Graduate Spotlight

Nick Terehoff came to Radford University as a Physics major from Big Stone Gap in Virginia. Nick's concentration was Experimental & Theoretical Physics, and he minored in both Mathematics and Astronomy. 

Nick really shone in his academics while here, gradauting Summa Cum Laude in December of 2023. He was always on the Dean’s List, received a Research Scholar Designation for his Arctic Geophysics work, graduated as a Highlander Distinction Scholar and an Artis Endowed Scholar, and recreived the “Wickie” award for Impactful Solutions. For his Alaska work, he applied for a received a McGlothlin Travel Award and was designated a Study Abroad Scholar. 

In his "other" time in the Physics Department, Nick was a valued Laboratory Teaching Assistant and worked as a Laboratory Assistant. He was an active member and officer of both the SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma. Nick participated in a number of outreach events with both groups, helping to host both local K-12 school groups as well as Radford University groups and events. His passion for physics shone through as he showed others things that he had learned in physics. 

Nick also had an internship as a NASA Virginia Aerospace Science & Technology Scholar. His future plans include graduate school in physics starting in the 2024 fall semester, and he's currently applying for these positions. In the meantime, he is interning at Solar BioTech near Big Stone Gap. 

Nick participated in various research opportunities while he was here. He said, "I was accepted to participate in the Arctic Research program. As a part of this, students build a research project, write grant proposals, build their own equipment and code, obtain clearance to perform research on native land, and eventually travel to Utqiagvik, Alaska. This was an eye-opening experience and helped develop some core skills in performing research in a professional environment, beyond what is developed in introductory physics labs. Nearing the end of the experience, I submitted an application and was accepted to present my research at the 2022 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Chicago. ... Along with my peers, I also conducted research across campus, investigating the thermal efficiency of several ground materials. [ in the PHYS 330 - Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics class]"

After he gradautes, he has plans that he knows could change since he knows that physics majors are qualified to do many things."If all goes well, I will be completing an internship pending enrollment at one of the graduate schools I applied to, hopefully focusing on particle physics, string theory, quantum information, and/or relativity. ... What I want to do now is likely to change, as it has previously, and I’m open to many fields; for all I know, I could be a software engineer in the future!"

When asked for what kind of advice he would have for his freshman self or others who are interested in Physics as a major/minor, Nick said, "Definitely keep an open mind and participate! Oftentimes, we find that we enjoy a particular subject or hobby more than we expected to, and that’s something that can only be found if we put ourselves out there and try new things. Three years ago, it was my dream to go to college for engineering [but that's no longer true].  ... Definitely participate in research experiences as much as you can, while working on improving your computational and programming skills. These are very handy and could likely give you more career options.

Sami Reitz was our 2022 Physics Dean's Scholar. She originally come to us from St. Louis, MO, as a highly recruited collegiate volleyball player. 

Sami always liked to be busy. She was on the Dean’s List for all 4 years while here. She was a Laboratory Teaching Assistant for the Department; a Summer Bridge mentor (twice); a REALISE Student Mentor; VP of the Society of Physics Students; a member of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society; participated in an REU at Virginia Tech in the summer of 2021; and helped with a number of outreach events with the SPS to area high schools. She also added a second major in Chemistry while here! 

Sami is currently attending Northwestern University for a Ph.D. in Chemistry with a concentration in Physical Chemistry, which is the intersection of both physics and chemistry. 

When asked about why she picked physics, and what her original college plans were, Sami said, "At first, I thought I wanted to do engineering, so I wanted to major in physics. At the end of my second year, I realized I didn’t want to do engineering and I wanted to pick up another science major (chemistry). From there I realized I really liked how chemistry and physics related to each other, which is why I chose the physical chemistry concentration for Northwestern."

When she was asked what she really liked about physics, and why, she said, "All the physics professors are amazing, which is something I definitely liked about the physics courses. Also, physics is like a puzzle, it takes a while to figure out how everything fits together, but the feeling when you do figure it out is amazing and that’s why I like it as much as I do."

Sami also took advantage of various research projects including the Alaska research."I was a part of the Alaska 2022 trip. The trip was part of the Geophysics Field Research class, offered every two years, and during the class I planned and built a sensor to quantify the light transmission coefficient to study the light transmission through both the arctic air and sea ice. It was a 10-day expedition, including travel, where we were able to deploy our sensors on the arctic ice." 

Remember, she did this as a 4-year member of the Radford University Women's Volleyball Team, earning Big South Player of the Week Honors along the way! Finally, when asked what kind of advice she had for your freshman self or others who are interested in Physics as a major/minor, she said, "As a freshman, I think it’s important especially as a physics major/minor to build relationships with professors and classmates. Physics is a hard subject, so you will need to have people to lean on throughout your years at Radford. The SPS (Society of Physics Students) is a great place to meet other physics students and to go through the struggle together."

Krislyn Sourivong came, as a freshman, to Radford University from Honolulu, Hawaii. She majored in Physics with a concentration in Earth and Space Science; minoring in both Mathematics and Astronomy. She was a member of the Society of Physics Students and has had several roles within the Physics department, including Teaching Assistant and Planetarium Operator. 

Chris Mattson, from Willis, Virginia, enrolled in Radford University’s Dual Degree program for Physics and Engineering, along with a minor in Mathematics. Graduating with distinction, Chris has been a member of the Society of Physics Students, here at Radford along with being a tutor for the Learning Assistance and Resource Center (LARC).

Hunter Brandon, from Galax, Virginia, graduated with a double major in Physics and Chemistry this Spring 2021.  When he first came to Radford he was only majoring in Chemistry. Traveling to Utqiagvik, Alaska on a research team from the Physics department was the starting point of his interest in physics. 

Caitlynn Fischer came to Radford University from San Antonio, Texas. She has graduated with a major in Physics and a minor in Astronomy. During her time with us, on top of her studies, she helped the department as a Teaching Assistant in Physics and Astronomy Labs and was a part of the Summer Bridge program. She was able to earn a membership in the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma. 

Aaron Bricker of Virginia Beach, Virginia, majored in Physics after he formed an interest in physics and mechanical engineering during a governor's school STEM program. The Physics program at Radford University was just the ticket for Aaron to let his curiosity run wild and learn about our world. 

Anith Muthalaly, from Warrenton, Virginia, decided to pursue physics after being inspired by his high school teacher, Mrs. Hotchkiss. While at Radford, he majored in Physics and a minored in Mathematics. He served as an academic coach for the Harvey Center where he was able to help others achieve an understanding of our world. 

Roque Aguonis from Virginia Beach, VA and graduated with a major in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. While taking classes at Tidewater Community College, Roque had some classes in Astronomy and wanted to get more familiar with that specific topic.

Alex Anderson came to Radford University as a Physics major from Natural Bridge Station in Virginia. He minored in Mathematics and Philosophy and earned his place on the Dean’s list in 2016 and 2019. He joined the Society of Physics Students, serving as Vice President, and the Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity, Phi Beta Chi Chapter, serving as President. As a kid, he enjoyed watching the Science Channel and along with the help of his high school teachers, developed his love for math and exploring topics not covered in his regular classes. 

Joshua Arnold, from Fairfax, Virginia, is another graduate of the Dual Degree program at Radford University.  This program allows the student to gain two degrees, Physics from Radford University and Engineering from Virginia Tech.  As a high school student, Joshua loved physics. Currently, Joshua is working for VDOT as an Engineering Technician. 

Will Ball of Council, Virginia, majored in Physics and minored in Mathematics.  During his time with us he participated in several clubs and organizations including: Radford VEX Robotics Club, the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma. 

Liuni Chen came to Radford University from China. She is a graduate of the Dual Degree program with Virginia Tech and so has earned two Bachelor’s Degrees; one in Physics from Radford and the other in Engineering from VT. She was a member of Sigma Pi Sigma and worked as a TA for Chinese language classes. Liuni’s high school emphasized math and science which led to her interest in Physics. 

Teagan Eaker joined us from Chesapeake, Virginia. The Dual Degree Program in which she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Radford University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Virginia Tech is what made her pick Radford.  With two degrees under her belt in only five years, Teagan and her fellow Dual Degree students are very attractive to future employers. During her time with us, Teagan interned at Lifenet Health and Coastal Podiatry.  Some of her research centered on analyzing “…the effects of pre-cycling tendons that are commonly used in ACL grafts before pulling them to failure in a tension test.”  If she were able to spend more time here she would have liked to study General Relativity or Quantum Mechanics, upper level physics classes in which she would have excelled.

Alden Ewell, from Virginia Beach, Alden Ewell earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physics with a minor in Math. Alden was able to explore several areas of Physics. One area that he would have loved to spend more time with is Astronomy. “…the subject matter is so interesting and the astronomy professors at Radford are amazing.” Using his Physics degree Alden is looking forward to exploring different career paths. We are confident that Alden will find a place to use his degree and further his passion of Physics!

Michael Hess came to Radford University from Roanoke, Virginia. He Majored in Physics and Minored in Astronomy. Between these two disciplines, Michael worked hard to earn the title of Dean’s Scholar for Spring 2019. He is also a member of the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma, as well as, being a TA (Teaching Assistant). In between all of the work and activity, Michael was able to assist Dr. Herman in “…designing and testing a homemade micro-resistivity array which uses electrical signals to look into the ground.” This data gathering equipment was taken to Utqiagvik (ne' Barrow), Alaska in 2018 and will be refined and used again during future research trips. Research that he has been doing since he arrived in the Physics program allowed him to travel to the American Geophysical Union’s Fall meeting in Washington D.C.

Connor Parks, from Alexandria, Virginia, Conner Parks came to Radford University with a desire to pursue a Physics degree.  While here, he minored in Mathematics, served as President of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Club and was an Academic Coach in the Harvey Center. Research opportunities afforded Conner the chance to join Dr. Herman and other students on a research trip to Utqiagvik (ne’ Barrow), Alaska. In addition, Conner was able to attend and present his undergraduate research at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference which gained him valuable experience speaking to and interacting with Physicists across the country.