Every two weeks, Highlander Highlights shares with readers some of the extraordinary research and accomplishments happening on and off campus through the tireless work and curiosity of our students and faculty.
We Are Radford award winner for January
The new We Are Radford employee recognition program is a monthly honor recognizing someone whose daily interactions with students and colleagues represent the best of the Radford University experience. The winner for January is Vanessa Conner, director for Donor Outreach and Special Events in University Advancement.
“Vanessa exhibits the Highlander core values of excellence, inclusiveness, community, intellectual freedom, innovation and student empowerment and success,” her nominator wrote. “When I think of Vanessa, she is Radford University. As a double alumna of Radford, she loves to help students and new employees feel at home. Vanessa is always wearing a smile that reflects her warmth, optimism and welcoming spirit. A true Highlander.”
Employees who have served at least one year at Radford are eligible to be recognized for upholding the university’s core values.
Radford physics students group earns ‘outstanding’ distinction
How do you earn the reputation of being outstanding?
For Radford University’s Society of Physics Students, there is a lot of challenging but fun work involved.
It’s work that has included helping with numerous Science Days at the university, working on-campus, community-focused eclipse events as well as playing a role in the Artis College of Science and Technology Science Expo each fall. There are also research trips to Utqiagvik, Alaska, and the Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia, where students spend a day learning and doing radio astronomy.
All of this, and a little more, led to the National Society of Physics Students (SPS) presenting the Radford group with an “outstanding chapter” designation.
“This is the highest level of distinction given to our chapters and is received by less than 15% of our top chapters annually, with just 78 of 844 chapters so honored this year,” said SPS, a professional organization with international participation. “We are consistently amazed each year at how much time, energy and effort everyone devotes to their departments and local communities.”
A year ago, the Radford SPS chapter earned a “distinguished” rating from the national organization.
What pushed them to outstanding status this year? Professor of Physics Rhett Herman believes it was the group’s April 2024 participation in the Regional SPS Zone 4 meeting at Virginia Tech.
“This was a first for our group since they had not attended one of these regional meetings before,” Herman said. It was significant partly because seven of the 30 student research projects presented at this meeting were by Radford students.
“This showed the growing strength of Radford physics students in their research efforts and their confidence in presenting their work to a broader audience,” Herman said.
The SPS chapter was led by students Kaleb Martin, Athena Smith, Bryce Pappas, Nathan Cadle and Em Stipes.
At the Zone 4 meeting, students presented their work from Alaska as well as research that two of them, Julia Buccola and Gene McGough, did in producing plasmas using a microwave oven as their energy source.
“This was such a positive experience, in fact, that the Radford University SPS was chosen to host the 2026 spring SPS Zone 4 meeting,” Herman said. Attendees will come to Radford from Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and other surrounding states.
Participating in zone meetings allows students to make connections to the broader physics community, including potential graduate school opportunities, Herman explained.
“Presenting at these meetings gives our students a chance to be on equal footing with other students like themselves from many other universities,” he continued. “And these types of presentations always look good as separate line items on their resumes.”
Too, Radford’s “outstanding” SPS designation sends a positive message to high school or transfer students looking to find a home in a “strongly supportive community,” Herman said.
“It creates a feeling of belonging that is so crucial to academic and personal success throughout their college years,” Herman noted. “This is a tight-knit group, and they are always welcoming and supporting new people year after year.”