May 1, 2018
Three students graduating in May 2018 from the Department of Physics are looking ahead to bright futures. Claire Alvine, Austin Bradley, and Richard Rios all have accepted offers of admission to competitive graduate programs in the field. Meet these high-achieving students and read about their plans for next year:
Claire Alvine
Claire Alvine came to St. John’s from New Providence, NJ. She initially pursued Mathematics but switched majors after taking Physics I and realizing that her interests were in applied math. Growing up, she imagined a career doing special effects in science fiction films, but in college, her ambitions evolved toward aerospace engineering. “I wanted to do something hands-on,” she said.
Next fall, Ms. Alvine will attend Stanford University’s Master of Science program in Aeronautics and Astronautics. She was also accepted to a Ph.D. program at Rutgers University, but chose Stanford for its location and reputation, as well as her desire to get out into the workforce more quickly than a doctoral program would allow.
At St. John’s, Ms. Alvine has been vice-president of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), as well as a tutor at the tutoring center. She also volunteers with Project Sunshine, which works to brighten the lives of local pediatric patients. Ms. Alvine has conducted research on clean solar energy under the supervision of Associate Professor Charles Fortmann, Ph.D.; for that project, she received funding from the Graduate Admissions Assistance Program (GAAP).
To incoming first-year students, Ms. Alvine has this advice: “Get involved early and talk to more people in your major. It’s easy to center your social life around your dorm but get to know the people in your classes because you’ll have interests and goals in common with them.”
Austin Bradley
Austin Bradley, who hails from Corona, CA, will attend Notre Dame University next year for a Ph.D. program in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, fully-funded. His research focus will be in flow physics and vortex dynamics. “You can get into any graduate school from St. John’s,” said Mr. Bradley. “There’s nowhere you can’t go from here. Just find the right professors to help you and go to class.”
While at St. John’s, Mr. Bradley – a double major in Physics and Mathematics – has been a founding member of the Running Track Club, as well as involved in SPS. For his senior year, he has been president of Pi Mu Epsilon, the Mathematics honor society, and was previously vice-president of that organization.
Along with Dr. Fortmann and Mathematics Professor David Rosenthal, Ph.D., Mr. Bradley credits Mathematics Professor Charles Traina, Ph.D., as a mentor. He will fondly remember Dr. Traina’s characteristic salutation: “Stay smiling!”
Richard Rios
Physics major Richard Rios will be attending the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program next fall. Mr. Rios -- whose hometown is Valley Stream, NY -- has been building computers on his own since high school and has a long-time interest in understanding how things work and how to fix them. For the past two years, he has been working with Assistant Professor Gen Long, Ph.D., on research involving nano-technology and solar cell fabrication, research that he plans to continue at the graduate level.
Along with Dr. Long, Mr. Rios found mentors in Dr. Fortmann and Dr. Rosenthal; these faculty members guided him toward a successful outcome with graduate school applications. Whereas Dr. Rosenthal offered advice about where to apply and how present an application, Dr. Fortmann offered some broader wisdom: “Sometimes physics or math can be daunting or confusing, but he tells us to follow our gut,” said Mr. Rios of Dr. Fortmann. “He also encourages us to pursue more than money in a career and to go for something we’re really passionate about. I’ve found a lot of great mentors here at St. John’s.”
While a student at St. John’s, Mr. Rios has been involved with the track team, the Catholic Student Community, and as a peer mentor. He also has a part-time job as an engineering instructor with Playwell Teknologies, teaching engineering concepts to grade school children. “I wanted to teach because of how important teachers and mentors have been to me in my life,” said Mr. Rios.
To incoming students, Mr. Rios advises, “Focus on school first, and the rest will come. In classes that are especially difficult and hard to understanding, never stop paying attention; have the confidence and belief that you will understand it eventually and that you will do yourself a disservice if you turn your mind to other things.”