Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I am a former dancer who earned my first bachelor’s degree in dance performance studying classical ballet and modern. Once that journey came to its conclusion, I asked what was next for me. I enrolled in 可乐视频, took some classes, and fell in love with the school. I started as a biology major because I thought I would be a medical doctor. I very quickly saw that it was not in the cards. I was in a chemistry class when we reached this chapter titled Quantum Chemistry, and in it was something called the Schr枚dinger equation. It describes how electrons behave, how atoms behave, and how they interact. It鈥檚 an equation that allows you to see what you can’t see with your eyes. And that just blew my mind. So I chose physics.

Some seeds were planted along the way earlier in my life, so it wasn’t that big a leap from the arts to science, but that landed me in physics.

What were those seeds?

The first seed is that my mom has always been interested in technology. She used to be in the military, and when she was there, she built circuits. I grew up watching her do everything from building ship models to building my computer when I went to college for the first time. Technology was just a regular thing in our household. Science was normalized. My grandmother was a nurse. My mom later became an occupational therapy assistant. I had always been fascinated with how things work, how different puzzle pieces fit together, why they work the way they do.

Why did you choose 可乐视频 for your second bachelor鈥檚 degree?

The college has an excellent reputation in terms of the schools and the professors and how they support their students. I also chose it because it鈥檚 affordable. It was close to where I live in Brooklyn. It ticked a lot of boxes. And because I was interested in becoming a doctor then, it also has great programs. Another reason why I chose 可乐视频 was its reputation for having an incredibly diverse community, even in physics. For my last two semesters in school, I was one of three physics majors of color instead of one. To give you a sense of how big that is, approximately one hundred Black women have Ph.D.鈥檚 in physics in the United States.

Having that sort of safe space to learn, mess up, try harder, and do all of those things made it much easier to go into more predominantly white spaces and show up as my whole self. Going to the American Physical Society Conference this past March showed me the importance of having a baseline community. I received that when I attended the conference for the National Society of Black Physicists. There are just certain things that are understood among us. Now you could talk physics, and after, you could talk about the latest Kendrick Lamar album. Support from 可乐视频 and the society of Black physicists allowed me to thrive in predominantly white spaces.

Being in a diverse environment was a big part of your undergraduate experience. Can you tell us more. Did you have a mentor who stands out to you?

One of the best-kept secret about CUNY is all of the resources that it has. And it’s a matter of going out and finding those resources, talking to professors and administrators. My first mentor was Prof. Jeffrey McLean. He was my biology lab professor, and he also had a non-traditional background going into the sciences. He started off as a tow truck driver and realized after about a year or so of working and talking to older folks in the field that it was not for him. He鈥檇 always been interested in biology and tried it out. Fast forward, he became a virologist and worked at the CDC. Seeing someone else who had a similar non-traditional background as I resonated. It helped me to feel connected to the science community at 可乐视频. Before switching to physics, I reached out to the department and the undergraduate adviser, Professor [Ken] Miyano. He was my number one supporter. It took a long time to get my degree.

Did it?

Oh yes. Because I had to work. It was a combination of needing to support myself and the fact that because I already had my first bachelor’s degree, there was a lot of student aid that I could not access. I had already accessed it with my first degree. I had to get super creative with funding my education and living here. So Professor Miyano was pivotal in advising me on the right courses and when to take them and providing the space and the educational resources I needed to even transition into physics.

There were a lot of mental shifts I had to do to feel like I could succeed to let go of some of the narratives that I had been told growing up because the talent was actually there, but because of society and people in my life saying, 鈥淥h, well, you’re better in English.鈥� Meanwhile, I look back at my transcripts from middle school and high school; I’m getting As in my math classes. It takes a lot more than math to do physics. And that was the part that I needed to connect. It was rough getting there, but it clicked eventually. When I was younger, I thought, this [math] is so hard. I don’t like this, whatever. And then I realized as I got older that I was good at math and I liked math, that math is just another language to help you tell the story of the thing you’re studying.

And now we’ve got movies like Hidden Figures.

I cried the entire time. I was in tears. We Black women could always do this, and we’ve been doing it.

You were a top student presenter at the American Physics Society annual conference. Can you tell us about that experience?

I was there because of research听I had been doing for about two years at an internship at the Simons Foundation. The short story is that it is a foundation started by Jim and Marilyn Simons. Jim Simons, in particular, was a mathematician. He was the department chair at Stony Brook University, and he had ultimately decided that he wanted to try something else. He started a hedge fund company that used the same mathematical models he had already used as a professor in school. The hedge fund was a success, so he started the foundation. It touches on scientific outreach support for math teachers, but there’s an arm called the Flatiron Institute, which I was a part of as an intern and then as an employee. The Flatiron Institute houses all of the basic research, including biology, neuroscience, astrophysics,听math, and quantum physics, all doing what we call computational research. So research on computers, large scale computers. My work, in collaboration with Dr. Tim Berkelbach, now co-director of the Flatiron Institutes Initiative for Computational Catalysis and Associate Professor at Columbia University, was studying atoms and molecules and electrons at their very core: how they interact with one another using these computing systems. That eventually led up to presenting my research at the American Physical Society.

That must’ve been such a high for you.

The culmination of a lot of hard work and other synergistic things helped me get to that point because it wasn’t just about the research. Before working at the Simons Foundation some of my jobs involved science outreach and learning how to communicate science to different populations across New York City. So I took that skillset and married it with the research; the results speak for themselves.

Did you receive any assistance from 可乐视频 or any grants or scholarships?

I received two scholarships: the Lila Lustig Science Scholarship and a Harold M. and Carolyn R. Krouse Scholarship. They helped me to finish my degree because, like I shared before, I had to pay out of pocket. So having those additional resources and institutional support are what continued to help push me.

Switching from student to teacher and physics to environmental science鈥攜ou鈥檝e worked as a citizen science educator at the Stem Research Academy at 可乐视频. Is there any crossover between the two disciplines for you?

The great thing about physics, and the thing that makes physics hard, is that physics is everywhere. One of the things that was incredibly helpful with having gone through my physics degree while working as an environmental educator was that I could take those problem-solving skills to the classroom for students. It was an opportunity to show that to my high school urban ecology class, all those concepts that you learn, volume gases, the chemicals that arise when you mix certain pollutants, and that’s what you’re smelling when you’re walking out in the street, that all stems from physics. But the fact that it’s also intermingled with chemistry and biology鈥攖hat’s what makes it exciting for students, and it helps to rope them in. The goal is to rope them in and get them excited about the environment. Yes, you can take care of this concrete jungle of New York City. Yes, we have trees. Yes, we have forests. Yes, we have wetlands. They all play an important role in keeping our air clean, getting our waterways cleaner, and using science, and physics, in particular, as vehicles.

Today you work as a software engineer in high-performance computing research facilitator. Can you explain that in lay terms?

What I do as an HPC research facilitator is help scientific researchers take the programs or the code that they have written to study everything from molecules to other biological systems, and figure out how to take this small program that can be run on a personal computer and have it run on a much larger set of computers? For instance, I am running a program that studies how much energy a single molecule has. But now I want to multiply the number of molecules I’m studying because I have the prototype. How do I do that on a larger computer system? The goal is to run their system exponentially faster than they could on their own computer. It can take a long time to calculate how much energy something like a super atomic atom鈥攁 cluster of multiple atoms that behave like one, with its own chemical properties鈥攃ontains. So if I were to run that calculation on my laptop, it could take a couple of days, versus if I were to send that same calculation and run it on the larger computer system, that would take maybe 15 to 20 minutes. The sooner you get those calculations, the sooner you can move on to the next step and the next step of the next step, which may eventually have real-world applications.

You’re a masters athlete in Olympic weightlifting.

Once I decided to switch to science and my dance career ended, I needed a physical outlet. Part of what brought me over to Olympic weightlifting was CrossFit. CrossFit is a lot of things, but it has been the biggest driver for women going into strength training. And that’s what brought me over because I did CrossFit and realized my favorite part of the class was the weightlifting section, particularly Olympic weightlifting. So I tried it, and I was hooked. It鈥檚 also very technique-driven, just like ballet and modern dance. I was able to compete in three local competitions in my weight class. And yeah, it was great. I loved it.

Do you have any advice for students who are interested in your field?

Students should not be afraid to chart their own paths. I think one of the things that, in my opinion, contributes to the lack of diversity in my field, in particular in physics, is that there’s this very narrow path that you’re supposed to take to get to, let鈥檚 say, a Ph.D. program. A path that students who don鈥檛 come from a background of academic support in their family can鈥檛 always take. So don’t be afraid to take things out of order. Ask your academic adviser and figure out what works best for you. I realized I had to do what worked for me鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 take off for three months in the summer to participate in a research program for undergraduates in Kentucky, Texas, or California. I didn鈥檛 have that amount of PTO from my job, but what I could do was find jobs that had some science background to gain that knowledge and the research experience that I might need for grad school. Don’t be afraid to go off that path if it still gets you where you need to go.

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Anderson is an associate research analyst at the Flatiron Institute鈥檚 Center for Computational Quantum Physics and a senior majoring in Physics and Computational Mathematics.

Anderson鈥檚 presentation, titled 鈥淟ocalized Superatomic Wannier Functions for Superatomic Solids,鈥� overviewed her work modeling interactions between clusters of atoms dubbed 鈥榮uperatoms鈥� that mimic the behavior of single atoms.

鈥淲e extend our gratitude to the undergraduate presenters for generously showcasing their work,鈥� the APS said in its announcement. 鈥淭heir presentations explored a diverse range of physics topics, highlighting the valuable contributions and innovative spirit that undergraduates bring to the physics community.鈥�

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We talked to her about the professors who mentored her, the research she did on energy storage technology, and how a fateful childhood museum trip shaped her goals.

Talk about the time that your career aspirations became clear to you. What or who was it inspired by?

I鈥檝e always been curious about the workings of the world. My high school didn鈥檛 have much in the way of science education, but I discovered a love for it, particularly physics, from internet research and watching YouTube videos. One core memory for me was visiting the Museum of Natural History as a child. I realized then that I needed to study and deeply understand the world around me and the laws that govern everything.

How have you grown as a person or student in the last few years?

I鈥檝e learned several skills at 可乐视频 that have helped me grow. First, I鈥檝e learned how to manage my time better and stay on top of my responsibilities. Second, I鈥檝e learned how to collaborate effectively and work with my peers through group projects and the research I鈥檝e contributed to. I鈥檝e also gained valuable research skills that I鈥檓 sure will come in handy in my future career as a scientist.听

Were there any faculty members at 可乐视频 who made all the difference for you?

A few professors significantly enhanced my experience here. Associate Professor Ken Miyano, who taught several of my physics courses, is a passionate and talented educator who mentored me and gave me great academic guidance. He showed genuine concern for my well-being and success and checked in with me often to see how I was doing. Another source of inspiration was Professor Sophia Suarez. Working in her materials science lab for the past two years has been a transformative experience. I鈥檝e engaged in exciting, hands-on research where I could explore my interests under the guidance of her and the lab manager, Domenec Paterno. They鈥檙e both genuinely interested in seeing each student succeed.

What鈥檚 something you鈥檝e done at 可乐视频 (other than making it to graduation) that you鈥檙e proud of?

I’m most proud of my research and the work I鈥檝e done in Professor Suarez鈥檚 lab through the Tow Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Not only did I get a stipend, but I also gained invaluable experience in the lab and through presenting my research in public forums. The fellowship helped me hone my research and public speaking skills. I focused on finding, developing, and studying novel materials to improve energy storage technologies. It鈥檚 empowering to know that I have contributed in my own small way to the body of scientific knowledge.

What will you do to take a well-earned break or otherwise celebrate making it to this point?

I love to travel and spend time in nature, and I haven鈥檛 had much time to do that over the past couple of years. I hope to take some time to get out and explore a bit after graduation.

What are your goals after graduation?

My long-term goals are to earn a Ph.D. in physics and ultimately work as a researcher. Perhaps I鈥檇 even like to teach at a college someday. This December, I鈥檒l be applying to graduate programs. There are several subfields of research that I鈥檓 interested in, but I haven鈥檛 yet narrowed down the specific path that I want to pursue. After I graduate, I want to continue to make contributions to the field. I hope to obtain some additional research experience that will help me in my future career.

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• near-peer workshops specifically tailored to our two introductory physics courses and offered concurrently with the courses;
• hands-on mini demonstrations for students to use within the traditional lecture setting, in order to remove the artificial divide between 鈥渓ecture鈥� and 鈥渓ab鈥� classes that are normally held at separate times, giving students more rapid practical exposure to concepts as they are introduced in the class.

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The lecture introduced the topic of the Antikythera mechanism, the oldest analogue computer device that was lost in a shipwreck and laid at the bottom of the ocean for over 2,000 years and was later discovered by a team of sponge divers near the island of Antikythera, Greece in 1901. The device was used by the ancient Greeks to calculate and track the motions of the Sun, Moon, Earth, and other astronomical features.

Professor Jones discussed the importance of the world鈥檚 first ancient computer along with the application of advanced materials and characterization techniques used to probe its inner workings. He demonstrated how the mechanism works, which is the earliest known geared machine of its type and explained its significance to the history of technology. The discussion was based on Professor Jones鈥� book , which he wrote in 2017.

The colloquium, a virtual and in-person academic conference, explores the relationship between physics and other disciplines which will continue through the Spring 2023 semester.

The seminar is available on the Physics Department .

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鈥淲e are delighted that 17 Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies projects, developed by our faculty, staff, and administrators, have received BRESI program support,鈥� said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Anne Lopes. 鈥淭hese projects range in scope from curriculum development and faculty research to initiatives focused on campus climate. These efforts will impact student learning and faculty scholarship for many years to come.鈥�

可乐视频 Awardees

Faculty Support for Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Publications

• Rosamond King, Proposal Title: Black Light: Digital Literature from Africa and Its Diaspora
• Malcolm Merriweather, Proposal Title: Hear Black Women鈥檚 Voices: 鈥淚, Too, Sing America.鈥�
• Aleah Ranjitsingh, Proposal Title: Becoming Black: Afro-Caribbean and/in 鈥楤lack America.鈥� An Oral History Project.
• Gunja SenGupta, Proposal Title: Indexing book, Sojourners, Sultans and 鈥淪laves鈥�: America and the Indian Ocean in the Age of Abolition and Empire (forthcoming, University of California Press, 2023)

Departments, Programs and Black, Race and Ethnic Studies-Related Initiatives

• Mona Hadler, Proposal Title: The ALQKAA Symposium: A Cross-Ethno-Gender Korean/Asian Studies Initiative.

Existing Race and CUNY Black, Ethnic Studies Centers and Institutes

• Alan Aja, Proposal Title: Research Assistance/Programming Support for the Maria E. S谩nchez Center for Latino Studies at 可乐视频 (CUNY).
• Marie Cerat, Proposal Title: Ayiti in the City.
• Prudence Cumberbatch, Proposal Title: Institutionalizing Activism at CUNY: The Emergence of Africana Studies at 可乐视频, A Case Study.
• Zinga A. Fraser, Proposal Title: Redefining the Shirley Chisholm Trail in 2022 and Beyond.

Black, Race and Ethnic Studies-focused Projects to Improve Campus Climate

• Yung-Yi Diana Pan, Proposal Title: Another Curriculum is Possible: Decolonization, Multi-Generational Voices, and the Creation of Cross-Campus Native/Indigenous (N/I) Studies Initiatives at CUNY.
• Naomi Schiller, Proposal Title: Claiming Our Campus: A Participatory Action Research Project on Student Experiences and Analysis of 可乐视频鈥檚 Campus Climate.
• Crystal Schloss-Allen, Proposal Title: BFS Ambassador Program.

Creating Black, Race and Ethnic Studies-Focused Student Internships

• Emily Molina, Proposal Title: Flatbush African Burial Ground Student Internship Program.

Black, Race and Ethnic Studies-Focused Mentored Student Research

• Lawrence Johnson, Proposal Title: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Decolonizing Sociology.
• Sophia Suarez, Proposal Title: Promoting URM Participation and Development in STEM Research of Electrospun Nanofibers.
• Alex Vitale, Proposal Title: Policing and Social Justice Project.

Course and Curriculum Design and Curriculum and Syllabus Decolonization

• April Bedford, Proposal Title: Creating Culturally Relevant-Sustaining Teacher Preparation Programs.

The post Seventeen 可乐视频 Projects to be Funded as Part of CUNY鈥檚 BRESI Initiative to Further Transform Ethnic Studies on Campus and Beyond appeared first on 可乐视频.

The perspective, derived from Schr枚dinger theory, is that of the听individual electron in the sea of electrons via its temporal and stationary-state equations of motion 鈥� the 鈥淨uantal Newtonian鈥� Second and First Laws. The Laws are in terms of 鈥渃lassical鈥� fields experienced by each electron, the sources of the fields being quantum-mechanical expectation values of Hermitian operators taken with respect to the wave function. Each electron experiences the external field, and internal fields representative of properties of the system, and a field descriptive of its response. The energies are obtained in terms of the fields. The Quantal Newtonian Laws lead to physical insights, and new properties of the electronic system are revealed. New mathematical understandings of Schr枚dinger theory emerge which show the equation to be intrinsically self-consistent.

Another complementary perspective to Schr枚dinger theory is its manifestation as a local effective potential theory described via Quantal Density Functional theory. This description too is in terms of 鈥榗lassical鈥� fields and quantal sources. The theory provides a rigorous physical explanation of the mapping from the interacting system to the local potential theory equivalent.

The complementary perspective to stationary ground state Schr枚dinger theory founded in the theorems of Hohenberg and Kohn, their extension to the presence of a magnetic field and to the temporal domain鈥擬odern Density Functional Theory鈥攊s also described.

The new perspectives are elucidated by application to analytically solvable interacting systems. These solutions and other relevant wave function properties are derived.

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Professor Sahni expects that the book will be used to supplement the material presently taught in courses on quantum mechanics and quantum chemistry, as it is written in a pedagogical manner easily accessible to senior undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers in the broad area of electronic structure.

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The post Viraht Sahni, Professor of Physics, Publishes New Book 鈥淪chr枚dinger Theory of Electrons: Complementary Perspectives鈥� appeared first on 可乐视频.

Again, Congratulations Prof. Suarez.

For those interested in Prof. Suarez’s work please visit her webpage:听.

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