Prize Recipient

Ryan Dyer

Background:

My name is Ryan Dyer and I am a junior at the University of Kansas. I am pursing a double major in physics and math. I have lived in Kansas for most of my life. I am a member of the Prairie Bad of Potowatomi Nation, whose reservation is located in Mayetta, Kansas. I received my Associate of Science degree in Natural Resource Management fro Haskell Indian Nations University in 1999.

While attending Haskell, I was accepted for internships with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Park Service. Both internships allowed me to experience technical field work. It was during these internships that I realized that the core of science is the physics and mathematics that govern our world. It was then that I decided to pursue a Bachelors degree at the University of Kansas.

I have been involved in high energy physics research for two years. I have been working with Dr. Dave Besson on the Radio Ice Cerenkov Experiment, which is a neutrino detector located at the South Pole. I have been constructing and calibrating the hardware and equipment tha tare used for the experiment. During the winter of 1999-2000 I traveled to Antartica to deploy our equipment.

I will continue my education until I achieve a PhD. I would like to remain in the field of experimental physics. I feel that I have an opportunity to contribute to the field, and I intend to make a career of experimental physics. The APS minority scholarship will help to give me the chance to succeed, and this opportunity will not be wasted.