vo (PhDPhys'26)
What does graduating from graduate school represent for you?
Receiving a doctorate in physics is a wild dream for me as a young person growing up in Vietnam, with few inspirations to hold onto. This achievement is a conclusion to a decade-long journey with many hardships to overcome.
What was your research focus?
Turbulence is a major factor for weather in space and astrophysical plasmas, similar to how it affects weather in the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. However, the plasmas in outer space are extreme physical systems with low density and collisionality, leading to very different behaviors from high-density fluids and gases on Earth. My research focuses on the energy transfer in turbulent collisionless plasmas to understand how these systems accelerate particles to extreme energies and relax under excitation. My work helps us understand the behaviors of one of the most abundant forms of matter in the universe, and how they affect the Earth.
Jasmine Wright (Phys'26)
Why did you choose to study physics?
I chose physics because I wanted to understand how the universe works and help turn that understanding into real technology that shapes the future.
What's next for you and how did CU help you prepare?
Next, I’ll be working at Vescent Technologies as a systems engineer intern. CU helped prepare me by giving me both a strong technical foundation and the confidence to apply physics to real-world systems and emerging technologies.
