Undergraduate Research in the Physics Department

Undergraduate FAQUndergraduate Research in Physics at UMBC is not only possible, but strongly encouraged

Types of Opportunities Available

Many students work on individual research projects, in collaboration with faculty members and other qualified mentors. Such research is usually performed via

  • a Special Topics course for credit (via PHYS450 or PHYS499)
  • as a paid research assistant or intern.

The department also offers one student a year a Donald N. Langenberg Undergraduate Research Award to support undergraduate research.

 

Many of the undergraduate research projects in the department have been supported by the university’s Undergraduate Research Award (URA). Students in the department also participate actively in the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD).

 

Examples of Recent Undergraduate Research Projects

Year Student Details
2020 Alexandria Udenkwo “Quantum speed limited loss of coherence”
Advisor: Dr. Deffner
2020-2021 URA Scholar
2020 Katie Szekerczes “Awakening Black Holes: Looking for Tidal Disruption Events in the VLA Archives”
Advisor: Dr. Meyer
2020-2021 URA Scholar
2020 Rachel Morin “Charge Transfer from Semiconductor Nanorods”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2020-2021 URA Scholar
2020 Jacob McCready “Quantum heat engine with interacting particles”
Advisor: Dr. Deffner
2020-2021 URA Scholar
2020 Ellen Gulian “Studying 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides using Density Functional Theory”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2020-2021 URA Scholar
2020 Benjamin Brown “Developing Electro-optic polymers for wideband THz sensing”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2020-2021 URA Scholar
2019 Rachel Morin “Real Time Observations of Single Particle Chemical Reactions”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2019-2020 URA Scholar
2019 Ellen Gulian “Creating a THz-TDS Imaging System to Detect Defects in Metal Armor”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2019-2020 URA Scholar
2019 Omar French “A Deep Look at Jets from Black Holes with the Very Large Array”
Advisor: Dr. Meyer
2019-2020 URA Scholar
2018 Olivia Norman Advisor: Dr. Zhang
2018-2019 SURE Scholar
2018 David Fialkow Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2018-2019 SURE Scholar
2018 Arman Setser “Quantum Error Correction Using A Gradient-Based Optimization Approach”
Advisor: Dr. Kestner
2018-2019 URA Scholar
2018 Rachel Morin “Microscopic Processes that Shape the High Energy Universe: An Artist View for the Rest of Us”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2018-2019 URA Scholar
2018 Adursh Iyer “Searching for Gamma-ray Emission from Black Hole Jets”
Advisor: Dr. Meyer
2018-2019 URA Scholar
2018 David Fialkow “Characterizing the mechanical oscillatory properties of nanoparticles”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2018-2019 URA Scholar
2017 Jennifer Hewitt “Characterizing Hotspots of Extragalactic Jets and the Connection Between Jet Speed and Jet Power”
Advisor: Dr. Meyer
2017-2018 URA Scholar
2016 Michael Wolfe “Quantum Error Characterization for Singlet-Triplet Qubits by Randomized Benchmarking”
Advisor: Dr. Kestner
2016-2017 URA Scholar
2016 Natalie DeNigris “X-ray variability of Black Hole Jets on kilo parsec scales”
Advisor: Dr. Meyer
2016-2017 URA Scholar
2016 Kevin Whitley “TeV emission from Quasar Jets”
Advisor: Dr. Meyer
2016-2017 URA Scholar
2016 Kyle Belluomo “Electromagnetic modeling of metal-semiconductor nanoparticle systems”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2016-2017 URA Scholar
2016 Jonathan Luckin “Energy equipartition in radio galaxies: connecting our theoretical results to radio observations”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2016-2017 URA Scholar
2016 Sigfredo Soto “Numerical modelling of the gamma-ray emission detected from extragalactic relativistic jets”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2016-2017 URA Scholar
2015 James Loy “Charge Transfer from Single Semiconductor Nanocrystals to Single Molecules”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2015-2016 URA Scholar
2015 John Hannegan “Creating a Fiber-Laser Based THz System Using Electro-Optic Polymers”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2015-2016 URA Scholar
2015 Michael Wolfe “Entanglement Dynamics of Singlet-Triplet Qubits in the Presence of Inductive Coupling”
Advisor: Dr. Kestner
2015-2016 URA Scholar
2015 Jonathan Luckin “Understanding the Mysterious Energy Content of the Lobes of Radio Galaxies Through Numerical Simulations”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2015-2016 URA Scholar
2015 Ashan Mahmood “Computational Analysis of Optical Properties of Quantum Dots Coupled With Nano-sized Silver Particles”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2015-2016 URA Scholar
2015 Kevin Whitley Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2015-2016 URAS Award
2014 James Loy “Computer Interface for Optical Studies of Single Nanoparticles”
Advisor: Dr. Pelton
2014-2015 URA Scholar
2014 Alex Eftimiades “Quantum Mechanics in Curved Spacetime”
Advisor: Dr. Franson
2014-2015 URA Scholar
2014 Deborah Silver “Study of the Energy Density Ratio of Galaxy Lobes through Simulation of Radio Galaxy Populations”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2014-2015 URA Scholar
2013 Timothy Pillsbury “Quasi-Phase Matching for Enhanced Terahertz Generation”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2013-2014 URA Scholar
2013 David Rivas “Determining the Multiwavelength Emission from Extragalactic Relativistic Jets in the Early Stages of the Universe”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2013-2014 URA Scholar
2013 John Hannegan “Impact of a milling ball and its chemical effects”
Advisor: Dr. Takacs
2013-2014 URAS Award
2012 Aryana Arsham “Radiative Quenching of Large Scale Jets in the Early Universe”
Advisor: Dr. Georganopoulos
2012-2013 URA Scholar
2012 Soutry De “Design and Construction of a Liquid Helium Cryostat for use in Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2012-2013 URA Scholar
2012 Brent McBride “Monte-Carlo Simulations of Photon Transport in 3-D Clouds”
Advisor: Dr. Zhang
2012-2013 URAS Award
2012 Nathan Scavilla “Causes of Strong Vertical Wind Shear in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer”
Advisor: Dr. Sparling
2012-2013 URA Scholar
2012 David Sweigart “Designing and Simulating Terahertz Waveguide Devices using Finite Difference Techniques”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2012-2013 URA Scholar
2011 Soutry De “Wind Energy Viability Near the Mid-Atlantic”
Advisor: Dr. Sparling
2011-2012 URAS Award; (with Eliana NessAiver & Ryan Valenza)
2011 David Sweigart “Field Assisted Charge Dynamics in P3HT and P3HT/PCBM”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2011-2012 URA Scholar; URCAD2012 Presenter
2011 Sharon Wall “Interferometric Autocorrelation of Femtosecond Pulses Emitted from a Widely Tunable Optical Parametric Amplifier”
Advisor: Dr. Hayden
2011-2012 URA Scholar; URCAD2012 Presenter