Prize Recipient

Jason Chaves
Stanford University

Background:

Hi, I'm Jason Chaves and I just graduated from Kings Park High School, located in Long Island, NY.  I've taken physics classes every year since my sophomore year in high school and my passion for the subject has grown exponentially.  After taking AP Physics B in my junior year, I taught myself AP Physics C Mechanics and E&M in my senior year since my school didn't offer it as a class.  Also, I conducted my own astrophysics research this past summer at Stony Brook University and was named a Semi finalist in the Intel STS. 

All of my experiences in physics, both in and out of the
classroom, have increased my love for the subject.  Physics is the purest science there is; it affects everything that exists, organic or inorganic, and it dictates how our world works and how it will evolve.  I'll be attending Stanford University in the fall and I look forward to exploring a few different fields in physics, such as astronomy, particle physics, plasma physics, and possibly optics, to see which I'm most interested in before I go on to graduate school to earn my Ph.D.  I hope to eventually obtain a position as a research professor at a national laboratory or a university and I'd like to thank the APS for helping me reach that goal with this scholarship.